See a negative? Follow it with a positive… I can’t confirm this but Dan Boyle inked a six year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Forty Million Dollars over six years almost guarantees Brad Richards will be heading out of town tomorrow.

Which really upsets me.

Boltsmag is four years old at this point late int eh month of February and I’ve made no secret of the fact Brad is my favorite player. That being said, I also know he has grown unpopular with the Lightning regulars due to lower production numbers than Vinny and Marty. it doesn’t justify his cost. He has the potential to be a top line center and hasn’t gotten that opportunity due to Vincent being in the lineup… But taht contract of his will limit those who can show interest in him.

Vaclav “Vinny” Prospal’s second tenure in Tampa Bay is over. He has been dealt to the Flyers for Alexandre Picard. and a draft selection.

Prospal has paved hsi way out of town by performing well in a contract year as well as fueding with Lightning head coach John Tortorella. Of course, Jay Feaster lays a goose egg of sorts in this deal — more defense, Jay?

many fans are worryign this sis the begining of the end for the Lightning… Jay Feaster will not be a popular man in tampa tomorrow afternoon if the rumors remain consistent that Brad Richards will be leaving as well as Dan Boyle.

OK, so we’ve reached the midway point of the Lightning schedule. I’m not much of the one to go through players and hand out grades… But I don’t think the idea is bad either. That’s why, I’ll let you guys handle the ratings.

Below is a list of every player currently on the Lightning roster. In each poll (listed below a players name) you will have the chance to rate the player from 1 to 5. 1 will represent terrible while 5 represents superb…

Of course, comments are open for discussion about players, their performance so far this season… Torts, Feaster, Palace Sports, OK Hockey and Absolute Hockey… Everyone that’s been part of the “party” this season. So please, chat away.

(more…)

Got a busy day with various stuff on my palette… The news came out yesterday that Marc Denis went on waivers… He’s likely Norfolk bound…

All that being said, who decided to schedule this game versus the Flyers at one in the afternoon?!

I wrote off bringing in Jassen Cullimore in pre-season. Maybe that was a mistake. Or maybe circumstances would make it look like it was?

Jassen’s not putting up big numbers for the Panthers — that’s no shock — but he’s stable. Though he’s only played in 21 games this season, he’s averaging 14:38 of ice time and is a solid plus 7 at this juncture. If Cullimore was back on the Bolts, however, the situation he would be playing in would be different from where he is now…

Here’s the Lightning defense numbers for you to look at:

Look at Brad Lukowich’s numbers. He was supposed to be 3rd pair this season (with Boyle, Ranger, Kuba and O’Brien playing in front of him). With Dan Boyle’s injury, Brad’s been asked to do much more and he’s averaging almost 18 minutes of ice time… And weighing down the D with a minus 16. I’m not putting blame on Brad as so much pointing at the numbers.

If Cullimore were here, it’d likely be the same case — more games, more ice time, more asked of him and lower numbers.

However, those numbers would likely be better than Doug Janik’s. The other drag on the defense in his non versatility on ice, Janik’s TOI average of 11 minutes or so puts more pressure on the kids (2nd year player Shane O’Brien and rookie Mike Lundin) to cover. Of course, others have had the opportunity to step in and beat Doug for a roster spot — but that didn’t happen. So Doug is playing where and as he should — as a #6 defensiveman… All while I was expecting the rookies (be it Lundin, Smaby or others) to serve the role and be brought along slowly.

Dan Boyle’s return can’t come soon enough… But then again, getting the ownership situation squared away couldn’t come soon enough either — having a de-facto roster freeze doesn’t help remedy the ills of the franchise.

I watched parts of the Lightning game last night… Parts. Oddly it was always the parts where the Lightning stood around and couldn’t move the puck up ice. They played a poor mans dump-and-chase and had no desire to do much more than give the Capitals what amounted to even-strength power play opportunities.

John Tortorella is pissed and wants “no excuses” for the loss. Of course, he wouldn’t flat out call his team pathetic or inept… But that’s exactly how they are playing. There’s a lack of passion once you get below Lecavalier, St. Louis, Richards and Prospal. Jan Hlavac is doing so poorly he’s been demoted to the fourth line (note to my friend Jes Golbez — it appears you were right when you scorned the addition of Hlavac this summer).

I feel flat out sorry for Karri Ramo who has played his ass off the last few games. Here’s a 21 year old goaltender standing toe-to-toe with one of the NHL’s elite netminders in Olaf Kolzig and what’s happening? His team gives up in front of him.

Read that again: his team gives up in front of him.

That’s the only way to term last night. They flat out gave up. I won’t say that everyone on ice didn’t try or put an effort out there. They did, however, fail to look like they were competing in the end. And the lame duck season will continue unless the ownership situation solidifies soon (meaning don’t expect cavalry to swoop in via a trade or management change any time soon).

