Tampa Bay Lightning Headlines And News Around The NHL
Before the Bolts Nation prepares to start another wonderful day here in the Sunshine State, let’s take a look at some of the top Tampa Bay Lightning headlines.
Once again, the sun has risen and we are about to embark on another beautiful day here in the Sunshine State. As we mark yet another day off the calendar, we once again find ourselves one day closer to the starts of the 2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning hockey season. For those of you counting the days, we are just 71 days away from the first official puck drop of the season.
As most Lightning fans know by now, people like Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman and Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper have had their hands full since the start of the off-season. There were a plethora of decisions that needed to be made and that many more new contracts in need of signing before the start of the 2016-17 season.
Since then, Yzerman has done an excellent job of gathering all the pieces he needs to put together a team that can not only dominate on the ice, but that can work together like a well-oiled machine and fight their way back to the top and hopefully make an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third season in a row.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Unfortunately, as the end of the off-season draws near, there are still some essential pieces to the puzzle that have not yet been put into play. One of those pieces (players) in need of a new contract is the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lead point scorer for the 2015-16 season, Nikita Kucherov. While Yzerman has remained confident he will be able to get the job done, there are still questions from fans about what a contract would mean for the team.
On the bright side of things, there are a couple of players on the team who have essentially “taken one for the team” and allowed the Lightning to sign them long-term at what could be considered as a moderate discount. The first of those players was Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who signed an eight-year contract extension with the team. Soon after, Stamkos was followed by defenseman Victor Hedman, who signed an eight-year extension on his own.
This brings us to another player who recently stepped up and allowed his team loyalty to shine through and follow in the footsteps of players like Stamkos and Hedman and taken a modest discount in pay in order to stay right here in Tampa Bay. This aforementioned player would be none other than Lightning center Alex Killorn. What was his ultimate motivation for staying in Tampa? Check out the article to find out. (Bolts By The Bay)
There comes a time in the off-season when it’s time to buckle down and take a look at the opponents a team is scheduled to take on over the course of the season so a team can adequately prepare for what they will be up against from day-to-day. Given there are 29 other teams in the National Hockey League right now, this can sometimes get to be a little cumbersome.
It seems as if one of our own was willing to take on this daunting task and take a closer look at one of the longest running rivals of our Boys In Blue, our in-state neighbor, the Florida Panthers. Bolts By The Bay Staff Writer William Clewis takes a closer look at the Panthers, the trades they’ve made, their draft picks, and what the Lightning have to look forward to next season. (Bolts By The Bay)
As most of you know by now, the people over at Creative Loafing are in the middle of their annual event, the Best of the Bay. This is where the people of Tampa Bay vote on their favorite things in life; everything from their favorite food truck to their favorite local celebrities. By that way, if you haven’t checked it out already, there are quite a few people from the Bolts Nation nominated in various categories…you should check it out.
must read: NHL 17 Preview: Team And Player Ratings
In the spirit of this, the Tampa Bay Lightning has started a little competition of their own. This one is known as the Best of the Bolts. In each Round (Round 1 ends today), you can vote on your favorite moments from the previous season and see which ones make the final cut. Ready to see the list of matchups and start making your votes known? All you need to do is click the link and you’ll be on your way. (Tampa Bay Lightning)
When a new season is about to begin, there are pretty much only two ways a person can look at the season. The one most people tend to gravitate to is the “Best Case Scenario.” This comes from the level of excitement the fans have for their team and their faith the team can go the distance and make their way to the playoffs once again. Then…there’s the other way.
This other way is known as the “Worst Case Scenario.” Shocker, right? This is where the people who are normally high on their team seem to pause for a moment and let the “what ifs” seep in. What if this player doesn’t get signed? What if this player gets injured? All the what ifs that make a normally festive hockey fan quickly transform into a “Debbie Downer” and quickly get disinvited from the Watch Parties.
Well, our friends over at Bleacher Report have taken on the daunting task of look at both sides of the coin for each team in the NHL as they prepare for the 2016-17 season. Surprisingly enough, the Worst Case Scenario is not the absolute worst thing that could happen to a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s not ideal, but things could, in fact, get a whole lot worse. (Bleacher Report)
New From Around the National Hockey League
Any person who has laid their eyes on even a few hockey games over the course of the last few years can synonymize hockey with one name…Gretzky. There is absolutely no denying that Wayne Gretzky, the man known as the Great One, will go down in history as one of the best players to ever lace up their skates. If you ask anyone in Edmonton about Gretzky, they’ll have plenty to say about their God of Hockey.
However, it is not the Great One we speak of today. It is another Gretzky who could be ushering the Edmonton Oilers into a new era. According to our friends over at FanSided, the Edmonton Oilers are expected to hire former Boston Bruins Scouting Director Keith Gretzky, the brother of Wayne Gretzky, to the position of Assistant General Manager. Dave Stevenson takes a closer look at what this may mean for the club. (FanSided)
At this point in the season, just about every team is doing what some refer to as the Cap Space Shuffle. Some teams are desperate to rid themselves of a player or two in order to be cap compliant by the start of the season. Others are desperately searching for a player who can not only make their roster better but could help them come in right where they need to be in the cap game.
Then, there are teams who, for the most part, are sitting pretty right this moment and are searching for ways they can spend the money they were able to shave off last season to better enhance their rosters. One of those teams right now are the Arizona Coyotes. Ryan Ritchie, Editor over at our friends Too Many Men On The Site, take a look at one way the Coyotes could use the money…strengthening their goaltending. (Too Many Men On The Site)
must read: Tampa Bay Lightning Year In Review: Steven Stamkos
There comes a time every few years when an organization looks back and sees that many of their prospects are ready to make the jump to the National Hockey League. Slowly, but surely, these players are brought into the fold and given their time in the spotlight. Some shine bright like a diamond, others…not so much. In any case, this leaves holes in the developmental system that need to be filled.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that is facing this situation right now. Tim Chiasson, Editor of our friends over at Editor In Leaf, has taken a long, hard look at the Maple Leafs developmental system. While he feels their GM has done a good job filling in some of those aforementioned holes, there are still some questions looming around; especially when it comes to the defensive end of things. (Editor In Leaf)
Unfortunately, as every season comes to an end, there will be players who will be re-signing with the team, those who will be looking for a new home for the next season, and new faces making their way to a new team to start the next stage in their hockey journey. Just as players face these kinds of issues, there are times when the people in the front office and hockey operations go through similar changes.
While this can be a good thing from certain standpoints, there comes a time when the chaos starts to spread to a point where it could potentially affect the team’s on-ice presence. Obviously, this is something that no team, especially one with hopes of playing in the postseason, can afford. At the same time, this may be exactly what is happening to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s in-state rivals, the Florida Panthers. (The Rat Trick)
Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: The Florida Panthers
As you can see, while the players may not be on the ice just yet, there is still plenty of action going on in the hockey world. Besides, in 71 more days, this will all be a distant memory and hockey fans can get back to screaming their hearts out for their favorite team. We know where we’ll be on October 13th. How about you?