For anyone down in the dumps over the Lightning falling apart these last few games…

…It could be worse. They could be in Uniondale, New York.

This is yet another esktop background/wallpaper addition to thee site, but I keep thinking that the motto of 2003-04 for the Lightning has been vanquished…

…This team needs to remember this saying. Evgeny Artyukhin can’t be the only player who heeds these words nightly.

I know transactions and the trade deadline are more complicated than black-and-white, yes-and-no stuff, but I believe I’m not the only one taken aback by lack of movement by the Lightning during the past week…

I’m also dumbfounded by the stubbornness of General Manager Jay Feaster (AKA “Feaster Cheetah” for his fondness of Cheetos snacks) to not consider moving people on the Lightning 23-man roster or make waiver claims. The former does have it’s bad side (the “what ifs” of moving out a central player from the roster) but the latter wasn’t something that would hurt the team as-so-much make the club take a chance on a player not performing well with his current club. Several goalies and other position players have moved through waivers lately and instead of taking a chance in order to add depth - Feaster’s stood pat in hopes to instill confidence.

Yet, isn’t that what the Lightning have tried all season with no results? “Stay the course, 1000 points of light, history will prove me right” and such?

I didn’t want to see draft picks dealt (which Feaster prefers instead of trading players), nor did I want to see Brendan Witt brought in (which was the name so often associated with coming to town)… Yet I don’t want to give Feaster the benefit of the doubt because of unknown circumstances to transactions and known circumstances of the status-quo.

EDIT: for a general rundown of blogosphere and news media interperatations of Trade deadline deals, check out Abel to Yzerman