Pettinger in, Koci out, Ward on waivers

Busy morning for the Lightning, which claimed forward Matt Pettinger on recall waivers from the Canucks, lost enforcer David Koci on waivers to the Blues and put Jason Ward on waivers as well.

Pettinger, who turns 28 on Wednesday, had three goals for AHL Manitoba, and has 56 goals, 105 points in 354 NHL games with the Capitals and Canucks. His contract calls for $1.1-million in salary. But since he was claimed on recall waivers, Tampa Bay is only responsible for half ($550,000). He is expected to join the Lightning and not be sent to AHL Norfolk.

Koci was put on waivers Monday and claimed by the Blues. That is the most interesting part of this process because coach Barry Melrose had hyped Koci since the summer. But Koci played only one game, Satruday against the Wild, and played just 41 seconds and had four minutes in penalties, and neither were good penalties.

Melrose even said he would be trying to get Koci more playing time. Anyway, asked before the announcement of Koci going to the Blues, Melrose said, "That's a business decision. David Koci did everything we asked of him. Obviously, going out and getting those two penalties, I was forced to play him a little bit different than I hoped. I hop David Koci doesn't get picked up. I want to keep him in the organization. We will have injuries and he wil be a guy we get back. But that's a business decision more than a hockey decision.

Still, it isn't as if there have been brawls breaking out all over the place that Koci has had to address. But as Melrose said (in what might be the quote of the year), "That's why the United States has a nuclear aresenal. It's called a deterent. Do you think (Minnesota's Derek) Boogaard is in the lineup because he's going to get 10 goals? I don't think so."

Vice president of hockey operations, Brian Lawton, was not immediately available for comment.

As for Ward, no surprise he is on waivers. He has not yet played this season, and tonight will be a healthy scratch for a fourth straight game. And the Lightning has numbers issues. The roster was at 22, one under the limit when the day began. Adding Pettnger and losing Koci keepis it static. With center Ryan Craig (groin) almost ready to return and defenseman Marek Malik close to being signed (we assume), that would bring the number to 24. Ward leaving the roser reduced the number to 23.

We'll know at noon tomorrow if Ward is claimed or if he is off the Norfolk.

Comments

[Voice of the Turtle]

In this new age of hockey, it is doubtful that a team can readily afford to carry a one-trick pony like Koci. Most teams have policemen who can contribute in other ways as well as with their fists.

Ward, likable and hard-working, is the victim of a numbers game, but it seems most probable that he will be a marginal NHL player throughout the balance of his career.

In other waiver action, Darren McCarty of Detroit (who strikes one as a gritty, tough guy with reasonable NHL skills and a bunch of Stanley Cup rings) was placed on waivers and might interest the Bolts given Koci's absence if his battle-worn age has not taken away too much of his game.

The Ducks placed experienced and steady Ken Klee on waivers. He might be an interesting experienced defenseman to consider if the Marek Malik deal does not materialize. The Chech blueliner brings a lot to the table, but one has to be concerned about a pro hockey player who, these days, neglects his physical conditioning.

Finally, Pettinger. He always seemed to be one of those Ward-like marginal men of the NHL/AHL. Washington gave him a good look then sent him off to Vancouver where he was demoted to the AHL before hitting the waiver wires at half price. The Bolts may have waived off one such commodity and engaged another.

I have come to hope that the Saw man and Lenny, his brash and impetuous partner, are not behaving like two over-privileged kids with a new toy. I am starting to wonder how good their communication is with the ESPN darling/coach who may be starting to have as many problems with the actions of his new employers as he is having with his team's disappointing results.
Finally, my thoughts veer to the effectiveness (or lack thereof) associated with the inexperienced young impressario, Brian Lawton, who is learning his job on his own.

Is this a manifestation of managerial amateur night in Tampa Bay, or will these guys prove to be much smarter than one might suggest based on appearances to date?

[Jeff - Jax, FL]

THE NEW MODERN MATH

Movie Director + Snake oil salesman + + TV Analyst = Losing Hockey Team.

Glad I did not renew my season tickets . . .what a painful ride it would have been.

Best of luck to all of you great Lightning fans and players (#4, #26 ) . . . .you deserve more.

