2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season

2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning
Division	5th Southeast
Conference	13th Eastern
2008–09 record	24–40–18
Home record	12–18–11
Road record	12–22–7
Goals for	210
Goals against	279
Team information
General manager	Brian Lawton
Coach	Barry Melrose (Oct.–Nov.) Rick Tocchet (Nov.–Apr.) interim
Captain	Vincent Lecavalier
Alternate captains	Andrej Meszaros (Oct.–Nov.) Jeff Halpern (Nov.–Apr.) Martin St. Louis
Arena	St. Pete Times Forum
Average attendance	16,054 (82.3% total)
Team leaders
Goals	Martin St. Louis (30)
Assists	Martin St. Louis (50)
Points	Martin St. Louis (80)
Penalty minutes	Evgeny Artyukhin (151)
Plus/minus	Richard Petiot (+5)
Wins	Mike Smith (14)
Goals against average	Mike Smith (2.62)

The 2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 17th season for the franchise in Tampa Bay. After a season of turnover in ownership, management and players, the team had a turbulent regular season. The Lightning failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Off-season

On June 3, it was announced that head coach John Tortorella would not return to the team despite having one year remaining on his contract.

On June 18, 2008, the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sale of the Lightning was made to movie and television producer Oren Koules. The deal depended the closing of the financial deal of US$200 million to buy the team and lease the St. Pete Times Forum. Koules, 47, played in Medicine Hat and Calgary in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the early 1980s. In more recent years, he achieved success with the Saw movie franchise and the television sitcom Two and a Half Men. Among his business partners in the Lightning deal is former NHL player Len Barrie.

On June 24, the Lightning announced that Barry Melrose was hired as the team's new head coach. Melrose had not coached in the NHL since 1995 with the Los Angeles Kings. Since that time, he had served as an analyst for the ESPN networks.

Goaltender Marc Denis' contract was bought-out by the Lightning on June 25, almost two years to the date after his acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Denis had one year remaining on his contract.

The Lightning acquired the rights to left wingers Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009. Malone then agreed to a seven-year contract with the Lightning two days before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.

The Lightning acquired the rights to right wing Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009 or 2010. Rolston would later sign with the New Jersey Devils.

The whirlwind 32 days of questionable moves by new ownership came to a head on July 4 when, despite coming off a recent contract extension, Dan Boyle was traded along with Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle (who would be traded in early November), Ty Wishart, a first-round draft pick in 2009 (which was traded in August) and a fourth round draft pick in 2010. Boyle was pressured to waive his no-trade clause by Tampa Bay's ownership, who said they would otherwise place him on waivers where he would likely be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. Frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, seven days later, general manager Jay Feaster resigned, despite having three years remaining on his contract. Indeed, Brian Lawton had already taken over the position, though not officially until October 2. John Tortorella would later go on to label the new owners as "cowboys" for these and other dubious moves, a moniker that would stick with them.

On August 29, the Lightning acquired defenceman Andrej Meszaros from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenceman Filip Kuba, as well as Alexandre Picard, and a first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (obtained in the Dan Boyle deal with the San Jose Sharks). The Lightning would go on to sign Meszaros to a six-year contract worth $24 million.

On September 18, the Lightning announced that their new team captain would be Vincent Lecavalier.

Preseason

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing five pre-season games before opening the season against the New York Rangers on October 4 in Prague. Of special note, this is the first time that Tampa Bay will be opening the season outside of North America. This will also be the first time that the Lightning will play a pre-season game outside North America, playing Eisbären Berlin in Germany on September 28. It was announced later that the Lightning would also play against Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga on September 30.

Date	Opponent	Location	Time	Result
Saturday, September 20	Pittsburgh	Mellon Arena	7:30pm	5-4 W (SO)
Monday, September 22	Pittsburgh	St. Pete Times Forum	7:30pm	3-2 L
Tuesday, September 23	NY Rangers	St. Pete Times Forum	7:30 pm	3-2 W
Thursday, September 25	NY Rangers	Madison Square Garden	7:00 pm	4-2 W
Sunday, September 28	Eisbären Berlin	Berlin, Germany	10:00 pm	4-1 W
Tuesday, September 30	Slovan Bratislava	Bratislava, Slovakia	12:00 pm	3-2 W (SO)

• Note: all times EST and bold games are home games.

