Lightning active at trade deadline

After making three trades in the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline, Bolts GM Steve Yzerman made three more on Monday's deadline day.

First, Yzerman sent a conditional 2013 7th-round pick to Detroit for D Mike Commodore.

Commodore is an experienced defenseman and a Stanley Cup champion. He is 32 and a free agent at the end of the year, but he should help support the defense.

Yzerman then pulled off the biggest trade of the day, sending top prospect F Carter Ashton to Toronto for D Keith Aulie.

Aulie is also a highly-touted prospect. He is only 22, and is huge: 6' 6", 225 lbs. He will bring some size and good puck handling to the Bolts, and if he pans out will be a force on the Tampa Bay blue line for years to come. Losing Carter Ashton is a big price, but scouts tend to think the Aulie has a higher upside. The Lightning also have good organizational depth at forward (such as Labrie, Conacher, and Namestnikov) and weak defensive depth.

The final trade of the day sent D Matt Gilroy to Ottawa for D Brian Lee.

Lee is 24, 6' 3" and 205 lbs, another big body and an up-and-coming talent. Many will say trading a defenseman for a defenseman is a lateral move, but Lee is three years younger than Gilroy, and is a bit more of a stay-at-home defenseman, rather than offensive minded like Gilroy. Gilroy is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, while Lee is restricted. I was really liking how Gilroy was coming along this year, but the trade seems pretty fair.

As far as new jersey numbers go, Aulie will wear No. 3 and Lee will wear No. 15, and Commodore will forego the much called-for Commodore64 in favor of 23.

Overall, I really like the trades that Yzerman has pulled off this year. These trades help set the Bolts up for both the future and the present.



Lightning: Trades, the Future, and Playoffs

Sorry for not post in a long while. It's grind time in school now, so postings may be quite spread out. I do have a project I am working on, however, and that should be out soon. But for today, I'd like to talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Certainly a lot has occured around this franchise since the last time I've posted about the Bolts. They are 7-4-2 since they beat the Blue Jackets back on January 24, they have made several trades, injuries have occured, and the Norfolk Admirals are in first place and in the middle of a team-record 9 game winning streak.

The Bolts have made three major trades leading up to the deadline: Dominic Moore and a 7th round pick to the Sharks for a 2nd rounder; Pavel Kubina to the Flyers for a 2nd and 4th rounder and AHL LW Jon Kalinski; and Steve Downie to Colorado for Kyle Quincey, who was flipped to Detroit for a 1st rounder and ECHL D Sebastien Piche.

These trades were hard to swallow for many fans: Moore always showed heart and hustle, Kuby was a Stanley Cup champion with the Lightning, and Downie was the enforcer and skilled offensive player that always becomes the fan favorite. However, Steve Yzerman was able to aquire a fantastic return for 3 players that, while good, were not great, and not really a part of this team's future. Moore brought nothing special offensively, Kubina is getting older and slower by the day, and Downie took far too many penalties (although, many of those penalties were simple 2 minutes for Being Steve Downie). All three will be free agents this Summer.

For Yzerman to acquire a 1st rounder, two 2nd rounders, a 4th rounder, and two players for three replaceable players and a low draft pick was a steal. The Lightning can now choose to either draft a bunch of top players this year (they will have 2 1st rounders and either 3 or 4 2nd rounders in 2012) and build up the minor league system, or perhaps trade some picks for a top-tier goalie or defenseman.

Speaking of the minors, the Norfolk Admirals are pretty good. As stated earlier, they have won 9 in a row and are in the first place in their division. This is actually hurting the NHL club; guys like PC "Nacho" Labrie, Carter Ashton, Cory Conacher, and Mark Barberio are busy helping the Ads in their own playoff push, and it is actually better for those players to gain the experience of a playoff run than to fill in for the Lightning. The Ads players on the Lightning roster right now - Mike Angelidis, Trevor Smith, JT Wyman, and Evan Oberg - have handled themselves pretty well, but their skill levels are not quite that of the others'.

So, for now, the Bolts will have to push for the playoffs shorthanded, especially with Lecavalier and Hedman out now. Do I think the Bolts can make the playoffs? Yes. But they are far too inconsistant for that to be likely. Right now, the only line that is scoring is the St. Louis - Stamkos - Purcell line. While that line has been out of their mind recently, having little support is not going to push this team to the playoffs.

