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Lightning Midseason Report

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 26, 2008

How Tampa Bay Ended Up Last In The East At The Break

1. The plight of Dan Boyle this season just about sums up how things have gone for Tampa Bay in the first half. From the moment an errant skate fell off its hook above Boyle's locker in September and severed three tendons in his wrist, the team must have felt like it has had a black cloud following it around. Boyle's absence was absorbed for the first quarter of the season, but as the season wore on, Tampa Bay's young core of defensemen wore down.

2. The only thing consistent about Tampa Bay's goaltending has been its inconsistency. While Johan Holmqvist appeared to have turned the corner and grabbled hold of the No. 1 job in November, it has been a battle to get back to that level. Marc Denis eventually was waived and reassigned to the minor leagues, and while heralded rookie Karri Ramo showed flashes of brilliance early, he hasn't done anything recently to show he is capable of handling the job.

3. The ownership situation, while not an excuse, has been a rain cloud over the franchise since the original deal was announced in August. The first bid, led by a group that included former Columbus general manager Doug Maclean, fell apart when the partnership was fractured, leading to the filing of a lawsuit. The franchise is now in the ultimate state of limbo, caught between owners and with little ability to plug holes via trades.

There has been little word leaked about the attempted purchase of the team by Hollywood producer Oren Koules since he entered an exclusive negotiating period with current owners Palace Sports and Entertainment in December. With no way to find a quick fix for their problems this year, where the team heads in the second half of the season could set up where the franchise ends up going in the next few years.

Can They Get Back Into The Race During The Final Stretch?

1. Considering how mediocre the Eastern Conference has been, and how awful the Southeast Division has been, to rule any team out of the playoffs at this point would be irresponsible. As it stands, heading into the final stretch of 32 games, Tampa Bay is seven points behind division-leading Carolina with two games in hand. If the Lightning can put together a winning streak coming out of the break, they are right back in the thick of things.

2. The loss of Dan Boyle for almost four months at the start of the season is well documented. But he returned Thursday, scoring a pair of goals in a losing effort. If Boyle gets back to All-Star form quickly, jump-starting a power play that has struggled and impacting the offense like he did Thursday, the Lightning can outscore teams to earn victories.

3. Should either Holmqvist or Ramo seize the No. 1 role by getting on a roll, a consistent backstop would give Tampa Bay the confidence it has been desperately seeking in net. A team's momentum is only as good as its goaltending in the next game. A string of good games by either goaltender could make Tampa Bay a dangerous and confident team.

Reality Of The Situation

1. Reaching the playoffs is a difficult task at this point, with the number of teams the Lightning would have to vault to get back into the frame, let alone the picture. And even if this team does climb back in the race, there is little belief that it would be able to advance past the first round.

2. With a daunting task in front of them, the Lightning appear to have a plan in place to deal with how they will approach the second half of the season, particularly as it relates to the Feb. 26 trade deadline. With the team in last place in the conference and next-to-last in the league, it will almost certainly start looking to trade some of its players to bring in some assets to help rebuild the franchise.

3. General Manager Jay Feaster commented this week on a blog for The Hockey News that the team has not decided whether it will be a buyer or seller at the trade deadline. But considering the number of team executives - notably representatives from Dallas, Chicago and Phoenix - who have been showing up to watch the Lightning in recent weeks, maybe Tampa Bay has already begun informing other teams of the direction its expects to take.

In addition, Feaster was in Edmonton, Alberta, this week to scout the Top Prospects game - which features the top draft-eligible players in Canadian junior hockey - before heading to Prince George, British Columbia, to look at the team's top pick from 2007, forward Dana Tyrell.

Tampa Bay has a handful of players up for contract renewals at the end of the season who might bring a nice return in a trade, notably Vinny Prospal, Chris Gratton and Dan Boyle, who might command a salary in the $6 million-plus range if he reaches the free-agent market.

"At some point, you do have to be a realist," Feaster said. "But one thing I've never believed is that you trade players at the deadline because you feel you can't re-sign them or will have difficulty getting them signed. We've always approached it as let's run it hot and see where things take us. Now the reality is, we haven't won the Stanley Cup the last two years and we haven't advanced past the first round. Now those assets leave and you get nothing for it, and the only thing you get back is the cap space.

"So, from the standpoint of where we go, I think we need to be realistic and come the trade deadline Feb. 26, if we have not made a dent, then we have to say that we need to make sure we are not going to lose assets without anything in return."

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