SB Nation - Martins Karsums

Former Lightning campers -- Prospect / system update

John Fontana — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:25:19 -0000

Lightning prospects and Lethbridge Hurricanes wing Carter Ashton -- via www.whl.ca

Remember all those people in camp this summer? Guys who were the-next-big-thing at the Young Guns camp? Or the gia-normous roster the Tampa Bay Lightning carried with them as they trekked across the continent back in september?

They're still playing hockey. And the majority of them are still Tampa Bay Lightning property (with a sole exception).

Below the fold, you'll find a list of players who didn't make the opening night roster for the Lightning and where they are now and just how they are performing in their current location. Consider this a system update.

Of course, the more complete place to find updates on Lightning prospects and just how they are producing is over at Bolt Prospects. You'll find updates on more players in teh Lightning system including prospects over in the KHL (though we've included one here) and in college hockey. For the meantime, here's where things stand with some of the players in the system on November 3rd, 2009:

Forwards

Name	Team	League	Goals	Assists	Points
Carter Ashton	Lethbridge Hurricanes	WHL-Juniors	9	9	18
Brandon Bochenski	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	7	2	9
Ryan Craig	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	7	2	9
Kyle DeCoste	Belleville Bulls	OHL - Juniors	2	1	3
Mitch Fadden	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	0	0
Adam Hall	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	3	3
Alex Hutchings	Barrie Colts	OHL-Juniors	8	10	18
Blair Jones	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	1	2	3
Martins Karsums	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	1	0
Chris Lawrence	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	0	0
Brett McLean*	Bern	Swiss-A	?	?	?
Richard Panik	Windsor Spitfires	OHL-Juniors	4	7	11
Juraj Simek	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	1	6	7
Radek Smolenak	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	4	4
Matias Sointu	Ottawa 67's	OHL-Juniors	3	4	7
Paul Szczechura	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	3	5	8
Lauri Tukonen	Lukko Rauma	FNL-Europe	3	8	11
Dana Tyrell	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	3	3

Note: McLean was with the team on a tryout basis and not offered a contract

Defense

Name	Team	League	Goals	Assists	Points
Mark Barberio	Moncton Wildcats	QMJHL-Juniors	2	11	13
Scott Jackson	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	1	1
Matt Lashoff	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	1	1	2
Mike Lundin	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	5	5
Vladmir Mihalik	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	2	2
Kevin Quick	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	0	0
Ty Wishart	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	1	1

Goaltenders

Name	Team	League	Win	Loss	Save %	GAA
Riku Helenius	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	1	.913	2.05
Jarsolov Janus	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	2	.939	1.52
Kari Ramo*	Omsk Avangard	KHL	10	7	.912	1.89
Dustin Tokarski	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	4	3	.904	2.59
Michael Zador	Michael Zador	OHL-Juniors	6	5	.891	3.58

Note: Ramo was not in camp, yet this single instance I thought it was appropriate to show how the player is doing, as Ramo is still Lightning property

We'll revisit this from time to time this season to see player progress.

Tampa Bay Lightning reduce preseason roster to 29

John Fontana — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:59:55 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Browse more photos »

Yesterday's news about Radek Smolenak and Carter Ashton was only the first step as the Bolts whittled away their lineup during last night's scrimmage with the Norfolk Admirals. The Bolts cut 11 players total, waiving Blair Jones and Martins Karsums in order to send them to Norfolk.

Others cut are:

Goaltenders Dustin Tokarski, Riku Helenius and Jaroslav Janus (who is unsigned); Defensemen: Vladimir Mihalik and Ty Wishart; Forwards - Juraj Simek, Paul Szczechura and Dana Tyrell.

The Bolts will make final cut downs sometime after their game in Atlanta versus the Thrashers tomorrow evening.

