SB Nation - Radek Smolenak

Lightning prospects / system update

John Fontana — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:08:00 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jaroslav Janus (37), (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

It's been over a month since our first prospect update. For regular readers, you'll recall that in November we had posted stats for the majority of the players who had been invited to camp over the summer. Fresh draftees, tenured prospects, camp invitees, and (a single) KHL defectees

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 dao;u updates on more players in the Lightning system, unsigned draftees, college hockey recruits and those playing abroad. For the meantime, here's where things stand with some of the players in the system on December 8th, 2009:

Forwards

Name

Team

League

Goals

Assists

Points

Carter Ashton Lethbridge Hurricanes
WHL-Juniors

13

13

26

Brandon Bochenski Norfolk Admirals
AHL

12

11

23

Ryan Craig*** Norfolk Admirals
AHL

9

6

15

Kyle DeCoste Sault Ste. Marie / Belleville Bulls
(Combined stat total)
OHL - Juniors

9

8

17

Mitch Fadden Norfolk Admirals
AHL

0

0

0

Adam Hall Norfolk Admirals
AHL

4

7

12

Alex Hutchings Barrie Colts
OHL-Juniors

18

20

38

Blair Jones* Norfolk Admirals
AHL

6

13

19

Martins Karsums Norfolk Admirals
AHL

1

4

5

Chris Lawrence Norfolk Admirals
AHL

0

3

3

Richard Panik Windsor Spitfires
OHL-Juniors

7

9

16

Juraj Simek Norfolk Admirals
AHL

4

9

12

Radek Smolenak* Norfolk Admirals
AHL

3

9

12

Matias Sointu Ottawa 67's / Sudbury Wolves
(combined stat total)
OHL-Juniors

4

7

11

Paul Szczechura Norfolk Admirals
AHL

6

8

14

Lauri Tukonen Lukko Rauma
FNL-Europe

5

9

14

Dana Tyrell Norfolk Admirals
AHL

0

9

9

currently with the Lightning
***Has spent time at NHL level this season

Craig, Jones, Smolenak and Szczechura have all spent time in the NHL this season: Szczechura (or "Chewie" for short) is currently with teh Lightning. Jones was with the Lightning last week and Craig the week before. Radek Smolenak had been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks and played with the team early in the season until Chicago waived him and the Lightning reclaimed him.

Brett McLean who had been a camp invitee is not included int hese stats this time around. He is playing in Bern, Switzerland and is not Lightning property.

Three of the above forwards that are listed really piqued my curiosity. Richard Panik (who was considered a steal in the draft this June), Dana Tyrell (who put on a show during the Young Guns camp in July) and Mitch Fadden (who has played in only four games and it wasn't clear what the deal was). I contacted Pete Choquette of Bolt Prospects and he lent some insight on the three.

Panik's numbers were quiet low considering the hype around his abilities. Who can forget his pre-season goal against Sarnia of the OHL? Pete explained things:

I don't think you can completely chalk up Panik's slow start to him falling into bad habits (being out of shape/not putting in a full effort), which was the knock that dropped him from being a potential lottery pick to a late 2nd rounder. Windsor's a very deep team offensively and so Panik's not really required to carry the scoring load. He's playing more of a supporting role for them. That said given how well Loktionov scored there last season as an import I definitely did expect better numbers. I still expect him to be signed in the summer. We'll see if he picks it up in the second half and what should be a long Windsor playoff run. He's got elite level talent.

Tyrell's situation seems to be shaking off rust from hsi devestating knee injury suffered last season in juniors, just as much as it's an adjustment year against bigger opponents. Pete expects a stronger second half from Tyrell, but made it a point to point out what's expected out of Dana in the end:

Bear in mind, though, he's not really an elite scoring prospect. He's always projected to be more of a Vermette type pesky 2nd/3rd line guy.

Fadden has been out with an injury since early in the AHL season after taking a shot to hsi lower body. He only started skating again in late November and is not yet back with the Admirals. Pete described Fadden as "a project" who will have to improve upon his soft reputationto make a dent in the forward depth in Norfolk.

