Details on Prospal's new deal

We managed to pull out some more information on the Vinny Prospal contract. It's a four-year deal at $3.5-million per year. As we said, Prospal, 33, hasn't signed it yet, simply because he's in Europe with his family.

Comments

[Don in St. Pete]

Twinebulge and others, While I too like Hossa, you have to ask yourself if it's worth mortgaging your whole team to sign him. It's one thing to acquire that one guy at the trade deadline that can put you over the top but wholly another to mortgage the future of your club for one player. We can get Malone AND Vrbata for the money Hossa is demanding. While we could use the power going to the net that Hossa brings ( a la V4 ) we could also benefit highly from the attention to defense that Malone and Vrbata bring.

[Twinebulge]

Hossa impresses me as the most gifted pure natural goal scorer in the league - hope theres a tent in his yard 1 wk from today

[Patricia]

Prospal rocks and welcome back to Tampa! The chemistry between Vinny4 and Marty is amazing. Glad to see him back with us. Wouldnt mind seeing Hossa in a Tampa sweater!!

[Bryan]

I don't want Vrbata in Tampa.

[Boltflasher]

If we were to pickup Vrbata and Malone for the 2nd line the Bolts would have the best 3 solid lines they had since the Cup,...also, if Halpern comes back and plays they way he was playing prior to his knee destruction...

[Don in St. Pete]

Leanmean43, Not to disparrage you're post but because Rolston has won a cup and New Jersey wants him back the Wild will offer him $5mil+. While that's not all that bad Rolston is NOT a 2 way forward, in other words his defense is suspect as best and maybe even weak. Vrbata is a much better fit for our needs both age and talent wise as he is tenacious on both sides of the ice. Go to youtube and type in Radim Vrbata. Malone is a keeper and we want him in Hockey Bay, I hope the guys can convince him we're serious.

[Leanmean43]

I would like to see them sign Malone and Rolston for the second line. Malone is still relatively young and is a big power forward similar to Modin who can: skate, stand in front of the net, and is responsible defensively.
Rolston is a little old but he still has blazing speed, a big shot, and he is very responsible defensively. He also has scored 30 goals 3 straight years in a defensive oriented system. If they could sign him to a two year deal it would give the bolts time to develope a winger through the farm.

[Badbud]

"The Bolts were no where near as bad as their place in the standings last year. Don't forget how many games we lost after leading in the 3rd period. Doing a quick search on articles, found that on 3/7/2008 we had lost 17 games in which we entered the 3rd with a lead. It would probably be fair to say we had at least 20 or more all season."

And this means they are a GOOD Team HOW????????

They were the LAST place team for a Reason,,,,,THEY EARNED IT.

,if they won more games,they would be better team,they Didn't and they were not

[Don in St. Pete]

Thunderstruck, Great post by the way! I believe the total was 21 games we lost entering the 3rd period with a lead. Most top forwards play around 19-20 minutes a game. The top forwards on teams with a losing record tend to play more 22-25 minutes. Danny Boyle was used far to much. He would be far more effective if he didn't always have to play against the other teams top line, in fact our best defensive defensemen should be playing against the other teams top line. I think the last 3 years were brutally tough on Tort's because we no longer had enough bodies to play his system but he kept on trying anyhow. A new coach is certainly in order and we'll have to wait and see exactly how Melrose and his staff handle the team. One thought nobody has posted though. Why would Melrose leave his cushy ESPN gig unless the owners had said we'll give you the tools you need to compete and win now. I firmly believe the new owners will be a serious player in the free agent market with the statements made that they will be individually visiting and talking to targeted free agents to talk them into coming to Hockey Bay USA!

[Thunderstruck]

The Bolts were no where near as bad as their place in the standings last year. Don't forget how many games we lost after leading in the 3rd period. Doing a quick search on articles, found that on 3/7/2008 we had lost 17 games in which we entered the 3rd with a lead. It would probably be fair to say we had at least 20 or more all season. If you just win half of those then the 20 extra points we would have had would had put us in contention to break through the bubble into the post season. We're not far off people...we just need to add a few key pieces and a little depth so our top guys aren't playing 24 minutes a night and losing games in the 3rd period. We may have finished 30th, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it looked.

[Don in St. Pete]

Bryan, You are right that we have a lot of talent on defense. Unfortunately we didn't have the personnel to play the style that Tort's likes to use. Instead of adjusting his style to the players we had, he called out players for their mistakes, berated them infront of the team during video sessions and actually caused the to fear having their # called. Melrose is not without talent, he won a Memorial Cup ( Canadian Junior Hockey Champs ) and a Calder Cup ( AHL Champs ) as well as taking the Kings ( with the Great One ) to the Stanley Cup Finals. He's known as a players coach and many current and former players speak highly of him. So we should give him a chance, Mullet and all......hell I have a Mullet. Melrose has never been a fan of the trap, so I wouldn't expect that to be employed by the Lightning, thank god, but his system may be a little more conservative than Tort's depending on who we sign in FA.

