Youth traded for veteran defenseman

The Lightning on Monday acquired veteran NHL defenseman Lukas Krajicek in a trade that shipped away two players who just a year ago were key young players in the Tampa Bay organization.

The Lightning sent defenseman Shane O'Brien and right wing Michel Ouellet to Vancouver for Krajicek and minor-league left wing Juraj Simek.

Krajicek, a 6-foot-2, 196-pound native of Prostejov, Czech Republic, played in 39 games with the Canucks last season, recording two goals and 11 points with one power-play goal. He missed the majority of the season due to a shoulder injury. The 25-year-old has played in 207 career NHL games with Vancouver and the Florida Panthers. He has eight career goals and 50 points with five power play goals and two game-winning goals.

Simek, 21, was a sixth-round pick by Vancouver in 2006. The 6-1, 189-pounder had seven goals and 17 assits with minor-league Manitoba last season.

Meantime, the Lightning parted ways with O'Brien and Oullet.

O’Brien, 25, recorded four goals with 17 assists last season with Tampa Bay in 77 games. He was acquired for a first-round pick and goalie prospect Gerald Coleman in February 2007. Ouellet, 26, was signed by the Lightning before last season and had 17 goals and 19 assists in 64 games.

Also Monday, goalie Karri Ramo was sent down to AHL Norfolk.

Comments

[Erin]

I think we need to teach Evgeny Artyukhin how to play D as well as forward.

bad trade. cowboys don't have a clue

[Don in St. Pete]

Leo, Thank you my friend, you hit the nail on the head. Sometimes players develop that affinity where they know where each other are without even looking, you know when you can take a chance on a risky play because your partner has your back. BTW, Hutchinson was the 7th defenseman on that Canes squad that won the cup. Even better, look at our 04' cup winning team and the defense. We were hovering around .500 when the team went on a tear in January, that lead to a first place finish in the east. Here's our d from that season. Believe me there's no Norris trophy candidates or all-stars in the bunch.

Sydor-Kubina
Pratt-Sarich
Lukowich/Cullimore-Boyle

The complexion of the game has changed a lot since then, the last year of the clutch-and-grab era. Give it a month or two to develop before you go all doom and gloom. There was no chemistry last year either except between the MVP line, Richy and Boyle. We have a great team on paper and it will develop on the ice, just give it time.

[Spooky]

Well, for a first round draft pick that we sold for OB, we got Lukas Krichek (SP) and some magic beans.

I can only speculate that this was a salary clearing measure, and that a bigger move is afoot. We still can't and shouldn't afford Sundin, but I think we're looking for something bigger- Please don't anyone say Khabibulin. He was a nice birthday present back when, but I am set with Smitty.

Maybe swap our #1 when a better player falls free. Otherwise, we've been gypped.

[léo]

And once I'd "accidently" high-stick you in the potato chewer, Laraque would pound you into the ice and where would that leave any of us?
What's your beef, Timmy?
What'd I do?
P.

[Spooky]

Well, for a first round draft pick that we sold for OB, we got Lukas Krichek (SP) and some magic beans.

I can only speculate that this was a salary clearing measure, and that a bigger move is afoot. We still can't and shouldn't afford Sundin, but I think we're looking for something bigger- Please don't anyone say Khabibulin. He was a nice birthday present back when, but I am set with Smitty.

Maybe swap our #1 when a better player falls free. Otherwise, we've been gypped.

[Sarasota Bill]

Yes, Timmy, but you would be penalized for having your foot in the crease!!!

[Timmy T]

I wish leo was here right now so i could kick him square in the vagina.

[D]

Ok. New ownership overdid the trades, totally obliterated what chemistry existed here and now hope that a collection of individuals will gel. And it might. Meantime, the goaltending looks pretty good. If we can stay in a game playing absolutely putrid hockey in front of these two guys, you have to feel ok about our chances when these guys begin to get a feel for each other.

[mike p]

alright!!! leo is now rooting for the lightning (sort of)...I bet it's because you spend so much time here leo! stop complaining about the trade and ownership guys, can you at least give it a season or half a season or even 10 games before you all start going crazy?

