Can Tampa Bay survive without an enforcer?

A lot has been made about how the Lightning will handle its enforcer duties after Andre Roy left as a free agent. Do they really need one? Can "team toughness" overcome the lack of one. We got two views in today's paper. Coach Barry Melrose said we shouldn't count out tough guy David Koci making the team out of camp. "One thing I've made very clear to my stars is they will always be protected, and that's going to happen here," he said. "As long as I'm coach here, you will never see one of our stars taken advantage of."

But hockey ops chief Brian Lawton said the concept of team toughness also is valid, and he spoke of guys such as Ryan Malone, Nick Tarnasky, Evgeny Artyukhin, Chris Gratton and even Vinny Lecavalier as more than willing and able to take care of themselves. Besides, he added, the Lightning is an "enormous team." He actually is right about that. Tampa Bay's projected top 13 forwards average 6 feet 2, 210 pounds. That's the biggest group of forwards in the league. Believe me, I went through every team and checked. And as Lawton said, "Team toughness is the greatest responsibility and bonding a team can do," he said. "We have a group of guys that I can already tell already will use this to bring themselves together. ... Tell me who Detroit's heavyweight is. Tell me who their middleweight is. They do it with more puck possession and skill. We'd like to follow that model. But we'd also like to back that up with size, and we feel we have that."

Okay, before all you Wings fans start bringing up Aaron Downey, remember he played just 4 minutes a game and was not much of a factor in the playoffs. The point Lawton was trying to make is there really isn't room on the Lightning's roster for a four-minute player, and fighting is not that much of a factor in the playoffs anyway.

What's the right answer? Can Koci play a regular shift, even though, as he said, his skating needs to improve?

Also thought Melrose's Q&A was interesting, especially the part about carving out a section in front of the net where much more physical play is allowed. "The hacking and whacking and cross-checking, so the guy has to have some grit to get in there, where you can't go in there with no pads the way you basically can do it now. That should be an area of highly fought over ice," he said.

And I loved this quote: "I never want to get to a point in my life when cowards can play hockey."

If you haven't read the Q&A, I suggest it. It is well worth your time, and then tell me what you think of Melrose's idea to make it tougher to stand in front of the net. I think the whole enforcer issue for Tampa Bay and Melrose's comments are great for debate. Would love to hear your thoughts.

Comments

[PD]

Well Donald I am sure Chara can think of about 7 and a half million reasons a year to call you badly off of your game.

Why did you sh*t us all on those supposedly overwheming pro Mezsaros Ottawa blogs?

[Don in St. Pete]

Leo, if you analyzed the numbers between 03-04' and 05-06' hat would be the common denominator though of course it could be twisted however somone wanted. However the fact that both failed miserably ( mez was a -15 ) suggest that they had gotten too comfortable playing together and weren't ready for the results dealt by the trade.

[léo]

Chara was good in Ottawa because of Mezsaros???
Uh
I'm out.
P.

[Don in St.Pete]

PD, I'm really sorry that the stats don't back up you rargumrnts, but they are what they are. The year that Chara signed the big contract withe B's was it any wonder he was -20? And for the same reason, during the same year it should be no surprise hat Mezsaros was minus 15. However, last year both were pro0fessional enough to turn it around.

[PD]

You know I should do some acid on this blog to balance out the pathetic Koolaid thats being swilled by Don and Ajax.

[PD]

Thats our Don.
Links Please Don or do just want to admit you were shittin us all?

[Don in St. Pete]

Leo, That's right! Chara had a couple of great seasons in Ottawa but he was playing beside Meszaros and others. His first year in Beantown he was -20. it's tough playing for a crappy team and your #'s ackowledge that. Look for the Bolts to be pressing the sHABs for top spot in the east all season, mark my words. Ottawa will be also rans, around 10th place.

[léo]

Whoa, whoa, "Chara became a superstar", whooooaaa, Don.
Chara got the hype of a superstar IN Ottawa, remember?
First year in Bos, he SUCKED. (look it up)
His second year was certainly better and certainly up to his potential.
But was he as dominant as he was in Ottawa? How did he BECOME a superstar? Ottawa couldn't AFFORD to pay 8mil, remember?
Whoa, take it easy, mate.
P.

