Marek Malik? Lightning blue line in flux

Marek Malik could be the next addition to the Lightning's ever-evolving defense. The 6-foot-5, 233-pound unrestricted free agent is expected in Tampa this week, though it is unclear if he will sign a one-year, $1-million contract or practice as a tryout.

Add the expected return, perhaps as soon as Thursday against the Islanders, of Paul Ranger (shoulder), and Saturday's addition of Lukas Krajicek, and you have a real episode of Extreme Makeover.

After the team (0-2-1) allowed 126 shots, the worst three-game stretch in club history, it needs it.

Malik, 33, a 12-year veteran, spent the past three seasons with the Rangers. But his relationship last season with coach Tom Renney was stormy. The New York Daily News reported Malik, after a January victory, refused to shake Renney's hand. Renney would normally shake his players hands in the locker room after victories. When Malik refused, some teammates got in his face.

Coach Barry Melrose on Sunday said the Lightning's defense has to be better with puck possession.

"It's composure," he said. "If you have a guy like (Chris) Pronger, and you have a guy like (Nicklas) Lidstrom, where they have the experience to, when they're under pressure, take take an extra step and make a direct pass; right now, our D, when they're under pressure, it's around the boards."

Beyond that, Melrose would like more physical play off his blue line, and that's where Malik, who has 584 penalty minutes in 649 career games, might help.

Bottom line, Melrose said, "What's happening now is unacceptable."

Other notes: Ranger said he will know Monday or Tuesday if he will play on Thursday, and Melrose said the team is as confident as it has been about a quick return. If nothing else, Ranger's return will help with puck possession and the transition and lower the average 27:32 of ice time Matt Carle is lugging. ... Center Jeff Halpern (knee) said he is skating an hour a day five days a week and still expects a mid- to late-December return. As for the absurd rumors Halpern has gotten fat and his career is over, I can tell you, that is not even close to being true. ... Merlose joked of the three-game season, "It feels like 30."

Comments

[NYR FAN]

As a Rangers fan during malik are here's what I got to say about him.

Don't get your hopes up guys.Yes maybe he was treated wrong in NY but for every nice pass he'll commit 2 3 turnovers he's slow he beat easily with speed and wheb that happens he has a habit of hooking players.Out of 600+ pen minutes around 450 is hooking and tripping calls.He does not hit at all.He doesn't fight or stick up for his teamates.He has great +/- but don't let that fool you.He always played withb good players.Last 3 years he played with Jagr so his last 3 seasons Jags was the reason for his +. Good luck to him and you guys he's a great person but a bad dman in new NHL.

PS they shouldve never let Torts go and deff they shouldve never hired that clown Melrose.If you guys get a good coach ull be a powerhouse

[Steve]

If Malik is the answer, what could possibly be the question? He's terrible, I'd much rather have Quincey off of waivers from Detroit. If we are looking for a more physical defenseman, Smaby is a much better option already than Malik is. He is not a good puck mover, is a head case, and this just in, he's not physical (despite his size).

[pj]

As a fan of the NY Rangers, you do not want any part of Malik. He stinks. He once scored an amazing shootout goal for the rangers to win a game. That was about the only good think he does. For a big guy, he NEVER throws the body. He is prone to coughing up the puck. He was the object of relentless booing at MSG. STAY AWAY!

[Hockey Chic]

Morning fellow bloggers,

I assume everyone including the bolts are over their hang overs as I would hope that someone tied one on after what I assumed was a pretty stinky game.

I did not see it yet as it was taped while I was on the ice and at the tourney. I kept coming off the ice to the bench asking my coach ok whats the score. He said he did not know but he was getting updated on the rays scores. lol Guess he did not want me distracted.

Anywho we won the Keg!!! It was a shut out 3-0 and I had to leave there hall butt back to the tourney in ellenton and be back on the ice at 7:30 am. I did it and it was always great playing with my team.

I know Barry, OK and Barrie are hoping we calm down about the losses and we need to but lets turn this next game around and get a win. It sounded to me like we took some pretty bad penalities and that definitely needs to stop.

The chic will be in the house and looking forward to rooting on the bolts and getting our first of many I hope home game wins.

Go Bolts!!!!

ps coach bill I will be at the bloggers happy hour.

[sully]

As a ranger fan I would also like to echo the thoughts of Joe in DE. Malik is a large D man but will never toss out those punishing hits like a Pronger or Phaneuf. He will although make good plays with his stick and make a decent first pass. On the other hand he is in fact the softest 6 foot 6 D man you will ever seen and he will occasionally make terribly decisions with the puck. The most important thing to remember is that he played first line minutes for most of his time with the rangers, which he is not suited for. If Tampa can sign him for second or third line minutes for a million or less per year he might be worth it. Just don't expect much and don't sign him for a lot.

[Boltflasher]

Joe in DE, thank you for take on Malik from the NY point of view!!

