With two games to go before the All-Star break, and another injured forward (Austin Watson) added to their growing list of walking wounded, the Tampa Bay Lightning made a couple of roster moves on Wednesday. The first move was to re-assign defenseman Phil Myers to the Syracuse Crunch. It’s a good that Myers, who left Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers after blocking a shot, didn’t suffer any lasting damage.
It could also be a sign that either Haydn Fleruy or Erik Cernak might be back a little sooner than expected. The Bolts currently have six healthy defensemen on the roster, however, with their next two games at home, should they suffer another injury, a recall from the Crunch would be rather easy. Both Cernak and Fleury were on the ice for the morning skate on Tuesday, so who knows, maybe one of them is ready to go.
Flying in the opposite direction from Syracuse to Tampa was forward Mitchell Chaffee. The Lightning recalled him for the second time this season and he’ll likely see some playing time with Austin Watson out with a lower-body injury. Chaffee played in one game with the Bolts, a 4-1 loss to Vancouver, where he played 6:56 without recording a point. Since returning to Syracuse he’s posted 2 goals and 4 assists in 12 games to bring his season total to 11 goals and 14 assists in 33 games.
Other Hockey News
From unknowns to international success stories with the Lightning [Tampa Bay Times]
With limited high-end draft picks of late, the Lightning have had to find other ways to stock their system. Going the international free agent route seems to have worked with Waltteri Merelä and Emil Lilleberg.
Local Artist Spotlight: Leo Gomez [Tampa Bay Lightning]
The St. Pete-based artist will have his work featured tonight for the Lightning’s Hockey Talks, a night where the focus is on mental health awareness.
Chicago signs Petr Mrazek to two-year contract extension [Second City Hockey]
For a team that a lot of folks thought would be dealing veterans at the trade deadline, Chicago has been locking up those players. First it was Jason Dickinson and Nick Foligno, now goaltender Petr Mrazek joins them as he inked a two-year extension with an AAV of $4.25 million.
Five members of the 2018 Canadian junior hockey team to face sexual assault charges [The Athletic]
London, Ontario police have requested that five members of the 2018 Team Canada junior hockey team surrender to authorities in order to face sexual assault charges stemming from an incident in June of 2018. The players have not been named as of yet, but speculation ran rampant on social media based on players that have been recently granted indefinite leave from their teams.
Utah Jazz owner initiates process for an expansion team [Salt Lake Tribune]
Ryan Smith and his Smith Entertainment Group have formally requested the NHL to “initiate an expansion process” in order to bring a team to Salt Lake City. Having lived in SLC, I can say that hockey is appreciated but the Delta Center isn’t a great location for watching the game. The Maverick Center, home to the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies, isn’t built for NHL crowds. A new arena would be needed, but that ties in with Salt Lake’s bid for the Olympics in the future.