[Don in St. Pete]

Ottawa has continued their stubborn resistance to signing their own top level defenseman with the Meszaros deal. They traded Chara and he became a superstar because they were to tightfisted to acknowledge his value. The Bolts management has realized and ackowledged that value. For those of you like PD that are dropping Tabs of acid, Mez had top 3 numbers in Ottawa and top 2 numbers if not for Redden's excessive PP times.

[PD]

Maybe Chara made Mezsaros appear a whole bunch better than he was Flasher.
Pretty well documented.

My money is on Ritchie and Dallas will be 1A with the Wings this year.

[Boltflasher]

My only comment about Richie is during that Cup year and all those points he got, he had Modin and St.Louis as his wingers...maybe those 2 made Brad appear better than he was...

[PD]

Don I predict that you are back on that cough syrup.

Where are those blog links?

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, I've finally come to the realization that your not a fan of the Bolts but a fan of a few dearly departed players. This is a business like any other and a last place finish waranted cleaning out some dead weight. I'm sorry to describe it so uneloquently but with Richy and his contract, there was no way we could ever afford a Modin and a Stillman to fully apreciate his talents. With Boyle we could not afford to put a legitimate #1 defenseman next to him to cover for his gross defensive liabilities. SJ can afford to put Rob Blake on a line with Boyle, we couldn't. I think the new ownership of the Lightning has done a spectacular job retooling the team to make a run at thre playoffs and the SE division title. The fans of the canadian teams have assaulted Ajax out of fear, because like me they know that the new owners aren't done yet and that the team you see on paper now will be even more improved before the puck drops. I predict the Bolts will be in the running for the East title.

[PD]

I Made your point Ajax? , you have no point.

Yes Rangers Hawks and Ottawa, what are they spending on D Ajax?

My point, a real one was that we had a core of some of the best players in hockey and could have kept four of then together and added Stamkos building a contender for years.

The current team is a shell of what could have been. Its different but far from better

[léo]

Yeah, like PD, Ajax, I wondered what you meant because: A) I never said anything resembling "Our forwards made Our D look good".
And B) I don't know a dang thing about Picard so I NEVER said anything about him, positive or negative.
But I figure you just got me confused with another poster maybe? There are lotsa excellent and insightful opinions on this post and I guess it's only natural you'd think one of'em were mine.
'Sides, Ajax, you of all people should know that Leo only deals the straight dope. None'o'that funky stuff; you never know who could copy/paste ya and have ya choke on your own words.
I'd tell you who makes who look good on my team, Ajax, to keep it fair. Here:
I don't think Ryder needs Us to play well. He can put the puck in the net. If he's confident, it'll be child's play for Savard to set him up and he'll score.
Whereas I thought Souray needed Us, Ajax. I thought We made him look good, yes. I KNEW Edm was in for a surprise, even warned'em about it. (they didn't listen)
Ain't gonna bash Grabby too much either. He can fly and he's got hands. But he's impulsive and vain. Plus he can't keep the puck.
90% of what Higgins achieves is the direct result of Saku Koivu. Ah, ah, ah, don't tell me; I'll tell you. THIS is Our problem with Higgy is that We want him to MANIFEST himself more often because right now? It's still Saku making him look good and not the other way around. Have you not noticed he's in ALL Our trade talks? The kid works like a demon but has a mental block about actually having the puck cross the red line, it's uncanny. With 27 goals! He EASILY coulda had 40.
So that's why I've said before that We could lose Higgy to the Isles (who SHOULD throw the moon at him). depends how much he wants, I guess.
I just don't think he'll play "as well" as he did with Us.
Same goes fer Mezzy, Ajax.
See? Fair.
Cool?
P.

[ajax]

I know the Ducks and Wings have spent big time on D D D. Their top 4 dmen make about 20 million. The Rangers Hawks and Ottawa?? Only Pittsburgh bucks this trend and not every team has Crosby and Malkin PD. And you will see a slip with them also by the way with a weakened roster, the price you pay for being so top heavy, just wait and see. I think You made my point. Ottawa has lost their D and they have lost their ability to be elite. And you PD, said Mezzy and Redden both stunk and were overpaid. By the way Ottawa and Tampa has way more spent aon forwards then on D. Anaheim and Detroit spend heavy on Dmen. Coincidence?? Think not. Oh yeah, I forgot the forwards make the D. PD, you and me are Mars and Venus, I respect your opinion but I couldn't disagree more on your thoughts,but hey I am cool with that. Go Bolts. I like the team this year, they will need time, YES, you like the roster of all-stars. It was great hype, great headlines but it was losing hockey.

