Hello folks, it’s your friendly neighborhood managing editor. With the season winding down this week. Look, we may be on the Oilers bandwagon, but we know that it’s inevitable that Florida is pulling things off, so why not end it tomorrow and let us all start to put the fact that Little Brother finally won a Stanley Cup. As you might have noticed things have been a little slower around here so I figured I’d give you an update on the website.
The update is….there is no update. Things are rolling right along. Yes, the content has been down a bit, but honestly, there hasn’t been much to write about regarding our favorite team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sure, I could roll out the click bait articles like “Five trades the Lightning have to make on Tuesday!” or “This one move will guarantee a Stanley Cup for Tampa Bay!” but who wants to read those? That being said, we’ll have some speculation posts up In regards to what might happen over the next week or so, but we’ll try and keep things in the realm of reality.
We’ve also been working on the player reviews and those should start rolling out later this week. That will take us through the draft (eh) and free agency (possibly intriguing). Things will slow down again after that, but later in the summer the Top 25 Under 25 will be back, and yes, there are actually at least 25 players that we can rank. Fan voting will be back this season, so you will have your say. Keep your eyes out for that once the Lightning get through the draft and free agency so that we have the latest list of players to choose from.
There will be some news names on the list as there are already four players that have aged out, been traded, or seen their draft rights expire. As of right now, the three of the top four players: Issac Howard, Gage Goncalves, and Ethan Gauthier are still part of the organization. The fourth, Hugo Alnefelt, signed in Sweden, but could still be in the system as long as the Bolts tender him an offer before the end of the month.
Before you know it, it’ll be time for the rookie showcase and then training camp. Then we’re right into the 2024-25 season. Should be fun.
As for the site. We’re still running as an independent site with no corporate backing. Your contributions have been key to keeping the lights on and the servers running, so it’s really appreciated. Hopefully, we’ll have enough in the bank account to compensate another writer this fall so you’ll be able to hear some different voices around these parts.
I’m not planning on going anywhere, and now that I’m back on the east coast, will try and drop down to Tampa for a few games. If I do, I’ll be sure to give y’all a heads up and maybe we can get a little meet together going for a beer or three.
Thank you everyone for reading. Thank you to those that are able to chip in a buck or two, and thank you to those who spread the word around about us. We’ll keep putting out content as long as we’re up and running, so stick around and we’ll try and keep you entertained.
Other Hockey News
Maple Leafs announce Guy Boucher will not return [Toronto Sun]
Former Lightning head coach, Guy Boucher, was an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season. He won’t be next season. The team announced that he would not be joining new head coach Craig Berube’s staff, so he’s back on the free agent market. Will he join another bench, head to the AHL, or coach a European team? All are solid options.
Penguins take on Senators in Kraft Hockeyville Preseason Game [NHL]
The league is heading to Elliott Lake in Northern Ontario, Canada for their annual preseason spotlight game. The community will not only get to host a NHL preseason game, but will also receive $250,000 for arena upgrades and $10,000 worth of youth hockey equipment.
Putting a price on glory: How NHL teams and players divide playoff money [The Athletic]
For the record, it appears the Lightning received $429,687.50 to split up among themselves for making the playoffs, but exiting in the first round. How they split it up, or how the Stanley Cup-winning team will split up $6,539,375 is left up to the players.
Panthers, with help from the NHL, push to grow hockey in Latino neighborhoods [Sun Sentinel]
With a Latino population of roughly 1.7 million people in the Miami-Dade area, it makes sense for the Panthers to try and grow the game. Success is the best way to do it, but the second best way is to get out into the community.
Connor McDavid sets NHL record [Oil on Whyte]
McDavid posted a goal and three assists in the Oilers 8-1 win in Game 4. He also picked up his 32nd assist of the postseason which broke Wayne Gretzky’s record. Connor has at least one more game to extend his record as Edmonton avoided the sweep.
