Lightning roster set

The Lightning on Friday got down to the required 24 players, including extra goaltender Karri Ramo, by placing wing Jason Ward on injured reserve with what coach Barry Melrose said is a groin injury sustained Thursday on "choppy" ice.

Other moves included categorizing defenseman Paul Ranger (shoulder) as a non-roster player because he did not pass a physical, and putting center Jeff Halpern (knee) on long-term disability.

So here is the roster, the above players excluded:

Goaltenders -- Mike Smith, Olaf Kolzig, Karri Ramo. Forwards -- Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Vinny Prospal, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Chris Gratton, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, Jussi Jokinen, David Koci, Adam Hall, Evgeny Artyukhin, Ryan Craig, Defensemen -- Andrej Meszaros, Matt Carle, Shane O'Brien, Janne Niskala, Vladimir Mihalik, Mike Lundin, Jamie Heward.   

Comments

[léo]

Great post, Steve. I like this guy Steve!
...Bruce is a forward...I love it!
But yeah, you told me and I didn't respond, not because I didn't see it or didn't care but because I didn't want to remark on a situation I know less than little about.
I know Fedorov played the point on PPs awhile back (forget which team).
I guess my question is: Why?
What lining on D? 2nd? 3rd? Certainly not first. Now, how much you payin' him? Is it worth it?
Do you not have enough D?
Why?
Will he not get passed by speedy forwards? Does grandpa still have A) the legs and B) the gumption to stand up to the Staals and Vinnies, not to mention the Ovies and Sids of the league?
What gives?
As for kickin' our butts, you gettin' Huey back??
P.

[Steve R]

Mike13, he looked surprisingly good. He gives options if a d-man gets dinged up during the game. He's more than capable to fill in if an emergency pops up.

leo, yes. Yes we can kick your butts. Bruce is a forward by the way.

[léo]

Sorry Steve,
Now that Huey is gone, tell me:
Why should I care about the Cappers? Put Boudreau on defence if you want.
Though, with Theo, gotta say, this is a train-crash waiting to happen, so I may take a look at one point...
Question is: Can you kick OUR butts?
Mwa-ha.
P.

[Herb]

NNTM I totally agree with you about OB. I think OB is a complete waste of manhood on this team. The guy is a creampuff when opposing players have the puck but he will stick up for teammates when an opposing player takes liberties of our star players. That is the ONLY attribute when it comes to OB as a hockey player.

[slapshot]

Replace Smaby & Heward Please

[Mike13]

Hey Steve R - I read about that. pretty interesting move by Boudreau. Sergei has played D a few times in his career.

So how did he look in your opinion?

[Mike13]

Pretty cool post there NTMM.

On the goalie issue, I prefer the idea of Ramo playing in Norfolk again this year. The Lighting Defense is not improved over last year's and Ramo would just end up looking silly (yet awesome at times). Bringing in an experienced vet like 'Zilla' is a perfect move by the ownership, given the lack of experience and depth of blueliners.

[Steve R]

Hey leo, good timing for this one. Fedorov is playing D for the Caps tonight vs the Flyers in the 3-4 slot paired with Schultz. Things are getting interesting.

[Not the Marlboro Man]

I would really like to have seen the goalie tandem that we ended the season with. At first I was excited to see Kolzig but the more I look at the decision to bring him in I begin to think it was a impulse buy by the new guys. Kari Ramo will be a great back up for several years before he becomes a real good starter. I watched his confidence build with almost every game he played in. If it wasn't for the rest of the team tanking last season he would have looked fine. The kid is big and agile and has a great glove hand. I'm glad they chose to keep him.

I'm also glad they chose to utilize the size of Vladamir Mihalik. The intimidation factor alone counts for allot. Once he tortures us through the NHL learning curve, he will ultimately be a special player just like Pavel Kubina or Paul Ranger...I guarantee it. The difference is on this guy is that his size and reach will offset allot of his inexperience. On another note, I really wish they would have kept Matt Smaby up... and sent Shane O'Brien packing. Unless Shane O'Brien improved his skating ability he's going to be a liability for Melrose throughout the season. The only plus for having Shane O'brien is he's got a huge temper and isn't afraid to drop the gloves to protect a team mate. Shane will lead all defensemen once again in penalty minutes. Shane is also going to have to curtail his end to end puck handling and try to leave that to the players they hired to do it. Now that there seems to be more leadership on the ice, I really don't see that as being to big a problem.

I have high hope for this squad of talented guys. Lets hope that they keep their heads about them and play like they are capable of playing and stay healthy. I imagine that with Ranger, Halpern and Ward out that others will be trying to make names for themselves so the competition will keep players on their toes for awhile.

We wouldn't have some of the talent that we have now if it wasn't for a couple of players stepping up to fill in the gaps while injuries occurred last season. Mike Lundin is a good example of that. I hope he realizes that this season will separate the men from the boys on defense and that he is going to have to raise the level of his game from a safe "no mistake" game to an "aggressive--make--a--difference" game like Scott Stevens would play.

No room for wimps here, no room for excuses, no room for stupid play, no room for untalented slugs. Its time for players to live up to their reputation and for others to create a reputation. This is the season that will ultimately define the Bolts as a good team or a great team once again. The owners have done their part to make things better, now the players and coaches have to show that they can play and coach at the level that they were paid to do so.

[Voice of the Turtle]

Perhaps not in Prague, but certainly soon, the Lightning management will be receiving and unwelcome wake-up call regarding this particular array of unripe D-men.

The late inclusion of an untested Jamie Heward at this point of the year is indicative of the gravity of the problem. Other teams are now examining their player resources, seeking the missing pieces to their player puzzles, and paring their rosters. Deals can be made.

I hope that Lawton doesn't blow his GM-like responsibilities as he failed his promise as #1 player in the draft years ago. Is he listening to Melrose? Is he listening to anyone? Maybe Melrose doesn't get it either.

It is not too late to fortify the roster on defense. There is still some excess baggage (and expense) at the forward positions. Corrections later in the year will likely be more difficult to instigate and accommodate.

[Bryan]

I'm at a crossroads.... part of me thinks Karri belongs here playing with the big boys now, and part of me wants to see him getting big play time in the AHL and maybe feel what its like to carry a team into the playoffs.

[McGz]

Ward seems to have stuck around because of his pk skills. Looks like we'll need a lot of that this year. That 'injury' covers them so Koci can to toe to toe with Orr. This weekend should be fun! Go Bolts!