FORWARDS
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born
15	~~ASHTON, Carter~~	~~6-3~~	~~205~~	~~4/1/91~~	~~Winnipeg, Manitoba~~
27	BOCHENSKI, Brandon	6-0	193	4/4/82	Blaine, Minnesota
34	CRAIG, Ryan	6-2	220	1/6/82	Abbotsford, BC
57	~~DeCOSTE, Kyle~~	~~6-1~~	~~178~~	~~6/30/90~~	~~London, Ontario~~
9	DOWNIE, Steve	5-11	200	4/3/87	Newmarket, Ontario
74	~~FADDEN, Mitch~~	~~6-0~~	~~174~~	~~4/3/88~~	~~Victoria, BC~~
17	FEDORUK, Todd	6-2	240	2/13/79	Redwater, Alberta
18	HALL, Adam	6-2	201	8/14/80	Kalamazoo, Michigan
11	HALPERN, Jeff	6-0	195	5/3/76	Potomac, Maryland
47	~~HUTCHINGS, Alex~~	~~5-10~~	~~173~~	~~11/7/91~~	~~Burlington, Ontario~~
49	~~JONES, Blair~~	~~6-3~~	~~210~~	~~9/27/86~~	~~Central Butte, Saskatchewan~~
44	~~KARSUMS, Martins~~	~~5-10~~	~~192~~	~~2/26/86~~	~~Riga, Latvia~~
28	KONOPKA, Zenon	6-0	215	1/2/81	Niagara on the Lake, Ontario
48	~~LAWRENCE, Chris~~	~~6-4~~	~~212~~	~~2/5/87~~	~~Toronto, Ontario~~
4	LECAVALIER, Vincent	6-4	223	4/21/80	Ile Bizard, Quebec
12	MALONE, Ryan	6-4	215	12/1/79	Pittsburgh, PA
53	MCLEAN, Brett	5-11	185	8/14/78	Comox, British Columbia
16	MILLER, Drew	6-2	185	2/17/84	Dover, New Jersey
71	~~PANIK, Richard~~	~~6-2~~	~~203~~	~~2/7/91~~	~~Martin, Slovakia~~
46	~~SIMEK, Juraj~~	~~6-1~~	~~189~~	~~9/29/87~~	~~Presov, Slovakia~~
52	~~SMOLENAK, Radek~~	~~6-2~~	~~180~~	~~12/3/86~~	~~Prague, Czech Republic~~
61	~~SOINTU, Matias~~	~~5-10~~	~~154~~	~~2/10/90~~	~~Tampere, Finland~~
26	ST. LOUIS, Martin	5-9	185	6/18/75	Laval, Quebec
91	STAMKOS, Steven	6-0	176	2/7/90	Markham, Ontario
38	~~SZCZECHURA, Paul~~	~~5-11~~	~~175~~	~~11/30/85~~	~~Brantford, Ontario~~
13	TANGUAY, Alex	6-1	189	11/21/79	Ste-Justine, Quebec
36	~~TUKONEN, Lauri~~	~~6-2~~	~~198~~	~~9/1/86~~	~~Hyvinkaa, Finland~~
42	~~TYRELL, Dana~~	~~5-10~~	~~185~~	~~4/23/89~~	~~Airdrie, Alberta~~
19	VEILLEUX, Stephane	6-0	190	11/16/81	St. Georg, Quebec
43	WRIGHT, James	6-3	175	3/24/90	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

