We’re finally getting around to reviewing the 2022-23 season. Instead of assigning grades or any of that nonsense, we’ll start by looking at the player’s best goal from the season and go from there. For some it’ll be easy, others have way more to choose from.
Player:
Zach Bogosian
Stat Line:
Regular season – 46 games played, 1 goal, 4 assists, 42 PIMs, 54 shots on goal, 1.93 iXG (5v5), 110 hits
Playoffs – 5 games played, 0 goals, 1 assist, 7 PIMs, 6 shots on goal, 0.22 iXG (5v5), 15 hits
Goal of the Year
Goal of the year description:
It took him 5 months and 15 games played before he found the back of the net. It wasn’t really anything fancy either, just a slapshot from between the circles that beat Lukas Dostal cleanly, adding the fourth goal of the night for the Lightning in a blowout game against the Anaheim Ducks.
For some reason, the Anaheim players were infatuated with Ross Colton behind the net as, at one point, four of the five Ducks on the ice were almost at the goal line watching him. That allowed Colton to pass it out to Pat Maroon who quickly found Bogosian. The Master of the BBQ had all the time and space in the world to tee it up and drive it past Dostal.
Thoughts on his 2022-23 season:
It was a bit of a lost season for Bogosian who didn’t make his season debut until November 19th as he recovered from offseason surgery. He played fairly regularly the rest of the way (due in part to injuries to other defensemen) and appeared in 46 games. His performance wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t overwhelming either.
The 32-year-old blocked shots (4.06 per 60) and threw hits (10.14 per 60) which is kind of what his role is these days. There just isn’t much in the way of offensive production coming from him at this stage in his career. That’s fine considering his role as a third pairing defender who is on the ice for roughly 15 minutes a night.
Something that the Lightning would like to see him, and honestly most of the defenders not named Victor Hedman or Mikhail Sergachev, improve on next season would be getting the puck out of the zone cleanly.
It was frustrating watching the Lightning fail to clear their zone time and time again throughout the regular season and, unfortunately, Bogosian was part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution. The Lightning coaching staff would likely argue, and they have a point, that zone exits are a team effort and the breakdowns were the result of multiple players not executing their job. However, at times you need a defenseman to make a play to clear the puck, and too often Bogosian wasn’t able to do that.
It is possible that the speed of the game kind of caught up with Bogo. He was one of the more conservative Lightning defenders when it came to attacking the other team at the point of entry but was also below league average when it came to retrieving pucks in the defensive zone. He was caught a little too inbetween at times this season and that led to sustained possession for the other team.
2023-24 Contract Status
Bogosian is in the final year of the three-year deal he signed prior to the 2021-22 season. His cap hit is $850,000 while his actual salary is $1,050,000.
Do we expect Bogosian to score more or less in 2023-24?
This is a solid maybe. Bogosian will be on the roster to start the season, but will he be there at the end? We know Erik Cernak and Nick Perbix are penciled in for the top two pairings on the right side while Bogo will be competing with Darren Raddysh for a spot on the third pairing. He’ll also be in the mix for the seventh spot on defense if Raddysh outplays him in training camp.
With a contract that could be buried in the AHL if better options emerge, it’s not a lock that he makes it through the entire season. Since he is no longer the offensive threat he was early in his career, it’s not a lock he’ll score more than a goal next season. In five of his 15 NHL seasons he has scored one goal or less in the regular season.
One thing he has going for him is an entire offseason to recover and get ready for the season.
