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Bolts' Lawton Makes A Splash

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

eerlendsson@tampatrib.com

Published: March 5, 2009

TAMPA - The short-term effects resulting from trade deadline day transactions pain the Lightning. General Manager Brian Lawton hopes the long-term effects result in gain.

In his first crack at making a deadline day splash Wednesday, Lawton instead took a more conservative - and somewhat controversial - approach in three deals. One saw an expected player dealt - Mark Recchi to Boston - while Lawton surprisingly moved defenseman Steve Eminger, arguably the team's top defenseman since being acquired from Philadelphia, to Florida. Tampa Bay also saved some significant salary in an eyebrow-raising move, sending injured players Olie Kolzig and Jamie Heward along with minor-league defenseman Andy Rogers and a fourth-round pick to Toronto for minor-league defenseman Richard Petiot in a move that Lawton simply described as "salary cap management."

By keeping intact the core group - Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Ryan Malone, goaltender Mike Smith, Steven Stamkos, Paul Ranger and Andrej Meszaros along with veterans such as Jeff Halpern and Vinny Prospal, both of whom were rumored to be on the move - Lawton said he likes the look of the roster moving forward.

"This isn't necessarily a 30th-place team like it was last year or a 28th-place team like we have this year, there is a lot more here than people realize," Lawton said. "I'm pretty optimistic about it, and when you talk about the names above, that is the base, and they are players who have been successful and will be successful in the future and it's up to the management team now, it's up to the coaching staff to get the most out of them and to go out and supplement the guys that we have."

That process started with the acquisitions of defenseman Matt Lashoff and forward Martins Karsums in the deal that sent Recchi and a 2010 second-round pick to Boston. Lawton said the team's scouting staff believes Lashoff, a 22-year-old former first-round pick in 2005, is a top-four defenseman in the making with offensive upside. Karsums, 23, was a 2004 second-round pick of Boston who has 50 goals and 139 points in 176 career games in the American Hockey League.

Karsums, who made his NHL debut in December, is expected to be at practice today while Lashoff is suffering from a cut to his leg and likely won't be available for up to 10 days.

While moving Eminger, who has logged No. 1 defensive minutes because of all the injuries to Tampa Bay's defense, will deliver a blow to the Lightning blue line, Lawton said Eminger likely wouldn't have been back next year. Eminger is set to be a restricted free agent and Lawton said he discussed a contract extension with Eminger's agent for the past week but couldn't come to an agreement. Because of Eminger's play and the fact he has arbitration rights, the former first-round draft pick would likely have landed a hefty raise on his $1.2 million on his performance this year.

With Eminger now gone and Ranger and Meszaros out the rest of the year following successful shoulder surgery Tuesday, the Lightning blue line will be thin the final 18 games of the season, even with Noah Welch (and a third-round draft pick) coming from the Panthers in the Eminger deal.

Reporter Erik Erlendsson can be reached at (813) 259-7835.

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