On Tampa Bay Lightning rumors …
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 960 talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I think that Doug Armstrong saw a couple of Tampa games last week. Armstrong and Yzerman are tight. I think we’ve been kind of wondering what’s going on there. Could they do a Shattenkirk-Bishop (trade), or is something else cooking.
“One guy told me on the weekend that Tampa may not be as active as everyone thinks because Steve Yzerman could just say, ‘You know what? Our team isn’t good enough. Why would I start to make moves and trade stuff away when our team isn’t good enough.’ So I’m kind of wondering what Yzerman is thinking here.”
The Lightning have fallen apart without Steven Stamkos. Will be able to return this season? It sounds dicey if he’ll be able to return for the regular season.
“I wonder if Yzerman is looking at all of this and saying, ‘This is not the year for me to start making trades that sacrifice the future because we just don’t have the team that’s good enough to win.’”
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times: (from last week) St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong scouted two Lightning games last week. Colorado Avalanche’s assistant GM Chris MacFarland also watched those games.
Don’t see a Ben Bishop for Kevin Shattenkirk trade. The Lightning could use a top-four right handed defenseman. The Blues could use some help down the middle.
Things appear quiet on the Bishop trade front. Bishop could be traded before the deadline, but it’s also possible he remains with Lightning though the end of the season.
The Lightning would have to protect Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Filppula for the expansion draft, unless they agree to waive their no-movement clauses.
The Lightning could use defensman Nikita Nesterov as a trade chip. His agent shot down rumors that Nesterov wants to return to Russia next year.
Hard to see the Lightning being able to retain their three big pending RFAs in Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin.
Smith recently asked Yzerman if they have any untouchables.
“We have our core and I want to add to that core,” Yzerman said. “Over time, your core has to change, that’s the reality, you can’t afford to keep everybody. They age, they mature. Are players untouchable? Yes. Because I want to build around the core.
“But at some point, to address needs, if there’s something really good out there, you’re probably going to have to give up something really good in order to do that.”