[léo]

Precisely, Don.
Flasher,
I think folks are right to be worried OVERALL if not for this deal alone.
The truth is: I know Krajcek (or whatever) well enough to say that he will be your num3 where you had none before, so that's a good thing, despite what position he'd play in Couver.
Consider that Mezzy would be num1 nowhere else in the NHL.
I personally wonder why Ouellet was thrown in. 17 goals and +11 ain't too shabby, after all. And if I recall, you all seemed to like him last year, so what happened? Guillaume finished with 16 goals and -2 and yet, We're all drooling over his potential. (Mind you, he's a big boy and lays down some punishers once in awhile.)
Point is,
Talent is all well and good.
But NEVER underestimate the power of chemistry. It's WHY We have 24 Cups in Mtl, make no mistake.
Better example: the Caners Cup.
Do y'all remember their D?
I don't. What? Kaberle. Hedican... ummmm... Ward! ...ummmm... Commodore!
Ummm...that's it. Best I can do.
Nothing to get hives about. Respectable. But not fearsome. And yet...
Chemistry, baby.
So pull yehselves tagether and you can do it!
Just not against Us is all, cuz We got it too. Mr.Gainey is OUR boss after all.
P.

[Mike S.]

Gee... I remember how much everyone was praising the newbie owners/coach. How ya feelin' now boneheads? :)

[Boltflasher]

Where was the OB physicality when he was being beaten out of his shorts by the great Orr (as in Colton, not Bobby)?...We need to change this blog's name to "Cry Baby Strikes"....we as a group are never happy...we complain with the way they play or coached, and then when we make changes, we complain about that...

[McGz]

Ajax I wasn't copping your style with that Rome line I'm typing on my iPhone. In regards to OB: he had plenty of time to prove his worth here and played his way out of the lineup. Good riddance. Go Bolts!

[McGz]

Well Im not surprised over this move. I don't even remember Krajicek playing with the Panthers. If he can move the puck and has some wheels then the team got what they wanted. Tthe owners have now the rid the team of every bad trade and player signing of Feaster's regime. They improved team speed, shed unwanted salary and have put another puck moving defenseman to help the transition game. Are we still on the hook oir half of Ouellet's salary?
I'm still waiting to see where the physicality comes into play here though. There is no one on defense that hits anybody now. I think we would be better off with Smaby then Heward but we definitely need Ranger back soon.
This team will continue to jell and the offense will come along. The MVP line has only three games under their belt this year and every other line is brand new too. Keep the lines intact during the games and shuffle them in practice if needed. Malone and Vrbata need to step it up. Arty seems to be hitting his stride on the third line with Jussi and the 4th line is as good as we had since the Cup year. Patience folks, Rome wasn't built in a day! Go Bolts!

[ajax]

2007/08 version, worst team in hockey. Played 12/14 guys the whole year. A roster full of fulltime minor leaguers. No goalie. 2 lines/3 dmen. Considering what they started with, Hollywood is the bad guy here??? Rome wasn't built in a day. Especially if Rome was blown up internally for three straight years by Caesar, AKA Feaster/Davidson. I believe with all my little brains, that in the NHL you have to have balance to win. 10 NHL forwards/5 NHL Dmen to win in the regualr season. 12/6 to go deep into the playoffs. Hollywood started the rebuilding process with 8/3 and Homer. Lord give me patience and give it to me soon, right??

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, Sorry but the only panic I see is by you, the fair weather fans and the boys from Hockeyfights.com. I'm sure Leo wouldn't abandon the sHABS or panic if they start out with a couple of less than stellar games and Lightning fans shouldn't either. I will continue to remain hopeful and note that this ownership and management is likely not done dealing.

[mike p]

Good points ajax! I agree! We have nowhere to go but up, and if it gets worse...then we can rip Hollywood apart.

[Topshelf]

I liked OB, and I will miss having him on the team. He was the only d-man who would stick up for his teammates hands down. This isn't an upgrade on the blue line, nor is it much of a downgrade though, its def. a wait and see move.

So far I have defended the ownership, but why talk well about a guy as they did with OB, then after one game figure they needed to trade him. I mean, Vrbata and Malone hasn't looked good so is it time to trade them? Stamkos had some really bad passes and turnovers, time to send him down? I still like the new ownership so far, but they are really scaring me with how fast they will pull the trigger type thing.

