A Recap of the Lightning's Weekend in Buffalo

Free agents were signed! Trades were consummated! Teenagers were drafted!  It was everything that Tampa Bay Lightning fans had hoped for. Yet, at the same time, there was a prevailing sense of incompleteness presiding over the weekend as well.  For all of the action it was the inaction that was the biggest story to come out of the 2016 NHL Draft.  After the dust settled, Steven Stamkos was still part of the team (although possibly in a contractual sense of the word only) and Andrei Vasilevskiy is still the backup goalie.

The big hype during the draft was that Ben Bishop was on the move.  It made sense. There were a couple of teams that needed goalies (Calgary and Dallas), the Lightning needed some cap relief and might be interested in moving up the draft board.  Besides they have a 21-year-old kid ready to assume the starter’s spot.  In the end it was St. Louis who stepped up to the plate and traded away one of their goalies (Brian Elliot) for a minimal return (2nd round pick and conditional 3rd ).

Hopefully if that’s what Calgary offered for Bishop, Mr. Yzerman hung up the phone before Brian Burke finished his sentence.  You would hope a two-time Vezina-nominated goalie would be worth more than a couple of picks, although the rumor that Bishop wanted a  7-year, $49 million extension probably didn’t help things out.  The good news for Mr. Yzerman is that teams will always need goalies and waiting a little longer isn’t going to hurt Bishop’s value (unless he blows out a knee in the World Cup).

Bishop is under contract for one more season. Worst case scenario (barring injury) is that he has another good season and walks away from the team next July. Even in that case, the silver lining is that the Lightning wouldn’t have to protect him in the upcoming expansion draft, leaving them free to keep Vasilevskiy in the fold. I’m not sure what the best case is yet, but it probably involves another team panicking and throwing prospects at Mr. Yzerman.

Someone who is not under contract for another season (at least not yet) is Steven Stamkos.  As the days tick by it looks like the most prolific non-Russian goal-scorer in the league is going to be a free agent.  The draft seemed to be the last chance for the Lightning to announce they re-signed their captain.  After all it’s always nice to announce a big deal when the whole league is together in once place.  Also, it would mark the end of the period where they had exclusive negotiating rights with him.

So when Friday turned into Saturday and the Lightning’s exclusive negotiating window vanished into the Buffalo sky with no deal announced his free agency more or less was open to everyone.  And by everyone, I mean everyone.  While it was once thought that the choice would be Toronto or Tampa, it now seems that every hockey team except for the Cardiff Devils have expressed interest in signing Stamkos (I hope he has unlimited minutes on his cell phone plan…I wonder what carrier he uses?  Has he ever done a cell phone commercial?  I don’t think he has. It seems like one of the superstars of hockey should be advertising for a phone company…which is probably something that the Leafs pointed out to him during their sales pitch).

If I was Stamkos' agent - this is how I answer the phone.

Is it a forgone conclusion that his days in Tampa are over?  I don’t think so.  Stamkos strikes me as the type of guy who likes to have all of the information available before he makes a decision.  So even if he is leaning toward coming back, what does it hurt to hear what other teams have to say?  Besides if a GM or two is going to buy him a free steak over the next week, why not listen?

Unfortunately for Mr. Yzerman, Stamkos’ lack of a decision makes his life a little bit harder.  At this moment he is Schrodinger’s GM.  He is currently having to operate in a status where Stamkos is still with the Lightning and a status where Stamkos is not with the Lightning.  Unfortunately the rest of the NHL does not, and will not, wait for the pale-skinned blonde from Markham to figure who is going to give him millions of dollars.

So Mr. Yzerman is stuck trying to continue fill the needs of two very different teams.  A Lightning team with Stamkos needs minor tinkering.  Some help on the blue line, maybe a possession forward who can win face-offs, and little salary cap space to make those moves.  A team without Stamkos needs the same things and a way to fill a 35-40 goal offensive void.  Granted, there is a at least $7.5 million more in cap space to deal with, but replacing that type of offense requires more than a snap of the fingers.

In the meantime Mr. Yzerman does still have other things to worry about like pending restricted free agents and a winger with a broken hip.  He also has to mend the ego of a starting goaltender who was thrown out as trade bait for 48 hours.  While I’m sure Bishop understands the business side, it’s still a shot to the ego to be dangled out in front of other teams.

