TAMPA, Fla. — Marty St. Louis was only thinking of himself and his family when he demanded a trade out of the city he’d called home for 14 years.
But as it’s turned out for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the request appears to have been a blessing in disguise.
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It’s been surprisingly common in recent years to see organizations and their iconic players reach an uncomfortable end. Daniel Alfredsson left Ottawa for greener pastures in Detroit, Jarome Iginla is wearing his third different sweater since agreeing to a trade out of Calgary and Martin Brodeur even played games for the Blues this season after the New Jersey Devils hoped he’d just retire.
And then there’s St. Louis. Two Art Ross Trophy victories with the Lighting and a monster playoffs when they won the 2004 Stanley Cup. Named captain in Tampa at age 38, a move that hinted at a long-term position in the organization.
All of it spoiled when the winger was left off Team Canada’s initial roster for the Sochi Olympics by a management group headed by Lightning GM Steve Yzerman. It was an emotional time and a tough trade to make with St. Louis holding a no-move clause and insisting on a deal to the Rangers.
However, viewed 14 months later with the teams facing one another in the Eastern Conference final, it’s hard to see it as anything but a positive move for the Lightning.
The return was rock solid — Ryan Callahan, a first-round pick that was turned into two second-rounders last year and another first-round selection in June — and it opened the door for a youthful Lightning dressing room to be turned over to Steven Stamkos.
Then there’s the fact that St. Louis is racing against time in a young man’s sport. One month shy of his 40th birthday, he’s yet to score during the post-season and had a tough stretch in Monday’s Game 2 loss — whiffing on a golden opportunity early before losing the puck to Tyler Johnson on a 5-on-3 power play and crashing into Henrik Lundqvist while trying to get back on the breakaway goal.
Afterwards, when Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said “a couple of our guys didn’t have their best game tonight,” he seemed to be pointing directly at St. Louis and snakebitten sniper Rick Nash.
The task won’t get any easier for the veteran with the series shifting to Amalie Arena for Game 3 on Wednesday. He was booed soundly during his return here in November and can expect another hostile reaction now.
That was an emotional night for St. Louis, and this one will be as well.
This is an unusual series where basically everyone is on a first-name basis. In addition to St. Louis and Callahan, the former Rangers captain, you have Lightning defenceman Anton Stralman and centre Brian Boyle who were both part of New York’s run to the Stanley Cup final last year before heading south in free agency.
Those men were open about their desire to stay with the Rangers and felt somewhat slighted by having to move on. Stralman believes the organization could have been more upfront during his negotiations, and indicated that it was unusual to return to Madison Square Garden as an opponent.
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However, he found the task easier in these playoffs than during the regular season: “It wasn’t as big of an emotional roller-coaster as it was the last time.”
Perhaps the same will ring true for St. Louis. Given what’s at stake for the teams right now, that certainly trumps any personal motivations.
During the last season St. Louis spent in Tampa, he often skated alongside Johnson and Ondrej Palat after Stamkos went down with a serious knee injury. Basically, they were the triplets before that line was dubbed as such.
Now occupying his former spot on the right wing is 21-year-old Nikita Kucherov, who scored six goals during a second-round victory over Montreal.
Yes, the Lightning have moved on. They probably even have a better shot in these playoffs because of it.