Defense

Name	Team	League	Goals	Assists	Points
Mark Barberio	Moncton Wildcats	QMJHL-Juniors	2	20	22
Scott Jackson	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	5	5
Matt Lashoff	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	1	2	3
Mike Lundin***	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	2	10	12
Vladmir Mihalik	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	8	8
Kevin Quick	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	0	2	2
Ty Wishart	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	3	3	6

***Has spent time at NHL level this season

Statistics that are missing here and important to getting a better idea of how defensemen are performing are average time-on-ice and plus/minus raitings. Unfortunately the stats are not universally presented among junior age players and the AHL, and that's been part of the reason why I have not included it. Admirals players stats are presented with plus/minus ratings, however, so I do encourage you to jump over there if you are curious.

The entire story on the Bolts defensive prospects is thus: With the backlog of defensemen in Tampa, one has to seriously impress to be called up. Mike Lundin achieved that a few weeks ago. Head Coach had nothing but praise for Lundin:

"He's a strong player. He can get underneath people and throw people around. He's chased down some of the best players in the world in (Ilya) Kovalchuk and (Marian) Gaborik. His poke check is as good as (Victor) Hedman. He's got a very good stick. ... He's an NHL defenseman."

But until the defensive backlog in Tampa is cleared out (and we've been waiting for this since last September), Lundin playing in the NHL will continue to be on hold..

Goaltenders

Name	Team	League	Win	Loss	OTL	Save %	GAA
Riku Helenius	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	4	6	0	.909	2.40
Jarsolov Janus	Erie Otters	OHL-Juniors	4	2	1	.915	2.93
Kari Ramo*	Omsk Avangard	KHL	14	10	2	.913	2.03
Dustin Tokarski	Norfolk Admirals	AHL	8	7	0	.911	2.47
Michael Zador	Oshawa Generals	OHL-Juniors	10	9	3	.900	3.23

*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

Janus, who had played the first month or so on a tryout basis with the Admirals, returned to Erie of the OHL where he had played last season... This gets him the minutes he deserves instead of having to sit behind Tokarski and Helenius.

We'll revisit these players in the new year in our next statistics update.

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

View full size photo »

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).

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.

Red Wings grind out 3-2 win over Blackhawks

MrNorrisTrophy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:25:22 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

2 months ago: Detroit Red Wings' Johan Franzen (93), of Sweden, scores a goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet (39), of France, on a rebound in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Detroit, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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For the Detroit Red Wings, it must be good to be home. The Wings traded The Globe for The Joe and the home ice was a welcome sight. Detroit played much better defensively and got some great play out of the special teams to help earn the first points of the season.

Brand new Red Wing Brad May made some quick noise with a fight against Radek Smolenak at the midpoint of the first period. That was about all of the excitement that the opening frame offered as there were few real chances on net. The best for the Blackhawks came off the stick of Patrick Kane but Osgood was square and gave very little space for the puck to go through. The best chance for the Red Wings came from Valtteri Filppula's line as Jason Williams made a great pass to Ville Leino in the low slot, right in front of Huet, but Leino couldn't get his stick on it.

Patrick Sharp opened the scoring for the game at 1:32 of the second period on a beautiful passing play from Kris Versteeg. The Red Wings killed off a difficult 1:52 of a 5-on-3 powerplay for the Chicago Blackhawks soon after the goal and were able to get a some confidence back. Nicklas Lidstrom tied the game up on a powerplay goal at 10:36 of the second. Lidstrom was looking to pass the puck from the faceoff circle across to Henrik Zetterberg but instead the pass found John Madden's skate and then the back of the net.

Did I mention there was a confidence boost from that long penalty kill? Kris Draper skated into the zone and ripped a shot just under the crossbar and above Cristobal Huet's shoulder for a 2-1 Detroit lead. Ville Leino drew a penalty and the Red Wings scored a powerplay goal 1:34 after the Draper goal. Detroit scored on a shot from outside the faceoff circle from Pavel Datsyuk that somehow made it past a Tomas Holmstrom and Cristobal Huet. Huet (or Holmstrom) got a piece of the puck and as it rolled towards the goal line, Johan Franzen tapped it past for his first goal of the year and 3-1 Detroit lead with under two minutes to play in the second period.

