|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 10, 2013 22:52:49 GMT -5
Lockout is Over!
This is January 10 and the lockout is finally coming to an end. GMs have convened today to restart their daily activities, and trade talks are apparently running high. There has been more than just talks, since already 9 trades have been registered at the time this article was written. As usual, GMs didn't waste time to make the moves they feel are beneficial to their team.
Tampa Bay itself just concluded a trade, which sends the beloved veteran Martin St. Louis to Vancouver, in return for the emerging goaltender Cory Schneider. Tampa Bay's 2nd and 4th picks for next draft are also being transferred to Vancouver as part of this deal. With Cory Schneider in the lineup, the Tampa bay Lightning shouldn't have to worry about it's goaltending for many years to come.
Here is what GM Leq had to say about the trade:
"I'm going to be straight up with you guys." He told journalists. "I don't believe Tampa Bay has what it takes to win the cup this year. We have some good elements, but we need to wait on some key youngsters like Connolly and Hedman to develop before we can be a truly competitive team. Some of our veterans like Lecavalier, Malone and Brewer can wait that long, but in Martin St. Louis' case it just isn't possible. As a team, we either had to trade him or lose him. We decided to move him in order to fill a need of the organization, a good goaltender. I believe Schneider is that man, and with him our team will be stronger and we will have more latitude, especially with a few promising goalies in the organization such as Vasilevski and Lindback. One of them will surely become a reliable 2nd goalie, and the other might get traded. The Lightning organization truly loves Martin St. Louis, who helped us win the cup back in the days, and have been a pillar of our offensive strength, but the time has come to move on, and so we did. We wish Marty the best of luck in Vancouver."
As the first true day of negociations is coming to an end, there are talks of big names such as Ovechkin and Taylor Hall who may possibly change addresses in the days to come. Leq has told us that the Lightning is active in these negociations, and may try to add a blockbuster name to the roster.
"It is something we would like to do. We feel that we can spare a few youngsters or even veterans and trade quantity for quality in order to bring a player around whom we can build, and who will form the face of the franchise with someone like Stamkos, Hedman and Lecavalier."
The coming days will be decisive, as the teams continue to listen to offers for their star players.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 11, 2013 14:36:30 GMT -5
UFAs Announced, Ron Tugnutt Reportedly Not a UFA Despite Contrary Evidence
The Unrestricted Free Agency has been set to begin tomorrow at noon by the league commissionner. However, it is a meager UFA period, since it is virtually the second UFA period in one season, as the big names have signed last july and we have suffered a lockout, which brings us to a renewed UFA period with what are basically the scraps leftover from the last period.
Tampa Bay is looking to be active in this period, however, and will attempt to scrounge the valuable leftovers which may possibly appear, in order to compensate for the GM's intention to trade quantity for quality early in the season.
Talks are confirming between Tampa Bay and Washington around Alexander Ovechkin, and it has been reported that an official offer was made by Leq in order to bring the controversial Russian superstar to Tampa Bay. We can confirm for a fact that the offer does not include Steven Stamkos, but other top names are involved. No names have been mentionned by official sources, but this likely means Hedman is a prime part of the offer.
On a side note, there seems to have been a misunderstanding between the league and the GMs, as the league released an old version of the UFA list from 2004. GMs were surprised to see Ron Tugnutt featured as the top UFA of this season, and Leq was reportedly very disappointed at not being able to make an offer to the veteran goaltender.
"Ron Tugnutt is Ron Tugnutt" Said GM Leq.
This says it all.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 14, 2013 8:22:36 GMT -5
Controversial Trade Going Through
There has been a trade involving Tampa Bay and Florida sitting at the feet of the trade committee for several days now, a sign that some TC judges were not comfortable judging the deal, which may seem unconventional at first glance.
The trade sends centerman Stephen Weiss and left winger Tomas Fleischmann, two well established top 6 forwards, to the Lightning in return for an impressive list of prospects as well as Tampa Bay's 1st pick of 2013. No less than six prospects, ontop of the pick, are going to Florida in return for the two aforementioned forwards. Most prominent among all is the former 2012 first round defenseman Slater Koekkoek. The weirdly named defenseman is well rated due to his offensive skill. Other prominent names include Dylan Blujus and Dana Tyrell. The other prospects are more or less unknown, which may be the cause of the controversy. Cory Conacher, nikita Gusev and Ondrej Palat are also heading for Florida.
