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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Mar 25, 2013 11:30:08 GMT -5
Jason Pominville Injured Early In the Season; Team Enjoys Modest Start
The Tampa Bay Lightning is starting the 2013-2014 season with a decent, yet unspectacular performance. In five games, the Lightning amassed 6 points with three wins and 2 regular losses. It scored an average of 3 goals per game, a low amount for a team with so many good scorers. Coach Guy Boucher is doing what he can to improve the scoring of the team, but he has to deal with an early injury to the team's captain Jason Pominville. The 30 year old center is expected to miss a month of activity and as a result the second line has been modified so that Mike Cammalleri will occupy the center while Lee Stempniak is brought up from the 4th line to fill in as an offensive right winger. The powerplay is also behaving disappointingly with a mere 18% success so far, but the penalty kill has yet to give up a goal and is a stunning 100% efficiency. Apparently, the coach's strange PK lineup is a good one. Goligoski is playing on the first PK line as a forward with Steven Stamkos, while Patrick Kaleta is playing as a defenseman on the second PK line. Guy Boucher has changed the Powerplay strategy though, and instead of passing plays, the special teams will focus on shooting often and from any angles to try and get more goals.
As a sidenote, the young defenseman Keith Aulie is developping well so far, and his defensive game is considered very strong by the team's coaching staff. He is being compared to a young Eric Brewer, and seems to be securing a good NHL future for himself. On the other hand, Jason Demers, acquired from the San Jose Sharks, has not shown any improvement. He is still young tho, and could get better. Devan Dubnyk, acquired from Edmonton, is performing steadily and could be considered to have the skill necessary to be a very average first goaltender in the NHL. The coaching staff still prefers Cory Schneider over him, but the nights when Schneider cant play, Dubnyk is an excellent option.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Mar 30, 2013 8:47:32 GMT -5
Victor Hedman Traded for Brent Burns!
GM Leq announced a trade that will reshape the Tampa Bay Lightning's defense squadron for many years to come. Victor Hedman, the young franchise shutdown defenseman, was traded to the San Jose Sharks in return for the 28 year old star offensive defenseman Brent Burns. Burns is considered one of the best offensive defensemen in the game while Hedman is among the best at playing the shutdown, physical game.
"Hedman is a very good defenseman, but in our team's offensive system he just couldn't fit. He didn't play on the first line of offense because we need offensive minded guys at the blue line to support the attack. He was supporting the second line, but with Cammalleri joining the team this summer that line became more offensive minded as well, so Hedman was kinda out of place. We moved him to a team where he will be able to show his defensive talent, and we received Brent Burns who will play on the top pair here in Tampa Bay, play big PP minutes and get lots of points which is what we want. Burns is also more than able to hold his own defensively, so we feel this is a move that benefits us. In short, we traded a second pair defenseman for a first pair one. This leaves us with three great offensive defensemen, Burns, Goligoski and Bergeron. We are looking to add a fourth one to make our top 4 completely offensive." Gm Leq commented after the transaction.
Tampa Bay is currently 8th in the east with 15 points in 13 games and an average of 3 goals per game. This average is considered a little bit too low for the coaching team, and they hope that the arrival of Brent Burns will help the team score up some additional goals.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Apr 14, 2013 23:04:08 GMT -5
GM Leq Acquires Tyler Ennis To Whip Team
Halfway into the season, Tampa Bay's GM, Leq, is not fully satisfied with the performance of his team. Barely hanging onto a playoff spot, and with a mediocre .548 win % so far into the season, the Lightning isn't where it could be, according to Leq.
"Last year, our 3 top scorers were among the very best of the league. Corey Perry was having a killer year with Stamkos and Gaborik, but now Perry's performance is rather disappointing, and Stamkos and Gaborik are producing below what we would expect of such a dynamic offensive lineup. I'm bringing in Tyler Ennis to add some extra offensive depth and maybe shake things up around here." Leq said.
