Since the moment the Tampa Bay Lightning signed legendary NHL player Steve Yzerman to be their general manager, the team has undergone an incredible re-tooling process.

Highlighted by free agent signings Teddy Purcell (F), Chris Durno (F), Marc Pouliot (F), Brett Clark (D), Pavol Kubina (D) and Dan Ellis (G), Yzerman has slowly put together the makings of a playoff contender in Tampa.

Other notable moves include trading for veteran forward Simon Gagne and assembling a much improved coaching staff that now includes Guy Boucher (head coach), Rick Wilson (associate coach), Martin Raymond (assistant coach), and Dan Lacroix (assistant coach).

While there is no marquee name among Tampa’s coaching staff, Yzerman believes his coaching staff will bring a new direction to the hockey club and supply the team with plenty of innovative coaching, something Boucher is known for.

The guidance of Yzerman, a new coaching staff, the addition of several key players, and a roster that already includes the likes of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steve Downie, reigning goal-scoring champion Steven Stamkos, Mattias Ohlund, and Victor Hedman, makes Tampa one of the favorites to compete for a playoff spot and. With a little luck they may even compete for the Stanley Cup.

Tampa Bay finished the 2009-10 season with a paltry 34-36-12 (80 points) record, finishing 12th in the Eastern Conference and 25th overall.

The Lightning’s 80 points was not enough to get them into the playoffs, as they came up eight points shy. They were behind the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers. Both teams finished with 88 points, which secured the eighth and seventh playoff spots, respectively.

Despite Steven Stamkos' 51 goals last season, the Lightning struggled offensively, finishing 23rd overall in offense with an average of 2.60 goals scored per game.

The Lightning were also one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams, finishing 27th overall in keeping the puck out of the net, finishing with a 3.08 goals against per game.

As poor as the Lightning’s 2009-10 season went, there is plenty to be optimistic about for the upcoming season.

Free agent goaltender Dan Ellis has the ability to drastically improve these numbers. A duo of Ellis and Mike Smith, while not imposing, should be very solid.

The addition of Clark on defense will help out dramatically in the shot blocking department, where Clark finished second overall last season (238). Kubina’s return to Tampa should give the Bolts a shot in the arm in the puck moving department.

The addition of Simon Gagne gives the Lightning some more depth at forward. His veteran savvy and leadership qualities should endear him to the coaching staff and teammates alike, and his offensive contributions will be welcomed with open arms.

On defense Victor Hedman should see a great improvement on his rookie season, while veterans Ohlund and Kubina should help to anchor what is shaping up to be a decent defense.

No question, the Lightning would be wise to seek out another addition or two on defense, but the overall picture is good enough to get the job done in the East.

More importantly, the Lightning’s ownership woes look to be a thing of the past. Jeff Vinik is looking to make the Lightning a winning franchise both now and for the future.

Vinik, who became the owner of the Lightning in March, 2010, is on record as saying, “I pledge to our fans that I will work my hardest as the caretaker of this franchise to build it into a world class organization, both on and off the ice."

This summer's coaching and player additions will go a long way in building a better future for a franchise that has had plenty of trouble both creating and solidifying a viable fan base.

It appears as if all the pieces are in place for the Lightning to have a very successful 2010-11 season. Now all they have to do is go out and prove they are worthy of making the playoffs.

Until next time,

Peace! 

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Chris Pronger and Mike Richards better be ready to step up next season as the team's captains, or this could be a long season.

If anyone thought the reports last season that there was a a split due to Carter having an affair with Hartnell's wife were bad, this could be worse.

On the defensive side, due to the dealings of Holmgren, you have eight NHL-ready defensemen.  As a GM, not a bad problem to have. 

But here is the problem:

Four of them are 31 or older.  And seven of them played at least played 50 games this past season.  You are going to have some hurt egos in that group when they see their playing time go down. 

Players usually aren't content with even being the third pair, much less healthy scratches—particularly after last season, when they were key men for their respective teams. 

Pronger and Kimmo better be stepping up here and making sure that these guys do not do anything to cause a tear in the defense between those playing and those not.

Then we go the offensive side.  If Laviolette decides to keep the super line from the postseason of Briere-Leino-Hartnell together, then that means you have five guys fighting for three spots on whatever line number Briere's line is not (first or second).

You have JVR, Giroux, Richards, Carter, and Zherdev.  The two losers are going to be relegated to the third line and probably have to play with Carcillo, and if Carcillo plays like he usually does (fight anything in the other color), they won't play much. 

But then who do you put on the third line? 

