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Feaster Expects Trade Talks To Continue

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 21, 2008

Feaster Expects Trade Talks To Continue

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Lightning general manager Jay Feaster left three days of meetings with his fellow GMs in Naples on Wednesday confident he will be busy in the days leading up to Tuesday's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

"I would think there's going to be activity on our end," he said.

Feaster said he tried to contact as many general managers before heading to Naples in order to establish some communication. Those he couldn't make contact with ahead of time, he was able to speak with during the meetings. Either way, Feaster feels enough leg work was accomplished in the three days and expects conversations to continue.

"It was certainly productive from the standpoint of having an opportunity to talk with a number of managers and catching up with some guys who I haven't been able to get in touch with," he said.

One thing which Feaster had a hard time digesting was the amount of media in attendance and how quickly rumors began to hit the airwaves and Web pages, the most prominent of which was that C Brad Richards' name was being circulated as being on the block. Canadian television station TSN took it one step further Wednesday, airing a report claiming incoming owner Oren Koules has instructed Feaster to inquire as to what he could get in return for Richards, who has a no-trade clause. The mentioned teams that have shown interest include Edmonton, Calgary, Columbus, Vancouver and Montreal.

"It's an unfortunate aspect of our business," he said of the rumor mill. "It was like the locusts had descended."

The Dallas Stars are one team that has been scouting Tampa Bay heavily recently, and they were represented again Wednesday.

LUKOWICH SURGERY: D Brad Lukowich, who has been out since Feb. 9, will miss an additional three to four weeks following surgery to repair a sports hernia. Lukowich, who was placed on injured reserve, flew to Germany and is scheduled to have the procedure performed Friday by the same surgeon who operated on former Lightning D Nolan Pratt last year for the same injury.

The surgery is less invasive than the traditional procedure done in North America and cuts the recovery time in half.

Feaster said there are no plans to call up a defenseman from Norfolk.

QUICK IN COURT: Lightning prospect D Kevin Quick was arraigned in Ann Arbor, Mich., court Tuesday, charged with identity theft for allegedly stealing a teammate's bank account number to pay off credit card debt, according to the Ann Arbor News. The paper said he faces five to seven years in prison if convicted.

Quick, a third-round pick in 2006, was dismissed from the University of Michigan hockey team earlier this month before signing a tryout contract with Tampa Bay's affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals. He has yet to appear in a game.

NUTS AND BOLTS: LW Vinny Prospal played in his 384th game with the Lightning, 10th-most in franchise history. ... C Andreas Karlsson was a healthy scratch.

Erik Erlendsson

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