In fact, Patrick Kaleta was traded for Tyler Ennis. Kaleta showed an extraordinary growth since he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres last season, and he is now renowned as one of the best checking forwards in the league. Coming back from the Edmonton Oilers is the dynamic 24 old center Tyler Ennis. Ennis, a former Buffalo 1st round draft choice, developped nicely in the NHL and can be considered to be a legit top 6 forward on most teams now. In hindsight, the trade between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres last year was a master stroke from Leq. Tampa received the star center Jason Pominville along with the surprising Kaleta for Brett Connolly, who has disappointed in Buffalo and was traded since then. Now, this trade can be translated into Pominville and Ennis, two great offensive forwards, for just Connolly.
This trade may be the hing to put the Lightning back on track. After a slow season start, things seem to be shaping up a bit in the last few weeks, but not quickly enough. A team like Tampa Bay should be a force to be feared in the NHL, and be among the top 10 of teams easily every year. GM Leq has made it clear that if this cannot be achieved with the current team, he is ready to make the necessary changes. The Hedman-Burns trade set things moving in that direction, and now the Kaleta-Ennis trade is yet another exemple that Leq is willing to shake things up to get his way. Hopefully this strategy will prove fruitful. Ennis is expected to replace Ryan Malone on the 2nd line, while Malone's 2-way game is transferred to the team's 3rd line to hit and grind.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Apr 15, 2013 8:32:40 GMT -5
Offense Crippled By Injuries; Perry and Cammalleri Out
The puzzle is becoming harder and more frustrating as the Lightning Coach Guy Boucher has to compose with injuries to two of his top 6 forwards. Corey Perry is expected to be out for 2 full months, and Mike Cammalleri for 1 month. With the arrival of Tyler Ennis, however, the situation is not catastrophic, as Boucher can shift the scoring Jason Pominville to the wing on the first line, and have a decent second line composed of Lee Stempniak, Tyler Ennis and Ryan Malone. This, however, will leave the bottom lines significantly weaker.
"It is not an ideal situation right now, but we can pull through. It's only 2 months, but still this time will be crucial for us to secure a playoff spot. We've had more than our share of injuries this year, with Pominville at the start of the season, then Gaborik for a while, and now Perry and Cammy. We're really hoping that this stops." Boucher explained.
With two of it's best players out for a significant period, Tampa Bay will have to rely on luck to stay in the race and achieve the objectives that GM Leq wants to see attained. Still, though, it is only January, and both Perry and Cammalleri will be back before the end of the regular season. However, things could get bad if other key players get hurt, such as Stamkos or Burns.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Apr 16, 2013 20:49:57 GMT -5
Tampa Bay Surges With 8 Points in 5 Games
The fortunes of the Tampa Bay Lightning are turning recently, as the team rises in standings with 8 points in the last 5 games. Tampa Bay is now 6th in the east with 54 points in 47 games and a % of .574. This is a significant increase from the .548 from just a few weeks ago. Even without some key players, the team is either on a lucky streak, or finally playing up to his skill level, and Guy Boucher is satisfied.
"I'm glad, and a bit relieved, to see the way the team is playing right now. What makes me feel good is that our goal per game average is finally starting to look good. We are 5th in the league for goals scored, even though the teams ahead of us all played more games. We score an average of 3,44 goals per game, and only the Pittsburgh Penguins are scoring more than us on average, but the difference is so small its negligible." Guy Boucher said.
As teams enter the final stretch of the season, Tampa Bay is 7 points behind the 5th team in the east, but their chances of catching up are moderately good. There's alot of hockey left to play, and the team seems to have the right strategy finally to get some success.
On a sidenote, Tampa Bay still owns Edmonton's first pick and Los Angeles' first pick. The picks would be respectively 21st overall and 19th overall if the season ended today.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Apr 19, 2013 7:00:31 GMT -5
Weiss Acquired From Pittsburgh for Pouliot and Aulie
GM Leq announced another important transaction, this time with the powerful Pittsburgh Penguins, involving the skilled 2-way center Stephen Weiss. In return for Weiss, Tampa Bay is sending the 3rd line grinding winger Benoit Pouliot and the young surprisingly good shutdown defenseman Keith Aulie.
"It is a tough price to pay" admitted Leq. "But our philosophy has always been to bring the quality and then try to fill up the gaps afterwards. I think this is a move in that direction."
