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Feaster: Bolts Need To Make Pick No. 62 A Good One

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

OTTAWA - Lightning general manager Jay Feaster has been working the phones in hopes of collecting a second-round pick for the start of today's second-day festivities at the NHL entry draft.

As of late Friday, those efforts had been fruitless as the Lightning try to replace the second-round pick they traded to Florida last year for C Chris Gratton.

So Feaster had a message for his scouts when it comes to making a selection with the 62nd overall pick, the first pick of the third round.

"I think it's real important that we approach this pick at No. 62, that's the one that has to take our time and attention' and that's the pick we have to be certain of," Feaster said. "We think there are going to be quite a few possibilities on the board at that time and we need to make sure we've done our homework and looked at everything and we've really vetted all of those guys. So our job at No. 62 is to make sure we are drafting an NHL player there."

Feaster referred back to the last time the Lightning held the first pick overall in 1998 and selected Vinny Lecavalier. In the third round of that draft, Tampa Bay found C Brad Richards, who went on to become a Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

"I'm not putting the pressure on them to go out and draft a Brad Richards, but we need to make sure the guy we pick in the third round is going to be a National Hockey League player," Feaster said. "Then we can look back at this draft and say it was a really good draft."

In addition to its third-round pick, Tampa Bay also owns a fifth-round pick, two sixths and two seventh-round selections.

FREE SPEECH: New Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie had a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday to discuss exactly how much latitude the ownership group is going to have when it comes to making personnel moves or public appearances in the coming days. The team wants to be able to introduce a new coach and meet with season ticket-holders before the start of the July 1 free-agency period.

The league, however, has been keeping any announcements under wraps until the deal officially closes, likely sometime before the end of the month.

But with Koules and Barrie on stage with the team's front-office staff and Koules announcing the selection of Steven Stamkos with the first pick, the league has relaxed its stance somewhat. That means the Lightning might be on the verge of making the rumored hiring of Barry Melrose as head coach official as soon as next week.

MORE NEW BLOOD: Former player agent and overall No. 1 pick Brian Lawton was spotted on Friday speaking with Koules and Barrie at the Westin Hotel in downtown Ottawa.

Lawton, who was selected by the Minnesota North Stars first overall at the 1983 draft, left the agent business earlier this year in the hopes of landing a general manager's position in the league. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on its Web site that Lawton has been speaking with a couple of teams, but is not in the running for any job in Tampa, and hopes to make a decision next week.

Erik Erlendsson

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