Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman admitted it was a bit strange Thursday morning when training camp opened without 12 regulars, who were at the World Cup.
"You're looking around, 'Where's Stammer? Where's Heddy?" Yzerman said of captain Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. "From that sense, it's a little different."
But as the coaching staff held its first meeting with what's left of the team, they issued a challenge to others to take advantage of a rare opportunity.
"They're going to get looks that they normally wouldn't get," said associate coach Rick Bowness, who is running camp while Jon Cooper is at World Cup with Team North America.