THE FIVE MOST INTRIGUING BOLTS OF THE YEAR
By Allan Brown
'Twas the week before Christmas and, well, you know the drill.
Among other things, stockings are being hung on the chimney with care.
For fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning, though, its not with the hope that St. Nick soon would be there.
Instead, members of Bolts Nation only want one thing in their stocking and that's a copy of the new contract that Captain Steven Stamkos will hopefully sign to keep him with the team for at least another five years.
And the constant media attention the Stamkos contract negotiations has received has been far more interesting, far more intriguing, than any cable drama plot point that a group of Hollywood writers could ever create.
In next week's Part Two of my Lightning holiday editions of Under Review, I'll provide a statistical recap of the calendar year that was for the Lightning, but for this Christmas blog, I'm not necessarily focusing heavily on those with the best statistics.
For the week before the goodies in everyone's Christmas stockings are unwrapped and devoured, it's time to pretty much put the numbers aside and to just have a little fun.
It's time to honor a few members of the Lightning who deserve special kudos and perhaps a Santa cap, rather than the traditional star that's awarded to a player who's had an exceptional game.
While much of the Bolts recent success can be credited to a cohesive the team that has raised its level of competition and has been committed to getting the job done, this blog has nothing to do with that.
We're not playing by the numbers, now.
The focus of this blog is to not honor the team for its accomplishments this past year, but, rather, to signal out five players who I deem as 'The Most Intriguing Bolts of the Year.'
Since my lead gives it away, yes, Stamkos is on the list.
However, we will get to Stammer, the intriguing contract negotiations that have dominated the media and the questions about it that have followed the Captain wherever he goes a little later on in this blog.
In keeping with my Christmas tradition, this ranking doesn't necessarily list the most talented players. While performance is certainly considered and each inclusion is definitely a vital cog in the Lightning's engine, this is a compilation of the five players - who for varied reasons - I'd most like to have at my holiday dinner table. These are the players, who statistics aside, have that something extra that makes them special, that makes them intriguing.
In the past, I've accorded both Head Coach Jon Cooper and General Manager Steve Yzerman the honor of being on this list, but this year, I'm going strictly with players. Each member of this list is fascinating in his own right and has definitely contributed to the fabric of this current incarnation of the team.
So, with apologies to Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov - otherwise known as 'the Triplets' - who collectively just missed making my list at Number 6, here are those I'd most like to break bread with at my Christmas dinner table, 'The Five Most Intriguing Bolts of the Year.'
5. J.T. BROWN - Granted, Brown might make my list solely because he is the only Lightning player who follows me on Twitter. However, all kidding aside, his growth as a player this season merits inclusion all on its own.
An admitted fan of Brown's since his AHL days with the Lightning's affiliate team, the Syracuse Crunch, his recent numbers and maturity have been wonderful to watch. In fact, it's only been 12 weeks into the new campaign and he has already equaled his goal and assists output from all last season. He also is currently tied for first place with Anton Stralman in the team's plus/minus statistic at 10. In addition to his increased numbers, anyone who witnessed that fabulous 'Saturday Night Fight' last week versus Nate Schmidt of the Washington Capitals would likely put him on this list in a special category all his own.
A hip, trendy guy - just witness his frosted locks he started sporting this season - any person who meets his eventual wife via Twitter deserves a mention as intriguing for that feat alone.
4. BRIAN BOYLE - The center is easy to dismiss on a team full of stars, but don't underestimate Boyle, who was signed by the Bolts to a three-year contract last year after five years with the New York Rangers. He may have been underappreciated in the Big Apple - heck, he might not even get his due here - but he's a solid, gritty player who never surrenders. Currently ranked third among Lightning players with 8 goals, he is more than half way to exceeding his scoring total from last season and his 6-7 frame makes him an imposing player - and a terrific threat when a fight erupts - on the ice.
Boyle excels on the power play, is strong in faceoffs and is a tremendous blocker. His blue collar roots and approachable personality off the ice have made him a favorite of his teammates, just as his aggressive play on it has endeared him to the squad, as well.