JVR will probably be on it since he is only 21, but then again he put up 35 points last season. 

Giroux was a breakout star last season who had 47 points and is also only 22. 

Richards is the captain of the team and the heart and soul of the Flyers (see play first game against Montreal for point). 

Jeff Carter put up 61 points last season but has been injury-prone. so what to do there? 

Then finally you have Zherdev.  You have a guy who wants to completely redeem himself after having to suffer in Russia for a year.  But then again, he is also prone to disappearing for large chunks of time.  If he disappears and he is not friends with guys on the team, then they have an even bigger problem to deal with.

This team if they can see a miraculous continuation of Leighton or Boucher's play, then can have large success on the ice. 

But what happens in the locker room could bring the entire season down.

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Since publication of my last article, we are another week into the 2010 offseason and virtually nothing has changed for the San Jose Sharks. Anton Stralman will join them in Stockholm to open the season this October, but it will be as a returning member of the opposing Columbus Blue Jackets. Andreas Lilja and Kim Johnsson among others remain on the market, but the likelihood of the Sharks calling their names seems no more likely today than it did July 1.

In fact, to the contrary, it seems a much more remote possibility.

From all outward appearances, the Sharks have not only failed to make an actual move since courting Antero Niittymaki on the first day of free agency, but if you did not know better you might think they had given up trying. Since forcing the rival Chicago Blackhawks to reach to keep Niklas Hjalmarsson, the buzz around the team in teal has been about as feverish as a game of bridge.

Even in the most speculative of circles, there are few if any juicy rumors about where the Sharks might turn next. With major questions yet to be answered, particularly on the front end of the blue line pairings, this could quickly get disheartening for one of the most loyal and hungry fan bases in hockey.

Fear not, however.

It may not be quick in coming, but rest assured that Doug Wilson has a master plan in place. He may just still be ironing it out.

There is (virtually) no chance the Sharks will enter play at Stockholm's Globe Arena on October 8 without adding talent and depth to what can at best be described as a capable overall blue line.

With Evgeni Nabokov now making saves in Russia, the Sharks will need to rely more heavily in 2010-2011 on a blue line which even with the departed Rob Blake had a habit of leaving Nabby hanging in years past. I can guarantee that Doug Wilson realizes this. He is likely just weighing his options and playing the odds.

It does little more good to sign or trade for a player tomorrow, versus waiting until just before the start of camp. Professional athletes are going to remain in peak condition no matter what contract they currently have, and as long as a player can reap the cohesion benefits of going through training camp and preseason with the rest of his teammates, a GM may do better by his team to wait.

As time drags on, free agents and GMs with marketable, tradeable players may become more receptive to deals which in the weeks and months preceding they may have declined.

The best bargains can be found at the very end of a big sale, where the seller is willing to haggle to offload his or her remaining inventory. Of course, to get to that point, you must accept that the options will be somewhat picked over. That is a trade off you must weigh.

Doug Wilson already did that by allowing Henrik Tallinder, Anton Volchenkov, Dan Hamuis and other more notable names to come off the board. At this point, it makes more sense to wait out the best bargain.

If they can stand the wait, a key deal from Doug Wilson could mean that the patience of Sharks fans may also be rewarded in another sense, with something the Bay Area has been waiting 20 years for: Lord Stanley's Cup.

Keep the faith!

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Go ahead and spare me your words of warning.

Yes, I realize training camp is more than a month away.

Agreed, we still don't know what is going on with Mike Modano.

Understood, we've yet to sign Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader.

I get it.  We've yet to see a perfectly clear picture of the 2010-11 Detroit Red Wings roster.

But, I submit to you that we can see enough of it to start postulating on whether or not they can still challenge for a shot at ordinary greatness.

And what exactly is that?  Well, that's the kind of greatness that is expected, exhibited routinely, and achieved, seemingly, with minimal effort.

That's the kind of greatness the Red Wings have enjoyed for the better part of two decades.

Sure, there's been plenty of other good teams during the same stretch of time.

Teams that won championships, and very often beat the Wings in doing so.

But no team in recent NHL history has had its name mentioned in the same sentence as "Stanley Cup" more often than the Detroit Red Wings.

For Red Wings fans, it's what we've come to expect them to exhibit and achieve year in and year out—ordinary greatness.

However, as of now, that expectation is legitimately questionable.

You might expect that such questions arise due to last year's injury-plagued season and 11th hour qualification for the playoffs.

But, at least for me, the past is just that.

I'm not looking at last year's season, any more than I'd look at 2002 as a predictor of how the Wings will fare in 2010-11.

