Sport-scan daily brief

By Martin Fennelly

Published: April 4, 2013

BRANDON It was the height of irony, and we mean height.

Wednesday afternoon, former Lightning coach Guy Boucher spoke publicly for the first time since he was fired by Bolts GM Steve Yzerman. Oh, and about 15 minutes before that, the Lightning announced that they’d traded for … a goaltender.

It’s Ben Bishop, who came from Ottawa just before the trade deadline, though at a hefty price: Lightning rookie playmaker Cory Conacher.

If you’re Boucher, you had to be thinking, “Ah, now the goalies aren’t good enough.”

I like the deal, but it had better work. The Lightning need the help if Anders Lindback’s inconsistency is any indication, and it is.

Bishop kept the Senators winning even after No. 1 Craig Anderson, the best goalie in the NHL this season, at least statistically, went down with an injury. Bishop owns a 2.45 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. That beats Lindback’s 2.88 and .903, which helped seal Boucher’s fate.

And there’s the towering trivia of it all. The Lightning now have the highest goaltending tandem in NHL history as the 6-foot-7 Bishop (the tallest man ever to play goal in an NHL) joins the 6-6 Lindback, two tape-measure jobs. The Bolts now possess 13 feet, 1 inch of goalies. Right now this team would take a 4-foot guy hopping out of a circus car if he could play between the pipes.

The long and short of it is that Yzerman, who has made his mistakes, is basically admitting that the goalie he brought in hasn’t been up to speed — enough to trade Conacher, the second-leading rookie scorer in the league when he wasn’t falling down, though not enough to give Boucher a pass. The new coach, Jon Cooper, gets the help.

Yzerman has entirely mixed reviews when it comes to goaltender. Dan Ellis was his guy, but, no go, at least here, then Dwayne Roloson rode to the rescue in his Fountain of Youth pumpkin carriage. Then Roloson bombed last season, you know, after Mike Smith had opted to go to Phoenix, where he flourished. Then came Lindback, and so on and so on. A lot of times, goalies are where GM’s jobs go to die.

Still, I like Bishop. It’s a great deal if he can be the guy. Lindback is a great deal if he turns out to be the guy. But one of these guys better be the guy. I know Redwoods don’t yield fruit, but these two better or this organization will be deep in the forest.

The Lightning could have grabbed Bishop for less last offseason. They picked up Lindback. Now they have both, with Yzerman giving up Conacher, two second-round picks, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick — all for two goaltenders who have a combined 95 games of NHL experience.

Then again, Bishop, 26, is two years older than Lindback. That should count for something, growth wise. On the other hand, in Bishop’s first game this season, he allowed five goals on 30 shots in a loss against … the Lightning. Yes, Wednesday was an open skating session for irony.

It’s not about this season, no matter what Cooper says. You can’t be serious about the playoffs when you can’t win at home against Florida. No, this is about speeding up the future. It’s a great deal if Ben Bishop does that. Or if anyone else does. Once again, this team needs a stopper. Lightning history teaches us that finding one is usually a very tall order.

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 04.04.2013

667939 Tampa Bay Lightning

Ex-Lightning Boucher takes high road

Tom Jones, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 4:43pm

Pretty interesting that on the same day Guy Boucher spoke publicly for the first time since being fired as coach of the Lightning, the team traded for a hotshot young goalie.

If general manager Steve Yzerman had brought in a goalie a month ago, maybe Boucher would still have a job today.

When asked about the timing of such a trade, Boucher didn't say a word. He just smiled.

That's what you do when you're taking the high road. That's what Boucher took Wednesday inside the Brandon Ice Sports Forum.

He thanked Yzerman. He thanked owner Jeff Vinik. He thanked the entire front office. He thanked his coaches. He thanked the players. He thanked the fans. He thanked everyone but the Zamboni driver.

"No regrets," said Boucher, fired March 23 after 21/2 seasons. "I'm grateful for getting the chance to coach in the NHL and to be surrounded by quality people. It has truly been an incredible ride, one that I will truly cherish."

Yeah, yeah, yeah. On it went. Blah, blah, blah. Boucher saying nice things about Yzerman. Boucher complimenting the players. Boucher talking about the good times.

You just knew it was going to be like this. Boucher wants to work again in the NHL. The last thing he is going to do is get into a spitting match with a hockey legend such as Yzerman.

But for the record, no, Boucher said, there was nothing personal between he and Yzerman.

Yes, Boucher said, the players played hard for him.

No, Boucher said, no one on the team quit.

So, what then? If everything was hunky-dory with Yzerman and the players played hard, why was Boucher in Brandon while his former team was flying to Carolina with another coach in his seat?

