Lightning gets Recchi

Here's one no one saw coming. Lightning owner Len Barrie said Monday night the team signed veteran free agent Mark Recchi to a one-year deal worth $1.25-million with incentives that could make it worth $1.5-million.

"I've know Mark for about 20 years," Barrie said. "He's a future Hall of Famer and with Gary Roberts, working with Vinny (Lecavalier), the culture of our locker room is going to be set and become a winning locker room."

Recchi, 40, split last season between the Penguins and Thrashers and had 12 goals and 40 points in 53 games with Atlanta. He has 522 career goals and 1,381 points in 1,410 NHL games.

[Getty Images]

Comments

[Don in St. Pete]

Smaby was a monster in our last few games. I think it took a while for them to convince him not to be in awe of the name on the back of the sweater but to be at war with the crest on the front of the sweater. He has Rob Blake type skills and can punish people. They need to help him develop that mean streak. My opinion is he could use another year at Norfolk playing on the PP and the PK to round out his game. Lundin has great instincts no doubt, but it's impossible to try to play defense with no physical aspect at all. Eventually the other team will figure out your weaknesses and you'll have nothing left. Lundin might be worth paying his NHL salary at Norfolf or trying to package him as partof a trade. He was a +3 last year as a rookie straight out of college. Kuba, ranger and O'Brien are all similar in that all are talented offensively and can help move the puck and have great talent at joining the rush. there issues are with positional hockey, keeping their skates moving and making the first pass crisply and effectively which should be much easier with more offensively minde forwards than we've had the past 2 years.

[Zombie Kid]

I like turtles.

[Matt]

haha i love this. recchi is a beast he got 40 points in 53 games last year. you guys are all upset about this. i have no worries it's going to be a good year in tampa, given they pick up a solid defensemen, which they will. the lightning have the strongest young defense in the league right now, one solid veteran defensemen will seal the deal with kuba around. we are certainly prepared for injuries on the forward side of things which is good news, considering last year and especially without the tough offseason physical requirements of torts.

ranger is going to have a stellar year. kuba just needs to keep playing the way he has.
lundin is a gift, unbelievable the things he does defensively and with the puck that go unnoticed.
o'brien is going to have a good year, he eliminates more and more mistakes every year so he might surprise you, plus his toughness is key.
picard came in last year and showed he wants to be here, he's tough and fast, seems to be responsible defensively.
smaby might crack the line up a couple of times this year and seems to be a ranger story, but a more defensive style of play, he might get his spot.
carle kid has alot of potential, he can play on a top d line anywhere, he's coming of a poor sophomore season which is typical so be prepared for a very good year.
wishart he probably won't see much time this year but will certainly be a top d man in a couple of years.
now all they need is that solid veteran defensmen that is proven and they will and the lightning will be a top contender i assure you.

[Wade]

Mark

Are you kidding me?

If you honestly think that Calgary is shopping Phaneuf than you seriously need to get your mind straight, that's like sending Halpern, Ranger, and Jokinen for Malkin.

Dude, check your hockey senses and quit dreaming.

[Don in St. Pete]

Good point on Ouellet and Jokinen Vagrant. Ouellet was a PP specialist when we signed him from PITT but he would not have been seeing much PP time with this unit. Jokinen is an open ice speed guy more suited to playing second line and is too suspect defensively to play on the checking line.

[Tackleberry]

Are we going to have "Depends Undergarments" night at the forum? It is great we are bringing in some experienced players but, geez, what is the average age of the bolts right now? 30, 31 ??

Dont care about the age as long as they can out-perform the opposing teams.

[vagrant]

Ouellet is only as good as his linemates, put him with a decent well- rounded center (like Halpern in the 2nd half of the season from hell) and he is just alright. He was the plus/minus leader at the end of the season but c'mon, that's really not saying too much. Jokinen has his moments of brillance, but the rest of the time his play is average at best. Kuba took the title of "biggest waste of space" when Kubina departed for Toronto. I can't comprehend someone wanting Kubina back in Tampa.

Maybe look into Brent Seabrook from Chicago. Young, talented and physical. Just an idea

[Don in St. Pete]

No way on Kubina! I am more and more convinced that defense will only be acquired via trade unless we can dump some salary for draft picks. Oellet and Jokinen are both young with a bright upside. Say what you want about ouellet's d but he was our +/- leader last year on a horrid team. of course neither one plays the PK but I think there are a lot of teams out there that are short on forwards that should be interested. Stay tuned!

[Bear]

Geografer Kubina at this point is a much better Dman than Boyle. He can play D as well as QB the PP.
At 5 mill salary for two years he would be gold.

[Geografer]

Wait a minute - we get rid for Boyle because his $6.67 million is too high but you want to bring in Kubina at $5 million?? That is nuts! Kubina is so overpaid right now it is assine and while he currently (from July 1 - August 15) doesn't have a no-trade clause - it kicks in again August 16th. I can't see how you can justify getting rid of the best puck-moving d-men due to salary (never mind the fact you signed off on the deal) only to bring in a guy whose way overpaid and can't whose skating is questionable. Look I loved Kuby while he was here but he is not worth the $5 million he is currently being paid.