[Beau]

Dear DC,

Maybe you can move the enforcer talk to an article on the Meszaros deal since that is what hijacked this blog.

[Steve R]

PD, if you want to overload $$ on five guys, you better scout/draft well to have a cheap supporting cast.

[PD]

Ajax you love to put words in others mouths and make strawmen don't you?..
First show me one comment from anyone that was comparing Mezz and Redden to Picard and Kuba..you made it up.

Leo of all people can speak for himself, but you are misrepresenting what he said too.

Earlier I suggested that the Bolts should have kept V$, Marty, Ritchie, Boyle and Stamkos,you know stars, and built around them.
Your sage response:
"that would of been over 31 million spent on 5 guys. Brilliant. With that lineup we still would have Karllson Ward Darche etc playing minor league hockey. I think we proved hands down that the "star roster" even at 27 minutes a night can't beat anybody.

Gee let's see there brilliant one. Take the average of the top 5 guys on Detroit, Rangers, Ducks, Hawks, Pitt, Ottawa and just take a wild guess professor as to what their average top 5 were paid?

And what do those teams also have in common professor?

[ajax]

So your thinking Leo is that Picard, who had trouble in Tampa and couldn't even make the top 6 while in Philly (worst record in the league) would have helped Ottawa. How does a guy who exceled in the AHL get in a converation with a guy playing 21 minutes a night at age 21 in the Stanly Cup Finals?? With that thinking we should start trading with Phoenix and Florida and get all of their untapped potential too. C'mon Leo your past dictates better thought processes than the last one. I bet Darche and Karllson would be making 4 million too if they were traded to Ottawa or Detroit. C'mon Leo you just went postal on me.
It is funny how D has dominated the cup the last few years and we get a guy who was firmly entrenched on a very good team and immediately the forwards were carrying them. I think Vinny and Marty are world class forwards and in my humble opinion the D dragged them down to about 7 feet in front of our net for long periods of the game last year. I know, Vinny and Marty are overrated over paid bums too.
I give up!!!!!!
Leo I watched Montreal about 10 games last year and what impressed me the most was the ability of their D to win battles and let the forwards actually stay up high for the transition game. Now you are telling me the forwards for Montreal made the D look good. Ain't buying it. I think I need to retake hockey 101 again as I missed alot.
I will repeat this for all sane people. Picard was in the AHL and couldn't play for the worse team in the entire NHL and now because he looks better than Lundin and Janek he has the potential of a dominant NHL player. Whew, did I miss the boat.
The funny thing about that one post from the Ottawa coach, he talks about the trade and mentions Mezzy and his backwards progress and Picard and his potential and never once mentioned Kuba. Sorta strange don't ya think???
Did it ever dawn on some of the resident geniuses that Ottawa would of never ever considered Mezzy for Kuba straight up because...tada...Kuba is a stiff.

[Curtis]

No we're actually talking about "Filip Kuba" not Philip Kuba...I don't thing Kuba and Picard are better than Redden and Meszaros, but having Picard and Kuba IS better than having Mez...oh, and the 1st rounder don't hurt either.

Yes Ottawa was EXACTLY that much better than TB and those 2 were in the line up, so I see where you're coming from...but it was mostly our scoring that made us, (2nd in goals for - in contrast there were 24 more teams that had fewer goals scored against them, but TB did have 29 more teams that had fewer) so don't read too much into the defence issue for Ottawa...we simply scored more than we were scored on...the defence wasn't that good collectively porous and very offensively minded. Individually they are a talented bunch lots of skill, low on team concepts (HELLLLOOO, Meszaros, except for 1st year when Zee was his partner and saved Mez so he could "dangle" a little more and ZEE sat back and was the Defensive conscience on their pairing) but offence wins trophies and defence wins championships...thats why Redden and Mez struggled for 2 years and thats why they are out!

[léo]

That's just it, Ajax. Ottawa was 57times better than you. And Mezzy was there.
Now he's in TB. 57times (maybe not so much) LESS strong than Ottawa.
Let's see how Mezzy does now...as General, to boot.
Don,
Excellent question! Yes, I HAVE heard of Green and Enstrom. First year for them wasn't it? Yes, they were REMARKABLE. They got my attention. In a different division.
Mezzy, after 4 years, is barely getting my attention now. In the SAME division.
See what I'm sayin'. I'm sayin' I don't EVER remember Mezzy having an IMPACT on any proceedings. Sure, I'm sure he's got game-winning goals and all, but I mean IMPACT on the team, you know.
When setting up the battlements against Ottawa, We talked about how to stop the best trio in the league and how to outthink Phillips and try not to shoot on Volchenkov but if We could get pucks through, their goalies would break. Mezzy never came up.
I'm sure Green woulda come into the equation if he had been in Ottawa, Don.
P.

