Tortorella Firing a Sham

There's a school of thought that there comes a time when coaches lose the ears of their players... that after years of trying to get through to them, all of a sudden, they just don't. Despite his being summarily fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning in early June, maybe John Tortorella's enrollment into that school should be saved for a time when it actually applies, as his termination was more a case of a lack of the necessary tools than it was an inability to win.

No Goaltending

Everybody by now knows the situation in nets for the Lightning... that there isn't one, hasn't been a Lightning goalie consistent enough to play for any decent length of time in the position for an actual situation to develop. This ever since Lightning gm Jay Feaster allowed their 2004 Stanley Cup-winning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin to pursue free agency. Khabibulin's deterioration in skill playing for the defensively stunted Chicago Blackhawks notwithstanding, Feaster clearly made the wrong choice in opting to sign Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards to a five-year $39 million contract instead in May 2006.

Looking at Richards's career numbers, he played just one season with stats indicative of his superstar status, and that was his contract year during which his new deal was negotiated. Coincidence? Perhaps. In all sobriety, Richards is undoubtedly a clutch player. The Conn Smythe he won is a testament to that fact. But to pay him more than franchise player Vincent Lecavalier? Sacrilegious... and stupid.

Just four years removed from their championship, the team has been through six starting goaltenders: Sean Burke, John Grahame, Johan Holmqvist, Marc Denis, Karri Ramo, and, most recently, Mike Smith. That's an average of two per year, not counting the lockout year, of course.

What's truly ironic is that Feaster gave up Richards to get Smith from the Dallas Stars just prior to the trade deadline this year. Smith, of course, lacks the experience of a number-one goalie that has so categorically defined the other five on that list (that is indeed a tone of sarcasm, folks; with perhaps an exception to the mention of Burke). Really, there's no indication that Smith is any different than any of the others and that he is anything other than a career back-up.

Filling up on Forwards

In Feaster's defense, in the deal, which saw Holmqvist going to Dallas as well, he acquired two-way forwards Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen. Halpern especially demonstrated some chemistry with Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis, putting up 18 points in the last 19 games of the season. That wouldn't be such a laughable statement if Lecavalier and St. Louis, along with Richards and defenseman Dan Boyle, weren't the ones dragging down the team with their huge contracts, handed out by who else but Feaster. Lecavalier's cap hit is $6.875 million next year, St. Louis's $5.25 million, and Boyle's $6.66 million. While those numbers don't seem too bad, on a team that had a self-imposed salary cap of $44 million this past year, every dollar counts.

Adding in Richards's $7.8 million-per-year price tag, that totals over $26.5 million - over half of the actual salary cap of $50.3 million- dedicated to just four players. That kind of handicap forced the addition of players such as Doug Janik, Nick Tarnasky, Shane O'Brien, Mathieu Darche, and Andreas Karlsson onto the roster, hardly household names and hardly NHL-caliber players.

Bright Stars, Dim Future Overall

With up-and-coming stars in defensemen Paul Ranger and Mike Lundin, and perhaps Alexandre Picard, it stands to reason that something will have to give. There's every reason to believe another one of the now big three will be on their way out. And who'll be to blame then?

Currently, rumours are running rampant that Barry Melrose, an NHL coach with a career record of 82-103-31, is the next in line for Tortorella's position (who had a record of 227-195-44 with the Lightning). It would seem that Feaster is in the midst of hiring another scapegoat for specifically that instance. He's nothing if not resourceful. Better late than never, one might suppose.

The Lightning now hold the number-one draft pick for this year and all is likely that Steven Stamkos will subsequently be plucked from the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting. At least Feaster can't possibly screw that one up. There are still a few weeks before the draft for him to try, though.

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