The Bolts
If you ask most hockey fans — both knowledgeable and those in it for the fun of the game — they’ll tell you, to a person, that Steven Stamkos is a shooter. A trigger-man. A sniper. A man who works on what makes him special 90% of the time.
Except now, LoserPoints is saying that Stamkos has become a playmaker, not a shooter. Huh. How ‘bout that. [Raw Charge]
The change in Stamkos’s scoring was abrupt. He’d never had more assists than goals in a season. To go from that to over double was quite a shift. Until last season, he wore the label of a pure sniper, both for good and for bad. For good, in that his level of shooting talent is one of the most rare commodities an NHL player can have and that made him a star. For bad, in that it earned him a label as one-dimensional and criticism for not contributing to the team in a more holistic way.
Anton Stralman and his little one spent the day with the Tampa Bay Rowdies Soccer Club. It is both adorable, and funny. Caley Chelios had pictures of this that you can find in Thursday’s QS, but here, THE PICTURES MOVE! Amazing, eh!
.@TBLightning defender Anton Stralman definitely impressed Rowdies Head Coach @neillycollins3 on Wednesday morning!
Check out the recap of his visit to yesterday’s training session. #TeamTampaBay pic.twitter.com/hb7gozihl1
— Tampa Bay Rowdies (@TampaBayRowdies) September 6, 2018
Ryan McDonagh is a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, but before that, he spent a lot of time with the New York Rangers. McDonagh opens up about the trade, the injuries, and trying to fit in. [NHL dot com]
I think I got – I don’t know exactly what it was – 10 or 11 games in the regular season with Tampa Bay and I probably needed every one of them to kind of get the chemistry and get the feeling of the type of pace and the type of plays that are expected of you and the position you need to be in as far as where we want our defensemen up in the D zone and up the ice and special teams-wise getting used to new groupings and pairings there. But I felt honestly it came quicker than I would have anticipated.
Bolts Fan Fest is back! Set your calendars for Sunday, September 23rd from 11am – 3pm Eastern Standard Daylight (maybe, idk) Time.
We’ve got a date and now #BoltsFanFest has a time! We’ll see you from 11am – 3pm on Sunday, Sept. 23 at @amaliearena.
Oh, and tickets? You can snag ‘em now. 😄
🎟 https://t.co/ow8wUUpYRy pic.twitter.com/z1BvcEpXNV
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) September 6, 2018
I know, I know. He hasn’t called us back. He’s probably found someone else. But I kept help but click on his profile and see what he’s up to.
Lavoie believes the Dallas Stars are the favourites to land Karlsson. https://t.co/PtIcxh6rQs
— The 6th Sens (@6thSens) September 6, 2018
The Prospects
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING ROOKIE CAMP IS HERE! YEAH! IT’S THIS WEEKEND! Here’s three things you need to know, from Bryan Burns, about the practice times, rosters, and tournament. [NHL dot com]
“Last year at this time, I couldn’t even skate,” Jonne Tammela said following his tourney performance. “I think I’m on the right path to becoming an even better player. I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing the past year. I feel like I’m confident. I’m excited to get back to work back home.”
AND WE HAVE PICTURES OF TALL PEOPLE!
Oleg Sosunov getting the green screen treatment at #Bolts rookie camp. There was a pause on the set as the cameraman had to raise the lights to capture all of the 6-foot-8 D-man. pic.twitter.com/RAvWSBLTku
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 6, 2018
CONNOR INGRAM (also tall) IS BACK, TOO!
“These gloves smell like garbage.”
Connor Ingram in mid season form. 😂😂 #Bolts #rookiecamp pic.twitter.com/aQrukrA02q
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) September 6, 2018
Corey Pronman thinks he undrvalues Gabriel Fortier. He’s going to be looking very cloesly at this Tampa Bay prospect this season. And for those interested, Corey is also keeping an eye on Brett Howden. [The Athletic]
After the draft, one of the names I got a lot of feedback on from scouts who disagreed with my evaluation was Fortier, saying he’s much more skilled than I gave him credit for. I saw enough flashes from Tampa’s second-round pick in 2018 to where I could have reasonably bumped him up a little bit. I have no expectations he comes close to making the team in Tampa, but I am watching to see if he can make a little noise at camp.
More updates on the Syracuse Crunch arena overhaul!
Cabinets for the War Memorial boxes are on site! pic.twitter.com/HxSzdoL6iJ
— Jim Sarosy (@JimSarosy) September 6, 2018
Work on marquees continue. pic.twitter.com/BbDxjmE7zG
— Jim Sarosy (@JimSarosy) September 6, 2018
Like the kids heading to the rookie camp, the little human people are heading back to school as well! I wonder if Cruchman signed any of those prospects to an ELC or ATO.
Back to school, back to school.
We had a fun morning at Bellevue Elementary’s opening day carnival! pic.twitter.com/cIppC0Tods
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) September 6, 2018
The Game
Marc-Andre Fleury might be on a new team, but his pranks on the Pittsburgh Penguins hasn’t stopped. [Pensburgh]
hockey season is around the corner
but prank season never ends
🌸 is always in mid-prank season form
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) September 6, 2018
Max Pacioretty refuses to negotiate a contract extension (with any team) during the regular season. Odds are high that he becomes a pure rental on March 2019 and finds a new permanent home on July 1st. Fun times in Montreal! [TSN]
Pacioretty revealed at his annual charity golf tournament last month that there have been no negotiations with the Canadiens on a contract extension, while his agent, Allan Walsh, has repeatedly stated the 29-year-old would like to re-sign with the team. Walsh also confirmed last week that the Canadiens had a deal in place in June to send their captain to the Los Angeles Kings, but it fell through when his client couldn’t reach an extension with the Kings.
Kyle Dubas talks about The “We Can and We Will” Process in a 51-minute interview. If you’re a Bolts fan, I think this is a spendid opportunity to get to know your competition. [Pension Plan Puppets]
On contracts: He does say that the team is happy to negotiate with Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews during the coming season, but if they aren’t up for that, he’s fine with that too. The more imminent deal with William Nylander is not something he seems very stressed about.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have given their front office senior members multi-year extensions. [NHL dot com]
“Under John Davidson’s leadership, our club has made great strides over the past six seasons and this long-term commitment speaks to the confidence that our ownership group, led by John P. McConnell, has in his vision for our team,” said Blue Jackets President Mike Priest. “The plan implemented by our hockey operations senior management team is working and we are pleased that these talented and committed individuals will continue to lead our hockey operations efforts for years to come.”
I’ve been tweeting with a lot of exclaimation marks today. Here’s a change of pace.
Tom Sestito retired from the NHL. Good riddance to the goon who caused more harm than he prevented in his career. [Syracuse]
“I don’t think it was that tough for me,’’ he said of his decision to retire. “When you have a family and stuff, you get nervous about lacing them up and fighting all the time. You start thinking more about this stuff than when you’re 23 and a little punk in Syracuse.
Orlando Solar Bears owner Richard DeVos has died. [Associated Press]
His son, Dick, is married to Betsy DeVos, who was appointed Education Secretary by President Donald Trump. He is also survived by three other children, two sisters and a number of grandchildren.