[ajax]

tough question. If you liked him for 3.5 or 4 mil at age 23, will you like him for the same cap hit at age 27 or 29?? He will probably add 10-15 pounds of muscle like every male does between 23 and 29 for one. Anywho does that really need to be answered?? Let's see Vinny at 23 or Vinny at 29?? This kid was getting serious minutes on the grandest stage of the game at age 21 and he is washed up?? A step down from Kuba?? C'mon folks be serious.
Ottawa was 57x better than us gang and some of you are arguing Kuba and Picard are better than Redden and Meszaros. I won't be baited. I would rather have bad players on a bad team versus good players on a good team. Shake me, wake me, some of this just doesn't add up to this class clown. Are we talking about Philip Kuba here?? or is their some other poke checking, slow footed Dman we are speaking about??

[PD]

Heh Don I want to see your links to those positive Ottawa Mezaros comments too. Back it up shooter.
I await.

[Curtis]

making a trade as we speak....lmao. You really have your hand on the pulse of the NHL...are you GM? Here's a bone i'll throw out to just you don, since you like rumour mills....If you truly like trade rumours...goto Spectors...just google spectors...they have every juicy piece of gossip you'll no doubt love...if they haven't heard of it, it doesn't exist! Trust me, it'll excite your little brain all over. Peace, Don

[Curtis]

In case you forgot

"I sincerely hope you all are right. I'm not totally convinced we've improved our defense by trading 2 for 1, + giving up a first round pick."

That was you...
Don in St Pete

[curtis]

Don, links please... I would love to see that information that you say exists. BTW, if you go back to your post a few days back you said you dont like what your mgmt was doing. pick a side already.

[curtis]

look at the numbers over 2 years ajax! Redden and Mez PLAYED their way out of Ottawa. Yes, finishing last is bad for most teams. Others like it cause the got Stamkos. Come June...$$Anyone Seen Tavares$$

[PD]

Where are the strawberries Ajax? The strawberries.

"Two of the mainstays to Ottawa's Playoff run but they both suck and are now overrated and over paid. Yeah I would rather have Picard and Kuba. Insanity rules??"

The mainstays were Philips and Volchenkov...you just make sht up.

The guy was a net minus last two years on one of the leagues best plus minus teams...dream on
agree on the insanity part

[Don in St. Pete]

Ajax and McGz, Thank you for the great post's! If you go to any of the Sens blogs there are also a bunch of people saying that they'll never see the playoffs again after trading Meszaros. I too like what the new owners have done. I'm just asking for 1 more piece, a tough teeth rattling stay at home d-man. keep your eyes and ears open......The Preds just suspended Radulov for the season and they are in serious need of a couple of scoring forwards. I think they are working on a deal as we speak.

[McGz]

Only time will tell with Meszaros. 4 years puts him in his prime and ya'll be gushing at the discount we have him at for another two years.

[Steve R]

Ajax,

Sens liked him for 3.5m, yes. Did the Sens like him for 3.5m for 6 years...?

[ajax]

