Tampa Bay Lightning Re-Assign Slater Koekkoek To Syracuse Crunch
After defeating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in overtime for the final time at Joe Louis Arena, the Tampa Bay Lightning has re-assigned defenseman Slater Koekkoek to the Syracuse Crunch.
The Tampa Bay Lightning may have needed an extra frame to get the job done, but when the final buzzer sounded, the Lightning would bring home a much-needed two points in their 2-1 overtime victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday night. This was the last time the Lightning would enter the Joe Louis Arena.
Unfortunately, there was one person on the Lightning roster who didn’t have the opportunity to participate in this momentous occasion. The aforementioned person is Lightning rookie defenseman Slater Koekkoek. Koekkoek had been called up from the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, earlier in the day.
The bad news is, thanks to a little thing called rules; he was not permitted to play in the encounter and was named a healthy scratch for the Lightning’s encounter with the Red Wings. From what we can gather about the situation, Koekkoek was recalled on an emergency basis following the injury to Jason Garrison.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The thing is, under the current terms of the CBA, the Lightning were not in a position to allow Koekkoek to take the ice with his teammates. Regrettably, the reasons for this are pretty clearly outlined in the NHL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement.
According to the NHL’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 13.12 Section M Subsection II:
"“Emergency conditions shall be established when the playing strength of the Loaning Club, by reason of incapacitating injury or illness or by League suspension to its Players is reduced below the level of two (2) goalkeepers, six (6) defensemen and twelve (12) forwards. Proof of the existence of the emergency conditions including the incapacity shall be furnished to the Commissioner of the League upon request made by him.”"
While it would be easy to assume the Lightning would be down a defenseman due to the injury to Garrison, but the Lightning’s roster tells a bit of a different story. The Lightning has defensemen Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman, Andrej Sustr, Braydon Coburn, Jake Dotchin, and Luke Witkowski.
Now, some of you may be asking, “but Witkowski has been playing the forward position lately. Wouldn’t this technically remove him from the defensive count?” Judging by the Lightning’s decision making it would seem, no, it doesn’t. As Witkowski is still technically a defenseman and this would render Koekkoek ineligible to play.
As one could easily imagine, after the Tampa Bay Lightning successfully picked up the much-needed two points against the Detroit Red Wings in overtime, the Lightning quickly re-assigned Slater Koekkoek to the Syracuse Crunch.
While there are surely clear reasons as to why Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman and Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper have elected to keep Slater Koekkoek in Syracuse long-term, we would be lying to you if we told you we weren’t completely on board with the #FreeKoekkoek movement.
More From Bolts By The Bay: Adam Erne Throws Down With Andreas Athanasiou (Video)
Koekkoek is a tremendous defensive talent who is more than capable of using his size and speed to his advantage; especially when it comes to making huge hits and breaking up his opponents’ plays. In addition to this, Koekkoek is quickly developing into a decent two-way defenseman.
In the 40 games he’s played with the Syracuse Crunch this season, Koekkoek has managed to score two goals and nine assists for a total of 11 points. The 23-year-old defenseman has had a pretty decent season with the Tampa Bay Lightning as well. In addition to his defensive duties, Koekkoek has brought home four assists in 29 games with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
As we’ve mentioned before, these aren’t exactly what one would refer to as Victor Hedman-like statistics, Koekkoek is definitely headed in the right direction. If we’re being completely honest with you, we really hope he finds himself with a much more permanent place in the Lightning lineup next season.
Next: Jason Garrison Forced To Leave Game Against Bruins (Video)
Until then, he is headed back to the Big Apple to rejoin the Syracuse Crunch as they forge their way towards a successful run in the postseason. The more ice time he gets playing at the highest levels of the game, the better chance he’ll have at transcending into a new position next season.