Talk about Taylor

It's just too bad for Tim Taylor that his career could end with surgery to correct his degenerative right hip. That's no way for anyone to go out.

I like Taylor, a terrific guy, but some mail I've gotten this week (and one really harsh letter in particular) was intent on body-slamming the Lightning captain not only for his play last season but for his work as captain. In a nutshell, the writer wondered who named him captain in the first place (coach John Tortorella and GM Jay Feaster) and that Taylor could not lead AT ALL because of his injury and the fact that he played on the fourth line.

I grant you Taylor's ineffective season on the ice made captaining somewhat tougher. But the guy was great in the locker room. I know that doesn't mean much to most. It is not a part of the game that gets much publicity. But in this case it is worth mentioning.

Taylor worked very hard throughout the year, but especially early, to make sure all the players felt part of the team. That was a big chore as the team started with nine new faces. It also was important given what Rob DiMaio said at the beginning of the year, that when he first came back to the team in the 2005-06 season, he was not comfortable. The Lightning, which had so little turnover after the Cup season, was a bit of a closed society and not as welcoming of a newcomer as it might have been.

Hockey, a truly team sport, is one of the few sports where locker room harmony can have a great effect on how a team plays, so Taylor was proactive. He organized team-wide functions as early as training camp, made sure everyone always was involved. It worked, and it was fun to watch the locker room become pretty tight by mid season. Of course, the resurgence on the ice helped, but a good vibe in the locker room didn't hurt, either. Taylor also was pro-active when it came to talking to slumping players and as a liaison between the players and the coaches.

And don't forget that after Taylor's second cortisone shot, he played his best hockey of the season. And though he did not have a point, he had an even plus-minus, won 53 percent of his faceoffs and averaged 12:01 of ice time. That after averaging 7:55 of ice time in the regular season. Playing well through injury is a leadership.

So, yeah, Taylor had a tough season overall. But after watching him last season continue to be involved off the ice, I believe he was the perfect choice to be captain. And that is why Feaster said this when asked if Taylor had a spot waiting on the roster if he can recover from surgery that may happen in September and could have him on the ice by February if things go really well: "No one in this organization is prepared to close the door on Tim Taylor being able to come back from this. We all recognize the odds are tremendous and stacked against him, but if anybody can do it, Tim Taylor can. Tim Taylor is a hockey warrior. He's an old-school kind of guy, so he's absolutely welcome.''

By the way, I'm taking a 10-day vacation to recharge a bit before the season, so there might not be much on the blog until the last week of August. Thanks for all your contributions.         

Comments

[mbab]

let em go out with class......whatever happen to the old adage....don't kick a man when he is down......shame shame......

[Another Joe]

Bolts are doing the right thing. However, from what ive read I dont expect a 38 year old to come back from that kind of injury. Hope im wrong but I think thats just reality.

[Nan]

I agree. Tim is a class act and is well respected by his teammates. He deserves the recognition and the honor of keeping the captaincy. I wish him the best of luck with his surgery and post op recovery.

[Debbie]

What kind of idiot slams a guy when he's down? What idiot doesnt see what Timmy has done for the team? I think he's a wonderful captain, and deserves every opportunity to come back after surgery.

My only complaint about him is that he didnt think of having the surgery earlier so he could get back on the ice earlier.

It would suck if this is the end before he says he's done.

[Mike in Bangkok]

Tim Taylor has always been a class act. I've seen his career well before the was a Bolt and no one has ever given more of himself on the ice. He's played with some truly horrible injuries, that would make most fall, and done so without a wimper or fuss.

Good luck with the surgery, Tim, and even more importantly, the recovery. I've had both hips replaced and know what the pain was before that. Every day, I play tennis after the recovery. If anyone can come back, you can.

[Lightning rod]

Damian. I think you should post that e-mail(s) for all to see. You don't have to disclose who the sender(s) was; but I for one would like to read and comment on this issue.

Respect and tradition are some of the greatest parts of Hockey. TT has my respect, for what he has done in his entire career, and especially for what he has done here. I remember the team, before TT and Dave; and the changes that they helped bring about, which gave us a CUP and a playoff team. To me and I suspect a lot of other Lightning fans, the "what have you done for me lately" attitude of some reflects that they don't know nor understand the core traditions of the game, both on and off of the ice.