The hesitation might have come from the fact that when you cut off the useless pieces, this leaves possibly only Koekkoek, Tyrell and a first round pick in return for two prominent point producers who have been helping their team win games for many years, and are currently in their career prime. Still, the value of the added prospects, who can always cause a surprise in the long run, was apparently enough to stabilize the balance. According to reports from insiders, the trade now has enough yay votes to be processed, and it should be officialized today.
In the aftermath of this trade, Tampa Bay's NHL team looks much better, having given no present day player in return for two reliable top 6 forwards. The Lightning forward squad, led by Steven Stamkos, is well supported by Vincent Lecavalier, Stephen Weiss, Tomas Fleischmann, Ryan Malone and Teddy Purcell. Six quality forwards to fill the top two lines. Overnight, Tampa Bay seems to have become a competitive team who will be hot in the race for the playoffs.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 15, 2013 8:21:06 GMT -5
Gaborik Comes to Tampa Bay!
GM Leq of the Tampa Bay Lightning dropped a bombshell late yesterday when he announced that his team had made a transaction to acquire the superstar forward Marian Gaborik from the New York Rangers, in return for the attackers Stephen Weiss and Teddy Purcell, as well as the prospect center Vladislav Namestnikov, 1st round choice of the 2011 draft. Marian Gaborik, with his 647 points in 722 career games, will be joining Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier on Tampa Bay's top scoring line. The Lightning is shaping up to be a team centered on one powerful scoring line, with the rest of the team in somewhat of a support role. GM Leq commented on this strategy:
"This is what I wanted to do from the start, to bring some blockbuster names to Tampa Bay and build around these guys, even if it means sacrificing some depth in the present. Before this trade, we had six quality forwards to form our offensive lineup, but it's not what I had in mind for the team. I prefer to trade some of these guys for superstars who will bring people into the stadium. That's why I'm extremely proud to have Marian Gaborik come to play for our team, and I think the players are excited as well. You can look to another move of the same type in the near future. I'll be working very hard to achieve a similar deal with another team."
Moves like this, however, puts Tampa Bay in a difficult cap situation. What previously wasn't a concern suddenly has become one, and so Leq will have to be careful with his dollars. This has translated by the buy out of the team most veteran defenseman, Sami Salo, who was making 3.75 million dollar a year for this season and the next. Salo, according to many observers, had fallen out from his prime and was not on par with the other defensemen of the team, and even of the NHL. He will enjoy a nice retirement after a long and prolific career.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 16, 2013 7:46:12 GMT -5
Leq Does it Again; Jason Pominville Joins the Big Team!
GM Leq has been at it again, apparently. Less than 24 hours after the trade bringing Marian Gaborik to Tampa Bay had been announced, another trade was concluded, this time with the Buffalo Sabres, that will bring the prized 29 year old center Jason Pominville to Tampa Bay.
The trade sends Jason Pominville along with the hard hitting winger Patrick Kaleta to Tampa Bay in return for the young elite prospect center Brett Connolly. Many in Tampa Bay will be sad to see Connolly leave, as he was drafted 6th overall in 2010, and has been developping accordingly to his great natural talent.
"There is no doubt that Brett Connolly will become a top center in the NHL one day, he has definite first line talent and he's a good kid with a good attitude", said the Lightning General Manager. "However, Jason Pominville is also excellent, and Kaleta will bring some extra muscle to our team. With Pominville, we add another star forward to a team that is ripe with them. We look to Tampa Bay becoming one of the best teams in the league as early as this year."
This trade, however, brings it's load of problems. Tampa Bay, already flirting with the salary cap before this trade, has gone above with the latest transaction. As of today, if only an NHL roster is kept, the salary of the team would be around 66.5 million dollars, which is 1.5 above the limit. To remedy this situation, Leq is looking forward to more trades.
"So far we have made the moves that would help our team and make it more competitive on the ice, regardless of salary cap issues. Now, we must make trades that will help our salary cap situation, while maintaining the same competitive level on the ice", Leq said.
