Having had some time to unwind after that short yet intense playoff series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens, it’s time for me to get back into the old blogging routine. With the offseason in full swing, you’ll likely be reading some draft talk, free agent rumors, trade speculation, and anything in between. For now, I’ll just get to some thoughts on the week that was.
On Bishop… Following the team’s sweep in round one, the air was cleared on Bishop’s injury situation. The ailment that kept him out of round one of the playoffs was a dislocated elbow, suffered at the end of the regular season. In addition, the big goaltender was dealing with a torn wrist ligament since early January.
The wrist injury isn’t exactly breaking news, but the severity of it might be. It’s not a secret that Bishop’s performance deteriorated in the second half of the season, but when you consider that he was wearing a cast on his wrist for that segment of the year it’s hard not to appreciate what he was able to accomplish. The reality is that the Lightning’s goaltender, who was just nominated for the Vezina Trophy, was dealing with a pretty severe injury for most of his campaign. 'Vezina' and 'played injured for half the year' don't go together that often.
Bishop’s surgical procedure is reportedly scheduled for this coming week. My hope for Ben is that everything goes well so he can get to work on his rehabilitation. The timeframe for a full recovery is somewhere in the neighborhood of three to four months, meaning that the team’s number one goaltender should be ready to go when training camp arrives in September.
On the Calder Trophy… Nobody is going to cry foul when Nathan MacKinnon is awarded the Calder Trophy at this year’s NHL awards ceremony. You won’t find anybody in hockey who doesn’t believe that the first year forward in Colorado is undeserving of ‘top rookie’ honors. Even so, it was incredibly nice to see not one, but two Lightning players nominated for the award.
Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat both had incredible seasons for the Bolts. Johnson set a team record for most goals by a rookie in a single season, while Palat led the team in scoring with 23 goals and 59 points. Further to that, the difference in offensive production between Palat and MacKinnon is negligible at best, which speaks to just how good the 2011 7th rounder was this season.
For Steve Yzerman, Al Murray, and the entire group dedicated to player drafting and development, it must be incredibly rewarding to see guys like Palat and Johnson succeed and gain recognition. The best part for the Lightning is that there are more young goodies on the way.
On Callahan… When Jon Cooper said earlier this week that “as long as [he’s] coaching this team, [he] wants Ryan Callahan on the bench,… the fact that the organization wants to re-sign the player they acquired at the trade deadline became crystal clear. Callahan, as everyone knows, was dealt to Tampa in exchange for then-captain Marty St. Louis.
Steve Yzerman and Jeff Vinik were adamant about their desire to re-sign Callahan at the deadline, and, based on Cooper’s comments, it doesn’t sound like the organization’s position has changed much.; Yzerman also reiterated his desire to get a deal done.
I, for one, really believe that there’s a long-term fit in Tampa for Callahan. While the Lightning certainly have a lot of talented young players coming up, they desperately lack a gritty veteran forward with leadership skills. That player is Ryan Callahan. If the price is right, it’s my hope that the team can re-sign the player.
The trouble for the Bolts is that there is likely to be a bidding war for Callahan’s services. At this point, it’s hard to imagine that he’ll sign a deal before at least seeing what’s out there on the unrestricted free agent market. That means that the Lightning will be in competition with a bushel of teams who have identified Callahan as a target. There will almost certainly be teams that will outbid the Lightning, so it’s just a matter of what Callahan values.
Sticking with that point, it’s at least positive to see that Callahan has expressed a liking for the Lightning organization and the time he’s spent with it. Everything he’s said since losing in round one has been positive. His agent has specifically stated that Tampa is certainly in the mix when it comes to a landing spot.
On the Sweep… I’m going to keep this section short and sweet. The Lightning got outplayed in their first round series with the Montreal Canadiens, and they paid the price for it. It would be impossible to argue that the Bolts deserved a better fate than a first round loss. Give credit to Montreal for playing a very smart game and taking advantage of a team that just didn’t look ready for postseason action.
The one big plus that comes out of the Tampa loss is that we get to see Montreal and Boston face each other in the second round; that series will be an absolute riot for hockey fans around North America. Those two clubs rarely disappoint when they get together. With the stakes so high, that semifinal matchup is poised to be a classic.
On Marty St. Louis… Every Lightning fan around should be cheering for this guy right now. Sure, you’re probably still mad at him. No, you probably don’t like him. But the fact of the matter is that the Lightning would love for his New York Rangers to advance in these playoffs. If the Rangers make the conference final, the conditional 2014 second round draft pick included in the deal turns into a first. That would give the Bolts two first round picks this year, and two first round picks next year. I’ve already mentioned that the future is bright, but if things fall into place correctly it could go from bright to crazy sun-like brilliance.
The other thing worth mentioning about St. Louis is the confirmation Jon Cooper gave earlier about his former captain’s attitude shift.
"[Cooper] said St. Louis continued to play hard for the team, but player’s noticed a change in his attitude." That sums it up.
— Michael Stuart (@HB_MikeStuart) April 26, 2014On Jonathan Drouin… Drouin had his 26 game (!) point streak snapped tonight. In that span he compiled 75 (!!!!!) points. I’m not sure anything more needs to be said. This guy is poised to be an absolutely filthy player at the NHL level. Imagining him on Stamkos’s wing is enough to make any Bolts fan salivate.
--
That’s all I’ve got for now. Thanks to everyone who made this season a lot of fun to cover. Here’s hoping the offseason brings some excitement too.
As always, thanks for reading.