Koules likely faces the NHL Thursday

We apparently have reached another milestone moment in the proposed sale of the Lightning to Oren Koules as the Hollywood producer on Thursday is expected to meet in New York with the NHL's executive committee. Why is this important? Because the committee has the information about the league's due diligence regarding Koules (left) and primary partner Len Barrie, a former NHLer and a developer in Victoria, British Columbia. The committee also will recommend to the league's board of governors whether to approve the transfer of ownership from Palace Sports & Entertainment. The board, which is scheduled to vote June 18, usually acts on the committee's recommendations.

Palace Sports CEO Tom Wilson also is expected to attend. Neither committee members nor Koules, Barrie or Wilson are expected to make any statements, though that Koules' group has gotten this far in the process would seem positive.

Koules' OK Hockey includes Barrie, Koules' business partner Mark Berg, California banker Russell Belinsky and several unnamed minority investors from the Tampa Bay area. The $200-million deal for the team, the St. Pete Times Forum lease and about 5.5 acres of nearby land, includes about $100-million in financing. It is believed slightly more than half is coming from Galatioto Sports Partners, a New York sports investment bank. The rest is coming from Palace Sports.

With the June 18 vote, Koules is hoping to have control of the team by the June 20-21 draft. But if the recent contract negotiations with Russian power forward Evgeny Artyukhin were an indication, Koules already is hip-deep in team business. Artyukhin's agent, Mark Gandler, said Wednesday that Koules' phone call, in which he explained to Gandler how Artyukhin could be used (on a crash line with center Chris Gratton and wing Nick Tarnasky), was crucial in the agreement on a two-year deal. Gandler said Koules also canvassed some players to ask about Artyukhin. It is believed one was Vinny Lecavalier.

Said Gandler: "It was good for Oren to get involved. He refreshed the negotiations. His intervention ... was beneficial and necessary."

By the way, Lecavalier, finally out of his sling after surgery on his right shoulder for a torn labrum, will be honored for his community service at tonight's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final in Pittsburgh.

[Ken Helle, Times files]

Comments

[olin]

...Sound's good-get this deal done so this team can be brought together.... and will be great to see V4 honored in Pittsburgh tonite. He deserve's it, I was surprised to see Mats Sundin honored previously before Vinny, but then Toronto is a bigger market and NHL hockey central. Also gotta throw in for the record, I mentioned before the cup run start a week or so back, it would be the Red SWEing's 4 games to 1 over Pittsburgh for my prediction which was agreed with my Hockey Central 3.0 blog bud expert...On another note I read today on Hockeybuzz and I know I take this stuff with a grain of salt and not always accurate, just rumour's, but he has a thread he's following about some deal about V4, hopefully all nonsense. Don't do anything foolish OK Hockey unless you make sure you realize what you are doing.

[Geografer]

The awards lunch was this afternoon and Vinny received his award - the transcript is on nhl.com. He shaved his head by the way - the larger pics are here - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/apphoto/wire?id=90
Maybe it was to hard to take care of with only one good arm!

[wahls]

Well this is good news. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and OK has the reigns come draft day and free agent time (although, it seems as though he has had the reigns since the trade deadline). But please, please let those Melrose rumors be untrue. I am not sure I could look at that mullet every night, I think it might make me sick.

Also, I just checked out that picture of Vinny getting that award and I hope that guy vigorously shaking Vinny's hand was gentle on him. That is his bad shoulder and he almost looked like he was cringing a bit in that picture. On to those Eklund rumors, I think that guy just loves to get Habs fans in a tizzy. We will never hear the end of these rumors, even if Vinny signed his life and those of any future children he may have away to the Bolts. Could Vinny maybe, possibly, not want to play in the pressure cooker that is Montreal? Nah, every Francophone's dream is to play for the Canadiens and they will demand a trade every year until it happens, silly me.

[boltflasher]

The people who keep talking about Vinny trades have not stopped to think about how that would affect the team he goes to...Vinny would chew up a huge portion of that team's cap room, and unless they have good but cheap forwards to go with him, it would be a problem...A team already with several expensive or about to be expensive players will have difficulty affording him...

[Don in St. Pete]

Any GM would be out of a job if he wasn't willing to listen. Deals like this seldom happen except at the trade deadline because of the cap issues. We could probably get 4-5 players for V4 but we'd have to take on equal salaries in exchange and the best players Montreal has available are free agents this year in Streit and Latendresse. We don't need a Hamrlik and Kovalev.

[bear]

Silly you is right Wahlsie, it will be you and your boy Stammer this year.

Flasher, Gainy could chop 9 million in a heartbeat and the players coming back aren't the value, its the cap space.

Ajax, casper and a few other have called this a long time ago. Doesn't just have to be Montreal either.

Its the only thing for the Bolts to do.

V$ has paid his dues to Tampa.

[ajax]

Just watched an awesome game of hockey.
2 things I note.
Detroit is playing a very dangerous game by playing their top guys such heavy minutes (see the Brad Vinny Marty Danny syndrome) The longer the series goes the more whipped they will be.
Second, Pittsburgh thru the whole gas tank tonight. The next game not being til Saturday should help them, and also at home. But that said, I think tonight was a snap shot of what is to come. Pittsburgh needs a monumental effort to hang on by one goal. I thought it would be Detroit in 4, max 5.
The only hedge I have is these minutes, it is a slight crack in the Detroit armor to only be playing 3 lines and Pittsburgh is pretty much sticking with 4. The fact that Malkin and Crosby don't kill penalties and Zetterberg and Datzyuk (sp?) do is also contributing to some tired Wings as the series goes on.
That said, Wings in 5, maybe, just maybe 6.