By the way, doesn't Recchi look horrible so far as well? Weird to see a vet like him make so many mistakes.

Goodbye SOB, good luck out West, a place you can play as physical as you like and any mistakes made Loungo will bail you out no problem.

agreed especially when he nailed it:
The only real concern to me was that this team is being advertised as exciting to watch, fast-paced, heavy hitting and hell to play against. I didn't see even a hint of that over the weekend and that's gotta change real fast.

[Boltflasher]

Interesting comments by both Bill Clement and Jon Jordan on Hockeybuzz...

[Nate Dogg]

I normally read some of you respected bloggers' comments/opinions...but there's only so much my eyes can take!

Please use paragraphs! :)...thank you!

By the way, if Lukas' shoulder is all healed up and he can also help move the puck...then yes, I approve of this trade. Would've been nice if he had a right handed shot to boot...

It's just such a pain in the brain to watch OB and root for him to get his stuff together, and see him fall everytime. I wish him the best and hope he can become that top 3 d-man as advertised after the ANA trade.

As Matthew stated earlier, cleared salary cap room is very important. If the Bolts keep playing the way they played in Prague, they'll need to keep expenses to a minimum since fewer people will show up...

Keepin the crease cleared as always,
ND

this was one stupid trade!

[matthew]

Ajax give you props on the stat about richards making the same as Crosby was and Ovechkin! Feaster killed this organization after the new cba

[PD]

Great move on the stock dump Don. Congrats on that.

Problem with a good D in a couple of years, in addition to being very iffy, is that I strongly doubt that they are financed to make it that far here without full PAID houses.

Panic is already setting in.

[ajax]

I had to repeat one quote out there for all of you that wanted the same D from last year. A game on Versus last year, we are losing like 3-1, end of 1st period, with about 5 odd man rushes, and they ask the analyst what Tampa needs to do with their goalie problems and the guy says, "they don't have goalie problems, it is a jail break out there, their Defense is horrible" this might not be a word for word quote but it is pretty darn close, he then added "They don't play with any passion, they don't take the body and you have to make up your mind to put your head down and make it to the red line sometimes" Then he laughed and so did the other two guys. I think they hadn't seen Tampa in a long time and were shocked how poor we were. IMO. That was the D we had for about 2 straight years.

[Don in St. Pete]

PD, I'm guessing you know as well as I, down 350+. However, I was smart enough to pull my money from there 2 years ago, though my Mutual funds are not totally immune. Leo, I guess the Cowboys have their own agenda and us Peons are not privy to the internal workings ( though I'm working on that I assure you ). I'm guessing that they're working on another deal which may not be feasible until Ranger is healthy enough to play. No reason for this train of thought except instinct. I'm not sure why they didn't try the sHABS as a trade partner for Dandy, sure makes sense to me. On the other hand I like what they're doing in a way as Smaby, Mihalik and Wishart all have a huge amount of talent but need to play a full year at the AHL level to play on the PP and the PK and log heavy minutes. I'm betting that Smaby and Mihalik at least will be ready to step up next year and play full time for the Bolts. Overall, I like the looks of our D after next season with the aforementioned plus Quick and Barberio coming along. If Juray Simek becomes a decent prospect, this trade amy be a good one in the long run.

[matthew]

Once again I understand that new management did not adress the D but Feaster is still the one that set us up for failure. with the denis trade, to much tied up in the big three esspecially Richards great scorer but such a panzy! Hit him in the mouth and he disapeared for 15 minutes, so who do we get Smith jokenin, and a guy on IR not to mention that O'brien guy 1st round draft pick to Anaheim and a defensman who at best was your 5th or 6th defenseman, personally ill take the #1st round draft pick. Wow all you feaster lovers out there just need to shut your yap about the new gm till it plays out!