[dave]

I do agree the D has some issues but also has a lot of potential. Currently we have 1 legit top two guy (Boyle) and two legit top 4 guys (Kuba and Ranger). Hopefully Ranger can step up and become a top line blueliner.

We then have 3 guys on the bubble of possibly becoming a top 4 D-man. If Picard plays a whole season the way he did his short time here so far, no problem there. O'Brien's development slowed down last year (possibly from being on Torts bad side). But OBrien still can work his way to being a key guy back there. Lukowich is solid as a 6th d, and Lundin and Smaby will have to bring their A game just to crack the lineup.

If they can add a top two D-man then go for it, but we have a lot of depth there and who ever is playing will have to earn their spot.

[Bryan]

I'm looking forward to seeing a team where the forwards are actually in deeper than the defensemen. I know a lot of people think the D is awful but it really isn't as bad as most make it out to be. Kuba is a solid piece. You don't put up his kind of numbers on accident, and hes got a big body to hit with that Tortorella never let him use. Matter of fact, none of them got to play physical which made them all look like trash. Ever notice how when this team got angry early in the year and started playing the body, they starting controlling games?

I know, it's crazy.

[Don in St. Pete]

Ajax and others, Don't give up on our D to early. There is some talent there and while they didn't put it together over the whole season last year, I saw some good things. During the first half, I thought we played better without Boyle because everyone picked up their game a notch. I beleieve Ranger and O'Brien both scored all their goals in the first half. Ranger played most of the second half of the season with the same injury that V4 suffered. Kuba was banged up most of the first half but was solid in the last month of the season. Luckowich played the first half with a hernia. If Smaby has worked hard this summer and added a little more upper body strength I expect him to challenge for a job. He will be a top four shutdown d-man someday it's just a matter of when. I would like to see them sign a solid veteran stay at home guy to mentor the young guys, like Sydor did during our cup run. Maybe Melrose and Koules could lure Blake from LA. Otherwise there are plenty of solid guys out there like Streit, Carney, Commodore, Orpik, Slavador and Sopel. We need some 2 way forwards to play with Stamkos and I think Malone and Vrbata would be a perfect match. Jokinen would drop to the 3rd like with Darche and Ouellet until Halpern is ready. Could be a very solid lineup. part of the problem with our d last year was defensive irresponsibility on the part of our forwards and Torts's system, which we didn't have the players to execute.

[bob]

and no salary cap lol

[bob]

Hey sell denis to the new russian league with the money they are throwing around. But then again they might only want the real skilled players. 12.5 offer for Malkin the nhl might lose some good players

[phantom]

graet, now all we need to do is buy out Denis' contract.

[slapshot]

Hey ajax, you better check your head for lice cause you scratch your head too much.

[Nan]

Great enthusiasm from the owners in the press conference. It sounds like they know what they want and are determined to get it. I think we are in agreement that we need to bring in a solid blue liner.

The biggest downside I see so far is bringing in someone who hasn't coached in 13 years and the league has changed in that time. Can Melrose pull it off and if he can't does Koules have the guts to fire him?

I luv having the MVP line back though! They did one thing right! Getting Stamkos was another good move. Sounds like resigning V4 is not far away either. For the most part things are looking up!

[ajax]

head or buttock, this Forrest Gump still thinks we need some solid D before anything else. As the money is being spent, and so far none of it on capable D, I thinks I will scratch again Mr. Goalman. The last two Stanley Cup winners have been heavy heavy heavy in Dmen that control the game. Just a thought, now that my butt is scratched. Time will tell who the idiots are and who (me) are the idiots here. Go Bolts go. Do I have to buy more than 4 season tickets a year to be considered a fan??
Geez!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Goalman]

Hey Ajax,
You sure its your head you've been scratching. You sound like a whining loser with a real bad attitude. These guys have everything right so far. They may make mistakes, but unless you are Nostradamus, you don't know the future any better than anyone else.Melrose could be a mistake, but that's why there are erasers on pencils and firings for coaches. Sit down, Shut up and enjoy the game. That is, if you've actually bought a ticket

[Boltflasher]

Ajax and others: lets see what they do before we criticize or become too exultant,... wow, we are quick to slash, burn and mutilate...from their comments, they are not nearly done...we essentially gained Picard for the loan of Prospal to Philly and now have V20 back plus Picard which I consider a significant upgrade over a year ago. If we add 2 wingers for Stamkos we will also have a 2nd line which will be a significant upgrade over a year as well. Yes, we still need some more D and the goaltending is still a question...plus, Melrose is an unknown entity...

