Evgeny Artyukhin's agent says client has no hard feelings for the Tampa Bay Lightning after trade

Mark Gandler, agent for Evgeny Artyukhin, who was traded Thursday by the Lightning to the Ducks for Drew Miller and a 2010 third-round pick, said his client understands moving players is part of the business and has no hard feelings toward the organization.

The episode ends a strange and tumultuous relationship between the parties that included Artyukhin playing two years in his native Russia because of a contract dispute while Jay Feaster was the general manager. Artyukhin finally got the contract he wanted when Oren Koules' OK Hockey took over the team.

"Once he signed with Tampa, there were no issues between he and the organization, whatsoever," Gandler said. "It's not a blaming game here. I think it's a situation where things evolve and just worked out better for everyone involved."

It will be interesting to see how Artyukhin does with coach Randy Carlyle, who does not tolerate sloppy work on the ice. And that was the main hit on Artyukhin, other than his $1 million salary. Tampa Bay coach Rick Tocchet spoke often of Artyukhin's low hockey IQ, and hoped he would work this summer to become smarter in game situations.

And while Miller (6 feet 2, 185 pounds compared to Artyukhin's 6-5, 260) won't provide the crunching body checks we have become used to from Artyukhin, he likely will provide more offense and a more responsible defensive game, all for $475,000 less in salary.

Whatever happens, Gandler said Artyukhin, who is in Moscow, is at peace with the Lightning.

"Zero hard feelings," Gandler said. "There's no one to blame. It's just hockey. You can't say too much about it." 

Comments

[The Voice of the Turtle]

Well, kids, if Prospal winds up on the same line with Gaborik (and, it seems a sure bet that he will), make room for him on your fantasy team.

Its probable that there should also be plenty of room for the egg to be administrated to the face of the genius who broke up the Lecavalier line by releasing this talented left wing.

[Randy C]

Olin,

Very similar were Roy and Arty in that their coaches tried valiantly to reel them in. Roy would get so fired up he would lose focus, Arty would lose focus and disappear. Roy could have been a much more an offensive threat, looked to me like he would spend to much time trying to start fights instead of playing the game. Arty was a forechecking monster sometimes and looked like he was at a public skate other times. You could also say the same for V20, a real offensive threat sometimes and out for a casual skate for games at a time on lots of occasions also. Seems like the Bolts have made very good decisions on all of these guys.

[TJ]

It will be interesting to watch for sure. I remember seeing somewhere after Torts was let go that Prospal said he actually enjoyed playing for him. Don't know if that was a factor in Prospal's decision to take the contract with the Rags or if it was just that no one else offered anything substantial. How many days until training camp?

[Herb]

Yeah TJ I just read the very same thing by Spector on Foxsports.com (2 minutes ago). Torts is giving him a chance.

[TJ]

OK, Herb... a new tidbit for you. According to the NY Post and Eric Erlendsson on Twitter, Prospal has signed a 1 yr, 1.1m contract. With the Rangers. Guess he didn't have enough of Torts while he was here after all.

[Herb]

Olin, I was thinking about the same thing about Roy. Roy was a much more capable scorer (he had a blistering shot) and fought way more than Arty for his 'mates. Arty was a great skater and was fast but was totally useless with the puck. I was excited about Arty for the first 20 or 30 games, and after that he was a non factor. Please DC supply us with another tidbit so we can put this Arty trade to bed.

[olin]

....Andre Roy was a much better 3rd-4th liner than Arty. He deserved the 1 mil more so.....heart,tough guy,scoring,personality, stick skill's, just not the Arty size.

[hyjyljyj]

Yeah Don I remember Alexander Kharitonov. Arguably the best stickhandler ever to play for this team, bar none, without exception. That little munchkin (being generous, about 5'8", 170) had blinding speed and could stickhandle the puck through a blizzard without getting a single snowflake on his jersey. Just flat jaw-dropping, no other way to say it. But then came the punchline--Mikael Andersson Syndrome--phenomenal wheels and moves, but couldn't finish. Kind of like softcore, a whole bunch of gyrations but no money shot :p

[brendan]

Patrick, I agree, I am 100 percent behind the Lightning. I am going to hold off on any negativity toward the Lightning (I never really have any toward anyone else), until at least 20 games in to the year. I am pleased they are attempting to make changes, and they will take time. Personally, I feel Hedman is very key to this team. If he is as good as everyone says, his development time is key. A big stud defenseman can do wonders. If he can grasp the NHL quickly and be a major force soon, the Lightning may sneak up on people this year. I'm like everyone else, hoping for a playoff spot, or being competitive until the end for a spot.