[ajax]

Have been reading 834 blogs for 30 minutes before posting and now I will share the one post that I liked the most. We were the worst defensive team in the league except Atlanta. We were the worst team in the league last year. I remember 5 odd man rushes per game. We needed 4 goals a game to win. But everyone like, no loved the guys we got rid of. How soon we forget a D that couldn't win one battle. A D that had no one, and I mean no one besides Boyle who could skate the puck forward, especially Mr. rap around Kuba. And after two games everyone wants those guys back?? A healthy Ranger will make a world of difference. O'Brien I believe ate himself out of a job. He is pretty big, but when you can't move it is pretty hard to use that weight effectively. Time and time again he got beat wide. And yes, Feaster made that trade, so from this point on can everyone stop bashing Management over that trade. Look at the bright side, management cut its losses with a guy that just couldn't cope with NHL speed. Boyle is a player, one of my top 3 all-time favorite Bolts. But keeping him guarenteed the same 6 guys on the back end. How much more proof did we need to know that those 6 couldn't cut it. Short memories. These 6 (wait til Ranger comes back, I think he will make a huge difference) might be better. Last years 6 we all know were horrible. Think 20 minutes of Ranger versus 20 minutes of Lundin. Simple smile. We have a roster of new players. This is the ultimate team game. We might take our lumps early, we might sadly take them all year. I for one will sum it up, for me. Hollywood has done something. He has spent. Have a negative response to all of the above, but know this. We were horrible last year. We weren't even competitive with the better teams. I was never more embarassed in my life than when we played Detroit and the shots were 19-1, with are only shot being a dump in. These owners are trying. These owners keep trying. Is everything working??? Does it in any business when you are trying to build up from ground zero. (see 71 points last year) Guys and Gals, 5 of the players that new ownership got rid of aren't even in the NHL anymore. before bashing Hollywood take a good hard look at what "team" he had when he got here. We were at rock bottom, and it is Hollywood's fault that we aren't playing for the cup in October. Never forget we were the worst team playing the easiest schedule. Net: we were by far the worst team. I for one like that they are trying like h*ll to fix things. Jeepers Creepers.

[Pd]

Sure Don.

Now tell us how well the stock market did today too.

Leo, Dandy went right over the top which should explain things.
Sensible is not good here.

[Don in St. Pete]

Wow! I haven't seen the blog in such a blather since Boyle was traded! I love the enthusiasm, but hate the negativity. The deal is done, love it or hate it, but move on. OB never realized his potential here and for his benefit, I hope he can with the NUCKs. Ouellet had a lot of potential as a goal scorer but was limited in most other aspects of his game. He wasn't physical or talented enough defensively to play on the PK and he didn't like digging in the corners for the puck ( which is why he did so well with Halpern and Darche 2 of the hardest workers and toughest competitors you'll find )though he does well in the sniper role. Speed on defense is becoming more and more of an asset in the NHL. While it's still important to have that one pair of big hulking shutdown defenseman to defense the big power forwards and centers, the ice time for those types will continue to decrease in coming years in favor of speed and mobility. Despite ending up on the losing end of the stick in both games this weekend, we gave a hint to the potential of this team by registering no less than 6 breakaways. These were not the guy comes out of the penalty box and gets a lob pass type of breakaways but flat out our guys blowing by their d at top speed. We turned Redden inside out 3 times! Rozcival, Kalinin and Mara once apiece. On our end only OB and Carle were similarly victimized once apiece. To me this was probably as much about shedding the Ouellet salary as about trading O'Brien. We got a guy back in Krajicek who many a Lightning fan learned to hate when he was with the Pansies. Like Bingo I expect another move is shaping up. The Bolts have gotten they're cap hit down to $53.8 and the actual down to $48.2 which was management's goal. I'd personally prefer to see Cullimore picked up over Berard, though I'm not sure either makes sense at this point. There may still be a few willing dance partners out there as clubs have now seen close to the regulars for a couple games and in some cases it hasn't been pretty. Perhaps the Bolts could still be players with a couple of these offensively challenged teams? PD, While I acknowledge this wasn't a blockbuster trade to address the Bolts d shortcomings, the rest of your blather is becoming irrelevant. Kuba had 3 assist's not 4 as you announced on numerous occasions. He was also an even +/- so I guess he did his damge on the PP or got burned in turn by the Pens. Picard was a -2 so I don't see where one would brag about his performance. Meszaros played like a #1 d although with the overall difficulties of the Bolts this weekend you could hardly tell. let's revisit this after 20 games.

[Saint Bobby Bowden]

Now dadgummit, lay off that Pillsbury dough boy Jay Feaster! It ain't like he shot the President!

