Earlier this weekend, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that their captain and franchise player Vincent Lecavalier would be sidelined for at least four weeks as he undergoes minor knee surgery. To which fans of the player and team probably had the same question pop in their heads or leave their lips…
Couldn’t they have done this sooner?
Granted this is supposed to be minor knee surgery, but if there’s one part of the hockey player’s anatomy that is rarely minor it’s the knees. Just ask Bobby Orr about that one. And barring having a up-close-and-personal run-in with Ulf Samuelsson, knee issues are more of a gradual thing to arise. Something that folks without a team of dedicated health professionals might not notice as more then soreness for a few months should have really been found and addressed by Tampa’s medical staff before now. That way, should setbacks occur, and again it’s a part of the anatomy that has a decent chance of occurring, his odds of missing camp would be lessen, and the rust that accumulates over the summer on player skills would be less of a concern.
Then again it might be just want the doctor ordered, if a bit late. Ever since the 2007-08 season, in in which had just completed his fifth year of thirty plus goals a season and his second with over ninety points, he’s hovered around the seventy point mark, and back to a poor plus/minus rating. For the latter its’ not helped that the Lighting had only four stars on their squad (Vince, St Louis, and Stamkos), and an awful lot of stranglers, but the former its a bit worrisome to have the face of the franchise slip in performance like he has over the last few years, even if there are some teams that would welcome a seventy point forward with open arms (Montreal I’m looking at you). If a healed up Vince could get back to being closer to the ninety point range next season, the possible late start will be worth to have two lines with strong threats.
What Tampa Bay fans are looking to see come September 22nd
And a healed up and stronger Vincent would help the Bolts if they’re going to compete in the SouthEast (aka expansion) division. Unlike seasons past, this division cant’ be won by the first team that shows up with a winning record. With first place claimed by Washington for the foreseeable future, the rest of the clubs in the division have to fend off the rest of the Prince of Wales, I mean Eastern conference, for the lone playoff spot left. And of the four teams left, Tampa Bay has the best chance to grab that elusive playoff spot with a healthy Vince in the lineup, even with a surrounding cast that is either green behind the ears, or discarded second-stringers. Considering that their competition are like themselves suffering from their own Stanley Cup hangover (Carolina), or seem to be stuck in a perpetual rebuild loop for the last decade (Atlanta, Florida), they shouldn’t face much competition to finish second this year.
Unlike with the last owner group though, this one has hired the right GM to make sure that if Vince does lay up for longer then expected, his absence will have less of an impact then it would during the brief, yet forgettable Melrose era. Steve Yzerman has already acquired Simon Gagne to help anchor a second scoring tandem, and with a full season should be able to deliver another seventy point total for the season, giving the Bolts four players that have the potential to have more points then half the Stanley Cup semifinalists from last year, three-thirds if you took Patrick Kane out of Chicago’s season totals. it’s no wonder that since Tampa Bay acquired their current GM, things are looking up. If only other teams would follow that strategy *cough* Ottawa *cough*. Even with good management, Vince will need to come back by October and deliver at the level that many expect him too, because a slow start will put Tampa behind the eight ball quick in the playoff race.
So should Tampa Bay fans be worried about their chances for this year? At present I’d place it as cautiously optimistic, as unlike recent seasons past, their front line is stronger then it was, and teams wont’ be able to press as hard knowing that there’s more firepower to make them pay for their mistakes. However if the regular season starts and their is still no #4, and no deal to land either a top line blue-liner, a star goalie, or another front line forward, only then would it be time to ramp up the ole stress meter.
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The owner of the Sports Blog Network, Chris tells it exactly as he sees it, be it in the stands, in front of the tv, or on his semi-trusty laptop. And always with a can of trusty Dr. Pepper by his side, and spell-check working overtime. 
The scary thing is that even with Vince on the shelf, it’s still better then last year in Tampa Bay. Sure hope that he comes back before October.
Please. The Lightning are a mess with or without Lecavalier, and are finishing far behind the only good team in the SouthEast; the Capitals.
I agree with your point about Vinny getting this done before now. I mean the team is in a shambles, the last thing they need is to lose their main star.
Also wanted to say that I found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it, it’s got a good professional look to it. Hopefully you’ll get a dedicated writer for the Lightning soon, as they’d have a fan right away.