To lose Jason Garrison in mid-February for a month (give or take) is disappointing. Garrison has been one of the stable forces in the Tampa Bay Lightning defense this season, with 7 points and an even plus/minus rating. Garrison sustained his injury during the Bolts lop-sided loss to the Senators on Monday night.
The timing of the injury is what bugs me; the elephant in the room, the 2016 NHL trade deadline (3 PM, EST, February 29th… Punch and pie will be served) and the immediate chatter about acquiring another defenseman specifically to cover for Garrison. The deadline is just less than 3 weeks away / just more than two weeks away. Garrison’s listed injury absence is listed as 3-5 weeks.
Should we all be chatting in earnest about spending draft picks or prospects in order to acquire a depth addition defenseman who will play for 2-3 weeks (give or take) in place of Garrison? That’s asking a bit much. It’s also pouring doubt on the Tampacuse complex and the ability for our own organizational depth to fill in for a short-term lineup loss.
Mind you, that’s not an argument about a trade deadline acquisition of a blueliner in general, but the chatter and speculation has been on a right-handed shot that would bring a scoring threat from the point on top of sound defense. That’s something the organization is sort of lacking right now. While prospect Anthony DeAngelo is with the Syracuse Crunch and could fill that role, he has some growing up and maturing to do; he’s not for the moment and the now that a trade deadline pickup would be for.
A recall of someone like Slater Koekkoek would hurt the Syracuse Crunch, but that’s the direction of the AHL club right now – hurling downward. Koekkoek is a future NHL defensive regular, getting exposure now isn’t something that should be avoided, certainly not with a stable corps of fellow defensemen in Tampa. Koekkoek played 1 game in the NHL this season on a recalla was a minus-1 in that game. He also played 3 games with the Bolts last season. He has yet to score an NHL point.
I would not spend anything on an acquisition to replace Garrison unless it was a larger deal and current blueliners with the Lightning were also part of the deal. I’m pretty sure giving a promotion to a Tampacuse product is in the cards… but who knows for sure except for Steve Yzerman and Julien BriseBois?
[Update] Early Thursday evening it was announced Slater Koekkoek had been recalled by the Lightning from Syracuse, so an action by the organization has taken place. If another action takes place that is deliberately tied to the Garrison injury, that’s anyone’s guess.
