Anyone who watched a significant amount of Lightning hockey last season understands that goaltending was a huge issue over the course of the 2011-12 campaign. Dwayne Roloson began to show his age, Mathieu Garon was forced to take on too big of a role and Dustin Tokarski was thrown into a most unfair situation.
With all that in mind, General Manager Steve Yzerman went out and took care of business this summer. He traded for Anders Lindback, one of the most promising young tenders in the game, and drafted Andrei Vasilevski, a mysterious Russian with more talent than most young goalies in recent memory. If the long-term solution for the Lightning’s goaltending situation is to play a tandem of Lindback and Vasilevski between the pipes, what happens to Dustin Tokarski? His situation forms a little bit of a conundrum for Steve Yzerman and the Lightning brass.
Taking a look at Tokarski’s resume, it becomes hard to suggest that the Lightning should simply ignore Dustin and his potential. Drafted in the 5th round, Tokarski has proven many critics wrong over the course of his young career. Having backstopped the Spokane Chiefs to the 2008 Memorial Cup Championship, Team Canada to the 2009 World Junior Championship and the Norfolk Admirals to the 2012 Calder Cup, Tokarski’s resume rivals that of any young goaltender in the modern era.
Tokarski is the kind of player every team wants on its roster; he elevates his game when needed. With decent regular season stats and incredible playoff stats in the American Hockey League, Tokarski is more than just a plug in the net. This kid is really and truly a difference maker. So, with all these positive traits and accolades, it begs the question: what’s the problem?
Well, simply put, it’s his size. Standing at 5-foot-11, Tokarski is ridiculously short for a goaltender. Consider for a second that there has been much media fanfare made of Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier’s height; well, he’s marginally taller than Tokarski. This is a real concern for the Lightning in the long-term. Will Tokarski’s size hold him back from being a dominant NHL star, or will he make do with his circumstances and have a long, successful NHL career? That’s a question that nobody can answer but Dustin.
The early indications are that he will struggle. With seven games of NHL experience, Dustin has recorded one win. Of course, it's hard to extrapolate such a small sample, but statistically he has been nothing special at the NHL level. Watching him with the Lightning, it was easy to see that teams were targeting his ability to cover the top of the net. That game plan isn't going to disappear any time soon.
The Lightning have options, and time, when it comes to dealing with Tokarski. However, at some point Steve Yzerman is going to have to decide whether or not Tokarski’s skill level is worth something on the open market. With Lindback and Vasilevski in the system, the proverbial goaltending cupboard is no longer empty. Could the Lightning deal Tokarski for a prospect who may one day fill another roster hole? That decision will weigh heavily on Yzerman’s mind over the coming years.
The Lightning's goaltending system is now pretty stacked with Garon, Lindback, Vasilevski and Helenius all capable of being solid tenders. With all that said, I leave the fortune-telling up to you, the fans. What are your thoughts on Tokarski and his situation within the Tampa Bay Lightning’s system? Does he have a place here long-term? Sound off on the message boards!
If you have ideas for blog topics during the lockout, leave them on the message boards, send me a PM or contact me on Twitter (@BTB_MikeStuart). As always, thanks for reading.
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