Inside The Penalty Box 06.30.08: Lightning Look To Move On Up

Posted by Neil Borenstein on 06.30.2008

It appears one season at the bottom of the league is enough for the Tampa Bay Lightning. New ownership is working vigorously to make sure that doesn’t happen again and has already made some changes to move the team in a new direction. In this edition of Inside The Penalty Box, Neil Borenstein discusses the latest moves made by the Lightning involving pending free agents Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and Brian Rolston, in addition to some Avalanche re-signings and a trade out of the Western Conference.

Big Changes In Tampa BayLightning Modifying Roster Before Free Agent Market Opens For Business

Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports/Getty ImagesThe Tampa Bay Lighting acquired the rights of Ryan Malone for a third round pick in 2009.

Things are changing mighty quickly with the Tampa Bay Lightning. New owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie purchased the team after finishing dead last in the NHL. And they're not remotely interested in seeing that happen two years in a row. In fact, a playoff berth next season is anticipated from the new guys on top.

Already we've seen modifications to the team. A questionable coaching change saw John Tortorella's seven-year tenure as head coach of the Lightning come to an end and was subsequently replaced with ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, who hadn't coached in 13 years. The bosses also collectively rallied around first overall draft pick Steve Stamkos on June 20, almost welcoming him in as the face of a new era in Tampa Bay hockey. And, not so quick to change everything in Tampa Bay, general manager Jay Feaster worked out a well-deserved nine-year, $77 million extension with captain Vincent Lecavalier that should have the now 28-year old center retiring as a member of the Lightning.

All of this doesn't begin to cover the lengths this team is willing to go in order to assure the Lighting get right back into contention following a season of supreme disappointment. And now, the chosen method of improvement seems to be trading for the exclusive negotiation rights of soon-to-be unrestricted free agents in hopes of landing top-name talent before the bidding war ensues at noon on July 1.

The first of these moves came in the form of acquiring the exclusive rights of left wings Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a third round selection in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. This deal came as no surprise, as Malone had been rumored in a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets for a second or third round pick in this year's draft and Roberts already announced his intention to seek employment outside of Pittsburgh.

On Sunday, the Lightning made good on one of these acquisitions. They inked Malone to a seven-year, $31.5 million deal that TSN reports will pay Malone between $7 and 8 million in the first two years of the contract and will have a $4.5 million annual hit to the Lightning's cap throughout the entirety of the deal through 2015.

This deal can be considered an overpayment. And I'm sure most people are labeling it as such. Based on one great season in which he stepped away with a career-high 51 points, it's hard to figure Malone worthy of a deal containing this kind of cash and years. But I can't really say I hate the deal.

For starters, this still needs to be considered free agency, regardless of it taking place two days before the market opens. As such, one cannot expect a player to be signed for fair market value. Unrestricted free agents, at least of Malone's stature in this class, are always going to make more than they reasonably deserve. In Malone's case, the Lightning managed to take a player suspected of pursuing a deal worth $5 million a season for half a million less.

Also, while Malone's career campaign did conveniently come during his contract year, he didn't drastically surpass his production from previous seasons in which he played close to or as many games. He had career highs in goals (27), assists (24), points (51), power play goals (11), game-winning goals (six), plus-minus rating (plus-14) and penalty minutes (103). He also tallied 16 points in 20 playoff games, ranking fourth on the team in postseason scoring. But he has proven to be a 20-plus goal scorer before and had over 40 points in each of the previous two seasons he played at least 77 games. All Malone did last year was accentuate his ability to score some points while being a physical and defensive asset to the Penguins – who, like the Lightning, have enough players on the roster to carry the offensive load.

Finally, the Lightning have the cap space to pay Malone a bit more. In years past, Tampa Bay was a team in danger with a very high payroll. But with only about $44.34 million on the books for next season, with Vaclav Prospal and Malone's deals included, they still have over $12 million of wiggle room. And even when Lecavalier's extension kicks in for the 2009-10 season, it's only going to raise the payroll by about $1.4 million, as he's earning $7.167 next season in the last year of his current deal. So, the team can afford to play around a little bit.

If I have any problem with the contract, it's that seven years still seems like a long time to remain committed to a particular player, especially when he's not really a franchise player like Malone isn't. However, this appears to be the way things go in the NHL nowadays, and deals of six, seven and even more years will become more common.

As far as Gary Roberts is concerned, I'm not really sure what to make out of his situation. The 42-year old knew he wasn't really in the plans for Pittsburgh going forward, as GM Ray Shero has more important priorities to worry about. But I don't think he's really that great a fit for Tampa Bay right now, either, especially with health issues that will limit him to less than 70 games. Regardless, The St. Petersburg Times reports that a $1.2 million deal, with incentives that could bring it to $2 million, has been worked out. I guess with this considered, the Lightning aren't making too much of a financial commitment in Roberts and could use his veteran presence in the lineup to some degree.

The team's most important negotiation that remains involves the newly acquired Brian Rolston. On Sunday, Tampa Bay dealt for the exclusive negotiation rights to Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009 or 2010. Though a risky move this close to July 1, the Lightning have no problem trying to secure yet another player on an exclusive basis regardless of the limited window of opportunity.

Photo Credit: daylife.comBrian Rolston scored over 30 goals in each of his three seasons with the Minnesota Wild.

"We believe getting the Lightning a head start in the negotiating and signing process can help us secure the players we are targeting," said Koules and Barrie, according to TSN. "Nothing is guaranteed here, but we hope to have a chance to get another quality player in a Lightning uniform sooner rather than later."