[74]

This is a buisness. Andreychuk was a nice guy too, but, when times up it's up. Taylor and Dimaio were both ineffective before their injuries! The team should move on. There is plenty of leadership within the room without Taylor. Assign a captain and start a new era under new ownership, stop glorifying 2004. It's in the past!

[Steve]

Taylor was a great addition a few years ago and provided valuable leadership when the team really needed it. I do think it is time to name a new captain though, as his return seems unlikely (at least this year and most likely going forward).

[Mike13]

Washington playedf without a captain for a while, so why not the Bolts. After all, it did wonders for them. Sarcasm aside, I think the world of Mr Taylor. He is a geniune guy and was a great leader off the ice. But this team needs leaders on the ice too. We have them and this year, 3 of them will be wearing A's.

It may be good enough. It may not. Something to keep an eye on for sure. I would suggest that if Tim is ineffective in the room and the team is struggling with following the leaders on the ice, that Mr. Feaster and Tortorella at least consider making Marty or Brad the captain. With the maturity that Vinny showed last year, he might not be such a bad choice either.

[Joe]

At some future time when Tim hangs up his skates, the question of the captaincy will resurface. It is interesting to note that most teams prefer the coach and/or GM select the captain, and, recently, some teams have experimented with rotating captaincies. There was a time, however, when many teams allowed the players selected their own captain.

I believe this idea to be attractive. And, at the very least, I'd like to see the players provided with an opportunity to offer some meaningful input regarding the captaincy question.

[Lightning rod]

Yes, it's a business, but that's exactly my point. It's good business to show respect for and stand-by someone who has helped your business grow/improve. That's what I do in my business; and, it pays dividends, outside being the right thing to do. Hockey, like any sport, is a stuff business. However, saying "it's a business", and thereby implying that tossing aside a player, who by the way has earned the right to wear the C on his shirt, and has helped your team and business, is not a good message to be sending to the people who are still working/playing for you. In fact, acting callus and stupid is the way some companies and sports teams conduct their business; but that doesn't make it good business, nor does it make it right.

The team has decided to go with 3 guys, with an A on their shirt. To me it's the best move; and shows respect for Taylor while he tries to get back from surgery. I don't believe that anything is lost or put at risk by doing it this way. The 3 A's are in effect 3 C's, from my point of view. If Taylor doesn't come back, which appears likely, there is plenty of time to decide who should wear the C, or to rotate it.

Even hurt, Taylor won well over 50% of his face-offs last year. He would have won more; but he was tossed out of the circle more than previous years, which I believe was a result of trying to compensate for his injury. Good face-off men are hard to find; and, if Taylor can come back, he could be a bonus in a late season run. Ron Francis made a great career out of winning face-offs (in part), especially in his final years. Even though I think he's a bonehead, Chris Gratton has become a very good face-off man. It remains to be seen, if the team has someone to take Taylor's place in the circle, and also the one player to wear the C.

[Another Joe]

Id prefer to have boyle as the Captain. Let Vinny,Marty, and Brad just worry about scoring goals and keep them A's!

[mbab]

great idea....name boyle captain!!!....then when he is a free agent next year he will feel guilty leaving for more money!!!!!and our salary capped team will pull off a fast one!!!!do you think his agent will see through our devious plot???

[74]

Ron Francis made a career out of scoring. Would you really like to see a young player like Blair Jones lose a year because hobbled Tim Taylor is a nice guy? Give me a break! I don't think he needs the Eric Perrin treatment, but, this team is bulit to win now. They can't be taking on passengers.

[mbab]

grim but true comments by "74",.. in a tough business environment tough choices have to be made....ain't for the faint of heart....i respect taylor but feel he is almost 100% for sure done.....if they are carrying money out of respect..i would cut my losses....i wasn't aware of that scenario though

[JB]

Thanks for the insight into the behind-the-scenes Tim Taylor. I still remember his antics while the Senators beat us in the '06 playoffs, hiding Emery's first playoff victory puck. Great Captain move before he was even a Captain, to be topped later only by himself in returning the puck to the guy when the battle was over. Here's hoping he can recover. This team definitely needs leadership.