He did clear up some paperwork on Monday by making offers to seven of those pending restricted free agents. Only David Broll was left out.  While this doesn’t automatically mean the Lightning will re-sign all of them it does give them right of first refusal or draft pick compensation should some team come sniffing around with an offer sheet.  It buys him some time (like, until Stamkos makes up his mind) to figure out what kind of long term contracts he can work out with Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov.

As for players he’s already taken care of, Luke Witkowski picked up a one year contract while JT Brown and Cedric Paquette inked two year deals.  Brown was a good signing as he as emerged as an important shut-down forward for the Lightning.  His speed and fore checking can be quite disruptive to other teams (now if he can just learn to put the puck in the net).  Witkowski is depth on the blueline and a possible captain for Syracuse.  Paquette, whose cousin Chris was drafted by the Lightning this weekend, struggled against the Penguins but also fills a needed role in the bottom six.

After wrapping up those deals the draft was probably the easiest thing Mr. Yzerman had to deal with over the last couple of months.  He made it quite clear that current events don’t dictate who he picks in a draft. After all, by the time these kids are ready who knows what the team will look like. In all the Lightning drafted 10 players (1 goalie, 2 defensemen and 7 forwards).

Surprisingly Mr. Yzerman didn’t trade down from his first round pick or trade one of his extra second round picks.  In a move that stunned a lot of the Lightning faithful he actually traded for another second round pick.  The price for that pick was Anthony DeAngelo, the former first round pick who was slated to spend another season in Syracuse before being considered a part of the Lightning’s blueline in the future.

St. Pete Times beat writer Joe Smith intimated that DeAngelo might have requested a move to get a fresh start with a new organization.  If it was then, Jonathan Drouin, this is how you request a trade without embarrassing your GM and organization.  If he didn’t make the request then perhaps Mr. Yzerman and his staff didn’t see DeAngelo’s game progressing the way they would like it.

You can say a lot of things about Mr. Yzerman, but one thing he does well is cut the right young players loose. Have any of the young players that he has traded come back to haunt the Lightning?  If Brett Connolly could stay healthy maybe he would be the exception.

Speaking of Brett’s, the Lightning selected Brett Howden from Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League.  Howden is the definition of a safe pick.  He has size (6’2”) and was projected to be a late first round, early second round pick. He plays a two-way game (how Coach Cooper-y!) with his offense coming from hard work in front of the net. He might not have the most skill or speed (something his critics are lamenting) but he isn’t going to burn you with bad plays either.

His contributions to the Lightning are years away though.  The curse of a competitive team is that draft picks rarely vault straight to the big club.  In all likelihood it is back to the WHL for another year and then some time helping Syracuse rebuild as a contender.

I commented to Link that I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a fan base slightly disappointed that their number one goalie and number one scorer weren’t traded in the same weekend, but that’s the feeling I got from some of the Lightning fans on Twitter.  The thought of Stamkos walking “for nothing” really seems to be stuck in their craw.

My philosophy is that what we “got” was four seasons of Steven Stamkos.  We didn’t get three or three and a half seasons of him and some assets in a trade.  Nor did we “get” pennies on the dollar by trading him at the draft.  What we also have is a shot to re-sign him.  If Mr. Yzerman had traded him away, his days in Tampa were most assuredly over.  Now, for at least the next week or so the door is still open for him to come back.  Will he walk through that door?

Game 6 - Bishop Bails out Lightning against Buffalo

Game: 6

Opponent: Buffalo

Did I watch Live?: Nope

Why Not?: Cubs playoff/Date with the Duchess

Did I watch on replay?: Yup

Three Stars: 3. Ramus Ristolainen 2. Alex Killorn 1. Ben Bishop

Worst Play: The entire first period

Thoughts:

The biggest question coming into the game involved how the Lightning would play with two of their defensemen on the sidelines. Victor Hedman (skull bounced off the glass) is the heart and soul of the defense while Nikita Nesterov (suspended) is proving to be an offensive spark. Luckily for Tampa Bay, their replacements (Slater Koekkoek and Andrej Sustr) played pretty well. And when they didn't they had Ben Bishop to bail them out.

Bishop bounced back from two straight losses with his strongest outing of the season. Unlike in Dallas, the rebounds were limited and the ones that he did allow didn't drift out into dangerous areas. The Lightning needed him to be on his game as they were outplayed for all of the first period and portions of the third by the Sabres. Despite the lackluster/uninterested/lackadaisical/uninspired play the Lightning managed to pull of the 2-1 win with goals by Vlad Namestnikov and Alex Killorn (on the power play!).

