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What They're Saying About The Lightning

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

The majority of questions surrounding the Lightning start with the goaltending, a fact that hasn't been lost on the hockey media.

Make no mistake, goaltending is still an issue. Marc Denis and Johan Holmqvist will likely go back and forth in goal until one of them has a good-enough run to win the majority of starts. Their offense – ranked 12th in the league last season – could be that much better with an improved supporting cast for Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. Having Jan Hlavac and Michel Ouellet playing with Richards will help. Ouellet is a big power forward who can make room for Richards to work the puck, while Hlavac has spent the last three seasons honing his offensive skills in Europe. The checking unit of Chris Gratton, Jason Ward and Andreas Karlsson has plenty of size and should work well shutting down the opposition. - TSN.ca

Short of lightning in a bottle, there's little chance the Lightning will find an answer to their goaltending problem without peddling one of their big-bucks forwards. … So it's up to the Lightning forwards to outscore other teams. [Commissioner] Gary Bettman is giddy with that thought, because goals make the NHL world go round. In a division that is getting better balance every season, the Bolts have a screw loose if they think they can keep up without tightening up in goal. … Coach John Tortorella, who's tough on everybody, not just goalies, isn't the forgiving kind. … For want of a goalie, the Lightning will short out. - Ray Slover, The Sporting News

The Lightning have one of the best 1-2 punches in the NHL with Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, but the team seems to be treading water without a solid goaltender. Tampa Bay has the firepower to make the playoffs and probably will since it plays in the wide-open Southeast Division, but postseason success is too much to ask for. However, a trade for a better goaltending option during this season could dramatically change the outlook for this team. - Dan Di Sciullo, The Sports Network

Balance, or at least contributions, from those other than the dynamic duo and Brad Richards is imperative. Thus, the addition of free-agent center Chris Gratton. … The blue line is better than people think – even with the loss of Cory Sarich to Calgary – led by Dan Boyle. … Still, the Bolts' goaltending remains a question mark with no clear-cut No. 1, which undermines their aggressive, up-tempo style. Better play by anyone in goal (Marc Denis, John Holmqvist) and the Bolts will be tough in the Southeast. - Daren Elliot, Versus.com

The Lightning have proved to be a model franchise in a nontraditional market. Will new ownership, including bombastic Doug MacLean, return the Bolts to Cup contenders, or does this represent a period of managerial mayhem and decline? The Lightning will finish second in the Southeast Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference. - Scott Burnside, ESPN.com

With a goaltending situation more unsettled than Courtney Love competing on "Jeopardy" and a defense corps that scared only the coaches responsible for it any hopes Tampa harbors of winning a Cup seem at least one step beyond overly optimistic. Even if Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards achieve the improbable and triple-handedly get the Bolts back to the postseason, is there anyone with no relation to a team employee who believes the Lightning can win it all? I thought not. I've got the same feeling about this team as I did last season with the Flyers, and we all know how well their season turned out. - Adam Proteau, The Hockey News

The Lightning, already good on offence, bolstered the forward ranks by bring in Chris Gratton to aid on faceoffs and anchor the checking line and Jan Hlavac and Michel Ouelett to help Brad Richards create a second scoring line to complement Vinny Lecavalier, Vinny Prospal and Martin St. Louis. That makes the unit first rate. The defense is stable at the top four (or will be if Dan Boyle comes back from his wrist injury) and should get a wash with Brad Lukowich replacing Cory Sarich, who went to Calgary for free-agent cash. So the big question again is goaltending. Once again the question is will Marc Denis rebound or will Johan Holmqvist improve? - Jim Kelley, Rogers Sportsnet

GM Jay Feaster is still searching for an answer to the post-lockout departure of goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, which left a cavernous hole between the pipes in Tampa not to be adequately filled by the duo of Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis. Making matters even worse, power-play quarterback Dan Boyle suffered a freak injury when a skate fell on him in the Lightning locker room and severed tendons in his wrist. It's shaping up to be a very ugly season for the once-mighty Lightning. - Kevin Greenstein, Inside Hockey

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