DEFENSEMEN
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born
50	~~BARBERIO, Mark~~	~~6-0~~	~~201~~	~~3/23/90~~	~~Montreal, Quebec~~
6	FOSTER, Kurtis	6-5	220	11/24/81	Carp, Ontario
21	HALE, David	6-2	213	6/18/81	Colorado Springs, CO
77	HEDMAN, Victor	6-6	220	12/18/90	Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
58	~~JACKSON, Scott~~	~~6-4~~	~~213~~	~~2/5/87~~	~~Salmon Arm, BC~~
2	KRAJICEK, Lukas	6-2	196	3/11/83	Prostejov, Czech Republic
55	LASHOFF, Matt	6-2	205	9/29/86	East Greenbush, New York
39	LUNDIN, Mike	6-1	195	9/24/84	Burnsville, MN
14	MESZAROS, Andrej	6-2	218	10/13/85	Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia
56	~~MIHALIK, Vladimir~~	~~6-7~~	~~222~~	~~1/29/87~~	~~Presov, Slovakia~~
5	OHLUND, Mattias	6-3	220	9/9/76	Pitea, Sweden
51	~~QUICK, Kevin~~	~~6-0~~	~~175~~	~~3/29/88~~	~~Buffalo, New York~~
54	RANGER, Paul	6-2	215	9/12/84	Whitby, Ontario
32	SMABY, Matt	6-5	211	10/14/84	Minneapolis, Minnesota
8	WALKER, Matt	6-3	214	4/7/80	Beaverlodge, Alberta
3	~~WISHART, Ty~~	~~6-5~~	~~203~~	~~5/19/88~~	~~Comox, BC~~

GOALTENDERS
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born
35	~~HELENIUS, Riku~~	~~6-3~~	~~202~~	~~3/1/88~~	~~Palkane, Finland~~
37	~~JANUS, Jaroslav~~	5-11	192	~~9/21/89~~
~~Presov, Slovakia~~
30	NIITYMAKI, Antero	6-1	195	6/18/80	Turku, Finland
41	SMITH, Mike	6-3	210	3/22/82	Kingston, Ontario
40	~~TOKARSKI, Dustin~~	~~5-11~~	~~185~~	~~9/16/89~~	~~Humboldt, Saskatchewan~~
45	~~ZADOR, Michael~~	~~6-2~~	~~172~~	~~5/8/91~~	~~Toronto, Ontario~~

Bolts preseason second competition: defense depth

John Fontana — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:14:44 -0000

It's been a truth since mid-July that the Lightning have a pleasant little issue on the blue line.

I say "pleasant" because, in retrospect, this is an issue you'd rather the Bolts have than the issue that the team had last season. That issue is defense: Too many bodies and not enough roster spots. Too much skill and not enough minutes to go around.

I'll take that issue any day of the week over 22-warm-bodies used on the blue line during the 2008-09 campaign. Though it does cause logistics (and payroll) issues... It's better to have too much of something than too much of not-much-at-all.

Lets recap for a moment where the Bolts stand on D: Victor Hedman was drafted #2 overall in the NHL draft in June and will likely be a lock to stay with the team all season long. Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker were signed on the first day of free agency, and shortly thereafter Kurtis Foster (former Wild defenseman with a cannon of a shot) was added to the defensive corps. Add the return of Lukas Krajicek, Andrej Meszaros and Paul Ranger and you have seven defensemen right there that are NHL-ready.

It's a given that Hedman isn't going to be given a brunt of minutes during his rookie season (unless he fully earns them through producing and effort, of course)... And Brian Lawton has suggested the Bolts will keep eight defensemen on the roster going into the 2009-10 campaign. Those two slots are what's up for grabs. Sparse playing time but NHL-level playing time.

That's where things get interesting.

David Hale, Matt Lashoff, Mike Lundin, Vladmir Mihalik, Kevin Quick, Matt Smaby, Ty Wishart... They're all vying for a shot at being part of the defense depth in Tampa. Two slots, seven players, and only so many opportunities to show why you belong with the Lightning and not the Norfolk Admirals to start the hockey season.

The inside track, at least from a fan perspective, on these slots go to Matt Lashoff, Mike Lundin and Matt Smaby. Two of the three (Lundin and Smaby) have been highly regarded by the organization for years now. Lashoff, acquired with Martins Karsums from the Boston Bruins at the 2009 NHL trade deadline for Mark Recchi, cannot be overlooked either.