[Voice of the Turtle]

In his NHL career in Carolina, Vancouver, and New York, Marek Malik demonstrated skills as an effective stay-at-home defenseman. He is skillful at using his huge wingspan and knows how to throw his hips and elbows around to protect the puck, clear the front of the net, and sustain a physical presence. Assuming that he is in decent shape and his game has not degenerated over the summer, he would likely be a very useful and steadying addition to the Lightning blueline. Marek would also blend in nicely with the growing number of classy Chech players on the Lightning roster.

Does anyone remember his breath-taking shootout goal as a Ranger a few years ago? I loved it!

[Voice of the Turtle]

In his NHL career in Carolina, Vancouver, and New York, Marek Malik demonstrated skills as an effective stay-at-home defenseman. He is skillful at using his huge wingspan and knows how to throw his hips and elbows around to protect the puck, clear the front of the net, and sustain a physical presence. Assuming that he is in decent shape and his game has not degenerated over the summer, he would likely be a very useful and steadying addition to the Lightning blueline. Marek would also blend in nicely with the growing number of classy Chech players on the Lightning roster.

Does anyone remember his breath-taking shootout goal as a Ranger a few years ago? I loved it!

[Voice of the Turtle]

In his NHL career in Carolina, Vancouver, and New York, Marek Malik demonstrated skills as an effective stay-at-home defenseman. He is skillful at using his huge wingspan and knows how to throw his hips and elbows around to protect the puck, clear the front of the net, and sustain a physical presence. Assuming that he is in decent shape and his game has not degenerated over the summer, he would likely be a very useful and steadying addition to the Lightning blueline. Marek would also blend in nicely with the growing number of classy Chech players on the Lightning roster.

Does anyone remember his breath-taking shootout goal as a Ranger a few years ago? I loved it!

[Voice of the Turtle]

In his NHL career in Carolina, Vancouver, and New York, Marek Malik demonstrated skills as an effective stay-at-home defenseman. He is skillful at using his huge wingspan and knows how to throw his hips and elbows around to protect the puck, clear the front of the net, and sustain a physical presence. Assuming that he is in decent shape and his game has not degenerated over the summer, he would likely be a very useful and steadying addition to the Lightning blueline. Marek would also blend in nicely with the growing number of classy Chech players on the Lightning roster.

Does anyone remember his breath-taking shootout goal as a Ranger a few years ago? I loved it!

[Joe in DE]

Hi guys, as a Ranger fan I figured I'd chime in on this one.

Most Ranger fans would have been willing to trade Malik for a bucket full of AIDS. Aside from Tom Poti and Denis Potvin, there haven't been many players who have felt the wrath of the MSG crowd worse than Malik. The Rangers are certainly better without him, but truth be told, I don't think he's as bad as he got portrayed in NY.

He is a big guy at 6'6", but don't think for a second that he's a physical D man. He's not, but he's not afraid of getting hit like Sister Christian Backman, who we pawned off on Columbus. Malik, is a typical European D man, who is more stick work than muscle and grit. He's not the fastest skater and can be beat with speed. However, he was a scapegoat for the Rangers. Many times Rozsival would pinch and get caught and hang Malik out to dry on odd man rushes. Malik would get the ire of the fans even though he was smart enough to stay in position. He will occasionally score and doesn't have a bad shot. He can make a good outlet pass and get your forwards the puck coming out of the defensive zone, which judging by the two games you played against us, you need like a cure for cancer. Your top forwards can't score if they can't get the puck, and Malik could help you with that. That said, there will be moments where he will commit and egregious turnover and you will want to strangle him. Most of all, playing for a team and city where the spotlight doesn't burn so bright, along with a clean slate will do a world of good for him. Not all players are cut out to play in NY.

He made 2.5 mil/per as a Ranger, but considering he was a healthy scratch by the end of his term here, he could likely be had for half of that. He's an unfailably nice guy, dedicated to his family, and I wish him the best of luck

[leanmean43]

The defense moved the puck well for 2 periods and we outshot Carolina until the third. For some reason the team started to sit back and play it safe in the third and that's what led to all the penalties. I don't know if Melrose told them to sit back in the neutral zone or what, but that's when it hit the fan. If the Defense plays like they did the first two periods for a whole 60 minutes they aren't that bad.

Sure it sucks that they lost when it should have been an easy game, but those first two periods really showed how much potential the team has. I am the only one that saw that? The young D just needs some poise in the third period and make the first pass instead of dumping the puck in the neutral zone.

[msp]

I agree with danger. Smaby should be up here, at least for now while they are figuring things out and with injuries. Bring up Smabes for Gods sakes. Who agrees???

Go Bolts!

[Goose]

Halpern skating one hour a day ?

DC,
Please let us know when he's skating/practicing with the team.

I believe he's finished, until he gets back into the lineup.

[Boltflasher]

Wow, bloody ending to Ducks-Coyotes, with a linesman bloodied during a fight, and Gretkzy wanting to come off the bench to go after...Pronger!...uh, Wayne, calm down, you don't want a piece of Pronger...

[Don in St. Pete]

Guli, Malik may not be the physical presence we need but he may offer more ability and composure than what we have now. You don't get those kind of +/- numbers by playing bad. It seems we had 6 breakaways where we just blew by your D in Prague. If we could have buried more than 1 of those we might have won a game or 2 from you over there. A lot of the big d-men average less than a hit a game. Check out Pronger and Niedemayer. Skill with the puck and positional play are important too.

