New ownership was supposed to revitalize the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Instead, the Lightning face another poor finish, with just 65 points in 77 games.
One of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season has been the emergence of rookie Steven Stamkos as a quality NHL player. Stamkos scored his 20th goal of the season on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, a total that seemed well out of reach a few weeks ago.
The team's future hopes rest primarily on new goaltender Mike Smith (recently acquired from the Dallas Stars), Ryan Malone (now signed to a seven-year, $31.5 million deal) and the 19-year-old Stamkos, 2008's No. 1 draft pick.
Stamkos is the real prize. In two seasons for the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, he scored a total of 197 points, making him the best player in Major Junior not named John Tavares. Stamkos was viewed as such an integral part of the franchise that the team began a viral marketing campaign before he was even drafted, asking Bolts fans whether they had "Seen Stamkos?" Banners outside the St. Petersburg Times Forum showed Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis -- and Stamkos, who had yet to dress in an NHL game.
"They had confidence in me from day one -- they knew what type of player I was," Stamkos said.
High expectations are naturally followed by disappointment. The beginning of the season was tough for the Lightning, Stamkos and newly appointed head coach Barry Melrose. Melrose was canned after just 16 games, during which he fought with ownership and players while amassing a 5-7-4 record. Stamkos had just four points in those 16 games and looked overwhelmed. At the same time, since he was too young to play in the AHL by transfer rules, he would have had to be sent back down to the Sarnia Sting in a league that he had outgrown. The new management under interim head coach Rick Tocchet decided to keep Stamkos in the NHL, a decision that the rookie appreciated.
"They took some time to really try to make me a better player, and I appreciate that and thank them," Stamkos said. "You can definitely tell a difference in the second half of the season. The confidence is there. Knowing that my coaches have confidence in me definitely helps me on the ice as well."
That's a not-so-subtle dig at Melrose, for those of you keeping score. After his firing, Melrose went on Toronto's sports-talk radio AM 590 and commented on his former team. Melrose claimed that Stamkos was not strong enough to play in the NHL against big defenders with skating ability.
Watching Stamkos play, it's hard to see what Melrose was talking about. Stamkos is an extremely strong skater that controls his area of the ice well. He is capable of going to the net and using his size effectively. He is also versatile enough to occupy the point position on the Lightning power play. Stamkos' problem is that he makes some rookie mistakes, including bad giveaways and bad decision-making. The only way to cure those problems is NHL seasoning, not another season in the OHL.
Under Tocchet's system, Stamkos took a while to get that seasoning. It was not until late January that he hit his stride, appearing on the stat sheet on a regular basis. By late February, Stamkos was eyeing the 20-goal mark.
"After that western trip where I scored three goals in three games [from Feb. 24 to March 1], that confidence is there in the back of your mind. You think you could possibly hit it," Stamkos said. "[Still], I wouldn't have ever known about it if it wasn't mentioned in the media."
For the Lightning, the focus is shifting to next year, when the team hopes that it won't again be on the outside looking in. Stamkos and his teammates are taking the final games of the season as an opportunity to get in some extra work for next season.
"We're just going to keep teaching," Tocchet said. "We're taking our licks."
A healthy Mike Smith in goal all season and the emergence of Stamkos to back up the big two of Lecavalier and St. Louis will help. Stamkos is hungry for the chance to prove that he can play at a high level the whole season long.
"You always want to improve on whatever you did in the previous season, [and] for me, the start's probably going to be a lot better than it was at the beginning of the year," Stamkos said. "It was a tough situation, and you learn from it."