What seems more likely is that NHL veteran David Hale (picked up in the Radim Vrbata trade along with LW Todd Fedoruk this off season) makes the roster out of camp along with Matt Smaby (who is on a one-way contract now). Hale has more NHL level experience than most of the Lightning's young defensemen combined. And while Hale does not figure into the Lightning's long term plans, he may be just what the team needs on defense: a truly part-time player as the eighth defenseman.

And the #7 defensive slot? Whomever were to fill that roll would be in regular rotation in the Lightning defense. While young Victor Hedman learns the ropes, when others in the top-six defense pairings need to be rested for "body maintenance" -- the seventh defensemen would be a regular substitution.

It's tough to figure out just what the Lightning will do in the end, but this is an educated guess. Brian Lawton has publicly suggested he will try to pull off a couple of trades during preseason and one would think that these deals would address the backlog on the blue line. It'd certainly be wise to take depth where it exists and either look to further upgrade quality, or perhaps swap it for system depth at other positions (such as right wing). But the contradiction that establishes a fact is: There are two slots up for grabs, and seven guys who already appear roster locks. That means someone from that group will be targeted to be moved.

That, possible player movement, takes anyone's educated guess and ultimately throws them out the window. In addition, Smaby, Hale and Mike Lundin all need to pass through waivers to be sent down to AHL Norfolk or recalled by Tampa Bay during the regular season.

The Bolts would sooner be willing to lose Hale than Lundin (who was stuck in Norfolk for most of last season due to the team not wanting to risk losing him on recall waivers). Lundin has expressed, through his agent, a desire to be traded if he does not make the team and Brian Lawton has express just how high the Bolts are on Mike and how they don't want to just give him away.

It's an interesting situation. There's only so much time before it gets ironed out. And only so many chances for players to secure their place with the Lightning this season.

Poll

How much has the Lightning defense improved since last season?

Loads!

65 votes

Somewhat.

19 votes

Improvement?

1 votes

I'll wait to judge about defensive improvement, thanks.

18 votes

103 votes | Poll has closed

Steve Downie's shot at the top six

John Fontana — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:08:14 -0000

....[Now] we come to the player with the most experience of the contenders for that right wing slot: Steve Downie. Downie's self-control and impulse-control issues do not permit him to be a serious contender for a top spot on the Lightning depth chart, no matter how much people admire his grit and skills he has... Think of raw nitroglicerine being transported on a bumpy road -- it's an accident waiting to happen. That's Downie, unless he mellows out at one point or another.
-- John "JPFDeuce" Fontana, September 3rd, 2009

Right now, it appears I'm leaning toward the "dead wrong" scale of accuracy than anything else, in which case I should request some extra garlic on the helping of crow that I'm due to be served.

I'm not saying that Steve Downie will not be set off by something any time soon, or not do something that he or the team regret, but Downie has earned a shot at more than just playing time. After dropping his body fat index to 7.5 over the off season, he is getting first-line minutes with Alex Tanguay and Vincent Lecavalier during scrimmages at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon.

My negative opinion of Downie was expressed over his reputation that he's earned through actions at all levels of hockey. The negative reputation is about all I've known... Not the former-first-round-pick status (#29 overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2005), nor his point-per-game output in the AHL (23 games at AHL Norfolk, 8 goals, 17 assists, 25 points) .

I had asked publicly here about Downie (after he shot out to a lead in our poll on the top-six RW poll. I didn't get much of a response... So I took the question over to our friends at Bolt Prospects and got myself educated on Downie.

Lemme throw out some quotes, first from Chad Schnarr :

If Downie didn't have the character reputation and you were going on pure hockey talent, it wouldn't be much of a question he'd be the leader at this point. Considering he's behaved himself when in Tampa thus far, that's why he's put there. (Stephane) Veilleux may end up with it because he's probably the most trustworthy, and (Dana) Tyrell is eyeing it down the line. This team will be most successful with a matured Downie on that line (or in the top 6). And don't think that Downie won't realize the importance of keeping his head on straight next to 13 and 4 (Tanguay and Lecavalier), or 12 and 91 (Malone and Stamkos) for that matter. I'd venture to say he's more apt to behave himself on a scoring line, than he would if he were told to just go out and annoy people on the bottom line.