He makes the list not only because of his rapidly improving, threatening play, but because he just seems to be an all-around good guy who would be the life of the party if he was at your Christmas soiree. It's safe to say that he wasn't given his full due for what he did contribute to the Rangers, but as a Bolt, he is gaining in popularity and deserves a spot on this list. I would love to hear his tales from New York and see how he compares playing in two drastically different hockey cities.
3. RYAN CALLAHAN - Much of the credit for Boyle deciding to sign on the dotted line in Tampa has to be given to the #3 player on my list.
Callahan came to town in that now infamous March 2014 trade with the Rangers, where NY obtained the services of the Bolts former Captain, Marty St. Louis.
No doubt that the Lightning got the long end of the stick on that deal.
St. Louis has since retired and Callahan keeps trekking on, doing exactly what he was brought to Tampa to do. His punishing style of play has helped keep the Lightning in many a game this season and he has provided an important, veteran leadership role to the team, both attributes that you just can't put a price tag on.
One needs only to look at Callahan's return to the squad just days after having an emergency appendectomy late in the second round of the playoffs last spring as proof of this guy's tough determination and metal.
While, admittedly, Callahan is my favorite player and he would make this list regardless of his numbers, the aggressive right winger's contributions to the team - which go way beyond his 24 goals and 54 points he posted last season - are immeasurable. Plus, I'm sure as a dinner guest, he would endear everyone with not only his tales of an already-storied career - which has seen him play for the USA in two Olympic Winter Games - but with his Irish blarney, as well.
A Captain in New York and an alternate one in Tampa, Cally's pressers following Bolts games are always informative, often witty and prove why he has had a leadership role in both cities.
A strong addition to the Bolts, securing Callahan to a six-year deal following his first half season in Tampa in 2014 was certainly one of Yzerman's best moves.
2. BEN BISHOP - #BishPlease, why wouldn't the Bolts star goaltender be on this list?
A Vezina Trophy Finalist, for the most outstanding goalie in the league, two seasons ago, Bishop helped lead the team to its first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 11 years this past season. While his numbers were down slightly in 2014-15, you just can't underestimate how important he was to the team's success last year.
Having now long surpassed the franchise record for Most Career Wins, Bishop often gets attacked in social media for letting in an occasional soft goal or for moving too far away from the crease, yet the Lightning's current yoyo season might have already been in the toilet if not for his sturdy, dependable play between the pipes.
While statistics weren't a huge factor in a player making my list, I would certainly be remiss not to mention Bishop's stellar numbers to date this season.
His current 2.00 goals against average rank him second in the NHL, behind only the hottest goaltender in the league this season, Braden Holtby of the Capitals. Additionally, Bishop's .928 save percentage also places him in the top 10 in the league in that statistic. As we are well into the second third of the season, both of those numbers place Bishop on par with his Vezina-nominated year.
And Bishop can't be mentioned without using his #BishPlease social media tag that has become his trademark and is the battle cry Bolts fans shout out when the team is in desperate need of an extraordinary save from the star goaltender.
At 6-7, Bishop is a formidable figure on and off the ice and seems like a genuinely good guy, one definitely worthy of inclusion on this list.
If you're counting you know we're now up to the #1 player on the list.
1. STEVEN STAMKOS - The Captain and one of the NHL's elite goal scorers, Stamkos doesn't earn the top spot for either reason.
Instead, he's 'The Most Intriguing Bolt of the Year' for a reason that transcends his play on the ice. Of course, anyone familiar with hockey or the Lightning are already aware of just what that reason is.
In two words - Contract Talks.
Will Stamkos, who is arguably the face of the franchise as well as its leader, still be playing in Hockey Paradise this time next year? That is the question on the minds of almost anyone in Bolts Nation. And that is the main reason Stammer is the Most Intriguing Lightning Player of the Year.
