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The Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t surprise anyone with their success this season.

After earning a berth in last season’s playoffs, the budding Bolts squad seemed poised to be competitive again this season. With Ben Bishop starring in goal, Steven Stamkos sniping at will, and Victor Hedman towering on defense, the Lightning had stars throughout the lineup.

But the biggest story for the Lightning en route to their 50-24-8 record wasn’t the play of Bishop, Stamkos, or Hedman. They played well, sure, but they were expected to lead this team.

Instead, it was the surge of linemates Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Ondrej Palat that has bolstered the Bolts’ attack.

@TBLightning line of Palat-Johnson-Kucherov has a combined 10G, 19A and a +23 in their last 6 games. #NHLFantasy #NHL pic.twitter.com/kYqXv6UDoA — Fantasy Mucker (@FantasyMucker) January 5, 2015

The standard stats show that the trio was superb:

Tyler Johnson: 29 goals – 43 assists – 72 points

Nikita Kucherov: 29 goals – 36 assists – 65 points

Ondrej Palat: 16 goals – 47 assists – 63 points

At 24, 21, and 24-years-old, Johnson, Kucherov, and Palat put up impressive totals, taking some of the pressure off of Stamkos as he returned from his broken leg last season. Stamkos played in all 82 games and received some protection from opponents’ best checkers thanks to the work of the de facto first line.

But advanced stats allow us to go even deeper into the success of the Bolts’ upstarts. Let’s take a deeper look at all three.

Stars in the Making

In standard stat terms, Johnson, Kucherov, and Palat finished 15th, 26th, and 39th in the NHL in points. Along with Stamkos at 14th in points, the Lightning’s attack scored 3.16 points per game, the NHL’s best mark.

But the success of the “TKO Trio” goes even deeper:

– LeftWingLock.com notes that the trio registered 47 goals together, 13 more goals than the next closest line.

– Mathew Brown’s “player chemistry visualization” shows that…

Johnson assisted on 13 of Kucherov’s goals and eight of Palat’s.

Kucherov assisted on 19 of Johnson’s goals and eight of Palat’s.

Palat assisted on 14 of Johnson’s goals and 11 of Kucherov’s.

– each of the Tampa Three registered a Corsi For percentage above 54.5 percent and each posted strong Corsi For percentages relative to their teammates; between 1.8 and 5.9 percent better than their teammates.

Compared to their peers, Johnson, Kucherov, and Palat were above-average in all advanced stats, especially in terms of goals, assists, and points per 60:

In terms of point production, puck possession, and line chemistry, the TKO trio proved dominant last season. The relative possession and scoring chance numbers ranked well above average and their per 60 stats are strong. Their firepower has been key to the Lightning’s run this season.

But how likely is it that the group remains together?

Keeping the Band Together

Fortunately for Lightning fans, the team invested wisely in Johnson and Palat. Both are signed to $3.333 million cap hits through 2016-17 when both become RFAs. That provides the team with long-term control of their young stars.

How good is that rate of pay? Consider that Josh Bailey, Rene Bourque, and Trevor Daley each earned identical salaries last year.

Kucherov, the trio’s youngest member at 21-years-old, carries a cap hit of $889,000 and is slated to earn $700,000 next season before becoming an RFA. Kucherov may seek more than the $3.333 mil/year that his linemates earn, though the Johnson and Palat contracts provide some context, at least. It’s plausible that, if his production remains strong, Kucherov might seek closer to the $4 million salary that both Johnson and Palat will earn in 2016-17.

Kucherov scored about 33 goals per million dollars this season, ranking him third in the NHL in goals per dollar efficiency. Kucherov’s assists efficiency stands out as well, as the budding star registered about 40 assists per million dollars, good enough for ninth best assists-to-dollars ratio. His points/dollar ratio comes in at third-best in the NHL as well, with about 70 points per million dollars.

Awesome crowd at the Tampa Bay Lightning watch party down at Channelside!!! @WFLA #Bolts pic.twitter.com/fvAJOMTIXQ — Rod Carter (@WFLARod) May 2, 2015

For fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team couldn’t be in a better position. The team is filled with stars like Stamkos, Bishop, and Hedman, along with the ever-underrated Anton Stralman and budding offensive dynamo Jonathan Drouin.

But this year, the TKO trio established themselves as the rock this team can lean on offensively. These young stars can score, possess the puck well, have chemistry, and are locked up to economically-sound salaries.

Regardless of how the Bolts wrap up this season, this group is set to make noise in the Eastern Conference for years.

What do you think, Lightning fans? Are you concerned that Kucherov might seek a big contract when his deal expires? Can this group be counted on to repeat their tremendous success again next season?