And to follow it up, Pete Choquette also from Bolt Prospects:

He is one of the few guys we have who has the speed, skill, and ability to dig in the corners that is necessary to play on Vinny's line. Karsums can't dig. Veilleux doesn't have the skill. Smolenak doesn't have the speed. If there's one guy on the roster who can do it, it's Downie, and if he's committed to the Stamkos weight training program the way he supposedly has, I don't see why he wouldn't win that spot. Then it's going to be up to Vinny and Alex and Marty and the rest of the vets on this team to mentor Downie. I don't get the sense he ever really has had a mentor in his career.

While Downie will have to work extra hard on ice to shed questions about his character and the baggage of his reputation -- it is possible to do so. It's also possible that Downie makes one bad decision during a pre-season game and wipes out all gains that he's made.

I don't want that to happen. I want to be proved wrong. I'd rather have to eat crow (hefty, healthy portions, thank you) than have careless or reckless choices on-ice prove me right.

Perhaps this truly is in team leaderships hands, as Pete suggests? Vinny, Marty, Alex, Ryan and others need to influence Downie just as much as Downie needs to want to be influenced. There's also the influence of head coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet, who was a tough-guy himself back in the day, may have the respect and influence over Downie other coaches hadn't gained? Tocchet's connection with Steve might be a prevailing reason why Downie is being given a shot at all. Other teams and other head coaches would have sooner given up and assumed Steve a lost cause than play him with two of the most deft playmakers in the NHL.

To see a player realize their potential is something fabulous to behold. I'm hoping that's what we're in for this season: a realizing of Steve Downie's potential that doesn't focus on his fists and his temper but his ability and skill instead.

Bolt's marquee training camp battle: second-line right wing

John Fontana — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:58:37 -0000

by Steve Nesius - AP

View full size photo »

As it stands right now, there's a single hole left on the Lightning's top two lines. With Alex Tanguay now on the roster, the Bolts have their left wing's secured (Ryan Malone, Tanguay) and their center's are easily decided (Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos). But on right wing there is only one player who is a certainty to play on either of the top two lines -- Martin St. Louis.

With the Bolts unlikely to sign another free agent to fill the void and though a trade should not be counted out, odds are the Lightning will fill that spot with one of their own young players.

It's just anyone's guess who that will be.

Take a look at the depth chart for the Bolts at the right wing position (courtesy of Bolt Prospects depth rankings):

(signed)

Martin St. Louis
Martins Karsums
Steve Downie
Adam Hall
Dana Tyrell
Lauri Tukonen
Chris Lawrence

(unsigned)

Carter Ashton
Richard Panik
Kyle DeCoste
Matias Sointu
Matt Marshall
Ilya Solarev
Pavel Sedov

The unsigned group are prospects and recent draft picks by the Lightning. While it's not impossible for these guys to make the jump from juniors to the pros, it's highly unlikely.

The real competition seems to be between Steve Downie (acquired last year from the Philadelphia Flyers), Lauri Toukenen (former first round draft pick, acquired from the Dalllas Stars), Martins Karsums (acquired last spring in the Mark Recchi trade) and Dana Tyrell (drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft).

It's safe to assume Martins Karsums has the inside track on this contest, as he's had a stable career at the pro-level (AHL and NHL) and having a record of production at all levels (sans the NHL level, where he broke into the league with the Bolts after the trade). The 23 year old Czech averaged 51 points a season over three seasons in the QMJHL and 46 over three seasons in the AHL for the Providence Bruins.