[George P Burdell]

I doubt that Tim Taylor is coming back from this, which is too bad. He always played with that slightly dirty edge that someone on the team needed. I thought he was the perfect choice for the C last season. Maybe not so much this year, but I'm not in that locker room, so I can't comment on that. If you want to see what Taylor meant to that team, go back to the Cup ceremony in 2004, and see who the first person Dave handed the cup to was. Good luck to Tim on the rehab.

[Lightning rod]

Yes, Francis was much more of a total package, than Taylor could ever be. Again, that was not my main point. Taylor, until last year, was a critical face-off man, and his career has been extended by that talent. Critical face-off wins are an overlooked, but significant part of the game. Vinny has greatly improved in this area, but Brad sucked last year in the circle. That covers lines 1 and 2. Gratton will center for 3 or 4, and he is now a good face-off guy. I don't see anyone else on the existing and potential roster, that's is even close to a guy like Taylor. Is there someone that I have missed? If I haven't, then the team has a hole at the center/face-off position.

The point about Taylor taking up cap. space is well taken; but the team can cross that bridge when and if a guy like Jones forces the team to make that decision. Taylor has proven himself, and players like Jones are pure speculation at this point. I guess that I just don't understand the thought process of let's shoot Taylor or the underperforming pit bull in the head, and get it over with.

[mbab]

i am not a doctor....or a magic man....but at his age....it would take a miracle to come back...again, if he is taking up any cap space at all i hope the bolts have the savvy, courage and "wisdom".. to cut him.....it might be a tough call...it might be an unpopular call.....but in a salary cap world you have to do what is best for the "team".....personally i thought they gave captain dave a little to much on the way out the door.....that will stir up killer wasp comments....but this team could of thrown him a heck of a bash and used the going away present to buy another decent 3rd or 4th line player....it was a nice gesture by feaster and company for capt dave.....but when the next comment out of their mouths was we are up against the cap....i don't know how wise that gesture was...i have my bullet proof vest ready for the next 10 comments....

[mbab]

looked up the captain dave scenario....he was a 662,500 cap hit the year after he was done.....a million different opinions on how that money could of been used last year....for me...it could of been used on a active "player"....i know i know i know....but i don't think dave would of held the lightning to the fire if they would of asked him to retire....heck he did retire!!!he just got paid to retire.....the big russian could of been had for that little piece of change....anyway always like to stir the pot....

[goldenbolt]

To your surprise mbab I'm in agreement. The gesture was nice but we could have used the money for something to play. There was a tesr in the eye when Andy hoisted the Cup and started his little dance around the ice. That was the curtain call in my opinion - smart player yes but the year off and change of game speed was the nail in the coffin for his career. Feast and Co. paid a two year price for the cup, but many teams would have loved to spend 1.4 mil or so to get a cup.

I read today that the bolts are looking to bring Kubina back to sunny florida. I just wish the hockeybuzz world would get off the bring back the 04 team. We need the 07/08 version. This will be a year of testing for the org while in transition. My target is conference finals for a measure. Reality, unless goaltending / defence improve first round struggle for the 3rd year in a row.

[Lightning rod]

MB and GB, I understand your point of view, and agree there are holes that need to be filled. Taylor coming back is a long shot, at best. Sad but probably true; but giving him a shot to do so is not, as some have stated, "holding on to the past". It's not that cut and dry. Taylor, even hurt, helped the team last year in the face-off circle. He is under contract, and he has stated that he wants to try and come back after his surgery. It is my understanding that, until he says I'm retiring, all or part of his salary counts again the salary cap. If he is cut, I believe that a % of his salary still counts against the cap. If I am wrong on these points, someone please enlighten me. I, also, think that is the case for DiMaio.

If Taylor can come back, say in February or March, and play 4 to 7 minutes a game on the 3rd and/or 4th lines, along with winning 50% plus of his face-offs, it could be significant factor, during the push for a playoff position. What up and coming player on the team's current roster has the potential to fill that hole? Also until Taylor is ready to come back, the team has a spot to look at and evaluate a variety of young players. The team could fill his spot at the trade deadline, if he is not ready or retires. Respect aside, I believe the team has made the best move, given the facts and circumstances at hand.

Another factor, that might be in this mix, relates to teams carrying salary insurance policies, for players that are injured for extended periods. These ins. policies cover all or part of an injured players salary, after a certain # of days. Some teams have blanket policies that cover nearly every player, while others cover only top players, like Vinny. I have been told that the Lightning have this type of insurance; but I don't know which kind it is nor the extent of it.

