With the Lightning still unable to stretch together two
consecutive wins, the Tampa Tribune reported that Detroit Pistons
owner William Davidson will bid on the Lightning and the rights
to the Ice Palace by the end of the week.
It was reported that Lightning owner Art Williams said that he is
seeking between $125 million - $130 million for the pair.
"Everything is moving very well and we're not disappointed with
anything we're seeing," said Pistons president Tom Wilson to the
Tampa Tribune. "By the end of the week, we could agree on a
number. The key thing for us the next few days is to decide
whether we're in or out."
For those that still care, Davidson was interested in purchasing
the team last season, only to lose his bid to Williams.
On the ice, the Lightning continue to find new ways to lose
despite the promise from Jacques Demers that the team will come
around. It is no secret that Demers is highly confident that the
future of the team is with the youngsters. However, statistics
will paint a different portrait.
Excluding last year's first overall pick, Vincent Lecavalier, who
is just 18, the Lightning youngsters have contributed little
during this campaign, especially in the goal-scoring department.
Chris Gratton (3), Alex Daigle (1), Michael Nylander (1), Steve
Kelly (1), and Brent Peterson (2) have combined for eight goals
in a combined 106 games.
On defense, only Pavel Kubina has played with any consistency.
However, he leads all Lightning defenseman with a minus-22
rating. A costly mistake against the St. Louis Blues landed Mike
McBain in Cleveland, while David Wilkie and Andrei Skopintsev
have both struggled.
"We have to let the young guys play, they are the future of the
franchise," said Demers. "Everyday I get teams calling me about
Kubina and (Darcy) Tucker. I will not trade them. If I do, I'll
destroy the future of this franchise."
With the way things are going now, Demers might not be around to
see the future. Art Williams has said that if the Lightning
don't improve by the middle of next season, Demers will be
replaced. That's if Williams still owns the team. At present,
it does not appear that he will. The question remains, will
another ownership change, the second in less than a year, and
another coaching change, destroy what little of the fan base that
is left?
"I've been going to Lightning games for four years," said Greg
Turner, a fan from Orlando, Florida. "This is by far the worst
team I've seen. I remember the first playoff game against the
Flyers. The place was rocking. Now, there is nobody here. I
cannot see things getting better anytime soon."
The Lightning's current losing streak is at two games. Prior to
that, they lost 16 out of their last 20. Their leading scorer,
Wendel Clark, has 33 points. He is followed by Darcy Tucker with
30. No other player has more than 19.
On the trade front, rumors involving Clark continue to remain
hot. The latest team to enter the rumor mill is the St. Louis
Blues. Larry Pleau, general manager of the Blues, was in town
February 10th to see his team defeat the Lightning 5-4, and was
spotted jotting down notes in the press box.
It is a foregone conclusion that Clark will be traded before the
March 23rd deadline. The only question that remains is will Art
Williams still be around?
