Lightning Draft Hedman - hey maybe these guys know what they're doing after all

Shortly before the NHL draft started Friday evening I left a voice mail for my buddy Link. A Pittsburghian, Link was still basking in the glow of his team winning the Stanley Cup and could probably care less who the Penguins were drafting. On the other hand, my message belied my lack of confidence in Lightning Management. I believe it was something along the line of “I wonder how the Bolts are going to screw this up.” Visions of Brian Lawton dealing the number two pick for Louis DeBrusk and the rights to a 16 year old Canadian sheep farmer danced in my head.

One day later I can report that not only did they not screw it up, they actually had a pretty good first day. Victor Hedman immediately becomes one of their top four blue liners despite the fact that he isn’t old enough to legally enjoy a mojito. Then late in the day GM Brian Lawton sent two of their second round picks to Detroit for the 29th pick and used it on right winger Carter Ashton. Ashton is a big body with “NHL skating” ability. With little depth up front he might have an outside chance of making the roster this year.

Once the Islanders ended months of speculation by announcing John Tavares as their number one pick things fell into place for the Lightning. It didn’t take long for them to announce that they were taking Hedman, a large Swedish defenseman who’s been playing in the elite Swedish league since he was 16. If the Islanders had gone in a different direction, Lawton’s night would have been much more difficult.

A rumor floated around that if Tavares was available at number two the Lightning would pull off a complicated three team deal with Toronto and Nashville in which Tampa would end up with Luke Schenn and Shea Weber. Toronto GM Brian Burke had reiterated earlier in the day that Schenn was off the table, but if Tavares had been available he may have been tempted to deal the young defenseman.

Overall there wasn’t much drama at all in the draft. The Ducks sent aging defenseman Chris Pronger to Philadelphia for a package that included everything except the Liberty Bell. The 15 year veteran was traded for Joffrey Lupul, young blue liner Luca Sbisa, two first round picks and a third round pick. It appears that the Flyers are making a run at the Cup for this season. They mortgaged a lot of future potential for a player that is going to be a free agent after this season.

Neither Montreal or Toronto made the “big splash” that critics had expected. Montreal did make the home fans cheer when they drafted home town product Louis Leblanc. Amidst chants of “Sixty-Seven”, 1967 being the last year the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup, Brian Burke drafted Nazeem Kadri. Kadri, an offensively gifted forward, was “excited to see who his new favorite team would be”. Well according to Twitter he was. Yes, I followed Twitter for the draft.

The Pronger deal was the only big deal made on the first day of the draft Both of the hot names on the market, Vincent Lecavalier and Dany Heatley, remain on their current team. A Phil Kessel to Toronto deal fell through when it was reported that Boston wouldn’t be getting Toronto’s seventh overall pick. Details, details.

TSN reported that Jay Bowmeester was traded to Calgary Saturday morning for the rights to Jordon Leopold and a third round pick. It will be interesting to see if Calgary can sign the big defender. They are already at about $45 million against a cap that is reported to be about $56 million. Perhaps the Flames will be looking to unload a player later in the summer (Cory Sarich at $3.6, possibly?) Western Conference teams can’t be looking forward to facing a team that can boast both Bowmeester and Dion Phaneuf.

In the end Friday was a big step forward for the Lightning franchise. They drafted a blue liner that is solid in his own zone and can add a little scoring. The owners didn’t get into a fist fight on the stage. Vincent is still wearing the blue and black. Not a bad day at all.

Get Ready for the Fun! The offseason is right around the corner...

Let’s talk about some hockey today, shall we? The clock is winding down on the season ( despite being down 2-0 I think the Pens still have a chance) and talk is starting to gear up for the draft. When you follow a team that has been as downtrodden as the Lightning have been the last few seasons it’s the best part of season. The draft is all about the future, and the future is all about hope.

For now it appears that management is leaning towards holding onto the second overall pick. Beleaguered GM Brian Lawton has made several comments over the past few weeks about building through the draft. Depending on the actions of the Islanders in front of them the Bolts could add dynamic young sensation Jonathon Tavares or rugged Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman. Critics and pundits across the North American continent agree that they can’t go wrong with either pick.