When Dave was given a 2 year deal after the CUP year, neither he nor the team had any idea of, nor could anyone predict, the impacts of what was going to happen over the next 2 years. The combined rule changes and the lock-out then occurred. I know Dave for the proud and honorable man that he is; and, had he known, he would have chosen a different path. I don't think there is a fan out there, that would not agree that Dave deserved the choice of retiring on his own terms, after winning the CUP. He chose not to retire, and the team gave him a 2 year deal. His leadership, along with the fact that he and the team felt he still had something to contribute on the ice, were the main factors in his new contract. The results, of the later rule changes and lock-out impacts, no one could foresee, unless of course you're mbab.

[Satch]

MB, my old buddy! Haven't we already gone over the "cut" thing?

NHL contracts are guaranteed. Period!

I guess I wasn't very clear. Let me try again! If the Lightning decide to hand TT his walking papers they are still responsible for paying the remainder of his contract and it still counts against the cap. That would NOT give the team any money to spend elsewhere.

The deadline has passed for the team to buy him out. That left them with no options. They pay the contract and it counts against the cap. However, if a player is injured and misses a certain amount of time, (exact days I don't know) the NHL gives them a break on their cap and doesn't count their salary against the cap while they are out. That allows a team tight against the cap to call up a replacement who then fits under the cap. The team still pays the salary to the injured player but gets an adjusted break (depending on games lost due to injury) as far as the NHL cap number.

TT's likely to be out for some time and as an injured player, his salary won't count against the NHL cap figure. Nevertheless, the Bolts are required by the rules to pay his salary while injured. Once again, NHL contracts are guaranteed. The only to break the deal is if the player doesn't live up to his agreement as in the case of a holdout. Then the team has the right to withhold salary until the player shows up.

The fantasy of saving money by "cutting" a player is just that. Fantasy. It's no where near the reality of the rules.

I believe there are rules in the CBA also about releasing, or waiving, injured players. Even if not, the team is required, by rules, to pay the salary they owe. As an injured player, I don't believe TT can be put on waivers. Even if he could be placed on the wire, no one would pick up a player his age facing possible career ending surgery. If they did, the Bolts are still required to pay half his salary and that half would count against the cap. What sense does that make?

Same goes for Andy. The Bolts signed the deal as such, were committed to paying it. As LROD said, who could have forseen a year lockout and new rules. They were on the hook for the money already and it's my opinion the Bolts did their best to handle the situation with respect and dignity. I feel it's the same way they are handling TT's situation.

MB, you may very well disagree with me on those points. Actually, from what you stated, you do. Hey, we all have a right to our opinions. I have no problem with that. But to suggest where Andy's money should have been spent is silly. The team was on the hook for the cash. Period. Hockey contracts are guaranteed remember? To suggest cutting TT and spending money elsewhere is every bit as ludicrous. The money is guaranteed.

Have all the opinions you want but they would have more affect if they were based in fact, not fantasy.

It's well past time for a buyout and simply "cutting" a player gives a team no respite from their contractual responsibility.

[74]

Look, I like Tim Taylor. He WAS a quality player. All I'm saying is that the Bolts need to start looking for the next Tim Taylor, Pavel Kubina or Brad Lukowich instead of depending on these guys to rediscover past magic. It's a philosophy that rarely pays off, if ever. Feaster always brings up '04. He has to move on. I hope I'm wrong!

[Satch]

You are absolutely correct 74! 04 is done and gone. We will forever hold the memories in our hearts. But this is 07/08. Time to move forward.

TT's time is likely up. As much as I hope he recovers enough to contribute, his potential contribution is, for now, being a veteran voice. What he can offer later is unknown. We'll all know that several months from now.

Kubina? Good God!! Read hockeybuzz all you want as long as you remember it's rumors. Rumors are even more available than opinions. And we already know the story on those. To reaquire that guy would be team suicide. He eats up almost every penny left under the cap and leaves no leeway for a mid season trade.

As for Luk! I think that was a great move. he comes fairly cheap. He has a history here. Players and coaches like him. And.............he comes to us as a better and more mature player than he was when he helped us win a cup! All he has to do is take his shift with the 3rd pairing. How can anyone not like that?

