The Bolts
Speculation: Elliotte Friedman dropped the final “30 Thoughts” of the season on us and in it he said this: “I’ve said a million times that I believe John Tavares’s first choice is to stay with the Islanders. But, if he does decide to leave, why do I have visions of him taking less money to play in Tampa Bay?“ [Sportsnet]
So, naturally, the staff here at Raw Charge were very restrained in their reaction to this idea.
Just kidding
Current argument in the @RawCharge slack sparked by 30 thoughts today. Would you be willing to lose Kucherov to sign Tavares long term?
— You can call me Alan (@loserpoints) July 13, 2017
Yes please 💙https://t.co/kPvqoN8Hya pic.twitter.com/z9ckY8JviV
— Saima (@Saima_1226) July 13, 2017
Just to add to the Tavares conspiracy theory, Callahan’s modified no trade kicks in next summer. That’s 5.8 million in extra cap space…
— Saima (@Saima_1226) July 14, 2017
talking about Stamkos on Tavares’ wing in Tampa is both fun and maddening as a Leafs fan
— Hardev Lad (@HardevLad) July 13, 2017
We’ll have more about this on the site soon!
Steve Yzerman is a “Contract Wizard”. Franklin Steele from Fan Rag Sports looks at the Tampa Bay Lightning GM’s ability to keep the core together and what he needs to do in order for it to stay that way. “Since [the 2014-15] campaign ended, the Lightning has needed to re-sign Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn to extensions. Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat needed new contracts entering this summer as well, and the former has been signed for the foreseeable future.” [FanRagSports]
The Prospects
The Vegas Golden Knights have hired former Syracuse Crunch equipment manager J.W. Aiken to be part of their equipment staff. “Aiken, who officially joined the team on June 22 as the assistant equipment manager, joins the Golden Knights after serving as the head equipment manager for the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch for five years.” [NHL.com]
To fill the void left by Aiken, Julien BriseBois announced that the Tampa Bay Lightning have hired Colten Wilson to be the head equipment manager for the Syracuse Crunch. “Wilson, 24, joins the Crunch after spending the last four seasons as the head equipment manager for the Tulsa Oilers of the ECHL.” [Syracuse Crunch]
Colten Wilson is joining the #SyrCrunch as the team’s head equipment manager.
📝 → https://t.co/2VfYszVECy pic.twitter.com/RqqI4J9pFR
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) July 14, 2017
The great people over at Highland Park Hockey compiled a list of every AHL free agent, ranking the top 50 forwards, 40 defensemen, and 20 goalies and listing the rest. They will be updating this list every day. [Highland Park Hockey]
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s prospects spent the day giving back to the community and the game they love by playing ball hockey with some kids at the Tampa Police Athletic League summer camp.
Street hockey with @lightningmade & @paltampa…
Not a bad day at #BoltsDevCamp 🏒 pic.twitter.com/f6q0naiPDg
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 13, 2017
Top 25 Under 25
#17: 2017 14th overall pick Cal Foote comes into the Tampa Bay Lightning organization with an NHL pedigree. Everyone is convinced he will be an NHLer but some question his upside. Tom Hunter argues how good Adam Foote’s son can be — “I truly think he has the potential to be a top-pairing defender in the NHL for a decade. Some claim Foote had a disappointing season in Kelowna — this is something I really don’t understand. Foote spent the season playing a major role for his Kelowna team, he was the only draft-eligible defender to play for team WHL during the Canada/Russia Series, and he trailed only Conor Timmins in primary assists among draft eligible CHL defenders.” [Raw Charge]
#18: Boris Katchouk will be looking to see what he can do in what looks to be his final year in the OHL — “Several scouting reports have made note of his high compete level and hockey IQ—a key characteristic of Yzerman draft choices. Some scouts believe he has the ability to be a solid power forward in the NHL, and standing 6’3” and weighing 190 pounds, he still has some room to add bulk.” [Raw Charge]
#19: Dominik Masin enters his second pro year in Syracuse hoping to show growth after an underwhelming first season — “He’ll be counted on to fill top four minutes and with a slew of young skill up front, he’ll undoubtedly get plenty of opportunities to join the rush on offense and shine defensively as the team is likely to play at a fast pace.” [Raw Charge]
The Game
PK Subban was spotted having some fun at the ESPYs on Wednesday. Enjoy [SB Nation]
Even at the #ESPYS, PK Subban is having fun pic.twitter.com/ckwPbkJid3
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) July 13, 2017
Former Bolt Jonathan Marchessault (or Marshmallow as we like to call him) is relieved that the offseason madness is behind him and he’s now able to focus on building on his breakout season: “It’s not always fun to not know where to go, but when (Golden Knights general manager) George McPhee called me the day before the draft, it was a relief and I’m really happy to be a part of it.” [NHL.com]
After 16 seasons and a Stanley Cup, former Edmonton Oilers Captain Andrew Ference has announced his retirement on Thursday. “‘As I graduate from my time of playing in the NHL, I realize I have the problem of being unable to properly thank the hundreds of people who have helped me achieve my goal of playing in the best league in the world,’ Ference said in a statement. ‘No one gets here on their own, especially average sized guys with average skills. If you think you deserve a thank you from me, you probably do… Thanks!’” [Mass Live]
If you want to see some great highlights from “Ferknuckle’s” 2011 Cup run, check out Stanley Cup of Chowders post here
#Oilers defenceman Andrew Ference has announced his retirement from professional hockey after 16 @NHL seasons: https://t.co/OX5RrOBLYV pic.twitter.com/1hIe8u8UgI
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 13, 2017
Tavares to Tampa?
| For the right price | 361 |
| Nah we don’t need him | 78 |
| Other: I’ll specify in comments | 14 |