Dana Tyrell is an up-and-coming star without the experience. During the summer Young Guns camp in July, Tyrell impressed with his speed and play-making ability. He will be making the full-time Pro jump this season after playing with the Prince George Cougars the majority of the last four seasons. He's also recovered from an on-ice knee injury sustained during the World Junior Championships last winter and fought to prove it during the Young Guns camp. He's an underdog for a chance to play at the NHL level this season, but I would not count him out -- not by a longshot.

Lauri Tukonen can either be chronicled as an enigma or a dark horse in this contest. He warranted a first-round draft selection by the LA Kings in the 2004 NHL entry draft and consistently chipped in points in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs before returning to Finland last season.

Then we come to the player with the most experience of the contenders for that right wing slot: Steve Downie. Downie's self-control and impulse-control issues do not permit him to be a serious contender for a top spot on the Lightning depth chart, no matter how much people admire his grit and skills he has... Think of raw nitroglicerine being transported on a bumpy road -- it's an accident waiting to happen. That's Downie, unless he mellows out at one point or another.

The door is ultimately wide open for anyone to step up and show they deserve to be the second top six right wing on this squad. If that happens during training camp, we're in for a very interesting season. If not? The Bolts will likely muddy along with a by-committee staffing of the position until such a time when a trade materializes or they become certain they can get along with only five bonafide top line forwards.

What do you think? Whose got the inside track of crackign the roster? Will the Bolts stand pat or make a pre-season move to add more depth at right-wing?

Poll

Who will start the season as the Bolts 2nd line right-wing?

Martins Karsums

16 votes

Steve Downie

39 votes

Lauri Tukonen

4 votes

Dana Tyrell

16 votes

Adam Hall

6 votes

Another player/prospect with the Bolts

12 votes

Someone else (free agent / trade acquisition)

6 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

Matt Lashoff back in the fold for Tampa Bay

John Fontana — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:21:46 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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Defenseman Matt Lashoff has been re-signed by the Lightning, leaving Mike Lundin (and potentially Radek Smolenak) as the unsigned RFA's on the roster.

Lashoff was acquired at the trade deadline in March of 2009 from the Boston Bruins with forward Martins Karsums in the Mark Recchi deal. Lashoff was thrust onto the blueline of a defense decimated by injuries.

Lashoff's deal is reported to be for two years. Read the official press release from the team here.

The NHL, the NHLPA, and the Olympic Orientation Camps

Cassie McClellan — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:00:10 -0000

USA Hockey, the national association the governs all levels of amateur hockey in the US (including national teams), opens up their Olympic Orientation Camp today in the Chicago area - and it is open to the public for those in the area. The lone Lightning representative, Ryan Malone, should be in attendance. Kicking off the festivities will be the Patrick Kane sideshow with Kane giving a press conference regarding his taxi fare arrest fiasco.

Just because a player has been invited to camp does not mean they will automatically be added to the roster. The opposite goes for those who were not invited to camp - just because they were not invited does not mean they can't make the team. Olympic rosters won't be finalized until November or December, so national hockey organizations will be scouting players for the first few months to determine who should be on those final rosters. At this point, very few are shoe-ins for any squad.

In regards to the Lightning, the following players could potentially end up going to the Olympics for their respective countries:

USA - Jeff Halpern, Ryan Malone

Canada - Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos

Finland - Antero Niittymaki

Latvia - Martins Karsums

Slovakia - Andrej Meszaros

Sweden - Victor Hedman, Mattias Ohlund

More after the break.

The real interest in regards to the Team USA get-together at this point is whether or not players will step on the ice and skate in Chicago. What Kane has to say will be interesting, but he's hardly the big story. USA Hockey is throwing their camp before Hockey Canada does, so they will likely set the tone for them and perhaps others to follow.

In July, the NHLPA sent out a memo to its constituents encouraging them to skip the on-ice portion of their country's Olympic camps in order to avoid injury due to insurance issues. In August, the NHL sent out a memo to its member teams stating that they will not honor player contracts to those individuals who get injured in Olympic camps. Meaning, should a player be injured he will be suspended for 30 games without pay, and if it's a serious injury then they may be suspended without pay for the entire season.

