Former assistants

With Mike Vernon, a former goalie, being brought on in what is, more or less, an advisory role with the Lightning (he will be based in Calgary), seems like a good time to catch up with the rest of former coach John Tortorella's coaching staff.

Scuttlebutt is goaltenders coach Jeff Reese is close to a deal with the Maple Leafs. Mike Sullivan apparently was a finalist for the Kings head coaching job, and also has spoken to the Thrashers (he knows GM Don Waddell well from USA Hockey) and Flyers about assistants positions.

If they do not get other jobs, seems as if they could be folded into the organization in some sort of scouting situation. Both have a year left on their Lightning contracts.

 

Comments

[Mark]

Reese was a HORRIBLE goalie coach. he had the boys standing on their heels too far back. That goodness Habby never listened to that jamoke! He almost ruined habby too!

[Mark]

Reese was a HORRIBLE goalie coach. he had the boys standing on their heels too far back. That goodness Habby never listened to that jamoke! He almost ruined habby too!

[Mark]

Reese was a HORRIBLE goalie coach. he had the boys standing on their heels too far back. That goodness Habby never listened to that jamoke! He almost ruined habby too!

Erik,
Bold comment, yet obviously you are not in the know.

[Don in St. Pete]

Steve, I agree on Ek, I think he was about 2.5% on the free agent signings. None of the trades rumours he's reported have happened and some have bordered on the rediculous. I wait for OK and gang to make their move, and I am certain that Ek won't get the scoop on it.

[Steve]

Eklunds trade rumors are worthless, it's a waste of time even mentioning them here. To his credit, he was ahead of everyone in reporting the sale of the team (the first time to OK hockey).

Seems way too premature to write Smith off, he actually seemed more capable of stopping the puck than anyone else has recently, when he wasn't out of position.

[Marv]

It is unfair to evaluate Smith on his record here. First, he had little in the way of a defense to help him and second, virtually the entire team quit at the end of the season.
How many goals were scored because of people standing around or chasing the puck into the corner only to have it passed to someone open in the front of the net.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

When is the last time Eklund has been right about anything concerning the Lightning... and another thing, I don't call all those assets named above Chickem $^%@. I think that it was 25% defensive problematic and 25% Tortorella problematic and 25% Jeff Reese and the remainder was all the goalie itself. Now if someone is calling Mike Smith a chicken %&#$ thats yet to be proven. He sure didn't show it last season, especially with Dallas, he nearly unseated Turco as the starter. Smith has some great skills as a net minder and can pass pretty good. I'd certainly take Smith over Khabibulin at stage and I wouldm't look back. Smith has much more potential than does Habby. IMO the Bolts have enough goal-tenders in their system that they won't have to worry for awhile hopefully. At the end of last season, I thought Ramo looked exceptionally well for a rookie and I'm sure that someday soon he has the potential to be a number one. Once the right people get into this organization and begin to develop blayers like they should This whole goal tending thing will turn around.

[Don in St. Pete]

I don't buy the Eklund rumour for an instant. We don't have any rook under the cap which would require us to trade St. Louis for him and I really don'y believe they want to go there. Either that or a Goalie and about 5 forwards and that still wouldn't help our d.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

At this point of the FA period I don't see the Bolts trading for Khabibulin...if he is placed on waivers then I would say that I still don't see the Bolts jumping on him. He's not the goalie he once was and we already have a top notch back up in Kolzig and Ramo. Smith is not going get any better unless he plays a mojority of the games, they have to give him a chance. I think he can play and keep us in games as long as we have a similance of a team in place. This is going to be a much different team when the season starts and I don't see Khabibulin being part of it.

[PD]

Bolts are front center in talks for Habby..what's that tell you about 3-10 Smith? Just sayn

[léo]

I refuse to believe that Smith "stinks" as much as someone who doesn't have the courage to appose his name beside his opinion.

Our goalies stink not Reese and guess what, they still do.

[Eric]

SEND JEFF REESE PACKING. HE is useless.

No update on Torts? Guess he isn't as hot as people think!

[PD]

NTMB re Reese with Homer, Denis, Smith et all...you bashing the guy for not being able to make chicken salad out of chicken sheeit?
Does that also make him a genius if he goes to Toronto with Toskala and Poggee?..Hardly.

[Don in St. Pete]

NtMM, As Melrose said in the Vernon article Cap Raeder is my goalie guy, he's someone I know and trust. Cap Raeder is indeed a formaer goalie, though most recently he was a scout for LA.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

I really don't think Jeff Reese did all that great of a job here for our Goalies. If Toronto is hiring him they must really be desperate. This guy hasn't coached a play-off winning Goalie since Nicolai Khabibulin and John Graham in the same 2003-2004 Season. He couldn't do anything for Johan Holmqvist or Marc Denis either. My question is, who is going to take the Goalie coaching spot here, if Vernon is staying in Calgary?

[slapshot]

How about we put them in the minors.