At this point, the Red Wings roster, as well as the other 29 in the NHL, is sufficiently set to start referring to it as "the team".

Like my grandmother used to tell me as I waited impatiently for dessert to be ready, "There's still some watery parts, but you can honestly call it 'Jell-O' now."

I'm confident that Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and Johan Franzen will (if healthy, oh dear God, don't put us through that again) exhibit their offensive prowess often enough to live up to their marquee-name status.

I'm sure that, even at 40, Nicklas Lidstrom will still be better than most defensemen on most nights and an aging Brian Rafalski will still impress with his defensive and offensive skill sets.

As for the coaching? 

Please, there are few coaches, perhaps not any, more dedicated to winning and intensely focused on success than Mike Babcock.

This guy eats an apple with focus and purpose; trust me, I've seen it.

The Red Wings' established stars, including their coach, are more than capable of leading their team to continued success in 2010-11 and beyond.

But, they can't do it alone.

If the "new NHL" has revealed anything, it is that depth, more than any other factor, wins you championships.

Be it an unknown, unproven Antti Niemi backstopping the Blackhawks to this year's championship or Maxime Talbot potting the Cup-clinching, Game Seven-winning goal in 2009, a team will often go no further than the least of their parts can carry them.

Looking at the Red Wings this year, those parts come in the form of men like Valtteri Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Jonathan Ericsson, and perhaps most importantly, Jimmy Howard.

As important as Detroit's superstars are to their team, their contributions are merely necessary for success, not sufficient.

For every brilliant deke Datsyuk executes, the Wings will need Jiri Hudler making a strong play to the net.

Each time the Mule barrels his way past defenders en route to a goal, Jonathan Ericsson will need to make an opposing player think twice about ever crossing the blueline again.

And, however many game-winners Henrik Zetterberg posts, Jimmy Howard will need an equal number of wins to point to as his, and his alone.

This is the year the names on the second-tier of Detroit's depth chart will need to appear more frequently than ever before.

The promise and potential we've seen from these players has been encouraging to date, but, it is no longer strong enough to carry the mail.

Jimmy Howard looks like he's ready to be a number one goalie.  Jiri Hudler should break the 60-point mark this year and Valtteri Filppula can be one of the better two-way forwards in the NHL.

2010-11 is their season, and they must make the most of it.

Of course, all we have at this point is what's on paper. But, even barring the signings to come, I think Detroit has a solid chance at continuing to frustrate, sicken, and disgust every hockey fan who doesn't wear a winged-wheeled jersey on game days.

But, it's the players in the middle, the ones with something to prove, the ones with a few steps yet to take, that will make the difference between ordinary greatness and fading glory.

If you take them out of the mix, and looked solely at the Wings' veterans, I think anyone with a rational mind would have to consider the Red Wings a team that, if not yet over the hill, is perilously close to disappearing under the horizon.

However, if the younger talent among them can rise to their own potential and cement their roles as important, albeit secondary, players, I think calling the Red Wings anything but a team primed for continued success would reveal a healthy dose of sour grapes on the part of the evaluator.

Call me optimistic, hell, call me a "homer" if it blows your skirt up, but I look at the 2010-11 Detroit Red Wings roster and see more evidence of a bright future than I do monuments to faded excellence.

The old guard may indeed bring the ice to the party, but it's the younger guys who'll need to stir the drinks.

If they do, well, every citizen in Hockeytown may have something to drink to next June.

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Once Rangers GM Glen Sather is able to lock up restricted free agent defenseman Marc Staal, the Blueshirts will have a strong group of talented blue-liners, all under the age of 26.

With exceptional goaltender Henrik Ludqvist behind them, New York should be one of the stingiest defenses in the NHL next season.

Staal experienced a slight increase in his point totals last season and should continue to develop his offensive game.

Mainly, Staal's chief asset is his calm attitude, despite being only 23. His positioning on the ice and responsible play is that of a 10-year veteran. 

Staal will never be a bruising hitter, but once he is able to add some more bulk to his 6'4" frame, he should become an even more effective overall defenseman.

The Rangers have already locked up Daniel Girardi this summer for the next four years at $3.325M per season. He is the typical, steady "stay at home" sort of blue-liner, but occasionally chips in offensively. 

Girardi likes to throw his body around and plays with reckless abandon, frequently blocking shots.

Michael Del Zotto might actually have greater future potential than Staal. He led Rangers' defensemen with 37 points in his rookie season. 

Still only 20, Del Zotto is very advanced for his age and could one day be a terrific power play contributor. He needs to develop his defensive awareness, but is already a talented blue-line distributor and a very quick skater.

