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Bolts Could Open With 2 Rookies On Defense

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 30, 2007

Updated: 09/30/2007 12:12 am

DALLAS - There's an old saying about what happens when you assume.

So when it comes to trying to figure what Tampa Bay's roster will look like when submitted to the league on Tuesday, one should deduce very little about whether it will resemble the 20 players on the ice for Saturday's preseason finale, a 5-1 loss to Dallas.

On Saturday, the Lightning placed defenseman Bryce Lampman and forwards Kyle Wanvig and Mathieu Darche on waivers with the intention of assigning all three to the team's minor-league affiliate in Norfolk, Va. The moves put Tampa Bay below the maximum roster allotment of 23 players. Should they clear waivers after 48 hours, their assignments will become official Monday.

That leaves Tampa Bay with 21 healthy players on the roster, assuming Dan Boyle (wrist) and Ryan Craig (herniated disc) are placed on the injured list by Tuesday. But will the roster remain as it was Saturday by the time the Lightning open the season on Thursday against New Jersey?

Of the remaining bubble players - defensemen Doug Janik, Matt Smaby and Mike Lundin - entering Saturday's game, only Lundin has locked up a spot for opening night.

Nothing will be official until Tuesday, when rosters have to be formally turned in to the league. The coaching staff also will want to review the tape from Saturday's game before making any final decisions. The possibility of a waiver claim or a trade can't be ruled out, either, as other teams trim their rosters.

'The forward lines are very similar to what we forecasted in what we think,' Lightning coach John Tortorella said before Saturday's game. 'We will have some decisions to make once Ryan Craig comes back. Craig MacDonald has had a good camp and grinded through and deserves to start with us. ... The defense, we're still not sure about the defense. We have not figured out what that top six is going to be.'

With only a few days until the puck drops for real, it's not as if the roster is unsettled, but certain spots on the blue line continue to be up for grabs. Tortorella said Saturday he still intends to carry 20 active players into the season, though there continues to be internal debate about whether the team should carry 21.

With Boyle out of the lineup for up to a month after undergoing surgery to repair three severed tendons in his left wrist, it leaves a gaping hole on defense. Of the seven defensemen still with the team, two (Smaby and Lundin) are NHL rookies who have enjoyed solid training camps.

Tortorella said should the decision come down to having both in the lineup, he has no reservations about suiting up two rookies.

'If they deserve to be there, they will be there,' Tortorella said. 'It's an interesting dynamic to have two guys come in who haven't seen NHL hockey at all and trust them in those spots, but I think with our schedule we can spot 'em. It's not written in stone we have to go three pairs and play all six all the time during games. I think we can still try to give them the chance to be successful.

'But we'll see how it all plays out. For Smabs and Lundin, Saturday was another game for them to show their stuff, it's another game for Dougie Janik to show us some stuff.'

Even if the Lightning do dress a pair of rookies on the blue line or decide to dress seven defensemen, nothing is set in stone.

'I really believe that we can't get locked in and say this is our six,' Tortorella said. 'I think that's going to be evolving as we go through here until we see something settle down and we play regularly against National Hockey Leaguers. You have to remember that we have to play against regular players and then we can make a fairer determination that way.'

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835 or eerlendsson@tampatrib.com.

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