Tampa Bay Lightning 2024 Top 25 Under 25: #3 JJ Moser

The newest member of the defense debuts at number three on our list. His NHL readiness is a big reason he is so high on the list despite never playing in the organization.

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Our thoughts

We previously shared our thoughts on JJ Moser when he filed for arbitration earlier this summer. In short, he is a very solid defender who plays aggressively on the blueline and is damn good at preventing entries into the zone.

At the time, we thought he would slot into the third pairing behind Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh on the left. Now it looks like the coaching staff has other plans as he has been slotted on the right side opposite Hedman. This makes for an interesting first pairing for the Bolts, as Moser and Hedman are both excellent at stopping other teams from entering the zone.

It will be interesting to see if he feels as comfortable pushing the blue line on the offside as he does on his natural side. Moser has experience playing on the right side, although he didn't do much of it last season. That's part of playing big minutes for an Arizona team that has struggled. Now he can do it for a much better team, with one of the best defenders in the history of the game alongside him.

There were some mixed results in two preseason games. The duo ran together for 29 minutes in 5v5 mode and had a Corsi-for rate of 64% (that's good!) and a goal chance rate of 66.67% (also good!). However, they are underwater in expected goals at 44.88% (that's not good) and have seen three of the four high-danger chances that came during their time on the ice go against them (also not good).

Now, all preseason numbers should be taken not with a grain of salt, but with a lump of salt the size of Wisconsin. Line combinations are churned through at high speed and the flow of the game is often slow in these games. Hedman and Moser are getting used to how each other likes to play, where they like to line up in the zone and what their instinctive moves are. It takes some getting used to, but that's what preseason is all about.

Moser is a very good defender, and if Utah hadn't gotten Mikhail Sergachev in return, they would have stuck with him and played him 20+ minutes a night. If Moser sticks with Hedman on the first pairing, he will get the same ice time in Tampa. Even if his power play time decreases, he will still be available for 5-on-5 games and shorthand opportunities.

At 24 years old, he will likely remain in the Lightning's future for some time. They have him under contract for the next two seasons, and if he continues to play well, he could be in line for a longer extension. First, we'll have to wait and see how he fits into Tampa Bay's defensive system and gets used to playing in meaningful games for the first time in his career.

Readers' thoughts

Moser received multiple first place votes, the third most of any player to be exact. Here are some of the comments you left:

“I believe Moser has already proven that he is a reliable, top-notch NHL defenseman. Everyone else isn’t so sure.”

“Most likely I’ll do the Lightning and play [a] a meaningful role at the top.”

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