The Bolts
In a new series that highlights some special individual performances in a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey we remember Cederic Paquette’s hat trick from his rookie season. [Raw Charge]
But for one night, January 29th, 2015, he looked like an unstoppable force with the puck picking up three goals including the game winner in a 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings before a 19,204 people in Amalie Arena. He is one of only three Lightning rookies to record a hat trick, joining Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson. It was also the second of his four career multi-goal games. The three points mark a career high for him that he has only matched one other time.
The Lightning are hosting a hockey clinic for girls aged 16 and under on September 8th at the New Tampa YMCA. If you’re interested, register in the tweet below!
Calling all girls ages 16 and younger! Our friends at @lightningmade are hosting a FREE street hockey clinic on September 8 at the New Tampa YMCA.
The clinic is open to all skill levels and will be split into 8U and 16U classes.
Info + register: https://t.co/u1HtI3J2yJ pic.twitter.com/GKAQYC5ZPE
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 30, 2018
Ryan McDonagh believes the 2017-18 Lightning deserve to get another shot at the Cup 2019. [NHL dot com]
“You see a lot of times when teams go on deeper runs, sometimes roles on the team get switched around,” the defenseman said. “But for us, it’s nice to have the same team, or as close to it, coming back. Our whole [defense] is coming back, and a lot of the similar forwards, goaltending and stuff.”
“You like the fact that those guys have experienced together coming just short of where we want to be. Hopefully it’s good motivation for the summer, and when we get back down there as a group we’re focused on playing as well as we can.”
From one Hall of Famer to another.
“Marty was one of the greatest competitors that I’ve played with.”
Andy on Marty | #HHOF pic.twitter.com/yuq3lhtN0x
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 30, 2018
The Prospects
Alexander Volkov sits at #10 in our Top 25 Under 25 countdown. Can he make the jump into the NHL in the near future? [Raw Charge]
Volkov came to North America not having a lot of English, but quickly showed that he was a very coachable player that understood what the coaches were asking of him. The goal for him was to continue to improve throughout the season and he did just that. While the Lightning have been known for bringing in Russian players, he only had one teammate through the year that spoke Russian in Dennis Yan to help him make the transition.
Cory Conacher: confirmed awesome person.
Conacher has beaten many barriers in his career. He plays at a minute 5’8” tall, he was never drafted, and he’s had type-1 diabetes since he was eight-years-old. Not only has Conacher been able to play in 188 NHL games, but he has become a role model for young kids who have to fight the same obstacles as him.
Related
‘Dream big’ drives Lightning’s Conacher brothers
Thanks for the invite! 120 kids at camp, 120 different stories and 120 different ways to manage your diabetes…. We all however, have the same goal #findacure #dskate https://t.co/bGl7rTwLPQ
— Cory Conacher (@conhockey19) July 31, 2018
Allie Randall and Travis Drexler used the Syracuse Crunch as an excuse to see each other every weekend and now they’re getting married! [Syracuse]
“We had an instant connection, and we’ve pretty much been inseparable since then,” said Randall, a special education teacher in the Tully schools. “We found out we are both huge Syracuse Crunch fans, and we spent every weekend this winter at their games.”
The Game
The New York Rangers have agreed to terms with forward Kevin Hayes on a one-year contract worth $5.175 million, avoiding an arbitrators ruling in the process. [Blueshirt Banter]
Hayes, 26, will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this deal. As of January 1, 2019, the Rangers can extend him past his current deal, but the costs are likely to rise from this $5.175 million cap hit.
It was originally reported by Larry Brooks of the New York Post that Hayes was seeking a five-year deal with an average annual value upwards of $5.5 million. On Saturday, Brooks reported that the Rangers may settle on a one-year deal with their RFA because there was little traction in their negotiations.
Hayes has put pen to paper? The deal is signed? Great. Lets trade him! [Blueshirt Banter]
If the New York Rangers are unwilling to sign Kevin Hayes to the five or six-year pact he is seeking between $5.5 and $6 million a season, they should act like he’s already played his final game as a Broadway Blueshirt. Over the weekend, Larry Brooks reported that the team appears ready to sign him to a one-year deal and flip him at the deadline before he heads to unrestricted free agency.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with RFA Kevin Hayes on a one-year contract. pic.twitter.com/6eeSbLGQQ9
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 30, 2018
Detroit Red Wings fans are guaging Dylan Larkin’s ceiling. Larkin is 22-years-old and carrying an expired RFA contract. How important is he to the team? How much should he get paid? [Winging it in Mowtown]
It’s easy to sit here and speculate what the young center might command, but I don’t see why he couldn’t land $6M-7M per year. At 22, coming off a career-high 63 points in 82 games, Larkin measures up pretty well to a couple of well-rounded centers. Per capfriendly.com, Matt Duchenewas just 22 when he inked a 5-year, $30-million deal with the Colorado Avalanche after a career-high 70 points. Duchene has never eclipsed more than 59 points in a season since that signing.
Cody Ceci and the Ottawa Senators are heading to arbitration. With the two sides stuck at $6 million and $3.35 million, expect the arbitrator’s decision to fall in the high $4 millions range. It’s always pretty much right down the middle. [Silver Seven Sens]
Cody Ceci was drafted 15th overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2012 and has played 366 regular season games and 25 playoff games since. In this time span, he has 25 goals, 67 assists for a total of 92 regular season points. His playoff numbers leave much to be desired as he is yet to score a playoff goal, while only contributing with 3 assists throughout his time with the Sens. While most players on the roster have had less than stellar performances for the 2017/2018 season, Cody Ceci was exceptionally bad for the Sens. In 82 games, he had an underwhelming 5 goals and 14 assists for a total of 19 points.
