More defensive depth has been brought into the Lightning organization and the Bolts possible #6 D-man in Dan Jancevski:

From Erik at the Trib:

The hub-bub from inside the organization is that Jancevski, who was a big part of Hamilton’s Calder Cup championship team lalst season, comes in sitting as the No. 6 defenseman on the depth chart right now ahead of Matt Smaby, Jay Leach and others heading into training camp. A 6-foot-3, 220-pound native of Windsor, Ontario, Jancevski spent five seasons in the Dallas system before playing one year in the Montreal organization last season. He has played 470 games in the AHL scoring 28 goals and adding 141 points. He earned one call up with Dallas during the 2005-06 season but appeared in two games before being sent back down.

Defensive prospect Mike Egener has also been signed to a one year, 2 way contract.

Jancevski’s signing and status creates a few questions about the Lightning defensive prospects. Matt Smaby, Andy Rogers and Egener have all been highly touted and future pieces for the blue line in Tampa… Yet with the Lightning adding defensive depth this off season (for both AHL Norfolk and in Tampa) one has to wonder just how close these guys are to breaking into the NHL? Is Feaster tryng to delay Smaby and Co? Or simply provide a challenge for them, drawing a line in the sand if you will? Competition for the #6 D-man role could be a boon for the Lightning and it could be a non event a-la the 2005 pre-season where no one stepped into the role outright (Timo Helbing ended up being dubbed the teams #6 D-man out of training camp with Paul Ranger replacing him several days later).

Whatever the case, the beat goes on here in the NHL off-season. After less than a week of free agency the Lightning are different and yet the same.

The Tampa Tribune decided to piecemeal several current stadium concepts into one new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays — You can check out the design and the features on their web site.

A retractable roof structure (of the clam-design featured at Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is employed with minarets (a la the University of Tampa’s Plant Hall). The model is viewable from 360 degrees and is not an officially proposed stadium for the Rays. This is just wishful thinking by the staff at the Tribune. No doubt that wishful thinking also includes the stadium being dubbed Tampa Tribune Ballpark, with the stadium located in downtown St. Petersburg. After all, the Tribune needs a retort for the St. Petersburg Times owning naming rights to the arena formerly known as Ice Palace in downtown Tampa.

There is a forthcoming article about this proposal scheduled to be published this Sunday (7-08-07) in the Tribune.

Off the topic of the Lightning and pro sports, as a heads up to locals and Tampa Bay-originating people’s far-far-away… Creative Loafing (aka the Weekly Planet) has their Best of the Bay awards voting going on right now. This covers a wide variety of topics such as best restaurants, best clubs, best players on each major sports team, best and worst local personalities, best local blog, etc. You need to be able to vote for 35 of these subjects at the minimum if you’re going to have your vote registered at all…

Voting closes August 8th, so hop to it people!