Tampa Bay has the prime stud from the 08 NHL entry draft but they rarely let him out of the stable.
I have never pretended to fully understand all that goes on in the hockey world.
So when I take a look at the Tampa Bay Lightning, off to a horrible start I think we'd all agree, and see that Steven Stamkos has no points and is averaging just 10:41 ice time per game, I am shocked.
Shocked and a little disappointed. In one game, against Carolina Oct. 11, Stamkos skated just nine shifts for a grand total of 6:05 of ice time. Not surprisingly, the Lightning lost 4-3.
Call me crazy, but for some reason I envisioned the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft doing just a little bit better in his initial big-league season. Further to that, I thought he'd be given more of a chance to succeed.
How the heck can a team that finished 30th last season, thereby earning the right to pick first (after winning the lottery, of course) justify mistreating its prized possession this way? We're not talking about a kid who may or may not be able to hack it in the NHL. And while you could make the case he doesn't have the same high-end potential as Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, there isn't anybody in the hockey world that doubted Stamkos' potential to make high grades as a rookie. In fact, many prognosticators chose him to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year.
But for that to happen, he must be given a chance. And if GM Brian Lawton has his way, Stamkos will get that chance starting Saturday when the Lightning play the San Jose Sharks.
"We had a meeting about this very subject this morning," Lawton said. "I think moving forward you will see Steven get the type of ice time, between 14 and 18 minutes a game, that top forwards require to find their groove and produce offensively."
I understand the concept of coddling a player you may not be sure is ready to play at the NHL level. But is there anybody out there not associated with the Lightning coaching or management staff that doesn't believe Stamkos is ready for prime time? I would have thought he'd be getting upwards of 15 minutes a night minimum playing time and would be a fixture on the power play right from the get-go.
Players of Stamkos' ilk are not coddled. They are thrown into the action and given the opportunity to shine. Based on his play in the pre-season, which isn't always a true litmus test, he looked ready for the challenge.
Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks leads all rookie scorers with a goal and six points in six games. He plays 17:38 a game. Fabian Brunnstrom, meanwhile, is second with four goals and five points in five games…pretty impressive for a player who was a healthy scratch in Dallas's first two games. And he averages 15 minutes ice time per game.
Drew Doughty, chosen second overall by Los Angeles, averaged 21 minutes a game in the Kings first five games while Zach Bogosian, picked third by Atlanta, played 13:45 in the Thrashers' first six games.
For his part, Stamkos has remained outwardly patient, although you have to think his lack of playing time is eating him up on the inside. He said it is tough to see players chosen after him, especially those he played against in the Ontario Hockey league, getting more of an opportunity to succeed with their teams.
Under new owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie, the Lightning made significant changes in the off-season. Among them were the signing of two veterans, Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts, both of whom are on their last legs. Wonderful players in their day, neither comes close to being as effective as they were in their prime now, and you have to wonder how much of Stamkos' ice time they are eating up?
Through six games this season the Lightning has averaged 1.8 goals per game. Imagine a team that boasts Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St-Louis, Vinny Prospal, Ryan Malone and Radim Vrbata - and Steven Stakmos - scoring under two goals a game. This is a kid who scored 58 goals and 105 points in 61 games for the Sarnia Sting last year and had 197 points in 124 junior games over the past two years.
My guess, based on my conversation with Lawton, is you will be able to judge Stamkos a lot better after the next few games when he skates a regular shift and gets some quality power play time. That's when it will be up to him to prove to his coaching staff that he deserves the ice time.