Along with the strong play by Bishop, the special teams were actually one of the areas the Lightning were successful. They didn't score until their fourth power play, but at least the first three didn't kill the little momentum they had built up during the game. On the other side, whatever tweaks they made to the penalty kill paid off as they kept Buffalo off of the scoreboard while they had the man advantage.

With the win, Bishop surpasses Nikolai Khabibulin as the goaltender with the most wins in franchise history with 84.  I guess that makes Bishop the best goalie in Tampa history, right?  Or the goalie that's had the best teammates?  Whatever it means, congratulations to Big Ben.

While the defense was the question going into the game, after the game, the offense was the story coming out. After watching his team generate just 3 shots in the first period and score their only goal on a breakaway in the second, Coach Cooper through his player's name in the blender and mixed up the lines. The third period saw Stamkos skating with Valterri Filppula and Ondrej Palat while Alex Killorn moved up to a line with Tyler Johnson and Ryan Callahan. The third Triplet, Nikita Kucherov found himself paired with Vlad Namestnikov and Cedric Paquette.

Noticeably absent from those line combinations was Johnathan Drouin. The second year winger did not enjoy his best game of the season. He looked a little tired and out of step for most of the game committing several turnovers and taking a bad penalty in the second period. Perhaps a little time on the bench will be a wake up call for him.

The Lightning have a few days off before staring a road trip that takes them through the Central Division with games against Nashville, Winnipeg, Chicago and St. Louis. This will not be an easy trip as three of the four teams sport winning records and the one that doesn't is the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Lightning cannot afford to play the 40 minute hockey games that they have been prone to through the first two weeks of the season.

Jo or Johnny:

The Flames are starting to actually play games so Gaudreau's games played are starting to catch up. Unfortunately he's not scoring as he's been shut out the last two times on the ice. Through five he has 5 points (1 goal and 4 assists). Jonathan Drouin saw his 3-game point streak snapped as he logged only 12 minutes of ice time – his lowest total of the season. He still leads Gaudreau by one point (1 goal and 5 assists).

It's NOT A Major Award! Mid Season Lightning Report

We’ve made it to the halfway point of the Lightning’s season and I’ve managed to write about them all of twice. But seeing how I’ve apparently only written four articles (yes I count the one at Raw Charge) since the hockey season has begun, at least the percentages are pretty good.  Really, four posts since October?  I am so sorry loyal readers (Hi Mom and Dad!).  I will resolve to write more. After all, I can’t really write less, eh? As a reward for your patience - let’s hand out some awards! Welcome to the 1st Annual Mid-Season Random Lightning Awards column.

Before we hand out the hardware let’s take a pulse on the team’s season. After 41 games they find themselves tied at the top of the Atlantic conference with Montreal. Granted the Canadiens have played in two fewer contests, but for now the only thing that matters is points and both teams have 54 of them. Which is one more than the mumps-ridden Penguins and the surprising New York Islanders.  All-in-all the Lightning are holding up to the pre-season predictions many folks had for them.

Despite my lack of writing, I have actually been following the team closer than in recent years (thank you NHL Game Center) and have even managed to get to a game or two in other cities.  Based on many, many hours of watching this team I’ve come to one conclusion - this is a fun team to watch.

As a long time Lightning fan I’ve seen teams of the past barely able to string together two successful passes, let alone any kind of coherent offensive plan, it is so delightful to watch a team that, on most nights, is decidedly better at putting the puck in the net than most of the other teams that they line up against. (Congratulations, you just made it through the first run-on sentence of 2015).

This team is an amazing team to watch on transition.  Other than the Blackhawks, I would venture that no one can switch from defense to offense more efficiently than the Bolts. And while their fondness for cross-ice passes tends to get them in trouble from time to time, when they are clicking they are one of the prettiest teams to watch play hockey. Even Link, who has spent his life watching Pittsburgh teams with the like of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jaromir Jagr, Milan Kraft and Mario Lemieux play was impressed with the Lightning’s offense.

A team has to be fun when Steven Stamkos can’t crack the top line. Almost as  fun to read/hear people wonder what’s “wrong” with Stamkos since he only has 21 goals.  Granted, his projected 42 goals would be the fewest he’s scored in an 82 games season since his rookie year, but 40+ goals is nothing to sneeze at.

