Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign D Jake Dotchin To Syracuse Crunch
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to make roster moves as they re-assign defenseman Jake Dotchin to the Syracuse Crunch.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been in need of a shakeup for quite some time. While many here in the Bolts Nation hoped the shakeup would not include any trades, it seems as if this was unavoidable.
On Thursday night, just before the puck dropped between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers, the Lightning would announce they had traded defenseman Nikita Nesterov to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Jonathan Racine and a 6th Round Draft Pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
It seems as if trades weren’t the only thing on the agenda for the Lightning this week. Yesterday, the Lightning re-assigned forward Erik Condra to the Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Now, it looks like Condra will have some company on his journey back to Syracuse.
According to Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer Bryan Burns, the Lightning has officially re-assigned defenseman Jake Dotchin to the Syracuse Crunch. Dotchin made his NHL debut on January 21st as the Tampa Bay Lightning took on the Arizona Coyotes at the Gila River Arena in Glendale.
While Dotchin has served his purpose well on the blueline, he has been unable to carve a notch on the scoresheet. Of course, not every defenseman in the league can be like Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman.
The 22-year-old defenseman has had much better luck with the Crunch this season. In the 33 games Dotchin has played with the Crunch thus far, he has brought home three goals and nine assists for a total of 12 points.
A versatile defenseman is something every team loves. If Dotchin can work on his offensive skills and start to make plays like Victor Hedman, he could become a dangerous opponent and valuable asset to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The optimist would hope the reason for the recent re-assignments is the Lightning are preparing to get some of their injured players back into the lineup. Unfortunately, the realist tends to believe this is more of an opportunity to get these guys some playing time.
Next: How Can The Lightning Get Back On Track?
Only time will tell what the future holds for the Tampa Bay Lightning. As we’ve said many times before, the time for excuses has come and gone. If the Lightning has any hopes of salvaging their season, they need to make a change, and now.