On the Tampa Bay Lightning …
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times: If the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to make some changes, it won’t involve their coaching staff. GM Steve Yzerman said yesterday that Cooper “is doing an excellent job.”
The Lightning badly need to acquire a defenseman. Craig Button notes that there is a big gap between their top three – Victor Hedman, Anton Stralman and Bryadon Coburn – and their bottom three – Andrej Sustr, Nikita Nesterov and Jason Garrison.
Yzerman has said that he’s trying to make a deal.
If they wanted to acquire someone like Jacob Trouba, it’s going to cost them a lot.
Yzerman on 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.”
Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports: Bob McKenzie on TSN 1040 on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Have to think the Lightning will do something at some point. They haven’t been good defensively and their goaltending has been shaky while Ben Bishop has been out.
“I’m not sure what Steve Yzerman does, because there are so many financial handcuffs he’s dealing with, and financial pressures that he’s dealing with. But maybe that also plays into the fact that it gives him something to play with. That he’s not going to be able to sign all of his players in the summer. Tyler Johnson is up. Ondrej Palat is up for a deal. Jonathan Drouin is up for a deal. Now, he’s not trading Drouin. But boy oh boy, just about anybody else up front might be a possibility if they could get a defenseman in that would help them. If they get Stamkos back later in the season we’ll see, but nobody is counting on that.
“But I’ve got to think that something has got to give somewhere along the line.”