Were you surprised with the Lightning deadline moves (or lack thereof)?
Mike: I was a somewhat surprised at how early the Lightning made their moves ahead of the deadline, but overall, no. General manager Steve Yzerman saw goaltending and defense as his biggest need and was quick in addressing both of them
Meredith: After the stealthy Dan Ellis trade last week, I was expecting something. Yzerman had me on the edge of my seat expecting the unexpected. I couldn’t say who, or what, but I was anticipating some action on the day of all trades. Otherwise I wouldn’t have hovered over twitter all day long...
What was the most outrageous rumor you heard coming up to the deadline?
Mike: The rumors that would not go away (without naming names) involved three defensemen and one forward on the current roster. Since the names being thrown around made little sense in terms of making a move, it was for the best that the Lightning was quiet on the final day.
Meredith: The Lightning kept things pretty quiet, and none of the rumors that cropped up over the weekend seemed incredibly valid. Outside of the Lightning, a certain Joffrey Lupul tweet was both annoying and funny... but mostly funny.
What do you have to say about how quiet the Lightning kept rumors and news surrounding player moves?
Mike: It doesn’t surprise me. This team has developed a pattern of not letting anything leak. Gone are the days where everyone knew everything about this franchise. While that may make my job harder, it’s clearly for the best.
Meredith: Not surprised. The Lightning keep things air tight. I agree with you on this one Mike--there’s no fault in an organization who plays it professional.
What is your response to the Dan Ellis - Curtis McElhinney trade?
Mike: At first, I was not a fan of it, but feeling a little bit better about it now that McElhinney has been moved, and to a team the Lightning still play three times this season. Look, I understand the freeing up of cap space, at the same time, Ellis was the best person to jump in if something happens to Roloson.
Meredith: I certainly didn’t think we’d see Mike Smith back with the Lightning again so quickly. When the battle was between Smith and Dan Ellis, I certainly didn’t see him winning the draw. But Smith or Ellis, with Dwayne Roloson as number one, the bottom line is that the Bolts are pretty solid on goaltending.
What position did you think the Lightning would look to improve?
Mike: If they were going to make a move today, it would have most likely have been a depth forward. Hearing some general managers talk after the deadline passed, it would have probably cost more than what Yzerman was prepared to pay, and that’s not a bad thing.
Meredith: If anything, I was expecting a change on defense. The Lightning have been happy with their defensive situation since acquiring Marc-Andre Bergeron and Eric Brewer, but between forwards and defense I expected the defense to get the vote.
Overall, what were the Lightning trying to accomplish with the trades as a whole?
Mike: Obviously, the Lightning were looking to stock up for a potential playoff run. Overall, the return was a success in the short term. They didn’t have to give up any high draft picks, or roster players, so that has to be a victory for Yzerman.
Meredith: The Lightning are prepping for the playoffs! Pretty exciting to see the complete team come together, and to see that the Lightning didn’t cause any massive heartbreaks by losing any major players.
Follow Mike Corcoran on twitter, @mcorcoran81.
Follow Meredith Qualls on twitter, @MeredithQ.