Regular season

The Lightning struggled on the penalty kill, finishing the regular season with the most power-play opportunities against (405) and the most power-play goals allowed (89).

Divisional standings

Southeast Division

		GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	y – Washington Capitals	82	50	24	8	272	245	108
2	Carolina Hurricanes	82	45	30	7	239	226	97
3	Florida Panthers	82	41	30	11	234	231	93
4	Atlanta Thrashers	82	35	41	6	257	280	76
5	Tampa Bay Lightning	82	24	40	18	210	279	66

Conference standings

Eastern Conference

R		Div	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	Pts
1	z – Boston Bruins	NE	82	53	19	10	274	196	116
2	y – Washington Capitals	SE	82	50	24	8	272	245	108
3	y – New Jersey Devils	AT	82	51	27	4	244	209	106
4	Pittsburgh Penguins	AT	82	45	28	9	264	239	99
5	Philadelphia Flyers	AT	82	44	27	11	264	238	99
6	Carolina Hurricanes	SE	82	45	30	7	239	226	97
7	New York Rangers	AT	82	43	30	9	210	218	95
8	Montreal Canadiens	NE	82	41	30	11	249	247	93
8.5
9	Florida Panthers	SE	82	41	30	11	234	231	93
10	Buffalo Sabres	NE	82	41	32	9	250	234	91
11	Ottawa Senators	NE	82	36	35	11	217	237	83
12	Toronto Maple Leafs	NE	82	34	35	13	250	293	81
13	Atlanta Thrashers	SE	82	35	41	6	257	280	76
14	Tampa Bay Lightning	SE	82	24	40	18	210	279	66
15	New York Islanders	AT	82	26	47	9	201	279	61

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

Record vs. Opponents

Team	Points	Record
New Jersey*	106	0–1–3
NY Islanders	61	1–2–1
NY Rangers	95	0–3–1
Philadelphia	99	1–2–1
Pittsburgh	99	1–2–1
Boston*	116	1–3–0
Buffalo	91	2–2–0
Montreal	93	2–0–2
Ottawa	83	1–2–1
Toronto	81	3–0–1
Atlanta	76	2–3–1
Florida	93	3–2–1
Carolina	97	0–4–2
Washington*	108	0–6–0
Chicago	104	0–0–1
Columbus	92	1–0–0
Detroit*	112	0–1–0
Nashville	88	0–1–0
St. Louis	92	0–0–1
Calgary	98	1–0–0
Colorado	69	0–1–1
Edmonton	85	0–1–0
Minnesota	89	0–1–1
Vancouver*	100	0–1–0
Anaheim	91	1–0–0
Dallas	83	1–0–0
Los Angeles	79	1–0–0
Phoenix	79	1–0–0
San Jose*	117	0–2–0

Notes: * denotes division winner; teams in bold are in the Southeast Division; teams in italics qualified for the playoffs; points refer to the points achieved by the team whom the Thrashers played against

  = Member of the Atlantic Division
  = Member of the Northeast Division
  = Member of the Southeast Division
  = Member of the Central Division
  = Member of the Northeast Division
  = Member of the Pacific Division

Playoffs

The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to qualify for the 2009 NHL playoffs.

