Barrie'd

by John Fontana on Apr 6, 2009 12:13 PM EDT

Len Barrie was around for the Lightning's trip through th Tri State Area this weekend and Erik Erlendsson got to ask him several questions regarding the team, the franchise, and the upcoming season.

Rumors of financial trouble?

All year you hear this stuff because we are not billionaires when we bought the team. But we made every payroll, every bonus this year, and the players will be the first ones to say they didn't get paid. It's just the old thing that people want to see us fail instead of succeed. We've always said we'd like to get equity partners and put all the rumors to rest. But we are still here and moving forward.

EDIT: I'd like to include a more in-depth piece on the financial situation with the Lightning that Damian had in today's St. Petersburg Times, it sheds more light on the franchise.

How about the team's collapse?

[...] we had high expectations. [...] It was a tough start with the coaching change. To be within eight points of the playoffs at one point when both goalies and top two defensemen go down, and you are not a deep organization, you are going to struggle. But I really like the pieces we have now compared to last year at this time. Now we just have to go build around it and go back to try to win the division next year.

Compared to where we were this time last season? Am I the only one who reads this as his vendetta against former Lightning defensiveman Dan Boyle?

There's more aobut Barrie's Bear Mountain Resort in British Columbia amid the softballs tossed to him. But I did find it interesting that he, like General Manager Brian Lawton, made it a point to play up the return of Vincent Lecavalier next season. This after all the rumors that have swarmed for months on end because of team-initiated trade talks:

There are some really good pieces to build around. Stammer Steven Stamkos is going to be there, Vinny is going to come back 100 percent healthy with five months to train and we'll go from there.

Take that for what you will...

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He's nuts

As is anybody who thinks the team as it is now is closer to being a playoff contender than it was a year ago. We don’t have a roster, we have a collection of names and numbers to fill uniforms.

by Clark Brooks on Apr 7, 2009 8:25 AM EDT reply actions

A close knit collection

That’s about all I’ll concede — the players are supposed to be very tight…

It’s confusing just how much better the Lightning would be if all starters were healthy. Vinny (though he was healthy most of the season), Ranger, Smith… I was not enamored with Mez — whom Barrie preferred over Boyle.

There’s an offensive nucleus in place… but it’s an aging nucleus at that (Vincent, St. Louis, Malone, Halpern, Stamkos) at the top. But notice missing wings even if Vaclav Prospal was included int hat list of nucleii. What we are missing is a rounded out top-four on defense and that was the case going into the season. Compare that to last season when we had Boyle, Ranger, Kuba, Lukowich… Then factor in the prospects and another addition or so and you have a defense that can move the puck and score.

The Raw Charge -- the Tampa Bay Lightning weblog at SB Nation.

by John Fontana on Apr 7, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe

But my impression is that Lawton has a certain group of players in mind that he wants to build around while trading away the rest for players he think would be a better fit. Which isn’t a bad idea, actually. However, with their haphazard track record, I shudder to think of what he’s consider a better fit – particularly in light of the fact that he had a hand in putting this group together in the first place.

Cassie / dagmar27
"And will that be cash, hip check, or Raw Charge today?"

by Cassie McClellan on Apr 7, 2009 2:05 PM EDT reply actions