"I think when we started the year, we had all the hopes possible," Boucher, 41, said. "But it's like every season. Once the season starts, different things come into play; whether it's at forward, defense or a goaltender. There's a growth process there. Sometimes, you're asking people to do things they can't do consistently yet. …Expectations have to go with the moment and the circumstances that you're in.

"I want to respect the process of the young goaltender. I don't want to point fingers. I don't want to do that."

You don't have to be Lord Stanley to figure out what Boucher meant. Anders Lindback, acquired to be the Lightning's No. 1 goalie, simply wasn't ready for that role.

There's more. Ryan Malone got hurt. Vinny Lecavalier got hurt. Third-line players weren't ready to be second-liners. Too many rookies were forced into the lineup. The defense wasn't nearly as good as everyone thought it would be. The shortened season heightened urgency. Losses piled up.

Those are facts.

But I also think the relationship between Yzerman and Boucher soured quickly. Boucher and Yzerman both admit to "philosophical differences," although neither has said anything more than that.

If I had to guess, Yzerman and Boucher differed on the style of play.

Now this is where the story gets complicated. Something clearly changed and caused a major difference of opinion between the first-time NHL coach and the first-time NHL GM. Yzerman or Boucher got stubborn. Maybe both did. There are always two sides to every divorce.

But either Yzerman urged Boucher to play a system Boucher didn't want to or Boucher ignored Yzerman's suggestions. Whatever the case, this was not the same system the team played during Boucher's successful rookie season. The results were no longer there, and a change was made, a change that Boucher said surprised and stung him. He has watched a lot of hockey on TV since his firing but has yet to watch a Lightning game because it remains too painful.

"I have nothing but respect for Steve Yzerman,'' Boucher said. "Like I said, I will not point fingers.''

Ultimately, a good goalie would've solved everything. Everyone, including Yzerman, agrees Lindback needs more time to develop into a reliable No. 1 goalie. And this is where you can't help but feel a bit for Boucher.

Yzerman cannot have it both ways. You can't preach patience with your young goalie then fire the coach when you lose too many games because, mostly, your young goalie isn't ready.

Which brings us back to Wednesday. Give Yzerman credit for acquiring goalie Ben Bishop from Ottawa. You have to give up something to get something, and Yzerman had to give up Cory Conacher, a nice young player. But don't get too worked up over losing Conacher. He's small and has cooled off after a fast start. Besides, the Lightning needs a goalie way more than another small forward.

The trade says the Lightning isn't convinced Lindback can be a No. 1 goalie. At worst, it now has two youngsters to fight it out for the top spot and, at best, they'll end up with two pretty good goalies.

It's a great move. Too bad it happened too late for Boucher.

Tom Jones can be heard from 6 to 9 a.m. weekdays on WDAE-620

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.04.2013

667940 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning acquires goalie Ben Bishop for Cory Conacher, pick

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 2:24pm

The Lightning pulled off a bold move an hour before Wednesday's trade deadline by acquiring goaltender Ben Bishop from the Senators for rookie left wing Cory Conacher and a fourth-round draft pick.

The move to get Bishop was not a complete surprise as Tampa Bay has been struggling with goaltending all season and having Bishop to take some of the pressure off Anders Lindback is probably smart. The surprise was letting go Conacher, who was at practice and worked out on Wednesday.

Bishop, 26, a 2005 third-round draft choice by the Blues, is 8-5-0 this season 2.45 goals against average and .922 save percentage. Interestingly, it was believed the Lightning passed on Bishop last season because it believed the price was too high.

But the Lightning has so improved its depth at forward through the draft and player development that it was able to deal from strength.

Still, Conacher, 23, had a huge impact on the Lightning this season. Is 24 points are second in the league among rookies and his 15 assists are tops. He also was tied for the team lead with two game-winning goals.

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.04.2013

667941 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning G prospect Jarolsav Janus says he wants to play in North America

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 10:13am

While we wait to see if the Lightning can perhaps grab a goalie before today's 3 p.m. trade deadline, let's talk about a goalie who might figure into the team's future. Prospect Jaroslav Janus said Wednesday he has no idea where the story came from that he will stay in the KHL next season with HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia.

"They made it up, like a rumor or something," Janus said from Sweden, where he is with the Slovak national team.

Janus said he still wants to play next season in North America.

"If Tampa still wants me I would love to go back, that's for sure," he said.

And Tampa Bay clearly wants Janus back, especially after last season's stellar performance in which he helped HC Slovan to the KHL playoffs with five shutouts, a 2.17 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

Lightning assistant general manager Julien BriseBois said it is his understanding Janus, 23, drafted 162nd overall in 2009, has a buyout clause in his contract that runs through 2013-14. The sticking point for Tampa Bay might be Janus' preference for a one-way deal. The Lightning prefers Janus play with AHL Syracuse, though he would get a look at training camp.