This can only mean one thing: certain high salary players who have not been performing up to the level of their salary will have to leave in the near future. One can point to Ryan Malone, Matt Carle and even Vincent Lecavalier as players who could potentially leave the team shortly.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 17, 2013 8:38:34 GMT -5
Tampa Bay Undefeated So Far in Preseason
The Tampa Bay Lightning has won it's initial four games in preseason this year, a feat accomplished by only three teams, the others being the Devils and the Canucks. Despite the fact that the team's latest trade bringing Jason Pominville and Patrick Kaleta to Tampa Bay has not been processed, the Lightning seems to be preparing an interesting season. So far, Steven Stamkos has led the show with an impressive 7 points in 4 games, with Lecavalier following at 4 points in 4 games. Marian Gaborik, having only played 2 games, has 2 points.
On another topic, Brett Connolly has been injured and is expected to be out for two weeks. This comes at a bad time because he was waiting to be traded to Buffalo. With this injury, the trade will most likely get delayed until Connolly is able to play again.
So far, no specific lineup instruction has been given by the coach, the players are left to themselves to adopt their own style of play. However, the size of the roster is rapidly falling, as numerous players were sent back to their AHL teams a week ago, and others are expected to follow in order for the team to meet the player number limit by the start of the regular season. Head coach Guy Boucher did comment on the nature of this preseason though.
"We are not here to test out the youngs specifically. This is more of a training camp, a time to get everybody geared up for the regular season. We will not hesitate to place our best roster on the ice." Boucher said.
According to several rumors emanating from the Lightning's head office, the team has offered several contracts to veteran UFAs who are expected to come make the team more competitive.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 18, 2013 7:25:51 GMT -5
Pominville Trade Poised to Pass; Second Trade With Buffalo Sends Lindback Away
Tampa Bay announced this morning that the team is sending away the 22 year old goalie Anders Lindback to the Buffalo Sabres in return for Los Angeles' first round pick in 2014 as well as a second pick in 2014. Ever since Cory Schneider had joined the team from Vancouver, a trade offloading one of the team's three talented young goalies was expected.
"There is simply not enough room in Tampa bay for Schneider, Lindback and Vasilevski to all pursue their careers here", GM Leq of the Tampa bay Lightning said. "The return for Lindback is very satisfactory."
Schneider is having a good preseason so far, and coaches say he has improved his game since he left Vancouver. He is expected to assume the role of regular number one in Tampa Bay. The latest trade also means that Mathieu Garon's role as a second in Tampa Bay is assured, atleast for the time being.
The previous trade between Tampa Bay and Buffalo sending Jason Pominville and Patrick Kaleta to Tampa Bay in return for Brett Connolly is set to pass as soon as Connolly is green lighted by the team doctor to return to play. This means Pominville and Kaleta will likely not be with the team to start the season, but should join shortly thereafter, probably during the second week of October.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 19, 2013 14:59:33 GMT -5
Major Trade With Anaheim Falls Short
What was setting up to be a major transaction between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Anaheim Ducks fell short yesterday after a misunderstanding between Leq and Bobbyluo, the Ducks GM. The trade would have sent two scoring forwards, Vincent Lecavalier and Tomas Fleischmann to Anaheim in return for another star forward, Corey Perry. This agreement was apparently the result of long and difficult negociations between Tampa Bay and Anaheim, which at times appeared to be leading nowhere and at other times seemed promising. Then, all of a sudden Bobbyluo proposed this deal to Leq, stating that he would be ready to accept it right now. Leq took this statement to the bank and officialized the trade, but Bobbyluo rectified his position saying that he was not sure to accept. Leq then tried to message him to get a final answer, but only silence ensued, hinting that the Ducks GM is either incapable of reaching a final decision, or is simply not interested in continuing talks.
The trade itself would have been controversial, as it sends away two definite top six forwards for only one slightly better player. Many experts estimate that a team is stronger by having both Vincent Lecavalier and Tomas Fleischmann on the roster instead of having simply Corey Perry. However, the Lightning building strategy and salary cap situation seem to favor a deal of this type, even if it is an overpayment on purely hockey terms. Leq had the following comments to make about this transaction.
"For a while now, we have been looking forward to "quantity for quality" moves in order to bring franchise names to Tampa Bay and help fill the stadium by offering the fans an elite scoring line to marvel at. Perry is the kind of player that we aimed for, although there have been others. Unfortunately, the GMs around the league are very reluctant to give up their franchise players, and so we knew we might have to settle with an overpayment if we were to get what we wanted. This trade would have fixed our cap situation and given us a young top line forward to stick with Stamkos and Gaborik. Still, I do believe that Tampa Bay is more powerful with Lecavalier and Fleischmann still on board, so this is why I'm not too disappointed with this trade not going through."