Should Tavares be available he would give Tampa Bay another young scoring threat on the front line. It wouldn’t be hard to imagine four 30 goal scorers (Tavares, Steven Stamkos, Vinny and Marty) on the team in seasons to come. Who needs defense when you have offense like that!

If the next offensive prodigy is scooped up by the Islanders, then that leaves the 6’ 6” defenseman from Sweden. The rugged defender has leapfrogged Tavares in several mock drafts based on his play last season with Modo in the Swedish league. He would leap to the top of the Lightning’s stable of young defenseman and form the cornerstone of what should be a formidable corps of blue liners. The comparisons to Nick Lidstrom have already started and playing among elite Swedes developed his game more than playing in juniors would have.

Drafting either player would cost them about $3 million a year by the time bonuses and base pay are done so it won’t be adding too much of a burden to the already taxed payroll. There is an outside chance that drafting Tavares would signal a trade of Lecavalier if they can find the right package for him which would open up the payroll for free agency. Finding a team with the cap room to absorb Vinny’s almost $8 million price tag and that has the right NHL ready prospects is a challenge.

They would also have to be certain that they would be able to draft Tavares. I don’t see them moving Vinny without having a marketable star to replace him. So trading the Lightning captain this summer seems unlikely. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be shocked to see a big name move from the roster, possibly along with the number one pick.

Everyone down here likes dismissing the Canadian media down here, even if they end up being right about certain things (John Tortorella’s departure and Dave Andreychuck’s dismissal being two that I can think of off of the top of my head). One of the bigger stories of late has been Toronto’s desire to move up far enough to snag Tavares. That means grabbing they Lightning’s or the Islander’s pick.

Would Brian Burke be willing to part with prized defenseman Luke Schenn and his number one pick for Ryan Malone and the Lightning’s number one? Would the Lightning move Malone and the pick for just the Toronto pick (number 7 overall)? There are rumblings that Malone is extremely unhappy in Tampa and would be willing to accept a deal that got him out of here.

For their part, both Burke and Lawton have denied trade talks with Burke stating that trading Schenn to move up 5 sports “doesn’t make a lot of sense”. Of course, they are GM’s so half of their job description is lying to the press. The other half is to make their team better, sometimes by pulling the trigger on big deals.

Malone is an interesting trade piece. He has a cap hit of $4.5 million which isn’t that bad, but it’s stretched out until 2014-15 which is quite a long contract. Who knows what the NHL will look like by then? Malone scored 26 goals last season despite missing 12 games with injuries. He also ended up a +4 on a defensively deficient team.

He’s in his scoring prime right now and matches up well with deft passing centers and wingers who take a lot of shots. He is most adept at parking himself in front of the net for deflections and rebounds. Losing him would be big for the Lightning as they don’t have someone to replace him. Evgeny Artyukhin is a large human, but he doesn’t like the play in front of the net.

Would Malone fit on the Maple Leaf’s squad? That depends on what else Burke tries to do in the off season, but I’m sure they could find a spot for him. Would Lightning fans riot over moving Malone and the first round pick without getting a player in return? Probably not, after all it’s hard to riot when you’re surrounded by some of America’s best beaches and golf courses. The usual rabble would ensue, some teeth would be gnashed, threats of cancelling tickets would be made, but in the end I think the uproar would be mild. I doubt it would help season ticket sales, but one could argue that it makes the team better.

Making the trade can be defended. For starters, there could still be impact offense available at the 7th spot in Brayden Schenn (Luke’s brother) and Evander Kane. Shedding Malone’s contract makes it easier to keep Vinny around. Of course, it would all hinge on the Islanders taking Hedman first over all so the entire argument could be moot.

No matter what happens the next month should be exciting for the team and what remains of it’s fan base. So stick around, if there is any breaking news I’ll be sure to let you know about it well after it happens.