There it is. The Lightning have placed defenseman Brian Lee on waivers. The news comes courtesy of Darren Dreger of TSN and Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune. The young defenseman has had more than his fair share of struggles this season. Add in the beating the fan base have been giving him and this isn’t terribly surprising news. Especially with what the Bolts did yesterday.
The move is most likely a result of college prospect Andrej Sustr’s signing yesterday. Per Steve Yzerman, there’s no guarantee that Sustr will see any NHL action but that is definitely their intention going forward. Sustr is eligible to play with the Syracuse Crunch for the remainder of the season.
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced their opening night roster well ahead of Friday’s deadline. Here’s how the team is going to look:
Forwards: Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone, Benoit Pouliot, Tom Pyatt, Dana Tyrell, Adam Hall, Nate Thompson, B.J. Crombeen, Cory Conacher and Pierre-Cedric Labrie.
Defensemen: Victor Hedman, Sam Salo, Eric Brewer, Matt Carle, Brian Lee, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Keith Aulie and Brendan Mikkelson.
Goaltenders: Anders Lindback & Mathieu Garon.
So there you have it.That’s how the 2013 Bolts ( Not 2012-13. There was no 2012 involved in this season) will get started. The coaches seemed extremely positive about Conacher, so his addition isn’t exactly a surprise. Labrie on the other hand? Wow. For a while it seemed like Tyler Johnson could make the jump to the main club. Both he and Conacher have been insanely prolific when it comes to scoring. Johnson’s time is definitely coming, but not this Saturday.
The addition of Labrie and Crombeen have the potential to change the landscape of the on ice product if you will. With the exception of Steve Downie, the Lightning have been more about skill and finesse since Yzerman & Boucher came to town. The mantra was reacting to the opponent. Labrie and Crombeen play their game with a healthy amount of grit and physicality. They’ll be expected to play with discipline, but it could make other teams think twice before they take physical advantage of the Bolts.
While we’re all up STILL waiting for the NHL schedules to be released, how about some news?
- The Lightning will open their training camp tomorrow at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. They’ll remain in town for camp again on Monday before hitting the road. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s sessions will take place at Germain Arena in Estero, FL.
- As part of tomorrow’s festivities, fans are being welcomed back to the Tampa Bay Times Forum with a.. well, Fan Fest. Practice, specials on merchandise, and autograph sessions with the entire team. Season Ticket Members are privy to an exclusive autograph session in the Club level. No word on who exactly that will feature. More info can be found here.
With the NHL’s impending return, the fans are buzzing with excitement of having actual hockey to talk about again. Our players are returning from near and far. Training camps are right around the corner and many squads have already begun informal skating sessions.
While flipping through photos of the Lightning’s skate the other day, an unsettling moment occurred. There was a player in a Tampa sweater. And I had no idea who the hell he was. Summer signings feel like they were a million years ago, so we can cut ourselves a little slack. We need a refresher course as to who exactly plays for our team now. What better way to do that than with a little game?
Here’s how it works. A series of roster photos will be shown along with multiple choice answers. Pick your answer until you reach the end. The answer key will let you know how you did. Winner gets… the satisfaction of a job well done.
While some of his teammates have gone to Europe or stayed in Tampa, defenseman Brian Lee has stayed a bit closer to home. The Moorhead Minnesota native has been skating with the Fargo Force for the last month while he, and we, wait for the lockout to end.
The junior team has allowed Lee to stay in shape while he waits to see what happens. He’s been skating with the Force four times a week, but it’s hard to stay patient.
“It’s tough,”Lee said.“You kind of feel like you just drift around almost without a purpose. It’s really nice the Fargo Force have let me come out and practice with them, let me stay in shape.
My optimism is shrinking every day that we don’t play, but I’m still hoping and preparing like we’re going to have a season.” (Quote Source: The Dickinson Press)
Lee waits as we all wait to see just what the hell is going to happen.
Bolts’ GM Steve Yzerman is checking things off his to do list well before free agency opens tomorrow. Goalie? Check. Depth forwards? Check. Defensemen? Check. Just days after issuing qualifying offers to 4 of their young restricted free agents, three of them have been signed.
Brian Lee inked a two year, one way contract yesterday. Lee was acquired in the February 26th trade that sent Matt Gilroy to the Ottawa Senators. The 6’3″ defenseman ended up playing 20 games in Tampa, recording eight assists and seventeen shots on net.
The blueline was bolstered even further with the signing of Keith Aulie today. Aulie is an imposing figure on the defensive squad at 6’6″. The young d-man was brought to Tampa on the trade that sent Carter Ashton to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 19 games, Aulie had one assist and 17 penalty minutes.
Most of those coming from this:
Free agency begins tomorrow, so more moves are bound to be made. Oh, and happy early Canada Day to our friends north of the border.
- Ok, Lightning fans. Time to get our vote on. The nominees for ESPN’s ESPY awards were announced and Steven Stamkos is one of the men in the Best NHL Player category. No disrespect to Claude Giroux, Henrik Lundqvist, Evgeni Malkin, or Jonathan Quick. Stammer is the man and this is an outlet to let our voices be heard.
I know, I know. ESPN and the NHL have an estranged relationship, and it’s amazing that they are even including the game of hockey in their awards show. This show is a great opportunity for everyone to see what we know here in Tampa. We may not be a traditional market steeped in history or have the largest fan base, but by Gretzky we are rabid. Vote Stamkos! To make it even easier, you can vote here.
- More news on the signing front. Defenseman Brendan Mikkelson was signed to a one year, one way contract for $600,000 today. After being acquired from Calgary in the Blair Jones trade last season, Mikkelson played 41 games for Tampa. In those games he had one goal, three points, and thirteen penalty minutes.
The signing leaves the Bolts with 4 unsigned restricted free agents: Keith Aulie, Jaroslav Janus, Brian Lee, and Evan Oberg. Free agency mania starts Sunday at noon.
- Newly drafted goaltender Andrei Vasilevski was selected by Mississauga in the 2nd round of the CHL Import Draft today. No word if this means he is definitely coming to North America to play, as he is still under contract in Russia.
The NHL Draft just ended on Saturday, but Lightning GM Steve Yzerman continues to stay busy instead of waiting for free agency. Tampa issued qualifying offers to five players that were set to become restricted free agents on July 1st. In doing so, the Bolts maintain negotiating rights with a number of their top prospects and young players.
Brian Lee, Brendan Mikkelson, Keith Aulie, Evan Oberg, and Jaroslav Janus. That’s four defensemen and a goalie for those of you keeping score at home.
A few names were missing from that list of offers: defenseman Sebastien Piche and left wing Benoit Pouliot. Tampa did just acquire Pouliot’s rights on Saturday and no qualifying offer doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be signed. No offer means he can’t invoke his salary arbitration rights. With the CBA situation in flux, that may be the best possible scenario for the Lightning.