As the start of the regular season approaches, Tampa Bay is still a little bit above the salary cap, and so measures have to be taken to put the team below the 65 million dollar markline before October starts. The team announced that Matt Carle was on the trading block and that all types of offers would be listened to, meaning that Leq is not looking for anything in particular, as long as the return is good enough and that the trade does not raise the salary cap of the team.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 20, 2013 8:41:22 GMT -5
Change of Situation, Trade With Anaheim Confirmed
Bobbyluo, the Ducks GM, finally decided to go through with his trade with the Lightning, sending away Corey Perry in return for Vincent Lecavalier and Tomas Fleischmann. Both GMs involved have confirmed their acceptation and the TC promptly judged in favor of the trade, which has now been officially processed.
As mentioned in the previous edition of "The Shockwave", most experts agree that today, the Lightning is a weaker team than it was yesterday, but there are several advantages that make up for this. First of all, receiving the best player in a transaction is always a net positive, as quality is rarer and harder to find than quantity. Second of all, the Lightning has become younger, as Perry is just 27 years old while Lecavalier is 32 and Fleischmann is 28. Another net positive. Third of all, the Lightning reduces it's salary figure by a whopping six million dollars with this trade, and the team now has more latitude to try to address some of the needs that remain, namely to add a good defenseman to the team.
The trade sending Anders Lindback to Buffalo in return for a first pick and a second pick in 2014 has also been processed. Tampa Bay now owns four picks in the first two rounds of 2014, while owning no pick in these first two rounds in 2013.
"This will definitely determine our scouting strategy", Leq said. "Our scouting staff is being instructed to focus on the 2014 draft, and to more or less ignore the 2013 draft. For the moment, we are content with the team and we are not so much alarmed by the fact that most of the team's better prospects have been traded away. In my opinion it was all worth it, as we were able to bring top names like Marian Gaborik, Corey Perry and Jason Pominville to Tampa Bay."
It is interesting to trace back the trades of the team so far and see how the prospects were directly invested into a better present. The first pick and Slater Koekkoek (along with other minor prospects) were given in return for Stephen Weiss and Tomas Fleischmann. Then, Weiss and Purcell and Namestnikov were given for Gaborik, and Fleischmann was sent along with Lecavalier for Perry. Purcell was "upgraded" to Gaborik for basically Koekkoek and Namestnikov, and Lecavalier was "upgraded" to Perry for the team's first pick. It is a bizarre way to look at it, but it shows the work that Leq has done as GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Additionally, Connolly was moved for Pominville and Kaleta.
The Lightning now has a competitive team that will be fighting in the playoff race, and may even make it far in the playoffs.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 21, 2013 22:02:53 GMT -5
Lightning Coach Adopts New Line Strategy
Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher made known his lineup for the continuation of the season. The big line, comprised of Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Marian Gaborik, will be getting the most icetime, but surprisingly they officially form the team's second line. Indeed, the Lightning will start games with the line comprised of Jason Pominville with his wingers Ryan Malone and J-P Dumont, before sending out the big guns with the Stamkos line.
"We are doing this because we want Stamkos' line to be faced off against the other team's second line, so that it will be easier for them to dominate the opponent and score alot of goals. A team's first line usually faces off against the prime checkers of the other team, but the second line is playing against the other team's B scoring line. They won't stand a chance against our superstar line. The official first line, Pominville's line, can still produce with some offensive talent, but it will not be the team's main weapon. With 90 second shifts, the true first line is that of Perry-Stamkos-Gaborik, but the timing is unconventional." Boucher admitted.
The third line will unsurprisingly be a checking line, with Patrick Kaleta, Adam Hall and Byron Bitz hitting everything that moves. The fourth line is also expected to play defensively with Benoit Pouliot, Brian Sutherby and Brandon Segal.
