Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over till it's over," but for the
Tampa Bay Lightning the end can't come quickly enough.
Forecasting the second season in a row, the Lightning will finish
with the worst record in the National Hockey League. Players are
now playing for next season's contract. In fact, they have been
since early December.
It would be a safe bet to assume that several players from this
year's lineup will not return. These include Stephane Richer,
Daren Puppa, and Kjell Samuelsson. The Lightning have already
overhauled their lineup on several occasions during the season in
a bid to get younger and lower the payroll. There is only one
problem with that. Quite simply, the rebuilding process should
have started last year.
But credit must be given to general manager/coach Jacques Demers
for the trades he has made during the season. With the
acquisition of Kevin Hodson from the Detroit Red Wings, he has
improved the club's goaltending situation. Colin Forbes
(acquired from Philadelphia) is a young power forward with great
potential. On defense, the acquisition of Sergey Gusev supplies
the Lightning with a defenseman who is capable of carrying the
puck up ice and setting up some scoring chances. He also
acquired several draft picks which is important since Demers
indicated he plans on building a winner through the draft. But
most of all, he lowered payroll, something which he was
instructed to do by new owner William Davidson.
For once the Lightning are headed in the right direction.
There are several young players who might make the jump to the
NHL next season, including Paul Mara, Mario Larocque, and Andrei
Skopintsev (saw limited duty this season). There also remains
the first pick overall in this year's draft, that is of course if
the ball bounces for the Lightning.
The player most often talked about in Lightning circle's is
Patrik Stefan, the 17-year-old, Czechoslovakian native of the
Long Beach Ice Dogs of the IHL. According to scouts, he is the
one player who is ready to step into the NHL and make a
significant impact. If the Lightning choose not to select
Stefan, it may be because the youngster is injury prone. This
season he has suffered a knee injury, a groin injury, and a
spinal injury, not to mention three concussions.
If the Lightning decide the risk of drafting Stefan is too high,
look for them to entertain offers for trading the pick. Reports
from the Tampa Tribune have indicated that the Lightning still
would like to make a deal for Dallas Stars goaltender Roman
Turek. If the Stars decide to keep Turek, it is possible they
might be willing to move Ed Belfour. Due to his large contract,
don't count on the Lightning to be involved in those discussions.
Once the season has officially ended, Demers and his staff,
including Cliff Fletcher, Don Murdoch, and Peter Mahovlivh will
sit down and evaluate the season. Only one thing is for certain
- it should prove to be an interesting summer.