Here's a good investment: Buy an NHL hockey team, and as one of your 1st moves, trade away one of the top 3 players in the game and face of the franchise.

It's so funny to hear people who would actually want Vinny traded. Must be Richards fans............

[The Oracle]

Following the rumor mill we wonder if Marty STL will be wearing a red uniform next season. He probably will if he wants (can you say "no-trade contract").

We hear that John Tortorella will be coaching in Europe next year (and you heard it here first).

They say that Oren Koules still has a selling job to do (many owners are uncomfortable with the financing arrangements). Hey, O.K., still thinking about selling the land around the building for working capital? Oops, sorry, that was YOUR secret wasn't it?

It is said folks around the NHL will be shocked by what Mr. Wang (NYI owner) is going to offer for the Bolts' #1 draft pick.

[boltflasher]

??? The Isles have nothing to offer for the #1 pick unless the shocker is they will actually offer some of the players from a roster that's even less talented than the Bolts..

[boltflasher]

Yes Gainey could chop $9 mill but that would mean losing all of the teams free agents plus all of the players he would have to give up to get Vinny which would mean the team would be essentially gutted...my point is why would he or other teams do this to get 1 player? If anything the Bolts proved 3 or 4 great players mean nothing if that's all you have...so 1 by himself is even more foolish...

[GP]

Couple of points from some of the above posts.

1. I also think OK would be crazy to begin his tenure as owner by trading the face of the franchise. That would be career suicide. I would not feel as comfortable if I was Boyle since it was reported OK wanted him traded at the deadline and Feaster and Torts talked him out of it. If those two are no longer here, Boyle may have to pack his bags.

2. Let me start with this disclaimer. I am not a Melrose fan nor do I believe he is the strongest coach available. With that said, I can't believe I'm actually going to type this, is Barry melrose that bad of an option? That hurt. Melrose has won the Memorial Cup, the Calder Cup, and brought a seriously underdog of a team to the Stanley Cup. I think any team that year would have lost to the powerhouse Canadiens and Patrick Roy. The next two years of his coaching career were forgettable but from what I have read, that was when Mcnall was seriously mismanaging funds which resulted in trading off talent and eventual bankruptcy. He is known as a motivator and gets a lot out of his players. Seriously, how fun would it be to have 17k people wearing fake mullets? Well, besides Shane, he'd have a mohawk. It may bring a little life into the Bolts instead of Torts the ego man.

Look, I know my credibility just took a hit and I have to say I typed it laughing but why not? It's better than what we have now. Who cares if he said bad things about the Lightning on TV ..... we do it everyday.

I'm starting to grow my mullet in anticipation .... it will look really cool since i'm thinning on top.

[Tackleberry]

If Melrose coached here, TB would be the laughing stock of the league. The circus would be in town from late Sept-early Apr. All those mullets, ugly ties, horrible suits. Oh ya, great representation of the organization. He will put more effort into his immage than coaching the team. He seems to have a big ego of himself.

Here is a thought: why hasnt he coached (NHL) since the mid-90's? Maybe no GM would want him as a coach. Maybe, no other GM has been THAT desperate.

Come on PSE/Koules, keep shopping.

[Badbud]

Melrose 3 Years @ 6 million was what I heard,,,Are you kldding me????

Koules,if you do that you are Dumber, than even I thought you were.

Torts WILL not be coaching in Europe,if anything he will be sitting back letting OK pay Him.LOL

[Bear]

Flasher the good teams have developed young cheap talent and can fit a super star around it and Habs are a case in point. Its all about managment something badly missing here. They will just develop more. Detroit same. Anaheim same.

Agree with you on the Isles..other than DiPietro who have they got?

[Tackleberry]

Badbud,
What's your source? Ugly Ugly Ugly.

Is'nt Torts getting about $1mil per year? How can anyone pay Mullet-boy $2mil per year? That means that he is twice the coach Torts is. That means he should coach a team that will win 62 games next year. $2mil means he will take the team to (at least) the second round of the playoffs.

How much is Babcock or Therrein getting payed? If they are getting $2 mil per yr, that's worth it.

He will be like Denis. We pay him all this $ and he tanks. Now we are stuck with him for another year or two and no one will pick him up.

Come on OREN, keep looking. If you are going to pay that kind of $$, at least get a coach who has been in the playoffs within the last 10 years.

[Casper]

I wish Mr. Wang would ask me for the #1 pick.

There is a price for everything and I would test the depth of the Wrong Islander's pockets.

If I could bankroll the entire Season Cap by swapping the Stamkos pick for $53 mil, and stockpile the rest of our Club and Minors' development, you bet your socks I would.

A cash strapped new owner would only have to listen, but this wannabe GM isn't the push over JF has proven to be.

$53 million c.a.s.h. for the #1 pick, that'll send everybody running down the street screaming how crazy I am, and get them off our backs, to draft this Kid and get on with it.