Hobey Baker award winner Matt Gilroy had tremendous success at the collegiate level, but had a difficult time adjusting to the NHL in his rookie season. 

Gilroy was thrown into the fire immediately by coach John Tortorella and showed some early promise, but was sent down to minor league Hartford. 

When he was recalled, Gilroy had an "up and down" time with the Rangers and was mostly a healthy scratch toward the season's end. He seems to possess enough all-around ability to be a solid NHL-er and should bounce back in 2010-11.

Ryan McDonagh was acquired from Montreal in the Scott Gomez trade and signed an entry-level contract with the Blueshirts this June.

He is considered an all-around defensemen by scouts and is a terrific skater with great speed. McDonagh will compete for an NHL spot in training camp.

Even with the trade of Bobby Sanguinetti to the Hurricanes, the Rangers have great depth when it comes to defensemen.

Sather has done a fine job at stock-piling young talent. Their 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft, intimidating blue-liner Dylan McIlrath, could one day give the physical force that the club needs.

If the likes of Del Zotto, Staal, McDonagh, and Gilroy are able to continue growing, New York will one day have a strong core of defensemen that could match most top NHL teams. 

Their progress will determine how far the Rangers can go in the 2010-11 season and years from now, when McIlrath is ready, the Blueshirts will have a very formidable defense.

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Penguins fans, forget about the Flyers.  It’s time to focus on our quickly developing rivalry with the Capitals. 

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, the Winter Classic will be held on Heinz Field in Pittsburgh against the Capitals.  Let the roaring Crosby v. Ovie debate begin. 

Wait...what’s that?  A new rivalry has developed?

Yes folks, while the better player rivalry between the sport's two superstars is still alive, a new player has stepped onto the ice.

On Tuesday, after the official Winter Classic announcement was made in Pittsburgh, Pens player Maxime Talbot was interviewed by a radio station and called Alex Ovechkin a “douche.”  He went as far as to say he was happy the Russian player wasn’t at the media conference.

Talbot recalled his first meeting with the superstar hockey player.  "Malkin knew Ovechkin and introduced me to him and the first impression wasn't great," said Talbot. "I'm not really gonna say what happened, but I'm like, 'OK, this guy is a real douche.'"

Ovechkin has not been reached for comment but you can bet his revenge will come on the ice when the teams meet up outside on the ice in January. 

Will the rest of the players on the teams follow suit and turn this two-person battle into a full out team rivalry? 

While the NHL no doubt officially frowned on Talbot for his comment, you know it must secretly be jumping with excitement over the controversy it has become. 

The Ovechkin v. Crosby battle has been beaten to death since both players first stepped into the professional hockey ranks, but the Talbot v. Ovechkin battle is one that leaves many opportunities.

In one corner, you have one of the best NHL players of our generation that has never won a Stanley Cup.  In the other, you have the Stanley Cup hero who may be a cut under the best players in the league. 

Let the fun begin.

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Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has had a busy summer acquiring numerous players via free agency and trading for some much needed depth.

This summer Burke has acquired rugged forwards Colby Armstrong and via free agency and Mike Brown from Anaheim for a fifth round draft choice while also adding speedy Stanley Cup winner Kris Versteeg to the fold through a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

On defense Burke picked up veteran defenseman Brett Lebda, giving him even more depth on defense, which in turn may allow him to trade his ace in the hole, defenseman Tomas Kaberle.

The acquisitions of Armstrong, Versteeg, Brown and Lebda should help transform the Leafs from perennial bottom-feeders to playoff contenders.

Burke’s earlier acquisitions include defensemen Mike Komisarek, Dion Phaneuf (who was awarded the captaincy over the summer), and Francois Beauchemin, all of whom should play huge roles in the Leafs' success or failures this season.

At forward Burke has done an admiral job acquiring the likes of Luca Caputi, Tyler Bozak, Fredrik Sjostrom, Brayden Irwin, Christian Hanson, Marcel Mueller, Michael Zigomanis, Colton Orr, and, of course, Phil Kessel.

What it all amounts to is a complete facelift for the Leafs, an overhaul that gives the Leafs Nation some much needed optimism heading into the 2010-11 NHL season.

It is widely believed that Burke has as many as half a dozen offers on the table for Kaberle, none of which appear to have peaked Burke’s interest.

Given the fact that Burke has not pulled the trigger on a Kaberle deal, one can deduce that Burke has not been offered a top six forward (preferably a centre) who could significantly improve the Leafs' lineup up front.

