Photo by Alexis Boucher

With all signs pointing towards today’s trade deadline being uneventful, there were more than a few surprising moves leading up to 3 pm. The Lightning joined in as well, making headlines with a shocking trade. Their quest for a number one goaltender sent them to Ottawa and a goalie they expressed interest in last year, 6’8″ Ben Bishop. In return, the Senators acquired forward Cory Conacher and a fourth round draft pick. This was a head scratcher for many fans, the jury here remains out until we see exactly what we’re working with.

There have been some other moves so far this week as well. Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bolts picked up a seventh round draft pick and forward Adam Hall. Yes, the very same Adam Hall that the ‘Canes claimed off of waivers on March 16th. To make things even more confusing, the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Hall off of waivers today. No one would have been surprised to hear he was dealt back to the Bolts yet again, but it looks like he’s sticking on Broad Street for now.

Today also saw a number of roster shifts between Tampa and Syracuse. Brett Connolly and Dana Tyrell were called up from the Crunch. Cedrick Desjardins, Andrej Sustr, Mike Angelidis, and Ondrej Palat are on their way back to the ‘Cuse. Moves done most likely to bolster the Crunch ahead of the AHL playoffs.

Pierre Cedric Labrie Photo by Linda Hamilton

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.

Yup. Officially getting excited.

Keith Aulie Photo by Linda Hamilton

One of the good things about organizational depth is that it protects a team from taking a big hit if a trade doesn’t pan out. » Continue reading “Interesting Times For Keith Aulie”

Tyler Johnson gets low for faceoffs…so low that no one saw him on draft day. Picture from the Syracuse Crunch FB page

This Syracuse Crunch team sure is special, isn’t it?   The NHL lockout drags on, but one benefit for the Tampa Bay Lightning is the ability to see its young guns play together and grow as a dominant team.  The Crunch played three games this weekend (2-1 loss vs. Binghamton, 4-1 win at Albany, 6-1 win at Worcester) and are now 12-3-1-1 through 17 games.  This puts them in first in the East Division as well as the entire Eastern Conference.

Take some time to absorb all of these bullet points and try not to get giddy (I couldn’t resist) thinking about some of these guys contributing at the NHL level. » Continue reading “Number Crunch: Syracuse Dominating As A Team”

Silly posts demand silly pictures

Let’s keep it light today and not discuss the impending CBA doom.  As Alexis and I were waiting in line to meet Eric Brewer after last night’s radio show, we began pondering something.  If  Thunderbug was captured and unmasked Scooby-Doo villain style, which player do you envision being the culprit inside and why?

My vote is for Marc-Andre Bergeron.  He seems shifty enough to pull it off and hearing him curse those meddling kids and their dog in a French Canadian accent would be hilarious.

Alexis’s vote goes to Mike Commodore.  The ex-Bolt enjoyed his time in Tampa Bay so much that he just wanted to stick around. Far from an evil mastermind, Commie enjoys the sunshine and is glad to finally have a job where the headgear has enough room for his red afro.  He would inevitably stray from the straight and narrow and use his spare time to mess with former teammate Teddy Purcell.  After Teddy allowed him to stay at his place this summer, the urge to make spare keys and go joy riding in his Porsche was too much to bear.

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter.  Zoinks!

Do or do not. There is no try.

A long time ago in an arena by the bay… two hockey bloggers found themselves sitting at home on a Friday night. Dinner had been consumed, pajamas were on,  and the only thing left to do was to find a movie on television. Enter “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back”.

As the movies progressed, Jason Haas and I did the only thing we could to make the evening complete. We cast Lightning players past and present in George Lucas’ space epic.  The original trilogy only, of course. We’re not complete heathens.

Who’s who in our Lightning/Star Wars crossover? Read on…

» Continue reading “Bolt Wars: Who’s Scruffy-Looking?”