With Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Kevin Shattenkirk, Mikhail Sergachev, and Erik Cernak on the roster, the Tampa Bay Lightning have five defensemen that are clearly capable of playing in the top four for an NHL team. Each one has had their own struggles during the season. Some offensive, some defensive, some with consistency. But there’s no denying their talent levels and it’s great having all five on the roster.
The last three defensemen on the roster though have been much more of a question mark. Braydon Coburn, Jan Rutta, and Luke Schenn have all shared in the sixth and sometimes seventh defensemen role so far this season.