Meanwhile, Caps land is rejoicing a new found glory in their new coach… Oh, and the win. RJ can find two positives — and only two and that’s not surprising. Ramo, Lecavalier, and then suckage… that was last night.

One night, just one night…

But I will say this, if the team didn’t rally around Karri Ramo near the end — when they couldn’t rally any other way — this game was a lost cause. Likewise, if Ramo hadn’t played above what we in Tampa had been seeing the last few games, this would have easily been a Toronto win with a 3+ goal advantage in the end for the Leafs.

Vincent Lecavalier scores with 41 seconds left in regulation to lift the Bolts to a 2-1 win. Karri Ramo stops 31 shots in his season debut.

Karri Ramo (whose name I mispeeled in the previous story) and Jay Leach have been called up by the Bolts.

This doesn’t get me excited whatsoever. Ramo needs time. Leach? Career AHL’er.

Oh, it gets better:

Ramo said at practice that he’d been told he would play Thursday night against Toronto.

So the Bolts are prepared to potentially toss Karri Ramo to the wolves, eh? Fantastic. I’m not doubting Karri Ramo entirely - except he has no numbers to justify some of the hoopla I’ve seen about this move… The chips are also down and this isn’t the type of situation anyone would want a young goalie to be used under.

The good news? Tampa Bay is only 8 points removed from the division lead.

The bad news? Where to begin… We’re only 2 points out of the division cellar. That’s a good starting point. The team is playing as if they belong there, that’s another. Many Many goals from the M-V-P line won’t get us out of this mess — that’s not surprising. Holmqvist can’t play to his strength and win shootouts because he can’t last long enough for us to get there? Marc Denis is a seive? Kari Ramo isn’t ready? Jay Feaster won’t trade off D prospects in Norfolk for help in Tampa Bay? “Safe is Death” has been replaced by Wreckless Abandon? Dan Boyle’s injury, Chris Gratton’s injury woes this season?

It goes on and on… I’m just touching the surface here.

Where is Rock Bottom? 6-2 loss to the Thrashers? Or will it take a drubbing by the Capitals? Another wreckless-abandon 9-6 loss to (insert team here)?

Note to Jay Feaster: You already gave the players an ultimatum: Get better or else. Now you have to make good on your threat. Yes, from the fan perspective — all around the Internet where Lightning fans spout off — we need to be careful what we wish for with a trade because we might just get it…

But one thing is for certain — the status-quo can’t stand much longer. Something has to change.

It’s a rather simple equation, repeated nightly by the Lightning… It’s what’s kept me silent for so long - because I thought there would be change as the season progressed…

What seems apparent is the team is flying, on ice, by the seat of it’s pants. With deadly offensive weapons and then a sharp fall off in offensive contributions and with a younger defense that is learning on the go.

I don’t mind the team actually playing with younger talent on the blue line, what bothers me is the lack of veteran leadership there. There is a stability void on defense with Dan Boyle being down and out after his accident earlier this season. A stability void that hasn’t been remedied by players growing up or the older guys covering the younger guys slip ups.

And then we get to the backstops — where the term “stability” isn’t applicable. Between Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, you have two goaltenders that have proven they are not #1’s. Two #2’s doesn’t equal a #1.

It’s just one large math problem that leads to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s also-ran status right now: top gun offense playing a go-go-go system + a younger, less experienced defense x unstable goaltending = a fine mess of mediocrity.

I knock Holmer and Denis but I need to be honest that their style of play (cynics, please don’t quip at that :p ) is more adequate for this team — it’s not a chicken-with-it’s-head-cut-off overcommitment and hyperactivity that we saw with John Grahame in the pipes (who was either brilliant or a monstrosity) during 2005-06. But what is lacking, clearly, is the ability to make routine saves that they must. That leads to more weight on a young defense and more errors with thanks to the go-go-go offense…

My long time Lightning-on-the-Internet friend, Sharon Loe, once got into a discussion on the Usenet Lightning group (referenced here through Google Groups) with a younger fan about the Lightning needing to simply score more to win. Thus, Sharon mocked (in a playful fashion) that the Bolts only needed to score “many MANY goals” in order to win.

The recent failing against the Flames brought that discussion back to my mind. Tonight’s loss to the Capitals — where seat-of-your pants play ruled, furthered it along.

Where is the stability? It’s Jay Feaster’s job to deal with that… And yet call-ups from Norfolk just won’t cut it.

Dan Boyle’s returning will not solidify things alone… There needs to be some solidarity brought onto the team…. Some clutch defense to go along with the offensive storm the Bolts can invoke. Between the pipes could do it, on the blue line would be nice too.

That, or the math of the current roster will continue to foil the team.
many MANY goals