Now, I don't know about you, but this looks like collusion to me. The NHLPA first issues their "recommendation", and when a few of the players openly and publically rebel against it, then the NHL comes in to back them up less than a month later? That's awfully convenient for somebody, if you ask me.

So if that's true, then here's my question: Who, exactly, is the NHLPA working for? It doesn't appear to be the players, in this instance. If the players want to play in the Olympics, then the NHLPA should be backing them up. After all, that's the will of their constituents, right? At least, that's the theory.

Of course, it ultimately comes down to money. The top administrators of the NHLPA aren't willing to jeopardize their top money makers - the star players that will be attending these camps - and it's the NHL that pays them. So, naturally, the NHLPA's interests in this matter coincide with the NHL's. The very body that's supposed to be supporting the rights of the players is working against them in this instance because of money.

The national hockey associations are rightly not pleased by this. Why have a camp if the players aren't going to be on the ice? It's the simplest way to judge potential team chemistry. Otherwise, you might as well get a list of players, sort them by position and point production, pick the most productive ones, and then hope for the best.

In the end, this might be the first step towards eliminating NHL participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The NHL hasn't exactly been thrilled with the idea of participating in more Olympic competitions - despite the fact that it's the easiest way to market the game and their league on a global level. And wouldn't it be fitting for the NHL to end its participation in the Olympics with Canada hosting these upcoming 2010 games?

Because of this lack of enthusiasm on the NHL's part, Russian players have threatened to boycott the 2010 Olympics if the NHL doesn't commit to the 2014 Olympics. The Washington Capitals star, Alexander Ovechkin, has also threatened to boycott the NHL that year and play for the KHL. And where he goes, the others will follow.

So, again, who exactly is the NHLPA working for?

Alex Tanguay and Tampa Bay: Mutually interested parties

John Fontana — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:33:43 -0000

A month makes a world of difference.

Reporting in on July 14th about how Alex Tanguay did not fit in Tampa Bay's plans due to money issues, Damian Cristodero of the St. Petersburg Times dumped a bucket of cold water on things:

Asked how Tanguay, 29, with 193 goals and 580 points in 659 career games, might feel about lining up next to Vinny Lecavalier, [Agent Bob] Sauve laughed and again said he could not comment.

The conversation is probably moot, though, if the scuttlebutt about what Tanguay wants in a contract are true. One agent said he heard Tanguay wants $5 million for one year. He made $5.375 million last season. If his asking price is true, that's way too much for Tampa Bay, which has a payroll headed toward $50 million before signing players such as Matt Smaby, Matt Lashoff, Martins Karsums and Mike Lundin.

A couple of weeks later, that tune changed and Tanguay was indeed a target.

And now? It's a mutual interest between the two parties. Cristodero cites Tanguay's new agent Steve Kotlowitz being more open and forthcoming about any interest and negotiations:

"Tampa is certainly one of the teams Alex has strong interest in," Kotlowitz said Thursday.

But then reminds fans that the Lightning are on a budget - if still greatly under the Salary Cap. He floats trimming payroll by tryign to move three different targets on the Lightning roster: defensemen David Hale, Lukas Krajicek or forwards Ryan Craig and Brandon Bochenski.

Erik Erlendsson at the Tampa Tribune had supposedly also made positive comments about Tanguay talks, via Twitter (which I cannot confirm at this time due to Twitter's technical issues today).

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

Two Lightning players named to Hockey Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp

Cassie McClellan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:25:04 -0000

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Hockey Canada named their Olympic Orientation Camp roster today. On it, as was probably expected by most, were Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Steven Stamkos was not invited to camp, but that does not mean he cannot make the team.

