After much careful thought and several discussions with people whom I trust wholeheartedly, I have decided to resign my position here at HockeyBuzz to pursue other opportunities.

This may not catch very many of you by surprise, as the mulling of this decision in my head for quite some time has probably been noticeable to even the casual observer with hints here and there in recent months.

It…

Streeter Lecka – Getty Images

9 days ago:

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – JUNE 12: Lionel Messi of Argentina pulls t…

According to Montreal online news source, Rue Frontenac, radio station CKAC and, later, TSN’s Bob McKenzie, general manager Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning are set to announce Guy Boucher of the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs as the eighth head coach in franchise history.

There has been no official confirmation from the Lightning as of yet but word is a formal announcement will be forthcomin…

There sure hasn’t been any shortage of Tampa Bay Lightning talk since Steve Yzerman’s arrival as the franchise’s new vice president and general manager a week ago …

Seems anyone and everyone with ties to the NHL has something to say about the Bolts these days. (Nothing new, per se, but at least we’re finally through with incessant circus mentions and bad jokes about horror films.)…

The not-so shortlist of coaching candidates is filled with a variety of options for new Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, who has indicated his choice does not necessarily have to have previous head coaching experience at the NHL level.

The retread path, however, is well spoken for by Bob Hartley, Ken Hitchcock, Craig MacTavish, John Stephens and Michel Therrien, for starters….

More than 1,500 games played.

Nearly 700 goals.

Over 1,000 assists.

1,755 points.

Ten times an all-star.

Winner of the Masterton, Pearson and Selke Trophies.

1998 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP.

Olympic gold in 2002.

Three Stanley Cups.

2009 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee.

Steve Yzerman’s accolades as a player in the National Hockey League are comparable to some of…

From the start, Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has preached his desire for a world class organization.

And, in naming Detroit Red Wings icon Steve Yzerman as the first hand-picked GM of his ownership tenure, no one can debate he is off to a flying start.

This morning, the Lightning announced a press conference has been scheduled for 3:00 PM to announce the sixth general manager in fran…

Call the Chicago Blackhawks overwhelming favorites, if you like. (This guy does, at 2/5, no less!)

I like Philadelphia’s chances in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.

The Flyers are a team that suddenly appear to have been perfectly constructed for playoff hockey after having to overcome the tremendous obstacles of an apathetic start to the season, rumors of a fractured locker room, a multit…

I haven’t been following the IIHF World Championships closely.

I’ll never be confused for an advocate of widespread political correctness.

And I certainly don’t speak Russian.

But even though I’m lacking significant context regarding the incident in question and even though I’m reacting to third-party information and another journalist’s interview that was conducted in another…

The first time I met new Tampa Bay Lightning owner, Jeff Vinik, was a very casual encounter prior to the last home game of this past season as we both stepped onto the elevator that ascends to the St. Pete Times Forum press box. After simple introductions, the conversation quickly turned to what was on everyone’s mind that night: Steven Stamkos’ pursuit of the 50-goal mark.

I proclaimed how…

Sure, the San Jose Sharks have their work cut out for them after falling at home in game one of the Western Conference Final and, yes, Philadelphia’s lead over Montreal is just one game despite the lopsided victory in the East opener.

But isn’t there something at least moderately intriguing for Tampa Bay Lightning fans about the possibility of a Dan Boyle/Matt Carle showdown in the Stanley…

Suffice it to say, the rest did me well.

I stayed away exactly a month, which was the minimum I’d promised myself. The itch was there to return early on a few different occasions but I resisted – made myself hold back – and I feel recharged and ready to tackle another active off-season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But first, some shameless self-promotion …

Over the course of the…

From great friend of the blog Nicholas Montemagno at The Rangers Tribune:

In 27 games played with the Devils this season, Kovalchuk had just ten goals, in addition to the two he netted in five games played against the Flyers in the quarterfinals. Those are not horrible numbers, obviously, but they are not what we have seen in previous years of his career and they are the only reason why he does not have an atrocious plus/minus rating. His performance in the playoffs this season was below-par, and I think that was the assuring fact that he will not be back with the Devils next season.

This may sound harsh, but Kovalchuk does not give a rat’s tail about the defensive end of the rink. He does not make an effort to backcheck, he does not make an effort to help around by the net, and he is not an option to put on the penalty kill. His only ability is scoring, which he can do quite well, but only when he chooses that he wants to.

People have recently been asking why Kovalchuk did not fit in New Jersey. Well, the Devils, sine their birth, have always been a defense-first team. Kovalchuk does not know how to play a system like that, in fact, he doesn’t know how to play much of any system at all. He is a floater that waits for the puck, and when he gets it, he chooses if he wants to do something with it or not.

Click here for more great stuff from Nicholas.