While many Leaf fans are growing impatient with Burke, it appears as if Burke is on the verge of intensifying trade negotiations in hopes of soliciting a better offer from the NHL teams that have shown interest.

Will a bidding war for Kaberle’s services ever evolve? Only time will tell.

One thing’s for sure, Burke is going to try to milk a potential Kaberle deal for everything it's worth, and so he should.

According to capgeek.com the Leafs have 21 players signed for the upcoming 2010-11 season with just over $2 million in cap space left with which to sign another player.

That $2 million combined with the $4.25 million in salary that Kaberle will earn in 2010-11 should allow Burke to trade for a player making upwards of $6 million.

Which players making $6 million or less are on the trading block right now?

Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard has been mentioned in several deals, but his injury concerns will likely keep Burke from acquiring the talented set-up man.

Ottawa Senators centre Jason Spezza has been mentioned as a possible solution for the Leafs, but his $7 million cap hit in each of the next five seasons would be a huge commitment for Burke to make for a player who has been underachieving and, more recently, whining about his situation in Ottawa, something Burke has frowned on in the past.

While the Anaheim Ducks continue to try to hammer out a new deal with Bobby Ryan, the two sides still appear to be wide apart on a long-term deal. There's no question that given their history and the talent level Ryan would bring to the table, Burke would be interested in acquiring Ryan, but the asking price is likely to be a lot more than just Kaberle, and Burke does not have many assets to trade right now.

The reality is, Burke may have to take a lesser player in return for Kaberle or get stuck with a bloated contract, something I suspect Burke will avoid like the plague.

Alternatively, Burke could acquire a player in the $3-4 million range and dip into a depleted free agent pool that still includes the likes of elder statesmen Paul Kariya, Bill Guerin, and Teemu Selanne (none of whom are good fits for the Leafs).

Given the fact that Burke has been on a youth kick the last year and a half, I suspect he is done with free agency this season, which means if Burke chooses not to bring in a big ticket player via trade he can hold on to his cap space with an eye on making a big deal or deals at the trade deadline.

Without a significant upgrade up front the Leafs will struggle offensively, which will put them at risk to miss the playoffs…again!

Burke wants no part of a team that will not compete for a playoff spot. Leaf fans are growing antsy, as are Leafs' management and Burke himself.

While Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract seems to be holding a lot of NHL teams back from making free agent signings, it appears as if Burke will aim to get a deal involving Kaberle done sooner rather than later.

Needless to say, as good as Burke has been in acquiring talent for the Leafs' organization, his best work (a deal for a top six forward) is yet to come. Let’s hope he can pull off another steal, bringing in a top-notch set-up man to compliment Phil Kessel’s scoring abilities.

Anything less could be the difference between the Leafs making the playoffs in 2010-11 or heading to the golf courses in early April.

For more NHL news and notes check out www.theslapshot.com

Until next time,

Peace!

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The main knock on Wheeler is that he does not use his size. That is not too big of a problem in my opinion because he is still young, he can still learn how to more effectively use his large body. Furthermore, I think he will gain say 15 more pounds and really be able to throw that weight around. In other words he will grow into his body.

This is one big domino because the Boston Bruins have very little cap space. Of course by putting Sturm on the LTIR his cap hit will not count and that will mean Boston should have plenty of space to sign him.

However, if the money is too much the Bruins may get rid of him to be fiscally prudent. Personally I expect him to get $2.4 million per year as he is not as good as Mason Raymond so a bit less is reasonable.

The reason this would be a domino is that the Bruins have been trying very hard to get Tomas Kaberle to pair him up with Zdeno Chara. I can see the attraction, but no cap space means Wheeler can be a big bargaining chip along with Mark Stuart as a starting point. It is interesting but I don't see it happening, especially if the Leafs can get Ryan Clowe.

However if they start offering Wheeler the trade winds can start blowing as they have been quieter than usual this offseason (minus the dismantling of the Stanley Cup Champions). So will they? This becomes a question.

I think it more likely they offer Bergeron to free up the cap space. The reason I mention Bergeron is his cap hit this year is quite large at a bit over $5 million. This would allow them to sign some of the free agents still floating around.

Another reason is that they have a glut of centres but a lack of wing depth, so why deal Wheeler? Makes much more sense to deal the overpaid, underperforming centre for just cap space.

In the end though I expect the Bruins to just stand pat. They will do nothing, just accept the Wheeler arbitration. However once the number comes in the teams will know what to expect for their own arbitration eligible players and will adjust accordingly. This is the main domino that will fall. 

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