[David]

Oh boy.

Firstly, yes Chelios is UFA from what I understand. And he is absolutely a stay at home defenseman now. He has to be, he can't move up the ice fast enough to leave the zone.

Do Melrose and Barrie think it is 1993 again? They can mouth about leadership all they want, but it's always been my belief and leading in the locker room starts with leading on the ice, and neither Roberts nor Recchi can lead on the ice anymore.

However, the Lightning line up is now resembling the old saw about Florida weather. Don't like it, wait an hour and it'll change. You know there are more moves coming.

As a long time Toronto fan I'm not sold on McCabe, his can-opener hasn't really done the job in the new non-obstruction NHL.

[Bear]

You got it Wiz , just because we have spare parts doesn't mean others want/need them.

Trading Jokinen or soft Ouellet would at best be like trading underwear for all we get back.

I think the best available D man for Tampa in a trade would be Pavel Kubina but I doubt the Leafs would want any of the Bolt excess but a 1st may do it.

[Geografer]

So we have to trade Boyle and Lukowich because we want a younger, faster team. So how exactly does signing a 40-year old in Rechi and a 42-year old in Roberts accomplish this exactly??? Apparently we really are planning on just playing 5 forwards all game. There is no rule that says you have to have d-men on the ice after all.
Also, please remember that other nice quote from Barrie - "If Wayne Gretzky can be traded Danny Boyle can be traded." Just insert Marty St. Louis and Vinny Lecavalier in for Dan Boyle's name and there is no need to talk to him when they trade them for some peanuts too.

[Don in St. Pete]

I hope if they signed Bochenski it was to a 2-way contract. Please tell me no more forwards OK?

[WIZ]

Kinda fitting that the seniors are able to secure homes in St. Pete area.
Carolina has a surplus of defensemen, and there will be teams trimming before training camp, but I am pretty sure there is little interest in Jussi Jokinen or Michel Ouellet the former because he is great in the shoot-out but is below average as a an overall three zone layer, and the latter because past bosses tried to put up with his defensive deficiencies with hopes hit light it up. most teams would have to be desperate offensively to add a guy to an established team construct.

[vagrant]

the lightning are now sponsored by the AARP.

[Word]

There's a report out of Calgary that TB has signed Brandon Bochenski...

[Don in St. Pete]

Looks like Hutchinson is our defensive saviour. I sure hope they have another one up their sleeves. There are still a couple of teams out there that are ripe with d and short on the forward lines, namely Columbus, Nashville and Florida. I'm sure OK and crew know this but can they work a deal? I'm going to go off the deep end if they sign another NHL forward. There's stil some credible defensemen out there in FA.

[Slapnuts]

Federov and Shanahan are out their.
Here's a thought and maybe i'm reaching but the older players need less coaching and are more or less maintinance(spell)free.Hense the less coaching Melrose has to do...

[rich h]

What's next? Are they gonna talk Gretzky into coming back and playing one more year? I've had to scratch my head the last couple of weeks on these latest moves. These owners are treating this as a reunion of there old and I mean old friends. If we don't win atleast they'll have some drinking buddies.

I think Torts will be considered for those teams who expectations for making the playoffs are falling short about midway into the season...watch Ottawa, Florida, Calgary, and NJ. Also, Ted Nolan and Garth Snow are apparently not getting along so Torts may have a chance to go back to the big city, though, on the island. Several 1st time NHL coaches came on board mainly, because I think their organizations feared losing them to one of the other vacant NHL positions which left Torts out in the cold...

[troyB]

Let's get Brian Lawton back in the line up I think he's under 45.

[GP]

Mark,

Thanks for the info. I could see McCabe being on the move but I do not know that his salary and age would benefit the Bolts. The problem on Defense is who do you take out of the Bolts rotation? I vote on O'Brien and Kuba .... but that will only free up about 4 mil in salary. I think targeting someone like Paul Mara who can play on the PP would be a good addition. Another thing, everyone is not mentioning this Niskala kid they got. He will never be mistaken as a defensive defensemen but he could put up offensive numbers on the PP like Boyle could. We'll see.
I think if a blockbuster deal for a defensemen is made, it will have to include Ranger. I like Ranger for his salary but not so much when it is time for a raise.

PD,

We'll see about the Flyers this year. I think a letdown may happen. As long as we beat Leo's Hab Nots again .... I'll be happy. (Sorry Leo, I have a year's worth of bragging rights since you said the Flyers were "afraid" of the Habs)I hope the Bolts have a turn around year like the Flyers did last year.

One other point in all these veteran signings. If the Bolts are not in playoff contention next year, they have pieces to trade for assets at the trade deadline.

[Victor]

Okay here's what's gonna happen in the '08-'09 season...the lightning are gonna score like 10 goals a game..possibly a period...but then they're gonna give up like 30-40 goals....UNANSWERED!!!!! we miss u torts, boyle, richards, kubina, sarich, pratt, and KHABI...BUUUUUUUUULIN!!!!!

[Josh R]

I'm not really sold on this one. I mean honestly, this guy is 40! A-chuck was the last guy close to that age and he couldn't keep up.