But all that is still to be figured out. The bottom line for now, Janus said, is that the story of his return to HC Slovan next season, which ran on the team's web site, is not, at the moment, accurate.

"I read it and my friends keep asking me and, 'What is this about?' It's news for me as well," Janus said. "It's pretty funny. They just keep making stories up."

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 04.04.2013

667942 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs stay mostly quiet after chasing Kiprusoff and Luongo

JAMES MIRTLE

TORONTO — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 8:35 PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 8:53 PM EDT

He fielded call after call – including several late breaking ones from the Vancouver Canucks on Roberto Luongo – and came close to a deal for a depth centre.

In the end, however, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Dave Nonis was one of the quieter execs around the league on deadline day, making just one small deal for depth defenceman Ryan O’Byrne with his team on the verge of its first playoff appearance in nine years.

For all the talk of gaining experience in goal or down the middle the past two weeks, the truth was the Leafs brass were fairly content with the status quo.

But it never hurts to know what’s available.

“We were close on a few other things, but not really until late in the day,” Nonis said. “Some of the [experienced players] that were available to us today were quality guys who would have been good adds four or five years ago but weren’t players that would get in the lineup [regularly].”

The most intriguing part of Toronto’s day by far was in their pursuit of two veteran goaltenders.

The first option, Calgary’s Miikka Kiprusoff, scuttled a deal that was in place early when he informed both teams he would like to remain with the Flames and his newborn in the city he’s played in since 2003.

Talks around the second – Roberto Luongo and the nine years remaining on his enormous contract – heated up late, with the Canucks making repeated offers in the final hour before the deadline according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Vancouver was apparently willing to accept as little as backup goalie Ben Scrivens and draft picks or prospects in return, but Nonis still wasn’t biting.

“I’m not going to speak specifically about any player other than Miikka because that was out there and we had permission to talk to him,” Nonis said. “But any player that we bring in has to make sense for us long term and you couple that with the assets you have to give up to get that player.

“With Miikka, it would have been a different story in terms of length of term and the amount of money we would have had to pay... The benefit of bringing Kiprusoff in would have been we weren’t moving either of our goalies out.”

Ultimately the day was a mild vote of confidence for Leafs starter James Reimer and Scrivens, who have posted the NHL’s seventh best team save percentage and been a big part of Toronto’s 20-12-4 record this season.

While they have started only a combined 116 NHL games and have no playoff experience, they also have shown enough promise that either one could potentially be a solid No. 1 for many more years.

The Leafs – led by new goalie coach Rick St. Croix – remain very high on Reimer, in particular, and didn’t want all of the deadline talk to take away from what they’ve accomplished.

“We have two quality goalies,” Nonis said. “These guys have earned the right to play.”

Nonis added that he had sat down and talked to Reimer earlier in the day, pointing out that the team’s pursuit of a veteran wasn’t as a result of his play or the organization’s views of his potential.

“He’s still a young goaltender,” Nonis said. “It’s not about his ability. In fact, his play has been exceptional. It was just about getting some experience to help him. There’s nothing more to it than that… “Having someone mentor you in this business, it doesn’t hurt. That was something that we had looked at. That was one of our goals. But if it wasn’t going to come to fruition, it wasn’t a devastating blow to us. We weren’t crushed today that we weren’t able to get Kiprusoff because we felt we had two quality guys here.”

Nonis also offered praise for the rest of his lineup on Wednesday, noting that despite being the lone deadline day addition, O’Byrne wouldn’t necessarily be guaranteed a spot in the lineup every night.

The 6-foot-5, 235 pound Victoria native has been a regular on the Colorado Avalanche blueline the last three years and played extensively with Leafs veteran John-Michael Liles two years ago. He brings the sort of size and toughness coveted by coach Randy Carlyle but is also noted for being somewhat slow and penalty prone.

It’s expected O’Byrne and Liles will initially be partnered together as part of a new look third pairing, taking away some of the ice time that Jake Gardiner, Mike Kostka and Mark Fraser have been logging on the Leafs back end.

That the organization only made the one minor addition was more reflective of where Toronto sits in its evolution more than anything. Not in the position to contend for a Stanley Cup or to begin a rebuild, Nonis was tasked with finding the middle ground of trying to add useful pieces without giving up much from his roster.

That included hanging onto pending unrestricted free agents like Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur – two forwards who may yet re-sign before the summer – and left the 2014 fourth-round pick they gave up for O’Byrne the only asset they lost.

“There’s a lot to be said for keeping this group together,” Nonis said. “The guys have battled with heart, and it was important to us to not take anyone out of the lineup unless we were getting someone significant back… “I think we’re still in a position to keep adding assets [in the future]. Some of the deals we were presented today were about moving players within our system, but we’re trying to build that up… We’re still developing; we’re still growing as an organization. We need to add more pieces and we’re in a good position to do that.