I understand your main point 74. It's time to move along. It's always time to move forward. That's a fact of life. That being said..........

I wish the best for TT. With all due respect, he will be replaced. It's a business.

I, for one, am very happy to see Luk back! How can anyone not like a 3rd shift d-man like him?

Kubina? Fugetaboutit!!!!!

It makes much better sense to hand 3 mil of his 5 mil salary to resign Boyle and then maybe spend a mil or 2 on another vet (pratt?) to fill out the top 6. Toronto can keep Kubina and his 5 mil a year.

Who's crying now?

[mbab]

satchamo.....i wish i could cut and paste but i do not know how....already typed this at length for you and everyone else but satch....you must of overlooked it.......players can be bought out of their contract/cut...however you want to word it....teams can get out of a contract....here are the CBA facts....again i might add.....if a player is younger than 26 you can buy out his contract/cut him and you have to pay him 1/3 of his contract and you get to spread that 1/3 over two years....satch these are 110% facts...if the player is 26 or older you have to pay 2/3 and again you get 2 years to pay that 2/3.....satch get on the internet and read about yashin and the nyisles....this is exactly what they did.....are they stupid???according to you they are.....the way i see it....they are cutting their losses on a player they feel is over paid and can not help them.....satch, many teams are doing this little manuever...but not our lightning....and also i find no deadline anywhere in the CBA...you keep saying they are past the deadline....there was an original deadline set for the first year....and it is clearly spelled out for the first year only...but satch again you are missing the "message" they can do it...if there is a deadline and they missed it shame on them......BUT THEY DO HAVE OPTIONS SATCH....also anyone over 35 when he signs his contract has different rules....the buyout is in effect the same way...but you get no help with the cap......i do not know for sure when taylor signed his contract with us and if he could be cut with cap aide or not...is everyone following this....but satch for about the 10th time....you absolutely...positively...can get out of a contract if you want.....and lots and lots of nhl GM's are doing it.....you are not just stuck with your lemon satch....HEADLINES from 6-6-2007...get on the internet and read...please... islanders buy out yashin's remaining 4 year 26 mil contract...they buy it out for like 17.8 million....which is spread out for "8 years" or 2.2 million per year.....so follow me here....they do lose the 2.2 million but they save like 4.4 million per year to spend!!!!!!!!can someone help me with this because it is 110% the truth and it is SMART NHL BUSINESS....but about every three weeks satch brings it back up as heresay....satchamo i gotta love ya but you are one stubborn dude!!!the cba is all over the internet gang...i am not this good at making stuff up...
and last but not least...satch you once again have crushed my feelings with slander....signing off.... idiot mike

[mbab]

there is a "buy-out" period from what i read....from the last stanley cup game thru june 30... but their is also a provision for 3 additonal buyouts during the cba per team....so you can let a person go under the 1/3 or 2/3 rules.... but you can do no more than 3 outside of the 15 day or so window after the stanleycupfinals....yashin leclair amonte turgeon holik audette guerin...all of these are players who were making lots of money and were buyout victims....if denis fails miserably this year....i hope not....he will certainly be a canditate to "cut our losses"....it is smart business....just my humble opinion...just trying to do my homework so not to get anymore scoldings from satch.....my man!!!

[Lightning rod]

Kubina. If they bring him back, I'll join the mob for the hanging of any of the people responsible. Let's meet at the yellow lightning bolts in the plaza.

Last year, I watched him at a Toronto pre-season game, where he absolutely went out of his way and blind-sided a player. He skated 20 ft. and leveled the guy with a 2 handed cross-check to the head and neck. He got 20 or 30 minutes in penalties, and got kicked out of the game. The only reason, that I could figure out, was that on the previous shift he had been made to look bad on a play where the other team scored. It was worse than some of the stupid stuff that he did here. Boy Oh Boy did he look slow in that game. Stupid and slow are not what we need on defense.

Yashin, what the heck does that have to do with Taylor? Taylor has had a real career, while Yashin's has been only a side show.

All the dialogue about Taylor really comes down to what do you gain and lose, by letting him go now. In my view, the team loses much more than it could possibly gain; and no one here has specifically detailed for me, a real upside for doing it. All I have heard is that "it's a stuff business", some as yet unproven player could take his place, we gain salary space, other teams are dumping old and/or unwanted (Yashin) players and the Lightning should do the same as it appears to be the current "smart" thing to do, etc., etc.