[Craig]

I agree that every team needs a guy to keep the flies off but I don't think that Konopka is the answer either. I love his determination and willingness to take on anyone but is anyone really afraid of him. He's not exactly physically intimidating and in all of his fights he had while he was up here, exactly how many punches did he actually land? Too bad we couldn't put his spirit and skill in Koci's body.

[ajax]

And "Don in St. Pete" is a real name? Which Central Avenue dive was your mother? You need to be placed on waivers. Maybe another blog will pick you up to shore up their BS line.

[The Boss]

A second team in Toronto wouldn't by any stretch be through expansion. There are already too many hockey clubs, meaning contraction would be an even more likely scenario.

That leaves relocation as the only logical method.

By the way, what lease? The franchise owns the building and the land Without a team, there is the potential for at least 41 more concert dates. The property can be developed once the real estate market recovers (2-5 years).

[Mel]

I agree w/ Mike S. Keep moving people around and the team will never build complete chemistry. Seems the owners are in a panic to get someone here to help us actually win. I've been to the last 2 home games and it's sad how many seats are empty... and yet... no surprise.

[skp]

not saying pettinger is going to be great (in fact my guess is he'll be a healthy scratch more often than )not, but any fan who has watch st. louis and dan boyle come through here should know better than to fall into the "his last team didn't want him, so he must suck!" logical fallacy. especially with players on the right side of 30, you have to play a bit of risk\reward while churning the bottom of your roster to see if you can unearth a guy who can graduate to a top line or at least be a useful contributor

[Patrick]

Hey, i'll be the first to say that Koci was not even close to being impressive (from any standpoint) during the pre-season, nor during the time, no matter how little that was, in the regular season.

But now that Koci is gone, the Bolts need to call up Konopka. For unlike Koci, Zenon can actually play the game and contribute, can be relied on to play solid minutes, and is far more valuable to the team in the lockeroom. Also, this will keep the Bolts from having to bring in another heavywight, whom by comparison to Konopka, would be just as much of a liability while on the ice.

Seriously, that is all i'm getting at! Obviously, the club needs to score goals, stop pucks and win games. But games can also be won by emotion, confidence and room while out on the ice.

Notice how the Tampa Bay Rays really changed the mentality and overall chemistry of the team because of the brawls they had in the pre-season and during the regular season. And Malone is the furthest thing from Johnny Gomes....

Go Rays!!

[shock therapy]

Am I the only one sitting here laughing that amongst all of these bickering threads nobody is bashing our goalies?

Mike Smith, with no win to his name, is 3rd in save percentage! So what if he gives me a heart attach every time he takes a lap around the net!

By the way, Marc Denis took the win over Ramo the other night if anyone happens to be paying attention to Norfolk and Hamilton.

[Don in St. Pete]

Seems the only reason Pettinger would be picked up is if they were working on trading somebody else, or more than one player. To the losers who can't post under the real names, find a set of balls and live up to your post's.

[TopShelf]

Yes Patrick, having a guy like Koci in the line up is important, but I am not sure if having Koci is. Watching the way he played in pre-season made me sick. I believe the most in having a legit heavyweight in the lineup, but I also believe those heavyweights need to have some positive hockey skills as well. Koci didn't seem to bring much energy in his game, he was kind of blah. His fights were solid but not great anyways.

[rbc]

patrick, REALLY, he played 41 seconds and got penalized for 4 min. This team is in the penalty box more than any other team, that has to stop. Koci was not deterring anybody from having at our forwards, he never played and when he did he was in the box. Let's score some goals and win a few games then worry about a tough guy.

[Topshelf]

I don't see how so much negative criticism can come for a simple move, that looks to have much more reward than risk. Lawton hasn't come out and said
-"our scoring problems are over now that picked up Pettinger". No, Pettinger is going to battle with Recchi, Hall, Craig, and Vrbata for a spot in the lineup. Dropping Koci is a good thing, just by itself.

Enough of this "teams waive a player for a reason". Yes teams do that, and teams also pick up players for a reason. The Blues picked up Koci. All players can be traded for a reason, players can be waived for a reason and so on. That doesn't mean the player won't contribute positively in the future for an NHL team. Picking up guy who can kill penalties, grind a bit in the corners, has a good wrist shot for just a bit over league minimum is fine with me. The guy was traded for a pretty good energy forward in Matt Cooke. Lets see what the guy does on the ice in a new situation, being back in the Southeast division.

