Long Line Change: Stammer, Coaches, and Retirements

There hasn't be a lot of news......or enough for me to do crazy posts on it and make a lot out of a little. So I've concocted this "Long Line Change" to maybe get the same information out in one fancy place......huzzah?? In any case.....

Steven Stamkos Re-Signs

It took what seemed forever, Steven Stamkos finally re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning to the tune of five-years and $37.5M ($7.5M cap hit). It was something that you knew was going to get done sooner or later and Steve Yzerman did it right; pacing things and letting it all play out how it needed to. It's a solid price for a kid who is already a star and should be solid for the Bolts in the long-run as well. Plus, the move leaves about $7M in buffer room for the Bolts against the salary cap.

That said, still no word on the other highly touted RFA, Drew Doughty of the LA Kings. Though you can bet that will be under the microscope moreso now with Stamoks signed.

The Devil You Now Know

In what could be considered a decent coaching swerve, the New Jersey Devils didn't go with Guy Carbonneau or Ken Hitchcock-- heck, even Michel Therrien wasn't good enough for them. No, Lou Lamoriello went with former Florida Panthers coach Peter DeBoer to be the new bench-boss in the Swamp. DeBoer didn't have much success while in Florida, but he also didn't have the guns to really make a huge splash. With the Devils, he'll have a solid line-up and should be able to show his meddle in the big leagues.

Retirement Always Means Hall of Fame Debates

Chris Osgood called it a career, finishing his career with 401 wins and three Stanley Cups. While he did have a solid career, are his numbers good enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame?? Personally, on merit alone-- the Cups and wins gets him in; but not as a first-ballot guy. While he could slip in there on the first one, I still think there's a lot of guys who are more worthy than Osgood. He'll get in one day, but I don't think it'll be right off the hop.

Friday Five: Off-Ice Clamoring

It's another week done and it's time for the F5, which is what we do every week-- but what a week.

1. Colin Campbell doesn't seem to get email-- should he have some clue??

You would have hoped that a high-level NHL executive would understand the concept of email and how it works, but it doesn't seem that way. The fact of the matter is that he could have had some idea that maybe he could be bit in the ass by something like this; but he took a chance and had to respect that. That said, you have to think that Campbell is the Teflon Don in the NHL offices, mostly because he can run his mouth like this and preside over the league discipline like he does and not get fired or knocked down. The latter part, which is his job, should be definitely focused on and the inconsistency he has shown is the reason why he should be knocked down a peg.

One last thing about the emails, he did claim it was locker room talk and he probably didn't think they would be exposed like they were due to the Dean Warren lawsuit, but it's probably a lot easier to pick up a phone to actually get it done. It's much harder to get caught, unless the other person has bugged the line. Emails are far too easy to access in this age of technology, so it's probably the most dangerous form of communication.

2. How much further can the Islanders sink in the court of public opinion??

The pulling of Chris Botta's credentials are a big blow to their already diminishing appeal, but they have that kind of call. That said, they shouldn't be shocked at the revolt they are currently experiencing from fans and onlookers a like. This is a team in turmoil and the tail-spin doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. The fans have a right to revolt and I think they should be doing much worse when it comes to supporting this team. They need to do something huge to put them in the good graces of the Long Island sports fans, but with what has happened in the recent past; it's very doubtful it'll happen any time soon.

3. Is there any way of stopping Steven Stamkos right now??

Stamkos shows that Barry Melrose really doesn't know what he's doing. This kid is showing his natural scoring talent and is playing with a team that has a lot of experience and a lot different backgrounds to help the kid deal though all sorts of obstacles thrown at him. He's a great personality for the game, but he hampered in a market that is hot and cold to hockey and won't get the mainstream press like other teams. Stamkos will shine through one way or another and could bring the Lightning back to the Cup Finals sooner rather than later.

4. The Flames seem to be doing some moving and shaking, plus rumors about Jarome Iginla won't go away-- what can we expect next??

I think the next move has to be Jay Feaster taking over the GM role if things don't change. While the Sutters seem to run this town, but when Feaster got hired this past summer as the assistant GM; you knew that the heat was going to be on Darryl Sutter to improve this team or else he'd be usurped. As it stands right now, the Flames are 14th in the West, 27th in the league, and don't seem to be ready to rebound any time soon. If Feaster doesn't get the job by the end of the year, it'll be a shock to me.

5. Mark Messier got his first taste of coaching in Europe. How long before he's in a similar position or higher in the NHL??

Messier went 2-1-1 in his games over in Europe coaching Team Canada the exhibitions, but I think the true test for him will be when he's coaching the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland at Christmas time. As far as the NHL goes, I don't know if coaching is the right line of work, but I could see him in a front-office position over anything else. There's something about great players and coaching that doesn't usually seem to blend; but front office positions are another story. We'll see what happens in terms of the international events, but Messier will have a spot in some organization sooner rather than later after these tournaments are done.

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So that's what's up. We're done another week and if you didn't like the topics, email me to get your voice heard at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com therefore you can make the next F5.