Four games into the season, Stamkos already has 7 points, and Gaborik has 5, while Pouliot has an impressive 6 points. The Lightning is standing 11th in the league with 6 points in 4 games.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 22, 2013 22:35:58 GMT -5
Nicklas Backstrom, Nail Yakupov derbies; Tampa Bay Reportedly Involved in Both Talks
The general managers of the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers made the headlines tonight as they respectively placed the names of Nicklas Backstron and Nail Yakupov on the trading block tonight. The Flyers are apparently open to all type of offers, and are expected to choose the highest offered value as opposed to filling some specific team needs. The Oilers, on the other hand, want to trade Yakupov for a present winger who can contribute to the team's offense this year. They are willing to add to obtain the piece they really want, but the team who will get Nail Yakupov will only have a star forward in one or two seasons, and have to give up some of their hopes of making the playoffs this year.
Leq, GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning, made very clear the direction he wants to go with his team. He is looking for stars who will bring some offense and fill the stadium. According to insider sources, Leq talked to both the Oilers and the Flyers management in relation to both of the players mentioned before, but the talks are reportedly more serious towards Backstrom, because of the possibility to give the extra quantity and futures in return for some present high end offensive skill. Nail Yakupov is also an interesting target, but the cost is high because it means the team loses some hopes of being competitive this year,as the Lightning would have to give up a first line forward in return for a player who is barely NHL ready and cannot play in the AHL this year.
"Whenever a GM puts a big name on the block like this, it creates alot of excitement across the league", Leq explained. "Every team looks at these players in envy, but only a few are actually in a realistic position to make a good offer. We are in that kind of position. The offer for Backstrom is pretty large, it involves a couple of core NHL players and a solid future value. Our hopes for getting Nicklas Backstrom are high. As for Yakupov, this is a bit of a longshot, but you never know."
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 24, 2013 20:32:16 GMT -5
Tampa Bay's Line Strategy Showing Results
The original strategy adopted by the Lightning coach Guy Boucher is starting to give interesting results. As the official second line, Steven Stamkos, Marian Gaborik and Corey Perry are leading the team with 14, 12 and 10 points respectively in 11 games. Some fine tuning had to be made, as the official first line made of Jason Pominville, Ryan Malone and JP Dumont was still getting more icetime even though their shift length was much shorter. The coach further lessened the shift times of the 1st, 3rd and 4th line in order to favor the 2nd line getting more icetime. So far the 2nd line's icetime per game has steadily been between 17 and 20 minutes per game, too low according to the coach.
"We're looking to give the Stamkos line a solid 20 to 24 minutes per game, and if we can't find a way to do that with our current strategy, we will need to change strategy. Still, the results so far are interesting, and our 3 superstars are dominating the opposition, with +8, +5 and +3 differentials. On the other hand, the actual first line is struggling hard with -8, -7 and -7. Overall I think it's a viable strategy though, we need to see where we can improve it." Guy Boucher said.
Tampa Bay is enjoying a prolific season start with 14 points in 11 games, which puts them ontop of their division for the moment, tied in points with the Carolina Hurricanes but with more goals to account for. All this has been achieved with an injured Cory Schneider which has been replaced by the young Vasilevski, who is holding his own against opponents older and more experienced. This is a good test for the young man, who will likely be sent down to the AHL once Schneider returns. Schneider is expected to miss a month of hockey.
A new player has also joined the team today via transaction. It is Matt Bradley, a 34 year old forward who's specialty is hitting and grinding. He was acquired from the Florida Panthers in return for the young AHL goalie Dustin Tokarski. He is a useful forward who will take a role as a winger on the team's third line, alongside Byron Bitz and Parick Kaleta, who play by the same mindset. This sends Adam Hall down to the 4th line, and boots Brian Sutherby off the lineup. Sutherby was placed on waivers alongside Christoph Schubert, and both were claimed by NHL teams. Both players had been signed as free agents before the season, but failed to meet the expectations in Tampa Bay.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 25, 2013 17:23:44 GMT -5
Coaching Staff Satisfied with Young Vasilevski
Guy Boucher, head coach of the Tampa bay Lightning, and Cap Raeder, the goalie's coach, have expressed their satisfaction towards the young Russian goalie Andrei Vasilevski. The 18 year old appeared in 9 games, he registered 4 wins and 5 losses, with a GAA of 2.89 and a save percentage of .863. These figures are not quite those of a regular professional goalie, but for an 18 year old in the NHL they are quite impressive, showing that the young man can hold his own and win games on a regular level against fully developped professionals.
Guy Boucher also decided to modify the lines after a disappointing week. The Stamkos line will be the official first line, while the Pominville line becomes the official 2nd line. Also, Benoit Pouliot has been brought up to the 2nd line, while JP Dumont is being sent down to the 4th line.