“There was never a notion of moving a young player, a Nazem Kadri, for another established guy. That was never something we discussed at all because if we’re going to have long term success we need to add to that group.”

Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.04.2013

667943 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs acquire O’Byrne from Avs

JAMES MIRTLE

TORONTO — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 3:28 PM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 4:49 PM EDT

The Toronto Maple Leafs have added a Randy Carlyle-type player just in time for their playoff drive.

Leafs GM Dave Nonis finished off a quiet trade deadline day on Wednesday by shipping a 2014 fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche near the 3 p.m. deadline in exchange for Ryan O’Byrne, a 28-year-old right-handed blueliner who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

O’Byrne, a Victoria native, is huge at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds and generally plays a simple shutdown game.

His best season recently was 2010-11 alongside Leafs defenceman John-Michael Liles when both were together in Colorado, and it’s expected that pairing will be reunited in Toronto.

O’Bryne can also kill penalties and fight, much like current Leafs defenceman Mark Fraser and much to the liking of Carlyle, who likely saw him play in the Western Conference quite a bit.

His arrival likely means that Jake Gardiner and Mike Kostka have a much harder time getting into the lineup.

The Leafs went into the deadline searching for both a veteran goaltender and depth on defence but came away with only one of those desires filled after Calgary Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff chose not to leave and the asking price for Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo was still too high.

Here’s a closer look at some advanced statistics related to O’Byrne over the past five seasons. Detailed explanations of their meaning are available at behindthenet.ca:

SEASON

GP

TOI

Corsi Rel

PIM/60

Zone Start

MTL

13.45

-8.2

50.4

MTL

13.71

-5.5

47.2

COL

16.96

-3.7

42.3

COL

15.74

-18.4

32.8

COL

15.82

-15.1

48.0

The other thing worth noting is that he takes quite a few minor penalties given his ice time, which is another sign he’s being beaten by some of those offensive players.

In a depth role, as a fifth or sixth defenceman, O’Byrne may be fine, especially if he regains some of his chemistry with Liles. They played roughly 60 per cent of their minutes together in what looks like O’Byrne’s best season.

At the very least, he gives Toronto some injury insurance going into the playoffs. The Leafs have been remarkably lucky with injuries on the back end this season and that may not continue the rest of the way.

O’Byrne does have 300 games regular-season and 19 games playoff experience, which is a lot more than at least three members of Toronto’s current blueline (Fraser, Gardiner and Kostka).

Toronto Globe And Mail LOADED: 04.04.2013

667944 Toronto Maple Leafs

Leafs’ cap situation key reason to avoid pricey goalie

JAMES MIRTLE

TORONTO — The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 11:30 AM EDT

Last updated Wednesday, Apr. 03 2013, 12:12 PM EDT

It is, by far, the most neglected element when it comes to the notion the Toronto Maple Leafs pursuit of a veteran goaltender.

His cap hit.

And, more specifically, the Leafs cap situation next season.

Now, the salary cap is expected to drop to $64.3-million for 2013-14, which will put a lot of teams in a bind and needing to shed salary. At first glance, Toronto looks fairly safe from all that with roughly $19-million in space and a buyout-in-waiting for Mike Komisarek, but the tricky part is the number of free agents they’ll have to sign.

Cody Franson needs a contract, and he’s having a breakout season. Carl Gunnarsson also needs a contract, and he’s played big, important minutes for this team the past two years.

And, most significantly, Nazem Kadri is due a huge raise given the incredible season he is having.

By my estimates, those three are all probably going to sign in the $3-million a season range, give or take $500,000 either way depending on the term in the deal.

If you then fill in the organization’s other restricted free agents with cheap deals and you add Miikka Kiprusoff’s $5.83-million cap hit next season, you’re left with about $6.7-million in cap space and four or five roster spots to fill – including two gaping holes in your forward lineup where Tyler Bozak and Clarke MacArthur (both UFAs) once were:

Van Riemdsyk

-- empty --

Kessel

$4.25-mil

Lupul

Kulemin

$3.2-mil

-- empty --

Grabovski

Frattin

$925k

McClement

Komarov

$696k

$900k

Phaneuf

$6.5-mil

Franson

$2.8-mil

Liles

$3.88-mil

Reimer

Kiprusoff

$5.83-mil

That is only a skeleton roster of 18 players so for argument’s sake let’s add in the two extra bodies at $1.5-million.

That leaves about $4.5- to 5-million to either re-sign Bozak or MacArthur (not both) or replace those two 50-point players to bring the team’s skaters basically back to the level they were at last season.

That likely means no upgrades on the blueline, other than from within, and no significant upgrades down the middle, other than whatever improvements Kadri can bring after a dream first full season.