This move came as more of a surprise to me than the deal with the Penguins. At least with that deal, Malone was a sure thing to be gone and Shero wasn't interested in losing him for nothing. Also, Roberts had voiced his intention of leaving Pittsburgh anyway. Trading their rights didn't come out of left field. In Rolston's case, I was under the impression that Minnesota had every intention of re-signing the 35-year old, 12-year veteran to a new deal. I thought he was actually the team's main priority. Perhaps negotiations hit a snag and the Wild didn't want to chance losing him for nothing with free agency just two days away. But there was still some time left to work out a contract.

Regardless, the Lightning now have another opportunity, albeit in a shorter time frame, to add some more offense. Rolston's three-year tenure with the Wild has seen him score over 30 goals each season and miss a total of only five games. He's also been a valuable power play commodity, with at least 28 points on the man advantage in each of the last three years – including a career-high 34 two seasons. Plus, he's a clutch scorer with eight game-winning goals last year, six in 2006-07 and seven in 2005-06. Rolston's game has really shined as a member of the Wild in this post-lockout era of the NHL.

Considering that production, Rolston is definitely in store for a sizeable raise from the $2.432 million he earned per season with Minnesota. I can't imagine Rolston signs for less than what Malone will make, and thus should see something in the $5 million range. It's overpayment, yes. But, again, this is free agency.

Though nothing official has been reported, I wouldn't be surprised to hear the Lightning and Rolston agree to a three-year, $15 million deal. That would bring Tampa Bay's payroll up to about $50.59 million for next season – Roberts' supposed new deal included, as well. That leaves just over $6 million in breathing room, which the Lightning might want save some of to focus on finding a long-term solution in net, whether it be through internal methods or via some of the free agent options sure to be on the market on Tuesday.

Either way, the Lightning seem to be in a good spot despite the large number of moves made this summer. With new owners and a new direction for a last place-finishing team this previous year, it appears a new era in Lightning hockey is off to an interesting, and relatively optimistic, beginning.

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Avs Re-sign Liles, Foote: The Colorado Avalanche face a plethora of decisions to make this summer, a lot of which are pending Joe Sakic's decision about retirement. General manager Francois Giguere didn't feel like waiting, though, on inking two of the team's most important defensemen – John-Michael Liles and Adam Foote.

Liles was sure to covet a ton of offers this offseason, as he brings a strong offensive presence to the table. With a lot of teams in need of a player with his blue line skills, especially on the power play, Liles was going to attract a lot of attention from teams missing out or not willing to fork over the cash on deals for Brian Campbell and Wade Redden. The Avalanche keep him around on a reported four-year deal worth just over $4 million per season, according to TSN.

Liles will need to improve on a down year last season that included only six goals and 20 power play points. A No. 1 option on defense known for being an offensive presence has to do better. But he's 27 years old entering his prime and can undoubtedly get back to being a 50-point threat. If Liles can get his game to where it was a couple of years ago, he'll be a steal at just over $4 million a season.

According to the same TSN report, Foote has re-signed with the Avs on a two-year deal at $3 million per season. Opposite of what Liles brings to the table, Foote is one of the most dependable players in his own zone. On top of that, he can play a physical game and be a leader both on the ice and in the locker room.

The Avalanche re-acquired Foote at the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he had played since signing as a free agent in the summer of 2005. Foote had otherwise been an Avalanche (and Nordique) his entire career to that point. And Colorado wasn't about to let him leave again.

At 36 years old with some injuries creeping in, it's hard to say Foote will be as effective for the Avs as he was during his last tenure with the team. And it's also possible Colorado tossed an extra $500,000- to $1-million his way higher than what he would have gotten on the free agent market, as I don't think he was a really big commodity – at least initially. But I can't knock the Avs for bringing back one of the greatest character guys the franchise has ever seen.

Together, the re-signings of Liles and Foote will make certain that while Giguere mulls over the rest of his agenda for this summer, the team's offensive and defensive blue line leaders remain in Denver.

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Kings, Oilers Hook Up For a Trade: In an unexpected turn of events Sunday, the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers decided to swap a few players. The Oilers acquired defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky from the Kings in exchange for center Jarret Stoll and defenseman Matt Greene.

The clear-cut winners of this deal to me are the Oilers. They pick up a pricey player, as Visnovsky will earn an average of $5.6 million over the next five years. However, he is one of the better offensive defensemen in the NHL, and should combine with Sheldon Souray for a formidable one-two punch, especially on the power play. I feel a bit bad for Visnovsky, since he's played his whole seven-year career with the Kings after being a fourth round pick for the team in 2000. But that's the business.

The Kings could afford to make the move because they are deep defensively, especially in young talent ready for the call-up to the NHL. I just don't think what they got in return is equal in value. Stoll had one tremendous season thus far with the Oilers, scoring 68 points in 2005-06. But he has since had two straight years with under 40-points. Missing 30 games due to a concussion in 2006-07 didn't help the cause, and scoring just 36 points in 81 games last year didn't exactly scream, "comeback year." With Greene, while a cheaper option at $1.25 million, he doesn't bring the same ability to the table that Visnovsky did and will likely take a back seat on the depth chart to the great deal of other options in the Kings' system.

This deal also hurts the Kings because while Visnovsky was signed for five more years, Stoll is eligible for free agency next year and Greene in two – both in the unrestricted variety.

I get that the Kings have a large number of defensemen to play around with and it's a pretty clogged position. But this wasn't a move with equal return and Visnovsky would have been a great model player to have around in Los Angeles with all the new young blood coming up.

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Until next week, you have just been Inside The Penalty Box!

~ Neil Borenstein