Jason Williams took a slashing penalty towards the middle of the third period and Chicago capitalized. Johnathan Ericsson blocked a shot with his leg and was unable to reach the bench during the attack, practically leading to a 5-on-3. Osgood stopped a shot but left a rebound that Kris Versteeg buried with ease to bring the lead down to one for Detroit. Both teams had decent chances during the remainder of the period but the best came on a late (and lazy) penalty to Niklas Kronwall. With 1:38 left in the game, the Blackhawks had a 6-on-4 powerplay as Huet was pulled but the two man advantage wasn't enough as Osgood and the rest of the Wings held on for the first win of the season.

The Red Wings were outshot 34-23 but were able to play better defense and force a lot of shots from the perimeter and the blue line, limiting quality chances to a handful. Detroit also blocked 15 shots in the contest and Lidstrom is credited with five of those. The next game is on Saturday against the Washington Capitals at Joe Louis Arena.

MrNorrisTrophy's player of the game: Chris Osgood. Despite the 2 goals allowed, Osgood was the difference in this game as he came out sharp and looked nothing like the Osgood that we saw in Sweden. Osgood stopped 32 of 34 shots to keep the Wings in this one.

Chris Osgood

#30 / Goalie / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 5-10

Weight: 180

Born: Nov 26, 1972

Tampa Bay Lightning reduce preseason roster to 29

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

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

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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~~

Smolenak claimed off waivers by Chicago Blackhawks and other transaction news

John Fontana — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:03:44 -0000

Radek Smolenak's travels are not done. As the Bolts have only just arrived in Norfolk, Virginia for tonight's scrimmage against the Admirals, it turns out that Radek needs to get on another plane and head for Chicago.

In a just-breaking bit of news, Smolenak has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Smolenak has had a well traveled summer, having signed with the Russian KHL in May. He was cut by his KHL team less than a month ago before resigning with the Lightning (who had retained his rights by way of qualifying offer).

The Lightning roster should see more heavy shedding in the next few hours as certain players remain in Norfolk and other transactions are made. The total players with the team as it stands right now is 40 after this move.

UPDATE 5:29 PM: it appears that Carter Ashton's first taste fo the NHL is comign to an end. Erik Erlendsson from the Tampa Tribune has tweeted that it appears Ashton will be sent back to Lethbridge of the WHL.

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.

Petiot Signs with Blackhawks and a Lightning UFA Assessment

John Fontana — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:17:17 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Richard Petiot (50) signed a one year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Richard Petiot, who was acquired in a salary-dump trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2009 NHL trade deadline, inked a one year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Petiot played a total of 11 games with the Bolts before being felled by a season ending injury, he had 3 points and 21 penalty minutes.

While the 2009 Lined-Up Update has been brought up to speed with daily acquisitions and departures, I had thought it was noteworthy only two UFA Bolts have been picked up by other teams in the first 10 days of free agency. This does not include KHL signings of restricted free agents Karri Ramo and Radek Smolenak. It does seem like a testament of how low the quality of the Bolts were at the end of last season.

Matt Pettinger was a waiver pickup, as was Cory Murphy. Josef Melichar was acquired in the Jussi Jokinen trade with Carolina, Noah Welch was picked up in the Steve Eminger deal with Florida at the deadline... Jason Ward, admittedly one of my personal favorites with the Bolts, was stuck in the AHL for most of last season. Mike "Mac" McKenna was cut loose by the team after being thrust into the NHL with thanks to injuries tot eh goaltender ranks. Then there's Marek Malik. Janne Niskala.

They're all on the market.

None have been signed.

David Koci was the only UFA who played with the Lightning last season and was signed on July 1st. Petiot is the 2nd, 10 days later.