Part of the reason it seems like a down year for the former Sarnia Sting Sniper (first unnecessary alliteration of the year!) is that whatever line he has been playing on has constantly been overshadowed by the Triplets. Or #ThatLine. Or #ThatTripletLine. Or the #TKOLine or #TheBestLineInHockey.  Whatever you want to call them, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV (MBNK) have simply been dominant when on the ice together.

The Russian, who bounced around on a couple of different lines to begin the season, has found a home with his fellow Syracuse alumni. They each fill a specific role: Tyler - The Creator, Ondrej - The Net Front Presence and MY BOY NIKITA KUCHEROV - the Shooter. They are all gifted with speed and a sense of knowing where the others are on the ice as evidenced by the Kucherov fake-slapshot-pass to Johnson in the Ottawa game Sunday night.

"We're The Three Best Friends Anyone Could Have"

MBNK is third on the team in shots despite averaging almost 5 minutes less than the leader Stamkos and  3 minutes less than the second place player Johnson.  So everyone in the building and everyone watching was 100% certain that when he got the puck in the slot he was going to unload a cannon on the Ottawa goalie.  Yet, despite bringing his stick back to maximum slapshot height he managed to torque it so that he sent an ankle high pass across the ice (because that’s what they do!) to Johnson, who swiftly knocked it down and into a wide open net.

Where was Palat on the play? In front of the net screening Robin Lehner, of course.  Each has their role and they’ve each played it to perfection so far.  Which leaves their opponents with a match up question. Do you stick your best defensive players out against the Lightning’s best line (Johnson, Palat, MBNK) or against their best player (Stamkos).  Because you can throw Matt Carle and a bag of pucks on Stamkos’ line and he’s still going to score 35 goals every season. Having that option is one of the reasons the Lightning can go on the road and still keep scoring.  They are not restricted to just one line.  Heck, depending on the night the so-called 3rd line is going to either have their best offensive prospect (Jonathan Drouin) or the player with the best hands/vision on the team in Valtteri Filppula.

Throw in a defense that not only is doing better at stopping pucks from going in (12th in the league in goals against), but knows how to get it on net as well (Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison all have 14 or more assists) and things are looking bright for the second half.

But I’ve droned on enough about the team, let’s get to the awards.  So without anymore accolades or delay here are The Hopeful Chase Mid-season Awards for the Tampa Bay Lightning:

The What ‘Cha Talkin’ About Sophomore Slump Award: Tyler Johnson

He narrowly beats out fellow Calder Finalist Ondrej Palat simply because he’s been healthier. One of the questions going into the season would be how the Young Guns would perform in their second season and I think the answer is - not that bad.

The It Seemed Like it Was a Good Idea at the Time Award: Evgeni Nabakov

Look, he hasn’t been as bad as Twitter would make it seem. His goals against is under 3. During the Mike Smith-era we would have built him a statue for those kind of numbers, but if Ben Bishop is ever seriously injured I don’t think Nabokov is going to be the answer. Which leads to….

The Every Time He Goes Down I Say a Little Prayer That He Gets Back Up Award: Ben Bishop

Not something we ever, ever want to see again

The big net minder beats out Ryan Callahan by the width of an ant’s hair on this one.  Let’s face it, should Bishop break himself the options are Nabokov and rookie Andrei Vasilevskiy or Vasilevskiy and Nabokov or Vasilevskiy and other rookie Kristers Gudlevskis.  While all of those options are better than Anders Lindback I don’t want to have to test them down the stretch run.

The Shouldn’t He Suck Or Be Hurt Now That He Signed a Big Contract Award: Ryan Callahan

"Whooooa I GOTS PAID!"

Hey, Ryan Callahan has played in 36 of the 41 games so far! If he plays in 10 more games then that will be the most he’s played in a season since 2011-12. Better yet, he’s been pretty good while he’s been on the ice. Twelve goals and thirty points while mostly causing havoc in front of the net on Stamkos’ line. This is the Callahan that General Manager Yzerman was looking for when he signed him to the six-year deal this off-season.

The Maybe He Is Who We Thought He Is Award: Ben Bishop

The second award for the big guy.  There was a lot of talk at the end of last year about Bishop perhaps being a bit “lucky” or that he couldn’t sustain his play. After all the Lightning were the third team he’d played for in four seasons.  Well, it seems that if he’s riding a lucky streak it’s sustained itself for this season as well. His numbers are down a bit (2.37 GAA vs. 2.23 and .911 Save Percentage vs. .924) but it’s not like he’s fallen off of a cliff. He’s still capable of stealing a game or three and despite the occasional soft goal he’s kept the Lightning in games long enough for their offense to catch up.