Ottawa offered 3.5 million to Meszaros but now that he left he is a bum. Sour grapes x10. They wanted him on Tuesday for 3.5 mil but traded him on Wednesday and his play was deemed, undesireable. Someone read between the lines please. If they would have signed him for the 3.5 mil they offered you would of read, "he is a big part of our team and a big part of our future and we are glad to have him as an Ottawa Senator" Right?? They tried to sign the "bum" for 2 stinking months all of you bashing him!! Sounds like a Torts comment about a past loyal player who just wouldn't buckle under. Wait till they get a gasp of the sleeping prince Philip Kuba. Ha Ha on them x10.
Picard might be better than Meszaros?? that was stated. R U kidding me?? He couldn't start for the worst team in hockey in 2007(Philly) and he got to play 20 games for the worst team last year (US) but he could be better than a 20 minute proven NHL player? And oh yeah Redden sucked to. Talk about biased opinions. If we had Redden and Meszaros the last two years we would of won 10-15 more games. PERIOD. Two of the mainstays to Ottawa's Playoff run but they both suck and are now overrated and over paid. Yeah I would rather have Picard and Kuba. Insanity rules??
Last comment: we should of kept Richy Vinny Marty Danny and Stamkos: that would of been over 31 million spent on 5 guys. Brilliant. With that lineup we still would have Karllson Ward Darche etc playing minor league hockey. I think we proved hands down that the "star roster" even at 27 minutes a night can't beat anybody.
This team is sooooo much better than last year even after losing Richy and Danny. Oh yeah, I fotgot, with those guys we were the worst team in hockey. I guess we should of stuck with a hand that kept getting worse and worse, year after year. Without change I guarentee Vinny never even would of resigned. NEVER. Only one way to go from how prior management built the team. Straight up with a bullet. I guess all of us dreamers will just have to smarten up!!!!!!! The insanity would of continued another year without "Hollywood" I for one am soooo thankful that he arrived in town to shake things up. What is the worst thing that could happen?? We finish last again??

[Don in St. Pete]

Steve, here's the lowdown from the NHL website.

http://www.nhl.com/nhlstats/app?formids=PropertySelection%2CPropertySelection_0%2CPropertySelection_1%2CPropertySelection_2%2CPropertySelection_3%2CPropertySelection_4%2CPropertySelection_5%2CSubmit&component=reportBuilder.%24SimpleForm&page=Home&service=direct&submitmode=&submitname=&PropertySelection=0&PropertySelection_0=0&PropertySelection_1=21&PropertySelection_2=0&PropertySelection_3=0&PropertySelection_4=0&PropertySelection_5=14&Submit=Get+Stats

[Steve R]

Don,

The minutes looked low to me, I expected to see higher. What's the book say on this guy? Does he log special teams time, no PK, second line PP, all even strength? I honestly don't know the answer.

Mike Green's production spiked when Bruce came into town. Bruce turned him loose and Mo watches his back.

[Don in St. Pete]

Leo, You ever heard of Mike Green? How about Tobias Enstrom? People step up after a change of scenery on a regular basis. Casper, awesome post! I'm with you, count me in.

[Casper]

I'm still scratching my noggin over losing a Luke Richardson and gaining a Mezsaros, with Ottawa as the dance partner.

Makes one want to pop Torts right square in the jibs.

Oh, and I still miss Chris Dingman. Maybe one of the 'bubble' guys, Craig or O'Brien, can elevate their pugilistic prowess, hhmmm? (Can't teach Koci to skate and play this game, then it's boxing lessons for guys clinging for a roster spot. Think of those bus rides in the AHL Ryan, Shane...)

I really hope the modest jostling in the logjam of our pedestrian talent pool of defensemen has created a purposeful opportunity for Smaby and Wishart.
Go Hard and nail 'em, boys!

Hurray! It's September! Not long now!

Go Bolts!

[rbc]

mats still undecided, good luck with that. I also got the crystal puck with dvd, i am a total homer. Bolts have not sat around all summer waiting for mats to decide. See Ya!!!!!!!!!

[léo]

Now hold on,
If a team predicted to finish 13th can manage to surprise everybody and finish 1st, then certainly Mezzy can ELEVATE into a solid reliable, 24mil dollar-worth defender. Just because I've never personally seen anything to validate this doesn't mean it can't happen.
Mezzy makes the team better NOW, but the exchange was too much. The pick (I'm sorry for repeating myself) was too much.
So Ajax?
I totally agree with you that Feaster for Mezzy would've been the greatest trade in the world.
But that ain't what TB did.
Kuba + Picard wasn't enough? Is Mezzy THAT good that you had to throw in the pick?
We'll see, we'll see, we'll see, pessimists, anti-bolts, bla-bla. Yeah, we'll see but we also see that this move was STUPID.
...San Jose's pick...WRONG!
That was YOUR pick. If you didn't need it, why'd you get it in the first place??? To bargain later on? With 1st round picks? That's what you do? That's the plan?
Huh. That's what Toranna did.
You NEVER trade 1st round picks unless you know you can afford to do so.
Otherwise, it's just plain stupid.
And that's it.
So rbc?
Hope you got that Cup picture framed. You can go back into hibernation now. We'll wake you up in the NEXT century for your next Cup and you can strut around all-importantly then too with how, though the Predators won 62 Cups in the 21st Century, the fact that you'll have won ONE in 2102 will be the TRUE definition of a Cup winning team. Ok? Benito? Mr. M?
Wake up, rbc; you finished in last place.
Indeed, we all "saw", like you say.
P.