Nearing the end of a five-year deal worth roughly $37.5 million, Yzerman is undoubtedly going to have to pony up a lot more than that by July 1 to keep the NHL All-Star this time around.
The question is just how much does the center actually want and will Yzerman forsake other members of the team to keep Stammer in Hockey Paradise?
Although neither party has commented on contract talks, its safe to assume Stamkos would likely need to earn roughly $10 million per year to remain here.
The team most frequently mentioned when Stamkos' possible relocation comes up is, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs. That makes sense since the star is a native of Markham, Ontario, just 32 minutes North of Toronto.
Stamkos grew up a Maple Leafs fan and Toronto would certainly seem to be an inviting place for him to land for a number of reasons, not the least of which would be the location from his hometown.
Playing in Toronto would also likely garner Stamkos additional monies that he wouldn't receive in Tampa. Hockey is the national past time of Canada and he would not only be an even bigger star North of the Border, but the endorsement deals he would gain by playing in the Mother Land of the sport would likely be considerably more lucrative when compared to the extra money he is currently making while playing for the Bolts.
The biggest part of the equation for Stamkos would be is he willing to leave a team that is primed to be a Cup contender right now for one that looks to not be a real threat in the foreseeable future? Sure, the Maple Leafs signing of former Detroit head Coach Mike Babcock in the offseason is a definite sign that Toronto is attempting to become a real contender. Realistically, however, most concede it will take at least five years, though, before that happens.
Is Stamkos willing to move to Toronto and give the Leafs the time it will likely take for them to actually contend for Lord Stanley's Cup or is being on a team with a real chance to win sooner, rather than later, more important than money?
Adding fuel to the fire are not only recent reports that Montreal might actually be a player in this possible bidding war, but also the apparent unwillingness of either Stamkos or Yzerman to have sealed a deal this past summer. Most had assumed the contract would have been signed in the off season, as opposed to becoming a distraction for both the Captain and the team in this current season.
The failure of either party to settle on a contract before the puck had dropped in the 2015-16 campaign, to me, clearly indicates that the two are miles apart in the negotiations. And Stamkos recently liking a Twitter post with a reference to him possibly going to Toronto - the second time, by the way, that such an occurrence has happened - has made uneasy Lightning fans even more uncomfortable.
Additional food for fodder in this touchy subject is could Cooper's insistence to often play the Captain as a winger when Stamkos clearly prefers playing center also be contributing to the discussion?
Not wanting to dampen anyone's holiday, I can't help, though, but to speculate myself on what the eventual outcome of this quandary will actually be. Let's be honest, if the negotiations were even relatively close, a deal would have already been reached. Unfortunately, Lightning fans have good reason to be concerned about losing their Captain before the puck drops on the 2016-17 season next October.
Whatever the eventual outcome is, this mini-soap opera has certainly fascinated hockey fans of all teams and has made Stamkos an even more intriguing figure than he had been when solely considering his superior ability on the ice.
So, there you have it, my 'Five Most Intriguing Bolts of the Year.'
As for Stamkos, who was known as Stammer Claus in a local sports radio promotion a few years ago, hopefully his Christmas gift - even if its a late one - to the Lightning fans will be the signing of a new contract.
If Stamkos doesn't ultimately re-sign, that move and his inclusion on this list would be like sticking a lump of coal in the Christmas stocking of everyone in Bolts Nation.
While it may seem premature to speculate on something that doesn't legally have to be settled for seven months,, July really isn't that far away. No doubt, these contract negotiations, which are front and center discussions on every sports media outlet around, will continue to dominate the hockey headlines until an ultimate decision is reached. The magnitude of the decision and the importance of Stamkos as an elite player have made this story even bigger than it would be for just an ordinary NHL center.
And even as Bolts fans hang the stockings over the chimney with care this holiday season, it's safe to say that most are doing so with a tad amount of trepidation, as they wonder if come July the Captain still will be there.
Come back next week for Part Two of my holiday Lightning blog, which will review the highs and lows of the team over the past 12 months.
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM UNDER REVIEW!
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