The past is the past viewpoint, doesn't make the grade either. Don't you think that the other players on the team are watching how the Taylor situation is being handled. When a good player leaves for more money elsewhere, there is the usual hew and cry of "greedy player", "he's ungrateful", and " owes us" for the opportunity he was given here. In the next breath, you hear the howl "off with his head", under the guise of it's business, we have to win now, and the "past is the past". Treat Taylor like he was a "side of beef"; and more players will leave to get more money, when they get the chance. Do the right thing, and more will stay than go. That's good business.

Taylor should be shown the respect that he has earned, and the team is in fact doing that. I agree that the team should consider other common sense alternatives, but only if there is a real upside. All that I have heard and read, from the "off with his head" side, is just plain BS.

[Mike13]

TT only makes $500K. There is absolutely NO SENSE in buying him out. For that kind of money, Feaster is doing the right thing.

If TT was making $5,000K then it's a totally different story. But he's not.

[mbab]

Mike13 i think you cut to the chase....tim taylor isn't making enough money to make a huge difference....but i would think that every team has to consider these type of scenarios....i go back to roy making a million....when we let perin go for peanuts i for one think they would have been better off buying out roy and using the "savings" to sign a decent nhl player....roy is a side show....denis will be a huge question mark if he plays like he did last year...do wee pay him 3.2 million next year to be a back up goalie or do you cut your loses like the cba clearly allows you to do???this was the point of my blog and how tt and capt dave got into that conversation....and....all of these conversations by the way come up because of extreme tightness of salary cap....you can scoff at 250k here or 250k there ....but when you are publicly pinching pennies i would be looking for a nickel or a dime here and there.......and my last thought...lrod...in a perfect world there would be tons of loyality.....but i don't think there is much loyality to ownership from the players or owners ....the new cba has made it a very much dog eat dog world.....sorry but i think just about everything from now on has to be a "business decision"....tim taylor was paid for when he played....he has little chance of returning as an asset.....do we owe it to him to carry him....no matter how little the money???somehow if tim comes back and is 110% healthy i don't think he will be loyal to the lightning if he gets a better offer from detroit....the shake up of the lightning roster this year was very clear on loyality from both sides.....none...

[Satch]

mbab!! I love ya brother!!

i'm not trying to scold you or crush your feelings with slander. i think what we have here is a failure to communicate and a different opinion of the rules. You say cut, I say buyout. Semantics. But since you like to read the rules, here's what they say.

First of all, i fully understand a buyout. i understand the advantages to a franchise and why it's exercised. in many cases it makes all the sense in the world.

in taylors case it doesn't. same as in roys case.

let's both be clear on the rules here. after the signing of the cba, everyteam in the league had a window of opportunity to buy out as many contracts as they chose. after that window closed, teams still had the option to by out 3 additional contracts during the course of this cba which i believe is 5 or 6 yrs. i could be wrong about the length of that but i'm sure you will straighten me out on that if i am.

nevertheless, there is a definite time period for teams to exercise that right. as for this year i understood it was june 28. you mentioned the 30th but who's gonna cry about 2 days. after that day, teams do NOT have the option to buy out anyone. once that expiration day goes by, teams can't simply "cut" a player and have cap relief of any kind. if the player has a 2 way deal, they can option them to the minors but TT has a 1 way deal, as he should.

that's all I was trying to say. teams have rules to follow and just can't cut players at will whenever they want and get cap relief.

now that that's out of the way.

lrod and mike13 have made excellent points. mike13 from a financial point of view and lrod from more of a moral point of view.

buyout tt and what do you save? ok so you have another 200k to spend. i guess we could sign luongo with that!

lrod made an even greater point. do you think other players are watching how the team will handle this? buyout TT and open a serious can of worms. it's a public relations disaster waiting to happen. forget about what fans might think. what would his teamates think about their injured captain being done like that?

buying out tt makes absolutely no sense at all.

buying out roy makes no sense either. i thought we went through this before didn't we? roy will make a mil this year. the lightning are only responsible for half that. both in dollars out and nhl cap space. they picked him up from the penguins off waivers. the pens, as a result of the new waiver rules, have to pay 1/2 of his contract and that 1/2 not only comes out of their pocket, it counts against their cap. if the bolts decided to buy roy out, because he is now their property, they would have to buy out his ENTIRE contract. at that point pit is off the hook and the buyout is entirely the responsibility of the lightning. why in hell would the lightning pay this guy a lump sum of 666k to walk when they could keep him on the roster for 500k? makes absolutely no sense.