Player stats

Skaters

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals 

Regular season

Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Martin St. Louis 82 30 50 80 +4 14 Vincent Lecavalier 77 29 38 67 -9 54 Steven Stamkos 79 23 23 46 -13 39 Vaclav Prospal 82 19 26 45 -20 52 Mark Recchi‡ 62 13 32 45 -15 20 Ryan Malone 70 26 19 45 +4 98 Steve Eminger†‡ 50 4 19 23 -4 36 Lukas Krajicek 71 2 17 19 -8 48 Jeff Halpern 52 7 9 16 -13 32 Evgeny Artyukhin 73 6 10 16 +1 151 Andrej Meszaros 52 2 14 16 -4 36 Jussi Jokinen‡ 46 6 10 16 -8 16 Matt Pettinger 59 8 7 15 -14 24 Cory Murphy† 25 5 10 15 -3 12 Paul Ranger 42 2 11 13 -5 56 Adam Hall 74 5 5 10 -9 29 Paul Szczechura 31 4 5 9 -1 12 Gary Roberts 30 4 3 7 -11 27 Matt Lashoff† 12 0 7 7 -7 10 Radim Vrbata 18 3 3 6 -1 8 Ryan Craig 54 2 4 6 -7 60 Steve Downie† 23 3 3 6 +2 54 Marek Malik 42 0 5 5 -3 36 Josef Melichar† 24 0 5 5 +1 29 Martins Karsums† 18 1 4 5 -5 6 Matt Smaby 43 0 4 4 -11 50 Richard Petiot 11 0 3 3 +5 21 Vladimir Mihalik 11 0 3 3 -3 6 Janne Niskala 6 1 2 3 0 6 Chris Gratton‡ 18 0 2 2 -3 10 Jamie Heward‡ 13 0 2 2 -1 4 David Koci† 33 1 1 2 +3 132 Matt Carle‡ 12 1 1 2 +1 6 Mike Lundin 25 0 2 2 -4 4 Brandon Bochenski 7 0 1 1 -3 2 Zenon Konopka 7 0 1 1 -1 29 Radek Smolenak 6 0 1 1 +1 10 Ty Wishart 5 0 1 1 0 0 Kevin Quick 6 0 1 1 0 0 Jason Ward 1 0 0 0 0 2 Andrew Hutchinson‡ 2 0 0 0 -5 0 Brandon Segal 2 0 0 0 0 0 Shane O'Brien‡ 1 0 0 0 -1 0 Noah Welch† 17 0 0 0 -4 14 Geoff Kinrade 1 0 0 0 -1 0

Goaltenders

Note:  Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Regular season
Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO Mike Smith 41 2471 14 18 9 108 2.62 1282 1174 .916 2 Karri Ramo 24 1311 4 10 7 80 3.66 756 676 .894 0 Mike McKenna 15 775 4 8 1 46 3.56 406 360 .887 1 Olaf Kolzig‡ 8 410 2 4 1 25 3.66 245 220 .898 0 Riku Helenius 1 6 0 0 0 0 0.00 2 2 1.000 0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect season totals.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Awards and records

Milestones

Regular Season
Player	Milestone	Reached
Steven Stamkos	1st NHL Game	October 4, 2008
Steven Stamkos	1st NHL Assist 1st NHL Point	October 28, 2008
Steven Stamkos	1st NHL Goal	October 30, 2008
Steven Stamkos	1st NHL Hat Trick	February 17, 2009

Transactions

Trades

July 4, 2008	To Tampa Bay Matt Carle Ty Wishart 1st-round pick in 2009 – Kyle Palmieri 4th-round pick in 2010 – James Mullin	To San Jose Dan Boyle Brad Lukowich
August 29, 2008	To Tampa Bay Andrej Meszaros	To Ottawa Senators Filip Kuba Alexandre Picard 1st-round pick in 2009 – Kyle Palmieri
September 29, 2008	To Tampa Bay Conditional 6th-round pick in 2009 – Jaroslav Janus	To Nashville Predators Nick Tarnasky
October 6, 2008	To Tampa Bay Lukas Krajicek Juraj Simek	To Vancouver Canucks Shane O'Brien Michel Ouellet
November 7, 2008	To Tampa Bay Steve Eminger Steve Downie 4th-round pick in 2009 – Alex Hutchings	To Philadelphia Flyers Matt Carle 3rd-round pick in 2009 – Simon Bertilsson
November 25, 2008	To Tampa Bay Future Considerations	To Phoenix Coyotes Wyatt Smith
November 30, 2008	To Tampa Bay Lauri Tukonen	To Dallas Stars Andrew Hutchinson
February 7, 2009	To Tampa Bay Wade Brookbank Josef Melichar 4th-round pick in 2009 (pick ultimately forfeited)	To Carolina Hurricanes Jussi Jokinen
March 4, 2009	To Tampa Bay Matt Lashoff Martins Karsums	To Boston Bruins Mark Recchi 2nd-round pick in 2010 – Alex Petrovic

