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Quick Strikes: Vinny Lecavalier talks about number retirement

And who plays next to Stamkos and Kucherov? Is it Point?

The Bolts

Joe Smith provides the case for Brayden Point being the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top line left wing, playing with Steven Stamkos, and Nikita Kucherov. “One thing about (Point) is he's a puck hound. You've got a couple skilled scorers on that line. You need someone that can go in and get those guys pucks. So we're trying to see if that combination works.” - Jon Cooper [Tampa Bay Times]

Transcript: Los Angeles Kings legend [Hey! - Acha] Vincent Lecavalier is having his #4 retired by the Tampa Bay Lightning. @Saima_1226 has transcribed the eighteen minute press conference because she loves us. “For me, a big impact were the players my first year. They made a huge impact on me. Guys like Wendel Clark, Enrico Ciccone. I can name a lot of guys that first year.” [Raw Charge]

The Tampa Bay Lightning have looked underwhelming this preseason (some would say the Bolts are on low voltage). Even the Sunday afternoon preseason loss to Florida had a noticably flat pace. “There should be some cause for alarm as the start of the regular season draws closer after watching Tuesday’s 4-2 lose (again) in Florida.” [Lightning Insider]

More on the lack of urgency the Lightning seem to have had so far this season. “There's urgency. Especially when coming off the year we didn't make the playoffs. We're not sitting here thinking, 'Ok, we'll just flip the switch when the season starts.' We need to get better.” [Tampa Bay Times]

Since Tuesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers was not televised or streamed, here are the highlights from the game. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Roberto Luongo both looked sharp. #preseason

The NHL made some rule changes to start this season, catch up on them here. “When the league instituted its crackdown on obstruction in 2005, players needed to adjust how they defended the opposition. They could no longer use their stick to ‘tug.’” [NHL dot com]

The Prospects

The Syracuse Crunch training camp has begun! War Memorial arena has been going through some renovations and it looks like the weight room was one of the first. “The Tampa Bay organization wants the weight room to be an environment that players want to utilize, and now, as much as possible, it has an even more welcoming tone. A brand new tile floor has been laid down. It's blue, of course.” [Raw Charge]

Pierre-Olivier Joseph has been named captain of the Charlottetown Islanders of the QMJHL. Huge congratulations on this honor, mini-Joseph! His big brother is, of course, Mathieu.

The Game

TSN.ca’s feature on Paul Kariya and the struggles he has had post-concussion. It was beautifully done and poses some tough questions about player safety to the league.

31 Thoughts: Elliotte Friedman drops his weekly mixtape of amazing hockey insight. “Edmonton and Patrick Maroon sure made it sound last week that there is mutual interest in getting something done. The term and cash won’t be as high as T.J. Oshie, but the philosophy could very well be. An extra year or two in exchange for a lower average annual value. Makes a lot of sense.” [Sportsnet]

Steven Stamkos ranked the 7th best centerman in the league over the past three seasons, according to the numbers. “Stamkos’ standout skill is obviously his shot, as he’s one of the only players in the NHL who can consistently score from outside the scoring chance ‘home plate’ area, but Stamkos is also quite the capable transition player, boasting strong controlled exit and entry numbers alongside excellent involvement in making passes forward through the neutral zone.” [Sportsnet]

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