Conspiracy Theories Pt. 2

7-16-9. That is the record of the Tampa Bay Lightning as of right now. The Bolts have been anything but discreet about their problems both in the front office and on the bench. They have been run so poorly this and last season in fact, that it is hard to believe they are a professional sports franchise and not some fantasy video game team run by a 12 year old in Guatemala. This stat says it all: The Lightning have lost 17 of their last 19 and are the only team in the league without double digits in the win column. The Sharks, Red Wings and Blackhawks all have less losses in regulation than the Lightning have wins. Quite frankly, that is an embarrassment to the league, let alone the owners and GM. 

Look at the talent they have. Vinny Lecavalier, Martin

 St. Louis and Steven Stamkos should be some of the best players in the league. I'll concede the point that Stamkos is still obviously young and probably not quite strong enough for the bigs but his speed, hands and vision are all NHL-calibre. They also signed Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts away from the Penguins last summer and, though Roberts has been hurt all season and will likely retire, Malo

ne has been underachieving relative to his massive contract. That is enough quality forwards for two solid lines with scoring help also coming from guys like Jussi Jokinen and Mark Recchi. That scoring could also be augmented by the services of Radim Vrbata has he not bolted for the Czech leagues after a frustrating start to his season scoring 3 goals plus 3 assists in 18 games coming off of a season that saw him score 27 goals plus 29 helpers. Admittedly, their blueline could use some work but everyone knew that going into the season.

Then there is the whole Barry Melrose mess. I considered the move a publicity stunt from the start. Melrose is the second most recognizable person in hockey behind Don Cherry and it was a great plan to put people in the seats. That plan barely succeeded on that front, forget the whole "coaching and managing players" aspect of the job. I found that when Melrose was on ESPN I rarely agreed with what he said. He was no more in touch with the current NHL in his short time behind the bench either. He was also pretty lousy at that player management thing too, ask Lecavalier.

Could all this show really be a front to hide the fact that they are intentionally tanking the season in order to pick up either John Tavares or Victor Hedman? To be frank, the Bolts don't really need any more forwards but Tavares is a hard guy to pass up and doing so has the potential to be looked back on as one of the biggest draft misses in the history of the game if all the hype is to be believed. Not to mention the possibility of two top lines featuring Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos and Tavares. Hedman, however, would be a welcome addition to a defensive corps that gives up the third most shots per game in the league that also lacks both speed and size.

If things play out the way they look right now, the Lightning will have a legitimate shot at drafting either one of these guys depending on the lottery results. It might actually work out better for them to have the second pick so that the choice is made for them.  Regardless I dont envy the choices Len Barry and Oren Koules have ahead of them.