Perhaps, however, the Lightning can tap into their inner Ray and pull off a miraculous late-season comeback.

ESPN's blatant bias against the Rays

The Tampa Bay Rays have made the playoffs in 3 out of the last 4 years. Twice, they have won the AL East, and they won the AL Championship once.

With a recent history of success, the Rays ought to be garnering a lot of respect nationally. Every year they're underestimated, and every year they prove the doubters wrong. With a second wild card team being added, the chances the Rays make the playoffs are even better. They have the best starting rotation in baseball, they bolstered an already strong bullpen, and they made significant improvements in 3 or 4 positions of need (1B, C, DH, SS if you count Keppinger). They should at the very least be in contention for the title of one of the best teams in baseball. Right?

Not according to ESPN.

This is a photo of a poll on ESPN's SportsNation website, where fans can vote in such polls. I'm not sure of the date that this poll was posted, so this may be old news, but to exclude the Rays is unexcusable. ESPN for the most part (with the exception of some, such as Buster Olney, who has the Rays near the top of his preaseason power rankings) is totally biased towards the big-market teams such as the Sox and Yanks. Certainly, all the teams up there deserve to be listed, but for the Rays to not be included in the discussion is just another example of ESPN's blatant bias against the Rays.



Your new Buccaneers head coach: Greg Schiano

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hired Greg Schiano, formerly of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, as their new head coach. The deal is for 5 years and a little over $15 million.

Schiano, who took over the Scarlet Knights in 2001, only had a 68-67 career record at Rutgers, but his impact on the program went far beyond that. He was able to take a program with only one previous bowl game in their history, and was able to lead them to 6 bowls, and 5 bowl victories. He's 56-33 in his last 7 seasons, with his talent level being average at best.

Schiano is more of a defensive-minded coach, but he said that he will not be his own coordinator, and he will hire a full coaching staff that, with or without NFL experience, needs to be full of teachers as well as learners. This is refreshing, considering how the last two head coaches for the Bucs were essentially carrying two or three jobs for the price of one (Raheem as DC, Gruden as OC), which likely overwhelmed them and the results were not good.

During his introductory press conference, Schiano, who has a reputation as a disciplinarian, described the rules that he would coach the Buccaneers by: TBA, or Trust, Belief, and Accountability. These are definitely things that need to be infused into this Tampa Bay franchise.

And wow, the Bucs were able to pull another name out of thin air. First it was Chip Kelly, and now Schiano, who were never mentioned throughout the interview process by any "insiders". Not only that, but apparently if Schiano said no to the Bucs, then another mystery candidate would have been next in line.

Greg Schiano is not the biggest name, and some may balk at his overall record at a average Big East team, and others will be concerned by his lack of NFL experience. However, he seems pretty qualified with a fantastic reputation, so it seems like a solid hire for the Bucs. Now, on to the coordinators...

Bolts win fourth straight heading into All-Star break

The Lightning defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2.

The Lightning have now won 4 straight games, and within that span they have moved from last to 11th in the Eastern Conference. If they can stay hot, they may be able to sneak into a playoff spot, and of course everyone there starts at 0-0-0. There's still obviously a long way to go, however.

Much of the Lightning's struggles have been due to injuries, which hoepfully will be resolved with a lengthy break for the All-Star game in Ottawa. But this recent streak has been due in large part to the successes of the recent call-ups to replace the injured players. Pierre-Cedric "Nacho" Labrie (who reminds me a lot of former fan favorite Evgeny Artyukhin), Trevor Smith, and Breden Mikkelson have been impressive in their time with the Lightning. And last night, Mike Angelidis scored his first NHL goal in his debut, and Evan "Yo-Yo" Oberg finally got to play after numerous call-ups, healthy scratches, and demotions. I remember a few years ago, the Lightning had a poor farm system; now, it's showing strength.

REPORT: Bucs and Oregon HC Chip Kelly close to deal

Numerous reports have stated that the Bucs are in the stages of finalizing a contract with Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly, or that there is at least a great deal of mutual interest.

If Tampa Bay lands Kelly, it would certainly be an interesting hire. Many Bucs fans had thrown his name around, but not many expected he would actually get interviewed, let alone accept the job. It's very surprising that this would happen; almost no word of this connection came out until late Sunday night. Oregon also has immense funds, considering their close relationship with Nike, so it's likely that the Glazers would be writing a large check. Kelly, who had signed a 6-year deal two seasons ago, just recently completed construction of a new home in Eugene.