[Tim]

D-Fense.....for the love of god.

[Mark]

GP, I read an article on either sportsnet.ca or tsn.ca, can't locate it now ..maybe archived. Speculating is more of what I'm getting at. I think McCabe would be solid and he's under 35 and rather physical. J.Smith would be pretty good as well. I just think this ownership group has the "Cuban" mentality, sign big names or trade for big names. I can't believe Torts is still unemployed.

[Hate da Redsox]

Jokinen, Ouellet,and a first round pick for Bouwmeester?

[Voice of the Turtle]

Pittsburgh had an opportunity to sign or retain all of the following members of the Tampa Bay Penguins: Roberts, Recchi, Malone, and Hall as well as Ouellet (last year).

Roberts and Recchi are long of tooth and battered warriors. They will turn out to be relatively expensive spare parts to a team now virtually overstuffed with fowards while lacking strength and depth at the blueline. As mentioned by others, this will likely be remedied by some trades that could include Ward, Craig, Ouellet, and/or Jokinen. Yet, with Koules and Barrie fingering the trigger, one might be very surprised at what still could be in the offing. My hope is that once the 2008-09 team is assembled, there will be a chance for the group to gel without further juggling of player personnel by the seemingly impetuous young men who have taken possession of this franchise.

[TS-SS]

Queue up the circus music...

[PD]

Im all for the pipe GP!
Should be a good Flyer year for you.

OK has turned the team over to Vincent Naimoli, since his "hit show" was such a hit...now maybe they can sign McGriff, Canseco, and Boggs too....

[rod]

I wonder if we could get Sakic down here for cheap?

[Boltflasher]

No way Panthers send us Bouwmeester. Look elsewhere, but not Phaneuf either, Calgary is not that desperate...yet....I do wish they would sign Smith, PLEASE!!! no more forwards!!! They must be looking to deal some forwards for someone. McCabe could definitely run the PP if he wants to leave Tor...media and fans are "disrespecting" him if you read the blogs..

[Tom M]

Bobby "The Chief" Taylor said he's ready if Kolzig goes down!

[Old School Robbie Z]

I'm going to have to break out my Genesis - swore I had these guys on my NHL'94 Lightning "Dream Team".

Is Chelios a free agent?

[GP]

PD,

Looks like we share the same thesaurus. lol

[GP]

Don,

I think a package like Jokinen, Kuba, Ranger, and maybe a pick would get Bouewmeester and another player. I'd take that trade if they would. I'm not so sure the Panthers would want Bouwemeester to go within the division though. I think getting him may be a pipe dream.

[Tom M]

Don:

If the Panthers ever dealt Boumeester to a division rival for Jokinen, Ouellet and Ward, then we'd not only have Dumb and Dumber here in Tampa, but also a Dumbest down in Sunrise.

[pd]

Fla sure won't take slop for Boumeester, he can play.

Looks like Jason Smith was a pipedream.

any one have some Vinny news???

[Lloyd, no, Harry!]

Dumb and Dumber. Priceless. At least that's what the theme should be for a new credit card ad when they find and park that dumb dogmobile in front of the Forum on Opening Night.

You guys are starting to make Feasterella look sane!!!

[Don in St. Pete]

I say send Jokinen, Ouellet and Ward to the stinkin Panthers for Boumeester. he probably wants out of there anyway. I'm guessing they must have another blockbuster in mind. keep a close eye on the wires tomorrow.

[Riley]

I like the comment a few days ago on Wishart. "He reminds one of Phaneuf without the Cro-Mangon brow."

Hope so.

Kids aren't necessarily led by codgers---plural.
This is going to get fugly under Melrose...

[bear]

Mark I'm guessing your post was truncated. That Karlson for Phaneuf part must have included Stamkos right?

Toronto can take their suite time trading Mccabe. He certainly wouldn't want to play in Tampa. Try NY.

[Tom M]

Just thinking about it, I can skate and I belong to AARP...maybe I should give Dumb and Dumber a call!

[Casper]

This is what I get for laughing at Calgary gambling on Bertuzzi at $1.95M.

Is there a way we can be more stupid than the Islanders and make Kolzig our new GM? Then maybe he'll go get tried and true defenders such as a Brendan Witt.

In-kee-freakin-redible! We sit around all day waiting to hear of the signing of Jason Smith, or some blockbuster to break the backs of the Stinking Panthers and bring Bouwmeester in here. What do we get? A guy, another freakin forward no less, who was washed up before the lock out!

Brilliant! No wonder we bloggers are so stupid, we try to utilize decency, fair-play, and logic! WRONG!

[boltdolt]

Slap: How about an Andreychuck comeback? He could play between Roberts and Recchi. They could call him "the Kid.''

[Slapnuts]

Ok this is now beyond ridiculous.Now the Lightning need to find a center that's about 45yrs old to play between Roberts and Recchi. Why haven't they signed Smith yet? Oh, that's right he's a defenseman...

[GP]

Mark,

Karlsson signed for next year in Europe. Phaneuf will not be traded. He is possibly the most dominating young defensmen in the league.

Can you quote your source or is this just guessing?