Goaltenders:

Martin Brodeur, Marc-Andre Fleury, Roberto Luongo, Steve Mason, Cam Ward

Defense:

Francois Beauchemin, Jay Bouwmeester, Dan Boyle, Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Dan Hamhuis, Duncan Keith, Scott Niedermayer, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Pronger, Robyn Regehr, Stephane Robidas, Brent Seabrook, Marc Staal, Shea Weber

Forwards:

Jeff Carter, Dan Cleary, Sidney Crosby, Shane Doan, Simon Gagne, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Jarome Iginla, Vincent Lecavalier, Milan Lucic, Patrick Marleau, Andy McDonald, Brenden Morrow, Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Mike Richards, Derek Roy, Joe Sakic, Patrick Sharp, Ryan Smyth, Martin St. Louis, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Joe Thornton, Jonathan Toews

The exclusion of Stamkos caused some waves after the announcement of the roster (more after the jump):

'Stamkos is 19. Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty will be 20 when the Team Canada orientation camp opens in August. Doughty, drafted right behind Stamkos, was invited; Stamkos was not.' -Puck Daddy

' "[Stamkos] was a guy we debated down to the last minute," said Yzerman [Canada's 2010 Olympic Team GM], noting that the depth at the center position made it tough to narrow the forward group. "He'll still be a player I watch this fall." ' -CTV

'This comes as a bit of a minor surprise, but Steven Stamkos was left off the list of invitees to Team Canada Olympic orientation camp, which will be held in Calgary August 24-27. Certainly, based on age, Stamkos is probably considered a longshot to even make the team but after he enjoyed such a productive World Championships in April there was some thoughts that he would find his way onto the invited list. Seriously, what would it have meant to invite Stamkos? What would it mean to have him get a feel fo rit since, if the NHL goes to the 2014 Olympics, there's a good chance Stamkos would be a part of that team.' -Bolts Report

' "He deserves a chance," Lecavalier said. "The fact that maybe he's a young guy, maybe they overlooked him. But the way he finished the season, and the way he played in the world championship, he definitely should go there and get his chance." ' -Lightning Strikes

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the big deal is with Stamkos not being named to the team. Sure he had a strong second half of the season. And sure he played very well at World Championships this spring. But that's not the whole story.

Just over half of the players in the NHL are from Canada. That's approximately 350-400 players or so. With all of the available talent that country has, they could easily field two Olympic ice hockey teams - and possibly even a third. And probably win two medals with two teams, too. And potentially three medals with three teams, though that might be stretching it. That's how stacked they are.

In that kind of scenario, Stamkos is a good second-team kind of guy if they were able to do something like that. But at 19 years old, there are plenty of veteran NHL centers who are ahead of him in line. Is he comparable to Ryan Getzlaf, Jeff Carter, or even his teammate, Vinny Lecavalier? No, he's not. Not yet, anyways. Even Stamkos himself understand that.

' "It's obviously a little tough, but you have to realize the situation with me being 19 years old," Stamkos said. "I wasn't expecting to make that team by any means. Look at past history. Sidney Crospby didn't play (in Torino in 2006). I'm not comparing myself to him, but the mentality that the Olympic roster is usually guys who are experienced, especially in Canada. It's so hard to make that team with the talent Canadian players have." ' -Lightning Strikes

Before all of Tampa Bay gets up in arms over this non-story, just remember this. So far, three guys off of the team could be going to the Olympics. And potentially, at least three or four more may be named to their national teams as well - Martins Karsums (Latvia), Andrej Meszaros (Slovakia), Mattias Ohlund (Sweden), and maybe even Victor Hedman (Sweden). (Hedman gets thrown in there because Sweden's not as deep in talent as Canada, and he has been playing with the big boys in the Swedish Elite League for the last two seasons.) That's possibly seven Lightning playing in the Olympics right there, and Jeff Halpern could still make the US team.

So now, really - why is there all of this fuss about Stamkos not being named to the Olympic Orientation Camp roster again?