"We tried what we can to make our previous strategy work, but we were unable to give the kind of icetime we wanted to our best players. It's time to go all in and give big big minutes to Stamkos, Gaborik and Perry. That's why we pay these guys." Guy Boucher said. "We will also give a few games to Mathieu Garon, in order to let Vasilevski rest for a bit. Hopefully we can have a strong few games to get us back in the top tier of teams."
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 27, 2013 16:44:25 GMT -5
Eric Brewer Injured Four Months; Tampa Bay Claims François Beauchemin Off Waivers
The Tampa Bay Lightning has been hardly hit by injuries so far this season, as Eric Brewer falls injured weeks after the team's newly acquired franchise goaltender Cory Schneider. Brewer, a pillar of the team's defense, will be out of play for four long months. This comes at a time where Mattias Ohlund is starting to show signs of age. According to coaches, he is beginning to slow down and will become increasingly irrelevant in the team's depth chart. Fortunately for the team though, Victor Hedman has established himself as the team's best shutdown defenseman early in the season, and he is expected to take over the leading role on the defense. Still, with Brewer out, the Lightning's defensive squad is significantly weakened.
Luckily for Tampa Bay, the Anaheim Ducks recently placed three players on waivers, who are none other than Saku Koivu, Sheldon Souray and François Beauchemin. This move is justified by the age and salary of those players, as well as the extreme depth of the defense in Anaheim. With a top 4 composed of Shea Weber, Dustin Byfuglien, Jack Johnson and Stephane Robidas, the Ducks are not worried to see Souray and Beauchemin go for nothing. The Lightning GM Leq decided to claim Beauchemin, while other teams took Koivu and Souray.
Beauchemin is a 32 year old defenseman who has spent the majority of his career in Anaheim. He is a steady point producer but his game is oriented on the defense. He will likely take a top 4 role in Tampa Bay, where the defensive squad is relatively weak. His 3.5 million cap hit is slightly lesser than Brewer's 3.85 million who is temporarely erased from the salary charts until Brewer comes back to play, but eventually Leq will have to juggle with a number of high salaries in order to stay under the salary cap.
|
|
|
Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jan 28, 2013 20:51:21 GMT -5
Matt Carle Traded to Dallas for Alex Goligoski
The offensive defenseman Matt Carle has just been traded to Dallas, along with the Buffalo Sabres 2nd round pick of 2014 and the young prospect center Cédrick Paquette, in return for another offensive defenseman, Alex Goligoski. Carle, 28 years old, registered 205 points in 476 NHL games so far with the San Jose Sharks, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Goligoski, 27, registered 137 points in 276 career games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars.
Both defensemen are considered to be of even skill, good powerplay defenseman but only decent in the defensive aspect of the game. Alex Goligoski is expected to fit in Tampa Bay exactly where Carle had just previously been, and the trade is not considered to be an upgrade to the Lightning's NHL team. However, this trade comes as a helper to the team's salary chart, since the overpaid Carle has been replaced with the slightly less overpaid Goligoski. It is a net reduction of 900,000$ for Tampa Bay, as Matt Carle's 5.5 million dollar salary for 6 years is replaced by Goligoski's 4.6 million dollar salary for 4 years. In order to make this salary cap room, Lightning GM Leq had to give up a valuable 2nd pick as well as the former 4th round draft choice center Cédrick Paquette.
"There are moments like this where you have to overpay to get out of the shit you're in. The roster is filled with top end players, but this comes at a price as well. We cannot sustain overpaid players like Matt Carle anymore, even though they are helpful on the ice. I can accept giving a 2nd pick away with a prospect in order to receive a more manageable salary on the team. That is the new reality of the NHL, and I'm fine with that." Leq said in an interview after the trade.
As a sidenote, the defenseman Tom Gilbert has been claimed by Tampa Bay on waivers. The offensive defenseman is surfing on a 4 million per year contract, but it is due to be renegociated as early as next year.
"We took Gilbert from waivers at a time when we thought we would need some quick help on the blue line, but since then the acquisition of Francois Beauchemin who is better and cheaper has made Gilbert a little bit obsolete. If we hold on to him, we will give him a fair contract value next year and he can become a decent depth defenseman. If not, we will surely place him back on waivers for another team to grab." Leq said.
|
|