[Saint Bobby Bowden]

Now dadgummit, lay off that Pillsbury dough boy Jay Feaster! It ain't like he shot the President!

[Mike13]

Leo, nah - I don't think they are making a play for Tavares. If they were, they ould have done worse on forwards and in goal. I'm 99% certain that they couldn't have done worse on defense.

Lawton/Barrie/Melrose - whoever is calling the shots on defensive players, is an utter nitwit. Meszaros might be the best guy we've got back there and he cost us an arm and both legs.

[matthew]

kipp are you talking about the feaster trade or current one!

[Kipp]

wow what a stupid trade

[Rodger]

It's ok the Rays are making up for everything bad in the bay area sports community.

[matthew]

As for Obrien What a horrible trade by Feaster anybody know who that 1st pick is for Anaheim. wow dont blame new ownership for knowing that O'brien sucked! Get a better defenseman and save money towards the cap. management dont forget berard is still out there!

[léo]

No one answered my Dandy question...
PD: Translation.
Marlo: Translator. (I'm at work now, actually, not supposed to be doing this so shhhhh, between us, aw'iiight?) But I'm sure you were more interested in jabbing me than showing any concern, aye? That's cool.
Bottom-line: Nothing we can do about it except give the kid a chance, right?
10 games.
Then bash'im ta hell'n'back, if it pleases yehs.
P.

[mike p]

yea guys...our defense was KILLER last year!! well worth keeping around...how quickly you all forget just how bad it was.

[matthew]

Just heard Berard was let go hmm I say make a move even if the guy lost a step!

[Pd]

and dont forget servicable Luchowich too with Boyle..thats a good 4

[PD]

Said perfectly Bill

[Sarasota Bill]

Right NTMM. the Picard/Kuba deal was the worst. They represented two of the top 3 defensemen. If you include the jettisoning of Boyle, the Lightning lost 3 of their top 4 defensemen and got nowhere near the talent to replace them. Meanwhiole the club aqcquired forwards who are getting closer to Medicare eligibility. What a fiasco!!

[bingo]

Ok, OB was not what we needed. I thought the deal made sense for Vancouver because they need some "O". However, they sent Oulette straight to the AHL!!! Now explain that move talking about stupidity. He has to clear waivers to come back to the Canucks, any team can have him for 50% of the contract? There is a rumor about some issues related to enhancements, but it's not confirmed.

The trade is a wash cap room for moving unuseable parts. Could we have done better, Probably but waiting for 20 more beats by Orr I could not stand.

More to come I'm sure.

Bingo

[Oakman]

Brutal trade. A first-rounder for OB, then he's unloaded. I thought Ouellet had sniper potential and he pumped in a lot of goals the second half of last season.

[Josh R]

Well, yet another lie. Weren't we told yesterday that O'Brian sat out the game only so he can see the game from the outside in? Rrrrrright. I don't like how we are constantly getting lied to.

And veteran? The dude is the same age and has only half a season up on O'Brian. This move was stupid. We gave up a first round pick for O'Brian and we got nothing in return.

[Mike13]

The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

[Boltflasher]

From the Vancouver blog (prior to the trade) "Don't laugh; Krajicek, a first-round pick in 2001, has a tonne of skill. He' s fast, which means he can jump up in the play as well as get position on defenders. Those are two extremely attractive traits in the not-brand-spanking-but-still-fairly-new NHL.

Krajicek's also still young at 24, two years younger than Bieksa. So even though he's played more games (168) than Sir Studly (120), he's still got a lot of developing to do.

It's not easy to find stories about Krajicek, but coach Alain Vigneault did say the following a couple weeks ago: "I've thought all along that Lukas has got a lot of upside. I think he's got a lot more offence there because of his skill level, but it's up to him to improve it. Nothing is set in stone. Obviously, last year I thought we had some good pairings there with Kevin (Bieksa) and Willie (Mitchell) and Sami (Salo) and Ollie (Mattias Ohlund), but if he's better than one of those guys then he's going to play. It's up to him to go out there and prove it."

[Pierre Bernard]

This franchise has by far the worst management in the NHL - I really want to hear the excuses when Koules, Mr Hat & Lawton realise TBL is even worse off under their regime than McFeaster's.

That's quite an accomplishment.

Who will get Hedman, NYI or TBL?