Yeah, there are bigger fish out there in the free agent market, and of course some of the fan base is not thrilled to be losing Cory Murphy either (even after the Bolts upgraded their defensive core). But really, does the fact these guys are still out there tell us of the quality of the players Rick Tocchet had to work with at the end?

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.

Tampa Bay Lightning 2009 NHL Free Agency Primer

John Fontana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:06:09 -0000

More photos » by John Dunn - AP

Tampa Bay Lightning's Matt Smaby (32), Saturday, April 4, 2009, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/John Dunn)

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With all the uncertainty regarding the Tampa Bay Lightning -- the hearsay, the facts, the rumors, the innuendo and all that jazz regarding team finances and makeup – it’s hard to really get a clue about what the Lightning’s plans are in free agency starting July 1st. Stand pat? Salary dumping via trade? Here is just a quick capsule of what GM Brian Lawton and the Bolts will be dealing with once the free agency period opens on Wednesday:

Pending UFAs: Gary Roberts (Retired), Jason Ward, Marek Malik, Josef Melichar, Janne Niskala (Europe), David Koci, Matt Pettinger, Wade Brookback, Cory Murphy, Mike McKenna (not tendered qualifying offer), Richard Petiot (Group VI), Noah Welch (Group VI)

Pending RFAs: Lukas Krajicek, Martins Karsums, Matt Lashoff, Mike Lundin, Matt Smaby, Karri Ramo (KHL), Radek Smolenak (KHL)

Projected 2009-2010 Salary Cap: $56.8-million

Salary Cap Space: Approx. $21.220

Projected Budget: Unknown (rumors say the salary floor or midway to the Cap)

Key needs: What isn’t a need for the Bolts right now? Getting it’s RFA defensemen back is a must, and after having 2nd string goalie Karri Ramo poached by the KHL (and not tendering Mike McKenna a qualifying offer), it’s a necessity for the Lightning to look for a veteran netminder as backup. Besides that, a defensive leader would be nice (puck mover with the ability to rub off on the young defensive core) and a scoring wing to compliment Captain Vincent Lecavalier (if he remains past July 1st).

Potential Targets: The Lightning’s budget situation really makes this a big question. What could the Lightning afford? Speculation about how much they are going to spend all of next season makes this critical. They have room to play financially, but that does not mean they have the economic clout in order to do it. The Bolts do not want to sign aging players, but younger guys – which may mean those not tended contracts by their current team’s will be looked at seriously. In a wishful-thinking world, defensemen Mattias Ohlund and winger Alex Tanguay would be chased, while a goalie would be added for depth and the ability to push the Lightning’s under-contract goaltending crop: Mike Smith, Riku Helenius and Dustin Tokarski. Antero Niittymaki comes to mind. I do expect the Bolts do do bigger research and go for smaller names at each position though.

What our rivals want: The Panthers have their own Goaltending depth issues and are looking to bring in a backup as well – they also could really use a top line center. Atlanta is in a difficult situation (ownership woes), but to define it – they need to diversify up front. It can’t be a one-player show with Kovalchuk. Washington and Carolina, though they can’t rest on their laurels and need to explore improving, are pretty tight as-is.

Tampa Bay Lightning Restricted Free Agents tended Qualifying Offers

John Fontana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:35:56 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Goaltender Mike McKenna was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Tampa Bay Lightning

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The Bolts made qualifying offers (meaning they retain negotiating rights to these players) to defensemen Lukas Krajicek, Matt Smaby, Matt Lashoff and Mike Lundin; forwards Martins Karsums, Blair Jones, Radek Smolenak and Lauri Tukonen; and goaltender Karri Ramo.

Though Ramo and Smolenak have both agreed to play int he Kontinental Hockey League in Russia next year, they remain property of the Lightning.

As of Friday, the Lightning were reporting being close to a deal to put Krajicek under contract for next season... So that may be one last RFA to worry about.

Further thinning the goaltending corp, goalie Mike McKenna was not given a qualifying offer and is now a Unrestricted Free Agent. Justin Keller was also not tendered a qualifying offer.