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Ryan Malone is one of the good guys in the Tampa Bay Lightning locker-room. You would be hard pressed to find someone with more heart and passion than the guy they call Bugsy. Add to that a fantastic set of leadership qualities, solid offensive skills, size and a great sense of humor and, all of a sudden, Malone’s importance to the Lightning is really highlighted.
At 32, Malone represents one faction of the Lightning’s leadership core. Along with guys like Martin St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier and Eric Brewer, Malone helps to calm down a relatively young roster. Replacing veteran leaders like Ryan is incredibly challenging; in fact, some would argue that it’s just plain stupid to even consider moving a leader. So, it comes with a little bit of shock that around every trade deadline, Malone, a guy who loves playing in Tampa, always shows up on the rumor mill. A lot of Lightning fans are left wondering – what gives?
With three seasons (including this one) left on a contract worth nearly $32M, Malone has committed to the Lightning community. As mentioned, he likes playing here, he has had success here and, in my opinion, he belongs here. Last season, Malone put up 20 goals and 48 points in 68 games. As a second line winger, those are definitely respectable numbers once pro-rated to 82 games.
All of that said - it is expected that Malone will suit up with Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell whenever the 2012-13 season starts. That means that he will no longer be termed a “second line” guy; playing with Stamkos certifies Malone as a first line expected threat. The problem? There are concerns out there that Malone won’t be able to maintain first line production. We know that Teddy Purcell can be a 60+ point guy and that Stammer is a threat to put up 100 points. However, over the course of his career, Malone’s ceiling has been 51 points. Is that first line production? Not in your life.
As mentioned in previous blogs, the Lightning have a wealth of young talent coming up through the ranks. With guys like Brett Connolly, Cory Conacher, JT Brown and Tyler Johnson all presumably ready for a good look in the top-six at the NHL level, is Malone expendable? The Lightning have to be wondering where Malone fits in with the organization over the next couple of years. At some point, the team will have to hand the reigns over to the young guns that have made the Bolts’ AHL affiliate so successful over the last couple of seasons.
So, having examined both sides of the equation here, the decision making is now left up to you. Where does Malone fit in with the organization whenever the season starts? Are you okay with counting on Malone to be a first line threat? These are the questions that will weigh heavily on the minds of Steve Yzerman and Guy Boucher as they work on formulating a game plan for the season. The Malone trade rumors aren’t without warrant; as the saying goes – “where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
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