Around 15 games and Wow!

Lots to discuss, so lets get started.

Tampa Bay - the Lightening announced today that they gassed Barry Melrose as coach and replaced him with associate coach Rich Tocchet. This comes as a mild surprise, but clearly it looks like the team that many picked, including us, to dominant the Southeast is not playing to its' potential. The issue for some is team chemistry and roles. There are alot of new faces on the club, and that usually takes some time to gel. Goaltending has been pretty good, but the play of the team's defence has been shaky. Tocchet is a no nonsense kind of guy and should positively influence the team for the next few weeks. If that doesn't happen, you can expect that guys like St. Louis, Malone and Prospal to begin to get shopped in possible trades.

Sticking with the Lightening, them moving Matt Carle to Philly for Steve Eminger and Steve Downie was a surprise. No question the Lightening could use some more grit, and Downie, when in control, could fulfill that Steve Ott-Matt Cooke mold. Carle was supposed to be better than last years' disaster, but so far, he's not been able to improve. Eminger was a high draft pick for the Capitals, moved to the Flyers at draft day, and gets yet another chance to realize the potential that made him a first round draft pick. If Eminger finds his game, and Downie keeps his cool, the 'Ning could really benefit from this swap.

New Jersey - news that Martin Brodeur is going to be gone for about 3-4 months with a ligament injury in his elbow has got to make not only Devils players scared, but also poolies in general. Already a an offensively challenged team, the loss of Brodeur and his ability to steal some games is likely going to mean a clamping down on any offense that the team may have been able to generate. Look for guys like Parise, Elias and Zajac to struggle even more now that Marty is gone. Kevin Weeks is not the short term answer either, so we anticipate that the Devisl may try to add another goalie to the mix. Rumors have them inquiring about Dwayne Roloson or Matthieu Garon from the Oilers.

More to follow tomorrow...