Keep in mind that the deal is not finalized yet, and there's still time for it to fall through. But Kelly could bring a lot to the Bucs: leadership, energy, discipline, and creativity. I mean, who didn't like watching Oregon's offense tear through defenses the last two years? Some concerns exist about his lack of NFL experience and how his spread offense will translate, but he beat current NFL coaches Pete Carroll and John Harbaugh several times in the PAc-10/12. He also has a 2010-11 BCS Championship game and a 2011-12 Rose Bowl victory to his credit.

If anything, Kelly would certainlt bring big-name recognition and excitement to the Buccaneers.

UPDATE:

Kelly has turned down the Buccaneers. The Bucs reportedly offered $6 million a year (would have been 4th highest in the NFL), but Kelly decided that he should stay in Eugene.

Projecting the Rays' opening day roster

With the signing of Carlos Pena yesterday, the roster seems to be just about set. There have been some talks of the Rays being interested in another back-up middle infielder, and a trade is likely to clear the log jam for the #5 starter, but at this point we can begin to see how the opening day line-up will look like.

Here are our projections based on what the Rays have now:

LINE-UP

Vs. RHP
Starters
1. Desmond Jennnings, LF
2. Ben Zobrist, 2B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Carlos Pena, 1B
5. Luke Scott, DH
6. B.J. Upton, CF
7. Matt Joyce, RF
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Reid Brignac, SS
Bench
Jose Lobaton, C
Elliot Johnson, IF
Sam Fuld, OF
Sean Rodriguez, IF

Vs. LHP
Starters
1. Desmond Jennnings, LF
2. Ben Zobrist, 2B
3. Evan Longoria, 3B
4. Carlos Pena, 1B
5. Luke Scott, DH
6. B.J. Upton, CF
7. Matt Joyce, RF
8. Jose Molina, C
9. Sean Rodriguez, SS
Bench
Jose Lobaton, C
Elliot Johnson, IF
Sam Fuld, OF
Reid Brignac, IF

Notes:
Joe Maddon will continue to platoon SS unless Reid or Sean begin to stand out. Joyce will probably be platooned as well, but for now he gets the shot to play everyday. Elliot Johnson remains as a back-up without options, but I wouldn't be surprising if he was replaced by Russ Canzler, Will Rhymes or another free agent/spring training invite. For now, Fuld beats out Brandon Guyer for the 4th OF spot, because he's the #Legend and his speed and defense will be vital late in games. Guyer may very well take the spot as he's a righty, but he still has options, unlike Fuld.

STARTING ROTATION
1. James Shields, RHP
2. David Price, LHP
3. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP
4. Matt Moore, LHP
5. Jeff Niemann, RHP

Notes:
Complete Game James gets rewarded for his fantastic season with another opening-day start. Price may be even better than the last two years though, if he can bring in an above-average change-up. ROY Hellickson looks to have another strong year, and hopefully he can get that K/9 up. A full year of Matt Moore is bound to be exciting, as he may have the most raw talent and polish out of any of the starters. Niemann gets the #5 spot as Wade Davis is the most valuable trade bait and thus most likely to be dealt. Alex Cobb and Alex Torres will serve as insurance in Durham.

BULLPEN
Mid. Brandon Gomes, RHP
Mid. Jake McGee, LHP
Mid. Fernando Rodney, RHP
LOOGY. J.P. Howell, LHP
ROOGY/Groundball. Burke Badenhop, RHP
SU. Joel Peralta, RHP
CL. Kyle Farnsworth, RHP

Notes:
There is no actual "long relief" slot, but it will be more of a platoon as Gomes has gone 3+ innings several times, and McGee is a former starter who can work a few himself. Badenhop, a sidearm pitcher, is good against righties and has good ground ball numbers for when that double play is needed. J.P. "The Dude" Howell will hope to right the ship after a horrible 2011 with a full healthy offseason, but even with his struggles last year he was still pretty good against lefties, so he will be slotted in that role. Rodney had his struggles the last few years himself, but he's a former closer and can be used in higher-leverage situations. Finally, the 1-2 punch of Peralta and Farnsworth looks to have the same success as last year.