Steve is Here, Man

(FOHS fans will get that pun by me going with our first ever called asking if it's "Eye-zer-man" or "Is-ear-man"-- got it?? Okay, not so funny if you weren't there.)

The Tampa Bay Lightning take another step to relevancy by hiring Steve Yzerman as their new GM. Yzerman was under Ken Holland's tutelage in Detroit and has been the head guy with Hockey Canada putting together the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team and a couple World Championship teams, as well. Now, he takes over the mess that has been created in Tampa before him, but not by the GM prior, but due to the ownership situation that had happened.

The good thing with this team is that they have a solid framework. The likes of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman on the roster help, but there's work to be done elsewhere, for sure.

One of the first things would be trying to get Stamkos re-signed to a long-term deal come July 1st and make sure that he's under contract for this team for a while. Stamkos will be the cornerstone moving forward, that's for sure. Of course, in order to do that, some players may need to be moved. The one name that pops up is always Lecavalier, but his No-Movement Clause ruins that rumor in it's tracks. Especially with the future ahead, it's unlikely Lecavalier will move that clause and move himself out. Even with Lecavalier slumping last season, it could be hard to move him even if he did waive that clause. St. Louis has another year left and Yzerman will probably see what he does with a second year alongside Stamkos to see if he's worth an extension. To free up the money, Ryan Malone could be moved out, so that his contract is off the books; but considering his underachievement for his big contract-- another hard sell.

Plus, what could Yzerman do with the coaching issue. Many names have been mentioned in terms of the people he's worked closely to like Dave Lewis and Ken Hitchcock, but while familiarity could be nice-- the fit with the team will be what gets them to the next level. Depending on how long Yzerman has known about this deal, which he has been offered numerous times before saying yes, he could have been scouting out who he could get for that role.

Regardless of what happens, Yzerman is a good hockey mind. He has always been know as a leader on and off the ice, which definitely shows in his limited time in the front office after his 2006 retirement. If there's anyone who can clean up the mess that is in Tampa, it's Yzerman. He's definitely a better choice than some of the names put out there-- like Pierre McGuire, Doug Risebrough, or Dave Nonis-- and really could bring together the best team to get them out of the lurch they have been in. The fans in Tampa should be excited about this move, and coupled with the Florida Panthers hiring of Dale Tallon, the Southeast Division could actually be competitive through and through in the next couple of seasons if they play their cards right.

Why The Bolts Should Never Get Another First Overall Pick

With the exception of their first draft where they got the first overall pick in Roman Hamrlik back in 1992, the cases of Vincent Lecavalier and Steve Stamkos should be more than enough to give the NHL reason to never allow the Tampa Bay Lightning have another first overall pick in the Entry Draft ever again. Albeit, the Bolts management probably didn't know how to put the media behind the Hamrlik move, or else they would have done it.

It's very apropos that the Barrie-Koules contingent put out the "Seen Stamkos??" campaign, because as of right now-- not many people have. With only four goals and 14 points including a -11 on the season after 39 games, it's definitely not something that the Bolts had in mind when he came into town and they put the money out. With all the hype they put out for him this summer, for all the buzz that the Bolts had out there for him-- his production has been less than stellar.

It oddly resembles the rookie year of the other first overall pick for the Bolts, Vincent Lecavalier, who had former owner Art Williams call him "the Michael Jordan of hockey", which resulted in Lecavalier putting up only 28 points in his first season and really didn't allow him to flourish too much until '02-'03 when he started to really find his niche.

The parallels are starting to really shine through with both Stamkos and Lecavalier, at least through the first year. They were propped up to be the biggest thing in the history of Tampa's hockey history. However, with all the pressure on each of them, with all the expectation-- the youngsters aren't able to excel. Even though it's not that much of a hockey hotbed, the pressure in a market like Tampa is very high because they are looked upon to bring a true face to the area. With all that on their shoulders to carry an entire market, of course they are going to crumble in the first parts of their career if they aren't pampered and nurtured to adapt to the NHL way of life-- both on and off the ice.

The gross mismanagement of both these young stars are proof that owners really should re-evaluate how they market some of their young stars. Granted, players like Sidney Crosby can be able to withstand something like that because they've been through it their entire life; yet guys like Lecavalier, Stamkos, and others who only get the attention at the end of their careers in juniors; they're not sure how to adjust to all the attention from going under the radar and being just a face in the crowd for so long. Yet, the owners only care about profit and if they can just, I guess exploit, their young stars-- they don't care the effect it has on the player until it affects their profit.

Oddly enough, both times that the Bolts had a first overall pick, they had relatively new owners to the team and to gain a little push for them-- they had to go beyond extreme when promoting the next big thing. Both times, the adverse effect happened and they did more harm than good.

These two players should be an example to all owners-- old and new-- be careful what you do with your young talent and and how you promote them. It's a hard enough transition as it is with guys making the jump from junior to the pros (though some make it look easier than others) without the weight of a franchise on their shoulders and having to carry the team and organization in their first year, normally at the age of 18. They have enough pressure on them as it is, they don't need added, unneeded pressure off the ice, as well.