[Gareth]

Ryan Malone, Michael Ryder with Stamkos
V4 Captaincy
Brooks Orpik for some D Muscle.
=
Win.

[Mike13]

Ajax, I have to disagree to an extent. Boyle was out with injury for the better part of the season. Holmquist is not our #1 goalie. Stamkos will be on line 2. Jokinen is better than Ward/Darche for 2nd line LW. Artyukin is added. I'm not even counting Halpern since he will be out most of the season.

There are a number of differences.

Now I do agree with you fully, that our D should not be set. We need to bring in a shut down kinda guy to play alongside Boyle. Ranger is not that guy. Though, as I look around at the available free agents, I don't see a whole lot that I like.

Last note, I agree with Slapshot. They need to name VL4 as the Captain. I am guessing that they will do that after he signs his "lifetime" deal.

[Hockey Chic]

Ajax,

Thanks for putting that into perspective. We are all scratching our heads at the thought of the Mullet being our coach.

It should be very entertaining at the least. I think it puts a huge amount of pressure on the D. Here is hoping they are ready and raring to go.

Go Bolts!!!

[ajax]

So far we have all the same guys from last years(last place) team, only they will all make more money. I think I will scratch my head now. The money we saved on Richards basically got reallocated to Boyle and Prospal. I think I will scratch my head again.
I keep seeing Rosies but the fact that he is going to announce Melrose as coach this week kinda, for me, negates all the positive feelings I have been getting. Insanity is INSANITY no matter how many other good moves or deeds you do.
With everyone on the blog talking forwards forwards forwards, maybe some loser (me) should point out that we go into camp with our top 5 D being, Boyle Kuba O'Brien Ranger and Picard. That ain't gettin er done.
I think I will scratch my head one more time.
I keep thinking what if a new coach makes all the difference in how the D play and we actually are closer than we think with this core of Dmen.
But Melrose is that new coach and naw, I must of had a moment of temporary insanity thinking those 5 can actually hold their own. Silly me.

[Bill]

Anthony, Rich is entitled to his opinion even if it reveals him as a jock-sniffing sports idiot.

[Anthony Gironda]

Rich, I think it's a great move!!!

Shut your damn mouth!!

[Rich]

Terrible move. Way too much money for a pedestrian winger.

[Anthony Gironda]

Great, now let's go for Marian Hossa!!!!

[Don in St. Pete]

I'm happy we've been able to keep Prospal and now it's time to move ahead and grab some of the top free agents out there to play on a line with Stamkos!

[slapshot]

this is great news because marty and vinny struggled without prospal.

[dave]

That's a fair deal all around. The rumor I heard was that he was going to be asking $5-6m, which is too much.

All he has to do is stay motivated and not go to sleep and the first line will be solid.

[slapshot]

I feel the lightning will be a great team next year. They did everything posible in rebuilding the franchise.

-drafting stamkos
-getting new onners
-getting a new coach
-soon to sign a lifelong deal with Vinny lecavalier
-Bringing prospal back
-most likley being busy in free agency
-Probably getting some help in Norfolk from the 2007 & 2008 draft
-the last thing we need to do is name Vinny Lecavalier th captain

[slapshot]

thats why they should ower their salary in the last few years.

[matt]

Any scarier than Boyle making 6.6 when he's 36?

[dave]

I love Vinny P, but is will be scary in the 4th year when he is 37 yrs old making $3.5 million, hope the salary is front heavy.

Great though, he had the most goals of any free agent forward out there and I am sure some team would have over paid for him, maybe giving close to the $5 million range.

[skp]

3.5 for a first-line (or second, depending on the quality of FA wingers we pursue) winger is a bargain in today's market...also makes it less painful if this degrades into another of his 50-odd point seasons....

MVP line is intact if we so choose, or if we upgrade the first line you've got jokinen-stamkos-prospal on the second line...

with a pair of physical but skilled lower lines populated by the likes of gratton, halpern, craig, tarnasky, arthyukin, etc. should keep Marty & VL4 from logging defenseman-like ice time...

so far so good as far as owners who care about hockey and good hockey players goes...

[SSU]

YES!!!! THE MVP LINE IS BACK!!!

[Mike13]

How about Federal Express? I hear they have service to the EU.

Anyway, the price tag seems realistic given the salary ranges that are out there for V20 equivalents. And they don't have to worry about chemistry --it is a known factor.

[JudeDBlonk]

Anybody got a fax machine?