[Boltflasher]

Uhhh...Brad Miller? ...Drew Miller!

[Boltflasher]

Brad Miller Scouting Report (sportsnet.can)

Assets: Has an excellent work ethic and above-average offensive instincts. Will play through traffic.

Flaws: Has been unable to translate his offensive acumen to the pro game. Needs to add a lot of bulk to compete like he can at the NHL level.

Career potential: Top-six winger.

Scouting Report Evgheny Artyukhin: Assets: Owns a tremendous combination of size and speed. Is an aggressive winger with unproven offensive upside. Can dominate the boards due to his size

Flaws: Is still very raw and lacks hockey sense. Doesn't own a goal-scorer's hands. Has garnered a reputation for taking too many shifts off.

Career potential: Third line winger.

[leo]

For a 4th line winger, 16pts ain't too bad.
Was he your 4th line winger?
P.

[Patrick]

brendan,

The thing that bothered me about your post was the generalization about arty fans. You talking about the people you've seen cheering for arty at games hardly justifies your statement. I'm fine with the Arty trade... Don summed it up pretty well. Let's just agree to disagree on Arty and leave it at that.

[brendan]

Joe, agree, it is probably the biggest score his agent has ever had, getting that guy a mill a year. But what really makes me wonder is why Anaheim would throw in a third round pick for this guy?

[Joe]

Why would he have hard feelings towards the bolts?? They paid him a million dollars to produce almost nothing. And they gave him a 2nd year on that contract where i bet he does almost nothing!

Ducks will trade/release/or buy him out.

[brendan]

Don, I'm also tempted to take your word you were a hockey player, but that may be a bad move, anyhow Lawton has said in interviews this offseason (another guy who may know hockey than you) that the franchise has drafted too much size in the past and wants more speed and if that means smaller players , so be it, he says.

[Don in St. Pete]

Brendan, I'm tempted to take you at your word, but somehow that seems like a bad move. Yes tyhey drafted Grats, one of my all time favorite Bolt players I might add, and the got a couple of 30 goal season out of him. I'll admit that Alexeev and Svitov were bad moves but those guys were supposed to be as much about speed as size. Drafting during the Feaster era was a gamble at best and we lost for the most part. The ability to find forward talent especially was non-existant. That being said at least R2KN had an impact and brought a return which is more than Tarnasky and others gained us.

[brendan]

Don, just because I don't blog on here a lot , don't underestimate what I know about hockey. Who are you to say? I had season tickets for the Blackhawks for 14 years, late seventies through early nineties. Been a Lightning fan since day one at the fairgrounds. Tampa Bay has always drafted size in the past over speed. Remember picking Chris Gratton right before Paul Kariya Don? You must have been missing all my blogs when I said that Artyukhin was just the opposite of what Tochett was as a player. Hey, I had the stones to call out Artyukhin and point out how pathetic he was. Well guess what, he is not here no more, so someone in the organization must have agreed with me. Another thing, just because people write out long, drawn out, long winded posts , does not make them any different sometimes than fans who blog now and then. I have seen some very intelligent posts from people who don't blog everyday.

[Don in St. Pete]

Brendan, Since you seem to have the inside scoop on all this size the drafted, where has it gone? I guess you could say V4 and Smaby have size, do you hate them too? The drafting in the palace years was poor all around, and size had nothing to do with it. I've been a hockey player, coach and fan since you were a gleam in your dad's eye. Do you remember Alexandr Kharitonov. Drafted by the bolts had speed to burn, executed nemerous breakaways but had a midjet league shot. Size is important, just ask Malkin, Scuderi and Gill and they have a stanley cup ring to prove it. The physical aspect of the game remains important and will be a HUGE aspect of any Rick Tocchet team, that I can guarantee you. Obviously you don't know, and never watched Rick Tocchet if you think he's not in favor of a physical hockey team.

[brendan]

Sorry, Don, Since all of the rules changes over the years, physical domination and intimination not as important as it used to be. For years, the Lightning drafted size and it got them no where. One thing I like about Lawton, is he realized this and has said they wil draft and trade for more speed than they have in the past.

