Good morning everyone. We know it’s going to be a long, long day for our readers and staff in Florida. If you are in the Tampa area or any part of Florida, please hunker down and be safe.
It will be a quiet day here at Raw Charge, but we will be interacting today on this post through the comments field. If you feel the need for a little distraction drop by to chat or check-in to let us know you are ok.
The Bolts
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman is staying in Sweden until Hurricane Irma passes. Hedman was making plans to head to Tampa to settle in before training camp but was told by the team to stay put. “I talked to people over there and then we made the decision to stay in Sweden. There are many who have children at school and so on. I think they are heading north today so it’s very uncertain what’s going to happen so it’s better to take it safe before it’s uncertain.” [Sveriges Radio]
Fanpost: Michael Wax predicts that Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman will win the Norris Trophy this season, the award for best defenseman of the year. “With his improved play throughout the years, there is little doubt that he has a solid shot at winning the Norris Trophy for best defenseman.” [Raw Charge]
The Prospects
The Tampa Bay Lightning prospects played their first game yesterday, against the Nashville Predators’ rookies. Mikhail Sergachev and Alexey Lipanov each scored a goal, but it was not enough as the Bolts lost by a score of 4-2. Please follow @OnTheForecheck as they will be live-tweeting the rookie games between the Preds and Bolts this weekend. Puck drop on Sunday is 12:00pm. Highlights and a game recap can be found in the link as well. [NHL dot com]
Sergachev just stood up Hughes on the blue line. Brutal.
— On The Forecheck (@OnTheForecheck) September 9, 2017
The Game
Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice has high hopes for his 24-year-old star centerman. “Mark Scheifele is going to be the captain of this hockey team at some point in his career for sure,” Maurice told Sportsnet. “He is, in so many ways, the driver of that offense. It’s really refreshing in sport to see somebody that young, that mature, that grounded, who can have fun and drive himself every single day.” [NHL dot com]
38-year-old forward Chris Neil says that he has turned down contract offers from teams in the hopes of finding “the right fit.” “I’ve had some opportunities to go to some other teams and play, it just hasn’t been the right fit for my family.” The 15-year veteran of the Ottawa Senators spoke in a radio interview about how it was head coach Guy Bouchers decision to not re-sign Neil. “For whatever reason, Guy never really gave me the chance to show I can play. Even before I got hurt, I was a healthy scratch for a couple of games and I saw the writing on the wall.” [TSN]
