R&R: A Busy Day In Tampa

I knew today would be more eventful.

The Tampa Bay Lightning made three important moves today. First, we re-signed blue-liner Danny Boyle. Boyle was a major defensive factor in our run to the Cup last season. Losing him would've caused a lot of problems. None of which we now have to consider for at least three years.

The second move came shortly thereafter. We will see Rob DiMaio returning to Tampa. If Fritz doesn't fill the void left by Roy, I'm sure DiMaio will be able to step in. And I say "returning to Tampa" because DiMaio was one of the original Bolts. In 1992, we claimed him from the New York Islanders in the NHL Expansion Draft. I think it'll be nice to have him back. We lost our last original a few years ago when Rob Zamuner was traded Ottawa.

The biggest move of the day was announced just a few minutes before I wrote this post. The Lightning signed aging goaltender Sean Burke to a two-year contract. Burke is 38 years old and a 16-year-veteran in the league. He's played for the Devils, Whalers/Hurricanes, Canucks, Panthers, Coyotes, and, most recently, the Flyers.

According to team management, Burke is a good choice to replace Khabibulin because he'll be up to the task of battling for the No. 1 spot with John Grahame. And should he lose that contest, he would take on a positive "team first" mentality — necessary to fill in the gaps for Grahame.

If Feaster is right in that regard, I think Burke will be good to have. In the six years Grahame's been in the league he's only been a back-up. Now he'll have the chance to prove he's worth headlining in the crease. Not only that but Burke should serve as a good mentor. Grahame turns 30 at the end of this month.

Personally, I think it'll be interesting to see what happens.

The latest free agent signings around the league are listed below:

• Dean McAmmond joins the Blues after turning down Calgary;


• Andrew Cassels will dump his Blue Jacket for time in D.C.;


• Richard Park left Minnesota to sign with the Canucks;


• and Calgary swapped a draft pick for Avalanche netminder Philippe Sauve.

Still, more players re-signed contracts than not. Among players continuing with their respective clubs are Simon Gagne, Kim Johnsson and Patrick Sharp of Philadelphia, Nils Ekman of San Jose, Kevyn Adams of Carolina, Pierre-Marc Bouchard of Minnesota, and Karlis Skrastins of Colorado.

I nearly forgot to mention another bit of Lightning news. The team also announced today that Dmitry Afanasenkov has re-signed. So that's another championship team member locked down for this year. Now it's just a matter of getting Marty and Vinny back on board.

It's just a matter of time. Just hopefully not too much more.




Getting Used To It   Here are a few odd sights around the league that everyone will have to start getting used to. Paul Kariya's 9 sewn to a Predators sweater. Jeremy Roenick donning black and purple. And The Great One behind the bench (and in Phoenix).