Stevie Y continues to make the smart move
NHLHS writer Anthony Curatolo breaks down the off-season to date for the Tampa Bay Lightning. A team that could create a lot of fireworks in the Southeast Division with the "new" look implemented by new GM Steve Yzerman.
Categories: 30 Team Series, Around the League, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning Tags: Brett Clark, Cedric Desjardens, Dan Ellis, Dominic Moore, Martin St.Louis, Mike Smith, Pavel Kubina, Randy Jones, Ryan Malone, Simon Gagne, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Vincent Lecavalier
Southeast Division Draft Recap
NHLHS Los Angeles Kings Correspondent Mike Murangi discusses the Southeast Division in his draft recap. Mike is a self proclaimed prospects expert and shows off his skills.
The Southeast had only one team qualify for the play-offs in 2010. Strange, because the division owns two Stanley Cups with the Lighting in 2004 and the Hurricanes in 2006.
Categories: Around the League, Atlanta Thrashers, By Teams, Carolina Hurricanes, Eastern Conference, Florida Panthers, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Eric Stall, Evander Kane, Martin St.Louis, nhl draft, NHL Entry Draft, Nicklas Backstrom, prospects, Semyon Varlamov, Steven Stamkos
Is the Southeast getting tougher?
NHLHS Washington Capitals Correspondent Jodie Smola writes on the happenings within the Southeast Division and how it has become a tougher and better division.
Is it just me or did the southeast division get a little tougher? I do believe they did. I get to see the southeast division a lot here in Washington and as I noted earlier in the year, the Capitals were pretty dominant last season but I’d say change is blowing in the wind.
Categories: Around the League, Atlanta Thrashers, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals Tags: Martin St.Louis, Simon Gagne, Steve Downie, Steve Yzerman, Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier
End of an Era as Gagne Departs
NHLHS Philadelphia Flyers Correspondent David Strehle takes a look at the departure of Philadelphia sports’ longest tenured player.
It’s hard to believe that just two short months after rescuing his Philadelphia Flyers from postseason elimination in such heroic fashion, Simon Gagne will no longer be wearing the Orange-and-Black.
Categories: Around the League, Atlantic, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning Tags: Ilya Kovalchuk, Jody Shelley, Matt Carle, Matt Walker, NHL, Nikolai Zherdev, Paul Holmgren, Philadelphia Flyers, Simon Gagne, Tampa Bay Lightning, Tuukka Rask
NHLHS Mock Draft: With the Number Six Pick…
NHLHS Mock Draft is our latest feature where we collectively predict the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The draft is a crapshoot and we will be wrong… …but we thought it would be fun to try.
With the sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning select…
Read more…
Categories: Around the League, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning Tags: Karl Alzner, Tampa Bay Lightning, Thomas Hickey
Boucher Bolts to Tampa
from TSN.ca
Guy Boucher, who earlier in the day turned down the head coaching job with the Columbus Blue Jackets, has accepted the head coaching role with the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to Rue Frontenac and CKAC.
Boucher coached the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs this season. At age 38, he would be the youngest coach in the National Hockey League.
Categories: Around the League, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning Tags: AHL, Bolts, Guy Boucher, Hamilton Bulldogs, Head Coach, Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Ushering in a New Generation: Tampa Bay Lightning
Ushering in a New Generation, features our talented writer Katlyn Gambill taking a deeper look into team success based on a player’s age. Today, she looks at the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are the fifteenth oldest team in the league.
Categories: 30 Team Series, By Teams, Eastern Conference, NHLHS Features, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ushering in a New Generation Tags: Martin St.Louis, Ryan Malone, Steve Downie, Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning, Viktor Hedman, Vincent Lecavlier
Masterton Trophy Reminds Us of Hockey’s Humanity
NHLHS writer Dave Strehle takes a closer look at this year’s Masterton Trophy nominees and the perseverance associated with the individuals.
Outside of teams beat writers that get to see players on an almost daily basis, it can be easy for one to lose perspective on the human side of NHL players.
With professional athletes’ salaries widely publicized and chatter circulated worldwide about the lifestyles they lead, some may come to the conclusion that everything is handed to these players on a silver platter.
But each year around this time the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominations are announced, and we are quickly reminded of the humanity of those who play in the “Greatest Game of Earth”.
Categories: Around the League, NHLHS Features, San Jose Sharks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals Tags: bill masterton, Jed Ortmeyer, Jose Theodore, Kurtis Foster, masterton trophy, NHL, nhl awards show
Categories: By Teams, Calgary Flames, Deadline Speculation, Eastern Conference, Northwest, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Value Of:, Western Conference Tags: Ales Kotalik, Dominic Moore, Jarome Iginla, Martin St.Louis, Michael Cammalleri, Nik Antropov, Olli Jokinen, Peter Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Ville Leino, Vincent Lecavalier
Waivers, Minor Signing & A Trade Rumor
To be honest, I thought today would be a lot busier. Yesterday we saw a few goalies make their way onto the trade market and a few vets put through waivers. Today, we have a minor signing, those players clearing waivers and a most likely bunk rumor. Lets go over the action for today:
- Derek MacKenzie and Lukas Krajicek both cleared waivers today. MacKenzie goes to the Jackets AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch, link here. Krajicek will not go down to the AHL says Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes.