[brendan]

Don, you ever go to a Lightning game and see the people sccreaming for Artyukhin, wearing his jersey etc.? Have you ever heard of fans who all they care about is going to hockey games and seeing fights and rough stuff ? Are you that naive to think that every Lightning fan posts on these blogs? A lot of people screaming for Artyukhin at hockey games were kids, women and the hockey fan who wants a fight. That is just the way it is and always has been at most hockey games. You don't see it as much in Philly, Toronto, Montreal because of the hardcore fans there through the years. Why can't you and Patrick get over it. Artyukhin stunk here and he got traded. That is what Tocchet was saying all last year, and I'm sorry Don, I think Tocchet knows more about hockey than you do.

[Don in St. Pete]

Brendan, It seems maybe you are the novice hockey fan. Patrick is a long time poster to this blog whose added a lot of great content for debate. You on the other hand seem to have a vendetta against Artyukhin and refuse to acknowledge even his physical ability, never mind the serious hockey skills he does possess. While most of us who've posted here like the trade for the return we got, we also realize we lost some of an important element to our team that others will have to try and pick up their game on. See this isn't flag football, or the NHL all-star game is real live fast moving, hitting hockey, where physical intimidation plays an important factor. Look at the way Anaheim dominated a much more talented San Jose team in the playoffs this year. They did it by Physical domination. They realized they'd lost some of that physical talent when they traded Pronger and they made the move to add Artyukhin to close the gap. A smart trade that seems to benefit both teams, but every true hockey fan who post's to this blog realizes we lost part of a vital ingredient to a championship caliber team with this trade, and that other players on the roster or those yet to be signed will have to pick up their physical games to make up for this absence.

[brendan]

Patrick, you get over it, the vast majority on this board realized how bad this guy was. He was horrible and he got traded, end of story!!! Why do you have all of this love toward Artyukhin? I mention "novice" hockey fan and you get defensive as if you are one.

[Patrick]

brendan,

How exactly did you figure out that the majority of arty fans were "novice" hockey fans? Is it OK for people to disagree with you AND actually know what they are talking about? I guess the GM of anaheim who gave up a 3rd pick and a 25 year old player with top 6 potential is a novice as well? Maybe even the novice hockey fans know that you don't see a player with artyukhin's size/speed combo everyday.

And for the record, nhl.com has artyukhin credited as 8th overall last year in the Hits category with 249. Many of the arrty's fan do understand his lacking of skill in the rest of the game - they've acknowledged it on this thread and others I've read. It's you who is so biased you can't even objectively acknowledge his few traits. Get over it, man.

[brendan]

Hyivlivi, you have to bear in mind that the majority of Artyukhin lovers are novice hockey fans. They see a guy throw a big hit now and then, and they think he is the greatest thing since slice bread. They have no understanding of his downside which is lack of skill and stupid penalties.

[karma]

Simply put, it's just less drama in the locker room and on the ice.

The guy delivered great hits (Tanguay through the glass!), but neither he, the bench, the fans or the refs knew whether or not a penalty would be called as a result (one reason, I believe, that he always skated away from the post-hit scrum).

The Lightning is rebuilding, and if he was coachable, he would still be here. However, Tocc needs to spend time on players that are going to produce -- those are the guys that need his coaching time. Let Randy Carlyle, who already has a winning team on the ice, take the time to turn this kid into a hockey player.

Go Bolts!!

[hyjyljyj]

"i hope hes one of the 3 stars when the bolts lose to the ducks!!!!"

Posted by: mazda13b88

It's statements like this that make people not want to buy Mazdas.

[Herb]

Bye-bye Arty, I sure won't miss you and your constant parade into the penalty box. Being able to play the puck is 90% of the game. Arty has hands of stones when he tries to handle puck, and that is the most important aspect of any player game. Not hits and throwing his helmet during a fight( in which he got suspended for 2 games by the NHL). Oh yeah that's real hockey.

[mazda13b88]

man, arty was awsome. sure he wasnt great at hockey, but, his game isnt being a great hockey player. his game was in the physical part of the game. everyone knew it everygame too. i went to 16 games last year and always saw the clips of his checks and fights during the game. ima gonna miss him, until he plays us and then i hope hes one of the 3 stars when the bolts lose to the ducks!!!!

[Goalman]

Here's hoping that the R-Tradekin is a preamble to picking up Tanguay. For the minority of people who thought Arty was an assett to the team I remind you how he acted when he decided to stay in Russia. To Arty and his agent, I say R-who-kin