With Stephen Weiss joining the team, the Lightning lineup now has 8 powerful forwards to fill the top three lines. Ennis and Weiss are new faces, and both being able to play center, this gives the team a comfortable depth at center, as Weiss may end up piloting the third line along with Ryan Malone and Lee Stempniak.
As good as Weiss' arrival can be for the offensive squadron, the departure of Aulie is a big loss the the defense. Aulie developped extremely well after emerging from the team's own farm system, and he has become recognized as a prime defensive defenseman. He had to be sacrificed to bring Weiss to the team, but apparently the coaching staff was sad to see him leave. Now Leq's top priority is clearly the defense, as the team needs atleast one more impact player at the blue linel Leq is thinking of using first picks to acquire this kind of player via trade, but the market is scarce.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Apr 26, 2013 12:14:05 GMT -5
Guy Boucher Demoted After Disappointing Season; Leq Hires Star Coach Scotty Bowman
It is official: Scotty Bowman will be the new head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning. As the Lightning struggles in 8th place of the eastern conference, Leq finally had enough and decided that the coach wasn't using the elements of the team to the best results. So, he decided to replace the coach with a more experienced man.
Scotty Bowman, with 1248 NHL wins and 13 Stanley Cups, will take over the bench of the Lightning. Guy Boucher, however, will not be fired. Instead he is expected to become the assistant of Bowman.
"We just hired a champion coach. Boucher is doing his best, but he's not cutting it. Unfortunately he hasnt been able to bring the team to the heights I expect, so we needed to bring in the big guns. The fans should be very excited right now, as I am. Scotty Bowman alone is probably gonna give our team 5 more points over the course of a season, that's what I expect. It's a big boost that will help us get to the higher level." Leq said.
Another staff member has been hired to replace Steve Yzerman as Leq's vice-GM. Alois Hnydy, although he does not have NHL experience, is a former army officer and a true discipline specialist. He will handle the day to day activities of the troops, uh, I mean players, while Leq does what he does best: handle the external aspect of the team, aka the trades and the signings.
With those two men, Tampa Bay is in good hands for the foreseeable future. Let us all shout: HUZZAH!!
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on May 26, 2013 10:35:48 GMT -5
Leq Reinforces Defense After Disappointing Season
Last year was a season to forget for the Tampa Bay Lightning. With a series of crippling injuries to players like Perry, Gaborik and Cammalleri and a very bad defensive effort, Tampa Bay managed to miss the playoffs and this led to the replacement of the head coach, Guy Boucher, in favor of the aging star coach Scotty Bowman. However, Bowman was already 81 years old and clearly was not able to follow the pace. At the end of the season, he announced his retirement, which leaves Leq in a position where he has to hire a new head coach for the upcoming season. Still, all was not bleak last season. The team still managed to score a multitude of goals, making it once again one of the very best offensive teams in the NHL. The team can count on a very impressive forward roster, with three lines being a legitimate threat to score goals. Still, something had to be done to reduce the number of goals allowed, if Tampa wishes to have any chance at being a cup contender in the coming years.
In order to fix some of the defensive issues with the team, Leq made two summer time trades for defensemen, and drafted a young 2-way defenseman with his first round pick this year. While Anthony DeAngelo develops in the AHL, the Lightning will be enjoying the services of two new NHL defensemen this season.
The first trade brings the hard-hitting defenseman Eric Gryba to Tampa Bay in return for a 3rd round pick next year. Gryba is a solid shutdown defenseman who can be expected to play on the PK and bring some stability in the defensive end. At 26 year old and making 1 million dollars a year, he is a good element going into the future, and could still improve his positioning game.
The second trade brings the veteran offensive defenseman John Michael Liles to Tampa in return for the young russian forward prospect Kiril Klyugin, drafted in 4th round, and a 4th and 5th picks in the next draft. Klyugin, only 17 years old, already boasts impressive playmaking skills, but his game is lacking everywhere else. He is a longshot at becoming a complete NHL player. John Michael Liles, 33 years old, finished last season with 2 goals and 27 points, but in Tampa's roster he is expected to produce way more. Offensively, he is very similar to Marc-André Bergeron, but his defensive play is unconditionally better. The main reason why he was acquired by GM Leq is that he can essentially play the role Bergeron used to play, while not being the cause of so many goals against, like Bergeron showed with a -15 differential last season, the worst on the team. Bergeron has essentially lost his place on the lineup, and is being put on waivers.