The Charlie Brown You’re the Charlie Browniest Award:  Matt Carle.

Sometime this week I’m going to write a whole article about Matt Carle. I really, really do like him as a player, but man….sometimes he does boggle the mind.  Let’s play fill in the blank.   _______ fired a pass up the middle of his own zone that was picked off and led to a 2-0 against his own goalie.  _______ bounces a pass off of Radko Gudas past his own goalie from center ice.  The first name that pops into your head is Matt Carle isn’t it?  I know the second one was from last season, but still….

The Where Have You Gone Joe DiMaggio Award:  Radko Gudas and the Radko Gudas hipcheck

Maybe it’s a good thing.  Maybe he’s a better positional player now that he isn’t RADKO-SMASH on the ice every shift, but damn I miss a good hipcheck.*Ed Note. After writing the first draft             I've now learned that Gudas is undergoing knee surgery. Ouch. 

The Aaron Rodgers Says “RELAX” Award: Steven Stamkos/ Jonathan Drouin

A tie! I could have also called this The Setup For a Big Second Half award.  I did read
 on a YouTube video comment section that Drouin is already a bust. (Advice - don’t ever read You Tube comments. It will make you hate humanity). Stamkos is still coming back from a pretty big injury and it seems he is pacing himself at times.  Drouin, well he spent most of the season with Brian Boyle and Brandon Morrow on his line and still has 15 points. Now that he is moving up and playing with better skilled players (I think a line with him, Valtteri Filppula and Brett Connolly would make me weep with happiness) he is going to start moving up the rookie point standings.

The Next Young Forward Traded to Toronto Award: JT Brown

Following in the footsteps of Carter Ashton and Richard Panik, I see Brown as the next player dealt off simply because there isn’t a place for him on the roster. I love the energy and pace he brings when he’s in the line-up, but I just think he isn’t as talented as other forwards on the roster.  Time for the Bolts to give him a shot somewhere else.

The Hope is a Beautiful Thing Award: Andrei Vasilevskiy

I love the way the organization is handling the big Russian goalie. Getting his feet wet slowly in the NHL while making sure he still gets playing time in the AHL. One of the things I can say about this season is that I was there at his NHL debut and it looked like he had been playing for years. There was a sequence at the end of the first period against Philly wear he made two or three point blank reaction saves and wasn’t rattled at all. In fact he was in position to stop two or three more shots. This kid is going to be really, really good. As in, Mr Yzerman might play the “I Wonder What Ben Bishop Would Bring in a Trade” game this off-season.

The Man That Really Sucks Award:  CapGeek ceasing operations

On January 3rd, the most useful NHL website in the history of the internet ceased it’s operation due to owner/operator Matthew Wuest’s health issues.  I’m going to miss having that site as a resource in the off-season and during the trade deadline. Just think how many writers (both professional and blogger) have used the phrase “according to CapGeek” in a story or a Tweet.  It boggles my mind how quick and reliable Wuest’s information was and how important it was to a sport where finances matter as much as on-ice performance. If there is ever a Sports Website Hall of Fame, CapGeek and Matthew Wuest are first ballot inductees.

Welp, that wraps it up for me.  Here’s to a second half that is as much fun as the first!

Fan Favorite Conacher Traded For A Really Tall Guy

Cory Conacher is the new points leader for the Ottawa Senators

When I started writing this blog, well actually the other blog, I told myself that I would follow a couple of rules.  One of them being, “Never write anything when you’re angry.”  More than likely if I didn’t follow that rule I would go off on some rage-fueled rant about something or another and then feel embarrassed about it the next day.  Not that I don’t feel embarrassed about half the things I post anyways, but that’s just because I don’t really edit my work. So that is why I didn’t write anything about the move the Tampa Bay Lightning made during the trade deadline yesterday.

I love the NHL trade deadline.  I love it even more when I have the day off and can fully enjoy it without interruption.  I love it especially now in the twitter/24-hour coverage/live-streaming world that we live in. You literally cannot get enough NHL talk on Hockey Christmas.