- Sam Carchidi with Broad Street Bull reports a failed trade proposal between the Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The supposed deal would send Mike Smith to Philly in exchange for talented youngsters Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk. I could barely keep a straight face reading a proposal that involves two of the better young players in the game for essentially a good backup. Carchidi suggests a relatively equal trade as a rebuttal, Bobby Ryan + for Jeff Carter.
Categories: Anaheim Ducks, Atlantic, By Teams, Central, Columbus Blue Jackets, Eastern Conference, Pacific, Philadelphia Flyers, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Western Conference Tags: Bobby Ryan, Broad Street Bull, Claude Giroux, Columbus Blue Jackets, Derek MacKenzie, James van Riemsdyk, Jeff Carter, John Grahame, Lukas Krajicek, Mike Smith, Philadelphia Phantoms, Sam Carchidi, Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay Lightning
So Now We Have a Crowded Goalie Market
Over the last 24 hours, numerous goalies became available throughout the league. We already discussed the availability of Jaroslav Halak here, but there are a few interesting options popping up.
John Fontana with Raw Charge wonders if the Lightning are shopping goalie Mike Smith. With solid depth in the minors and a significant amount of money owed to Smith this season and next (2.4 million cap hit) it may make sense to move the talented netminder. With the 27-year-old playing six of the last nine Lightning games, it certainly makes sense that the team would be shopping him.
Likewise, the Florida Panthers listed goalie Tomas Vokoun as available according to Chris Botta of Fanhouse. Botta points out that top prospect Jacob Markstrom seems poised to join the club after this season leaving them with what they would consider two top goaltenders. Markstrom is certainly the future of the organization, but if he needs more time to develop the Panthers may have another lost year on their hands.
Categories: Atlantic, By Teams, Eastern Conference, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Northeast, Philadelphia Flyers, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning Tags: Dan Cloutier, Daniel Briere, Donald Brashear, Florida Panthers, Jacob Markstrom, Jaroslav Halak, John Fantana, Michael Leighton, Mike Smith, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Raw Charge, The New York Post, Tomas Vokoun
Krajicek, MacKenzie Placed on Waivers
According to Lightning Strikes with Damian Cristodero defenseman Lukas Krajicek was placed on waivers. Coming over in a trade for Shane O’Brien, the 26-year-old registered two goals and 18 assists in games over 92 games and two seasons. Originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the first round, 24th overall the native of Prostejov, Czechoslovakia carries a lofty 1.4 million cap hit and will most likely not be claimed with the cap crunch most teams are in.
As a history buff, it is also notable he was part of the illustrious deal that sent star goaltender Roberto Luongo to Vancouver.
In other news Aaron Portline of The Columbus Dispatch writes the Blue Jackets placed Derek MacKenzie on waivers. A favorite of coach Ken Hitchcock, the 28-year-old produced six points over three seasons and 34 games with the team. MacKenzie gets sent down in hopes he goes unclaimed, as he is a casualty of the numbers crunch. The team needs to make a move in order to activate left wing Fredrik Modin.
Categories: By Teams, Central, Columbus Blue Jackets, Eastern Conference, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Western Conference Tags: Aaron Portzline, Columbus Blue Jackets, Derek MacKenzie, Florida Panthers, Fredrik Modin, Ken Hitchcock, Lightning Strikes, Lukas Krajicek, Roberto Luongo, Shane O'Brien, The Columbus Dispatch, Vancouver Canucks
Nylander Clears Waivers, Minor Signing & Trade Rumors
A few things going around the league. Nothing huge on the trade front as can be anticipated. Most rumors or big deals will not materialize until at least February when we have clear cut buyers and sellers.
- Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun reports the Leafs self-imposed trade deadline has come and passed. Earlier in the year, notably before the return of Phil Kessel, Toronto was expected to have a major fire sale. At this point, I would expect a smaller move along the lines of the Lee Stempniak trade after the period of immunity passes.
- Former NHL head coach Pat Burns says “Vincent Lecavalier will be traded this season.” The article by Vincent Destouches of Corus Sports covers the entire story in which Burns mentions the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers as interested parties. Despite the ties the former coach has to the NHL community this seems like more like speculation than inside information. The 29-year-old is due a whopping $7,727,273 cap hit through 2020 so any deal will have to involve a number of moving parts. The former first overall pick projects to score 16 goals and 68 points.
Categories: Atlantic, By Teams, Eastern Conference, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Northeast, Pacific, Phoenix Coyotes, Southeast, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Western Conference Tags: Bob MacKenzie, Calgary Hitmen, Corus Sports, Lance Hornby, Lee Stempniak, Michael Nylander, Michael Stone, Pat Burns, Phil Kessel, The Toronto Sun, TSN, Vincent Destouches, Vincent Lecavalier, WHL