With Gryba and Liles, the team gets significantly better defensively, while sacrificing almost nothing, which is the way Leq likes to operate. In return for three late picks and a longshot prospect, the Lightning is able to enjoy a moderate improvement in it's defensive squadron. Liles is becoming a legit 2nd pair defenseman and powerplay specialist, while Gryba adds some muscle and responsible defensive play on the 3rd pair and on the PK. These improvements, along with the hope of fewer injuries this year, may pave the way to a better season this year.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jun 1, 2013 13:49:21 GMT -5
Mike Green Bolsters A Now Impressive Defense!
What used to be Tampa Bay's main weakness, the defensive squadron, has been brought up to par with Leq's recent trades. After Gryba and Liles, Mike Green is the latest addition to the back end. Green, 29 years old, is known as one of the very best offensive defensemen in the NHL, while still being pretty good on the defensive end of the game. With Mike Green and Brent Burns, the Lightning has two excellent two-way defensemen to form the first pair of defense, who can play as well on the PP as on the PK. One could argue that the Lightning can put the best five man squadron on the ice of the entire NHL, with Steven Stamkos, Marian Gaborik and Corey Perry as forwards, and Brent Burns and Mike Green as defensemen.
Green, however, did not come cheaply to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Leq had to give up Tyler Ennis, a dynamic and highly skilled 24 year old forward, Alex Goligoski, a good two-way defenseman in his own right, and the team's first round pick in the upcoming draft. GM Leq admits it is probably an overpayment, but one he is willing to make, given the circumstances.
"First of all, you've seen me make these kind of trades for almost 3 years now, so this one shouldn't come as a surprise. I build the team by trading medium sized pieces for large pieces, and then I fill the gaps by gathering more medium pieces everywhere I can, rinse and repeat. The hardest trades to make are the trades where you get a superstar back, and this is one of them because Mike Green is a superstar. People rarely place their stars on the market, but this time Washington wanted Green to move, and I was willing to pay the price. I believe this makes Tampa Bay a much better team, and when I look at the roster I'm satisfied with the defensive squadron, and it's the first time I'm able to say this since I first took over in 2012." Leq said in a long winded monologue.
Leq's explanation is eloquently put, but the team's first pick is a difficult one to lose, and could have been used to draft a good defenseman and add depth that way. Still, one must admit that Tampa Bay looks pretty darn impressive on paper now, and we all hope this will translate into a great season this year and success in the playoffs.
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Post by Leq (Tampa Bay GM) on Jun 11, 2013 14:54:53 GMT -5
The Lightning Zaps Division 3 With 19 Points in 12 Games
After a truly disappointing season, the Lightning has returned to show that it can be one of the top teams of the NHL with it's current rosters by winning 9 of it's first 12 games for an impressive 19 points in standings. This places Tampa Bay in first place of it's division, three points ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes who played 13 games so far.
The Lightning's newest acquisition, Mike Green, is giving a great show with 3 goals and 12 points in just 14 games, and Steven Stamkos is ripping it apart with an unbelievable 9 goals and 18 points in just 12 games! The Lightning is answering the way their GM expected them to, and the way the fans want it to see. Still putting up impressive goal figures with 42 goals scored in 12 games, they managed to reduce the goals allowed by a good margin, giving up just 33 in the same period, despite giving 8 goals on a single night last week. This, according to Leq, is the kind of progress that paves the way to success.
"I see the calendar advance and I can't believe my eyes as to how well the team is performing." Leq admitted. "Is it the new arrival of Mike Green that's giving the team a much needed chemistry and balance between offense and defense? I think it goes beyond that. Getting Green from Washington isn't the only move we made to improve our defense, and all of it certainly helps, but there's also the fact that our players aren't injured and are producing well. I'm proud of Cammalleri too, who's got 13 points in 12 games on the second line. It's good to see two lines produce and the defense holding up and producing as well. Brent Burns and Mike Green work well together, and that's a huge plus."
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