So I was doing my thing (sitting on the couch refreshing twitter and surfing the web while listening to TSN radio) for most of the day and it looked like it would be a quiet day for the Lightning.  After all, they weren’t really in a position to go all in, and it didn’t seem like there was much demand for the players they had (although with the price being paid for defensemen I’m surprised Sami Salo didn’t draw any interest). There were some rumors floating around that the Lightning were one of six teams interested in Ben Bishop, but nothing concrete from any of the insiders (or insiderrrrrs).

Overall there wasn’t much going on overall in the morning, in fact, the most entertaining aspect was watching the guys for The Score get increasingly drunk as the day went on thanks to their Deadline Day drinking game. So at about 1pm CST The Duchess and I went out to lunch.  While we were at Kuma’s Too (brand new sister location of Chicago’s legendary burger bar/hard rock shrine Kuma’s Korner) I couldn’t resist occasionally checking my phone to see what was going on.  Needless to say, my better half wasn’t amused by that.

As we were finishing up our beers (Three Floyds Robert the Bruce for me) Bob McKenzie sent out the tweet heard ‘round the Tampa Bay area, “Ben Bishop informed he’s been traded to Tampa.”  My initial thought, “Ehhh.  They finally got him, wonder who they gave up for him.”  I figured it would be some combination of a pick and a B-level prospect (or in my wildest dreams a semi-healthy Ryan Malone).

Then the follow-up tweets began.  First it was Darren Millard and then Bruce “Not many fans in Tampa” Garrioch.  They both had the same name – Cory Conacher. I was not pleased.  In fact, I was quite agitated, one might even say angry.  That’s despite the fact that I am at the age where anger shouldn’t really be an emotion associated with sports.  Disappointment, yes.  Jubilation, yes.  But anger, never anger, after all it’s only a game.  Why let it hijack my emotions to the point of being physically upset?

However, there it was - anger.  How could the Lightning trade one of their new fan favorites, the five-foot-nothin, one-hundred-and-nothin’, undrafted scrapper who clawed his way into the NHL by outworking and outscoring everyone else? He is a rookie-of-the-year candidate for goodness sake! The online fan base will no longer be able to use the #DeathTaxesConacher on out tweets anymore. The undersized line of Conacher, Tyler Johnson and Martin St. Louis would never exist again.  All for another oversized goalie with potential?

Now imagine that paragraph spread out over a thousand words.  That’s what you would have read yesterday had I taken to keyboard as soon as I had gotten home from the burger place.  Instead, I waited. I waited through the final flurry of deals, through Bobby Luongo’s “My Contract Sucks” press conference, through the endless speculation involving the Washington/Nashville deal and finally through the knee-jerk-who-won-who-lost analysis of the day. I watched some TV (The West Wing) and went to sleep.

Now I’m writing.  I still don’t like the deal, but I’m not so upset about it.  Non-partisan reviews have made me feel a little better about the move. Yes, it was a steep price for Mr. Yzerman to pay, especially given the exorbitant price he paid in the off-season for Anders Lindback.  If you’re following along at home the current price tag for the future in the Lightning net stands at Cory Conacher, a 4^th round pick, Sebastien Caron, two 2^nd round picks and a 3^rd round pick. Oh and neither one is signed past next season.

While the reports on Bishop are positive, like Lindback before him, he hasn’t been tested as a true number one. I wonder if Mr. Yzerman is that blackjack player who, after being dealt a few losing hands, starts doubling his bets in order to make his money back.   He’s been able to build a young, solid team in front of the net, but inconsistent goaltending has plagued his regime and already cost one coach his job. 

If Bishop struggles in Hockey Paradise I willing to wager the next coach collecting unemployment will be Frantz John. The relatively under-the-radar goaltending consultant has been with the organization since 2010, joining the team after spending many years in the QMJHL. During his tenure only Dwayne Roloson in 2010-11 played anywhere near an acceptable level in net while two players (Mike Smith and Dan Ellis) have gone on to play much better with their new teams. 

Mr. Yzerman’s legacy is going to hinge on the two deals he made for goaltenders.  The luster of the Eastern Conference Finals run has worn off.  The sellout streak has ended. Next season is going to be interesting as the team already has $61 million committed to the roster and still has to get Bishop and at least five other players signed with less than $4 million to play with (actually closer to $7 million if they put Mattias Ohlund on Long Term Injury Relief). Couple that with moving to a tougher division and the questions really start to pile up.

In the end the deal does, at least on paper, make the team better. Does it make the fans happier?  Well, that depends on Ben Bishop and how many wins he gets.