[PD]

RBC when you have a draft as deep as this years or nexts only a true idiot could blow a #1 pick.
Detroit stays where they are because they scout/ draft better than most down the ticket then have the patience to develop their picks. Then they fill the cracks with free agents (Hossa)

We have to do the reverse because of zero home grown talent, thus the insanity of flipping away #1 picks. That drives me crazy.

Datsuk and Zetterburg were in the 6 th or 7th rounds I think.

[PD]

Here you go Don/Ajax
Bruce Garriocs column Ottawa Sun Saturday.
""It got to the point where the dollars were just too much for us," Murray said in a conference call last night. "We thought it was at a point where we weren't going to be able to do it. I wasn't able to make the adjustment with my salary structure.

"The last two years, (Meszaros' play) has left a lot to be desired. I know Filip Kuba well and he's really going to help us. I know he's excited about this change. As for Picard, he's local guy with a lot of potential. We feel good and the first-round pick is also going to help us."

Murray said Kuba, Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov and Jason Smith will be club's top four blueliners this season.

Parse it yourself.

[rbc]

old management gave #1 for ob, I am just saying you heard the same about feds when he came over from the flyers, he was not working out in the flyers org. He came to bolts and was a intricate part of the cup winning team. bolts got blasted for making that trade by all, yet the trade worked out. mezz might suck might not, willing to wait and see. Picard is all of a sudden godlike and kuba this stud. If going by #1 picks to how good your team is then explain why detroit and nj are so good year after year.

[PD]

Don, Murray said in the Ott Sun last week that he had lost confidence in Mezaros and traded for Kuba because he knew him well..take it up with him.

Call me a cynic if want Don , Ill call you a dreamer.

I have also been a big Marty fan and Tarnasky and I was very impressed with Picard. He hit people, what a concept.

If I had V$ , Marty, Richards, Boyle, Stamkos and the money these guys are spending I dare say I could have baked a much better pie. So could you.

[Don in St. Pete]

Steve, thanks for posting that link, I was looking at those #'s before making my previous post. Do those sound like the TOI minutes for a #5 or 6 d-man to you? Nice move by the CrAPS btw, to retire Gartners #11. The unabashed and ill informed Ek is saying the Bolts have another deal in the works on his latest Hockey Buzz post.

[PD]

Steve you see why Murray was happy to gas both Redden and Sta Puft. They were a big reason for the terrible year the Sens had.

Mezsaros according to your numbers was +35 when paired with Chara but averaged -10 last two years w/o him.
That's pretty tough to do playing with plus minus leaders like Heatly Spezza and Alfie.

He did have a +6 game vs the Bolts though so thats likely where some of these wild eyed impressions were formed.

[Steve R]

Check out the attached for time on ice and shift info on Meszaros for last year.

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=PlayerDetail&playerId=8471236&service=page&tab=gbgt

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, That is a joke that Kuba would play ahead of meszaros if he were still in Ottawa and you know it. Meszaros played #3 minutes the last 2 years and yes he will be expected to play top 2 minutes here, which may be a stretch, but on the other hand I see him as better defensively than Boyle, which is not saying much. Ask yourself why Minnesota let Kuba, who was in his prime, walk after an all-star season and the Bolts signed him for only $3 mil per? PD, I like you but I've never heard you have anything good to say about any Lightning Player, coach or management person, except Richards, Boyle and Tortorella. By definition, that makes you a pessimist if not a downright Cynic.

[PD]

Not sure RBC but maybe you can tell me how many #1's we spent for Obrien and Mezsaros plus throwing in Picard who could be better than both those 3-6 guys.

The answer: two nunber 1 picks for Obrien and Sta Puft plus Picard.
Thats criminal.

Ajax if you bothered to read I said the trade should have been for Kuba Heads up..how that translates into Kuba being better heads up is something only you could figure out.
I said it was just reckless to include Picard and a first

[Mike13]

Newsflash: The Lightning will no longer host the College Hockey Classic, which was started 2 years ago.

Here's the article:
http://nhl.fanhouse.com/2008/08/29/lightning-strike-college-hockey-classic/