on the other hand, i am absolutely with you on the denis thing. hard to believe huh? well, hey. you are 100% correct. denis just came off his worst nhl year and is eating up some serious cap money. unless we see a complete 180 from this guy, it makes all the sense in the world to cut our losses and look forward. we can deal with that next off season.

and you, mbab, are also correct on the cap making this a dog eat dog league. it's ugly, but fact.

that brings me to lrod. it's clear you don't like the "business" talk. with all due respect, (to steal from sb - where the hell is he anyway?) "it is what it is." i'm in complete agreement with you as far as the handling of tt. when I said he will be replaced, well.......he will. it's extremely unlikely he can start the season with the team and almost as likely he won't play before the end of the year. someone has to move in and take the roster spot. when i say that, it's not in disrespect to tt. just an ugly reality. i'm in total agreement with you in the fact a buyout is insane and in also hoping he can lace em up again.

[Lightning rod]

I own and run a business; and I made the hard decision last Friday to let someone go, who had worked for me for almost 8 yrs. How you handled it is part of my point. If Denis doesn't contribute this year, I will say "off with his head", that is trade him, buy him out, send him to the minors if they can.

In TT's case, I see no upside in doing what some have suggested (off with his head). I only see a huge downside; and not one comment that I have read over the last week indicates otherwise. Yes, hockey is a business; but handling a tough situation like TT's doesn't mean that you can't handle it with respect and dignity. Especially, toward a player/person who contributed to your organization; and, in his case, a player who helped elevate your team (at one time "the worst in the NHL") to the highest level that can be achieved (winning the CUP). It was/is a very special and rare achievement.

I hoped, like everyone else, that the Lightning would become a playoff team, and one day win the CUP. Deep down I never thought that it was possible/realistic, as I knew how hard and rare a feat it is. As I write this, I have a reminder, of how special that time was, reflecting back at me from the wall of this room, where 5 framed pictures hang. They are Dave and I on either side of the CUP holding it, Dave passing it to me, holding it over my head, me passing it to my son, and my son and his best friend holding it.

I know, when some people read this, they will say "he's stuck in the past"; but that's not true. Having a winning team now is important to me. Respect, dignity, and recognition of achievement are also important. To me, TT deserves all of that.

[Lightning rod]

Sarasota Bill where are you?

[SarasotaBill]

L Rod!! Been away for awhile. Trying to adjust to a very different business environment and setting a course for the future. Kinda funny, you and I have more in common than you might think. I'm a residential mortgage broker by trade however about 3 - 4 years ago I got involved with several commercial investors, land developers, builders , etc, and I was able to aquire, limited as it may be, a different outlook on commercial property values. The value of dirt is one thing, the value of what it can become is another and I'm pretty convinced Sherrin knows what's there and can't stop licking his chops.

Enough of that, let's talk about Taylor!

I don't want to restate everything said here because it makes no sense. Here's what I think.

To even suggest the Bolts buyout Tim Taylor is asinine. Makes about as much sense as a screen door in a submarine. I don't see one post that contains any iota of logic that suggests that is a good idea. Guess that case is closed!

Tim Taylor is the captain of this team and will be until circumstances change. It's unlikely he will play again but that doesn't matter. At least not as far as the teams handling of the situation. Say whatever you want, I'd prefer management who treats players with dignity and respect over a couple hundred grand.

Lets end this topic and move on. Not much left to discuss.

[Lightning rod]

SB. Great to hear from you. I probably know some of the same people you do.

MAI, I think you are familiar with it; also do site selection for the same type of folks that you do. Sherrin has to be drooling. I've played with some of the math/feasibility; and there is probably no other pro-team in North American with the dynamics and potential of the Lightning deal. Done right, in the range of 1/2 of the price/value can be put back in your pocket or to the bottom line, while any team ownership losses are written off against those gains. It's a deal where it's very hard to lose; and there is a lot to gain, especially with a driven and experienced RE guy like Sherrin.

Would like to figure a way to do this more directly.