While Tampa Bay's terrible season left a terrible taste in the mouths of many within the franchise, there was a sign of a much sweeter taste as the summer months begin to approach the summer months.

The Lightning, which finished last in the 30-team league, won the NHL draft lottery on April 7 and will retain the first overall pick for the 2008 entry draft, which will be held in Ottawa on June 21 and 22.

And after a season in which it seemed everything that could go wrong did go wrong, something finally went right leaving Tampa Bay with the opportunity to fill a major hole in the lineup with a teenager who is expected to produce right away -- center Steven Stamkos. The 18-year-old native of Scarborough, Ontario, recently completed his second season with Sarnia in the OHL and finished second in the league with 58 goals in 61 games. He likely won't be returning to the junior ranks.

Stamkos was the top rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting from before the season until the final rankings were released in mid-April. The Lightning have made it no secret they intend to select Stamkos with the top pick.

The slick Stamkos, who dazzles with his offensive skill but is also noted for his defensive awareness, helped Canada to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in 2008 tying for the team lead with five assists and six points as one of two 17-year-olds on the team. He is expected to be able to step right in next season and center Tampa Bay's second line.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
The Lightning thumped division rival Carolina 6-1 on Nov. 14 for their fourth consecutive victory as center Vinny Lecavalier factored in on five of the six goals with a hat trick and two assists. Lecavalier capped off the night by completing his hat trick with a shorthanded goal against former teammate John Grahame.

TURNING POINT
There was plenty of hype on Dec. 13 surrounding Calgary's first visit to Tampa since Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals, but the game turned out to be anything but another Cup final preview. The Lightning came into the game on a 3-1-1 stretch to pull its record to .500. Despite scoring six goals against Miikka Kiprusoff, Tampa Bay lost by three goals, starting a downward spiral to its season. The loss was the first of three in succession and began a stretch of seven losses in eight games and one win in 11 games. The loss to Calgary also marked the end of goaltender Marc Denis' career in a Lightning uniform; he was sent down to the minors shortly after suffering the loss in relief.

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