[Guli]

trust me, as a Rangers fan you do not want to count on Malik to be your savior. For his "physical" play, don't let the numbers fool you, we hated him because he had such a huge body and never used it

[CM]

Detroit put defenseman Kyle Quincey on waivers because they have too many NHL players for the roster spaces they have available. He might be an affordable pickup for Tampa.

[Pd]

Agree, throw him in there. Maybe he could hit somebody.

[Boltflasher]

I think the situation on D is such that instead of criticizing a guy who's not even here yet, we should be asking him to hurry up and get here...

[Don in St. Pete]

Malik, Was a healthy scratch for the playoffs plus 21 regular season goals. I guess he had a problem with Renney. The guy does have phenomenal +/- numbers over his career, including +28, +32 and +7 the past 3 years. Check out the Stamkos like move he pulled ona shootout goal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlplXgDMDdA

[keith]

Beau.....big men softies. We love 'em in Tampa. Kubina, Kuba, Malik will fit right in. Lets hope his handbag is just a little heavier than Carle's and Krajicek's

[keith]

Poor Ranger.....he's coming back and everyone is waiting for him to be the solution. One monkey dont make a circus.

[Beau]

Marek Malik is horrible. I understand the team is desperate, but this guy is bad, and the fact that anybody would think he is going to make our defense even remotely more physical is just ridiculous. Malik is probably one of, if not the softest big defenseman out there.

[Boltflasher]

If the D is in flux, where's Doc Brown when you need him?....we need the flux capacitor?

[Nan]

Melrose (and/or Lawton) sees the light! We're getting a veteran defenseman for a change.
I just hope Melrose can figure out a way to get Stamkos in the game more. I know he doesn't normally do the power play and certainly not the penalty kill but what gives? Only 6 minutes?

[Boltflasher]

Question: When Halpern returns do we end the Gary Roberts experiment?

[coach bill]

Attn. all Bloggers- there is a Bloggers Happy Hour planned for Sat. Oct. 25th at Shots ((on the patio) from 6-7:30. Please let me know if you're coming so I can tell the mgmt. of a count.

[Boltflasher]

Big Marek was a +7 in 42 games with NYR last year...

[Dave]

Yes ranger will help, Halpern is great but 30 games will be gone when he comes in,BUT having a patchwork DEFENSE with 2 of the D not even in our training camp and a 3rd Malik on the way. what the hek were they thinking , that we would just score 6 goals EVERY game. Goalies have been great.where are Consistent 60 minute Defenseman. What were they Thunkin. Heward?Niskala,& 1st & 2nd year Dmen,then Dumping one D man(obrien) for another with less experience. band aids thats all.we have all these great players,But there just names, /ESPN TV Coach Cmon, I thought, Okay, Tochett will bring something."Not"..take a page from the rays- TEAMWORK & coaching & Defense,also counting on a 18 year old is just fantasy,and laying everything on malone is to musch for him obviously.Like quellet they had success in Pitt. Thats all.Its okay i love the boltz but they didnt think this thru.Hope I'm wrong

[Boltflasher]

Malik, a tryout? If he can't make this squad he should never touch a hockey stick again...

[Tackleberry]

Danger, I agree with you about Stammer. He only played 6 min. Huh?????

How is he suppose to gain experience at 6 min per game? So he made a few turnovers, big deal. I dont think he had more turnovers than anyone else last night. Let him take his lumps.

I have a great view of Koules and Barrie's suite. Barrie had his head down when Carolina scored their 3d. I think it was the same reaction everyone had in the forum.

Barrie is right about giving the team time. I think they are good. They need that first win for a HUGE confidence builder. I will still give them till DECEMBER to post any bashings.

Go Bolts and Rays!!

[danger]

Our D certainly is scary right now. The addition of a strong, solid defensemen in Malik would help us to be more physical down low, and in front of the net, but if that is what Melrose is looking for why is Smaby in the AHL? I've watched him play in college, and from what I saw in the pre-season I didn't expect him to be sent down. And speaking of Melrose...Hey Berry do you see that kid with the number 91 on his jersey sitting in front of you? How about you play him. You're telling everyone how good this kid is going to be and you've got him baby sitting the water bottles on the bench.

[David]

Carle sucks.

[Goalman]

If Malek comes,who goes? Craig? Ward?

[ajax]

Damian, your post is a ditto of the past 2+ years for this camper. AT LEAST MELROSE RECOGNIZES THE WRAP AROUND IS NOT HOCKEY. Torts I believe preeched this type of play. Knowing this is a problem is 70% of curing it. Melrose talks about the D and uses words like more physical and hold the puck an extra second, skate an extra second etc. I think all those private chats I have been having with him at Hattrick's is paying off!!! YES YES YES Virginia. Feaster use to get on TV and say he thought we had the best D in hockey and never crack a smile. This is a good Sunday Lightning faithful!!!