[rbc]

finished in last place last year, really can't go any lower. The moves today are not gonna help or hurt this team at all. Somebody, posted as rbc calling a person fat or something like that, that was not me, I may say something about a persons opinion, but nothing personal.

[Craig]

Pettinger for $550,000 while dumping Koci and possibly Ward isn't such a bad deal. Certainly nothing mind blowing but worst case scenario, he bolsters Norfolk.

Still trying to figure out how we have so many talented forwards and so few of them are putting the puck in the back of the net.

As far as the team moving, it wouldn't make sense given the lease and the fact that we've had Top 10 NHL attendance the past 4-5 years. HOWEVER, the NHL is talking about putting a 2nd NHL team in Toronto either by expansion(then who would be the other expansion city to even the #'s?) or by RELOCATION.

If I'm any NHL fan in a small or non-traditional hockey market, I'd be very worried about this because there is potential for owners to make a lot of money moving a team to Toronto(assuming Leaf fans would adopt and support a 2nd team of course).

[Patrick]

You guys dont think having a player like David Koci in the lineup is important?

Well, if you were ask 99 percent of the players on the TB Lightning, they would say yes. But what would you guys know -- 3/4's of you have never played the game.

You are all morons. But you find the Bolts' product entertaining and support the club, so i guess your opinion matters in the eyes of some....

[Hockey Chic]

They are the total laughingstock. Two fantasy owners. A know-nothing coach. Even the addition of Dingman on the telecasts sucks. A joke as they have replaced the Rays on the lowest rung. My rosies are in the trash.

[billie.b]

Picking up a Pettinger is a total waste. He had one good season three years ago, got a big contract and has been on a downward spiral ever since. The team that knew him best, the Caps, drafted this guy, stuck with him for years and then eventually realized he was a bust and shipped him out of town. Yet, we're supposed to believe Lawton knows so much more than they do about this guy. He's another Kolzig cronie, just like Heward and he'll do just about as much. This team is rapidly becoming the laughingstock of the league with their idiotic moves.

[Coach Bill]

He is actually right. These Canadians want to move the team up north. I guess you are not too sharp, Pete

[David]

Grats to the org for realizing it's been a decade since Koci's ilk have had a place in the NHL.

Still though, some minor addition by subtraction and not much added with the pick up.

Doesn't matter since we can't score.

[mike p]

Mike S. you obviously don't follow hockey, because if you did you would realize that us losing both Koci and Ward makes absolutely NO difference to the team. Together they played what a combined 41sec for the lightning? Yea, that will really keep the other players off balance! What will V4 do without David Koci setting him up? How stupid of Lawton to give away our two best players!! Don't even get me started on the lightning attendance records over the last few years because it would only make your statement more ridiculous!

[Pete]

Mike S.......You are an idiot! Please spare us next time.

[Mike S.]

Anybody remember the movie "Major League?" Yep... the goal is to make a team so bad that they move 'em to another city due to lack of community support. Ya got a team with absolutely no cohesiveness and keep movin' players to and from the team. That ought to help keep the players conveniently off balance. The only reason V4 and MSL are still around is it would look way to obvious.
Heard it hear first folks.

[Boltflasher]

Mike13...that's about right...

[TopShelf]

This is a great pick up. Not sure if I am more excited about getting Pettinger or being rid of Koci.

Watching Koci in practices and pre-season, I really started to dislike him and knew there was no way he was worth a NHL roster spot. Roy has 10 times the talent as Koci, and fights just as well.

Seeing Pettinger many times on the Caps over the years, I really disliked him (that being a good thing). Maybe he would have been thrown in the O'Brien deal but the team didn't want to take on all of his $1.1 mill salary. Having him as a 3rd of 4th line guy making $.55 mill is great. He is like Adam Hall with a good shot or Jason Ward with more speed and hustle. I do wonder why he didn't make the Canucks out of camp.

Seeing a lot of the bigger names on the waiver wire, I like this one becuase it makes more sense. Re-entry saves a lot of money, wonder what this means for Ryan Craig.

[Mike13]

No big loss in Koci. No big loss in Ward. No big gain in Pettinger.

[Hockey1stLove]

We need yet another forward????? Koci gone preety fast, bet Wardo gets claimed fast too

[Steve R]

Pettinger....? Why for God's sake? Van put him on waivers for a reason.... Caps traded him to Van for a reason.... I know he's cheap, but come on.