The National Hockey League’s trade deadline is less than forty-eight hours away, and the Tampa Bay Lightning might just be a team to watch. With that in mind, here’s a list of three names to keep your eye on as Steve Yzerman and his management team prepare for what should be a busy day of wheeling and dealing around the league.
(1) Teddy Purcell Don’t get me wrong, Teddy Purcell is still a good player. On nearly every team in the league, including the Lightning, he’s a top-nine forward. On some teams, he’s most certainly a top-six forward. Purcell displays a great passing ability that complements his puck possession prowess. The problem for the winger is that he’s caught in a tough spot on the Lightning’s depth chart. Players like Nikita Kucherov, JT Brown, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat, and a few others have really solidified spots on Tampa’s roster this year, and there is another bevy of young talent on the way next year. Steve Yzerman might be best served by dealing Purcell and his $4.5MM cap hit to a team looking for a playmaking winger.
(2) Brett Connolly If Yzerman is going to move a prospect at this year’s deadline, I expect that it will likely be Brett Connolly. Look for Connolly to perhaps be dealt as part of a package that will net the Lightning some much needed blue line help. The 2010 sixth overall pick boasts a great skill set and limitless potential, but it’s arguable that he’s expendable within the Lightning system. My personal feelings re: Connolly have been made very clear over the last few years. I legitimately believe that he can and will be a full-time NHL player when he finally gets an opportunity. The problem for Connolly is that he likely won’t get that opportunity in the Lightning system. Dealing him as part of a package for defensive help could be the type of move that solidifies the Lightning’s position as a contender in the Eastern Conference.
(3) Marty St. Louis And here we have the main attraction. Since news broke last week that Marty St. Louis has asked for a trade out of Tampa, the rumor mill has been churning at high speed. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has made it clear that St. Louis is only willing to waive to go to the New York Rangers, and it doesn’t sound like that list is about to expand any time soon. Eklund is reporting that the Rangers are trying to get a deal done sans Ryan Callahan. It will be interesting to see whether or not Yzerman can get full value for his star player at the deadline, or whether he waits until the off-season. This blogger’s position is that he’ll likely wait, as St. Louis is too important to the Lightning right now. If the last handful of games has shown Yzerman and Lightning fans anything, it’s that St. Louis will continue to lead the team and perform at a high level despite all the talk surrounding him. With that said, if Glen Sather wows Yzerman with a can’t-refuse offer, the Lightning could be captain-less after Wednesday.
So there are three Tampa Bay Lightning names to keep an eye on as we move towards Wednesday afternoon. I don’t expect a huge flurry of activity for Tampa’s hockey club, but Yzerman has been known to surprise people with big, franchise-altering moves on deadline day. Last year, for example, he turned Cory Conacher and a fourth round draft pick into goaltender Ben Bishop. The year before that he turned Steve Downie into one of the world’s best prospects, Andrey Vasilevskiy. Could lightning strike three years in a row? Time will tell.
As always, thanks for reading.