Free agents

Player Former team Contract Terms Adam Hall Pittsburgh Penguins 3 years, $1.8 million Olaf Kolzig Washington Capitals 1 year, $1.5 million Radim Vrbata Phoenix Coyotes 3 years, $9 million Mark Recchi Atlanta Thrashers 1 year, $1.25 million David Koci Chicago Blackhawks 1 year, $525,000 Brandon Bochenski Nashville Predators 2 years Marek Malik New York Rangers 1 year, $1.25 million

Player New team Marc Denis Montreal Canadiens Junior Lessard Atlanta Thrashers Craig MacDonald Columbus Blue Jackets Doug Janik Chicago Blackhawks

Claimed from waivers

Player Former team Date claimed off waivers Matt Pettinger Vancouver Canucks October 21, 2008 Cory Murphy Florida Panthers January 19, 2009

Draft picks

Steven Stamkos was the first overall selection in 2008

Tampa Bay entered the NHL Draft Lottery with a 48.8% chance of winning the lottery after stumbling to a 31–42–9 record in the regular season. The Lightning finished last in the league just four years after winning their first Stanley Cup.

Tampa Bay's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, Ontario.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	Club Team
1	1	Steven Stamkos	(C)	Canada	Sarnia Sting (OHL)
4	117 (from San Jose)	James Wright	(C)	Canada	Vancouver Giants (WHL)
5	122	Dustin Tokarski	(G)	Canada	Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
5	147 (from San Jose)	Kyle De Coste	(RW)	Canada	Brampton Battalion (OHL)
6	152	Mark Barberio	(D)	Canada	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
6	160 (from Florida via Chicago)	Luke Witkowski	(D)	United States	Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL)
7	182	Matias Sointu	(RW)	Finland	Ilves (Finland Jr.)
7	203 (from Anaheim)	David Carle	(D)	United States	Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN)

Roster

Updated April 2, 2009.

No.	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
76		Evgeny Artyukhin	RW	L	41	2001	Moscow, Soviet Union
27		Brandon Bochenski	RW	R	42	2008	Blaine, Minnesota
34		Ryan Craig	C	L	42	2002	Abbotsford, British Columbia
18		Adam Hall	RW	R	44	2008	Kalamazoo, Michigan
11		Jeff Halpern (A)	C	R	48	2008	Potomac, Maryland
44		Martins Karsums	RW	R	38	2009	Riga, Soviet Union
33		David Koci	LW/D	L	43	2008	Prague, Czechoslovakia
2		Lukas Krajicek	D	L	41	2008	Prostějov, Czechoslovakia
55		Matt Lashoff	D	L	38	2009	East Greenbush, New York
4		Vincent Lecavalier (C)	C	L	44	1998	L'Île-Bizard, Quebec
22		Marek Malik	D	L	49	2008	Ostrava, Czechoslovakia
12		Ryan Malone	LW	L	44	2008	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
30		Mike McKenna	G	L	41	2008	St. Louis, Missouri
6		Josef Melichar	D	L	45	2009	České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia
14		Andrej Meszaros	D	L	39	2008	Považská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
21		Cory Murphy	D	L	46	2009	Kanata, Ontario
50		Richard Petiot	D	L	42	2009	Daysland, Alberta
24		Matt Pettinger	LW	L	44	2008	Edmonton, Alberta
20		Vaclav Prospal	LW	L	49	2008	České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia
31		Karri Ramo	G	L	38	2004	Asikkala, Finland
54		Paul Ranger	D	L	40	2002	Whitby, Ontario
32		Matt Smaby	D	L	40	2003	Minneapolis, Minnesota
41		Mike Smith	G	L	42	2008	Kingston, Ontario
52		Radek Smolenak	LW	L	37	2005	Prague, Czechoslovakia
26		Martin St. Louis (A)	RW	L	49	2000	Laval, Quebec
91		Steven Stamkos	C	R	34	2008	Markham, Ontario
38		Paul Szczechura	C	R	38	2008	Brantford, Ontario
7		Noah Welch	D	L	42	2009	Brighton, Massachusetts

See also

• 2008–09 NHL season