Now that we have the big man on board, lets talk about who should be his defensive partner...
Victor had been paired with former NHL veteran Mattias Timander while playing for MoDo the past year...and from everything I've gathered he learned a lot from Timander. Should the Bolts try to lure him to North America for a season or two?
Or what other fellow countrymen in the NHL, under contract with other teams...for example, Henrik Tallinder in Buffalo? Or maybe a soon to be UFA like Daniel Tjarnqvist? Or bigger UFA names like Oduya or Ohlund? And does it really have to be a fellow Swede?
What about from our current roster, what about pairing him with Meszaros or Ranger?
Whoever it is it's best to be a veteran NHLer to show him the ropes. Either sign worthy UFA. If that fails trade for one; I'd be willing to pay a good price for one.
If Lightning can find a way to land Öhlund, he would be perfect. If not him then some other guy that know how to handle one on one situations, how to make sure the opponants get an easy path to the goal, and how to avoid screening the goalie etc...
Hedman is good at carrying the puck and skating, so he can in some situations be used as a fourth forward, obviously then you need a partner that see that anf cover for him.
Hedman himself seems certain that he will not just get a spot on the team, but also an important role as well. What do you think, is he overconfident or do you have the same expectations?
Hedman himself seems certain that he will not just get a spot on the team, but also an important role as well. What do you think, is he overconfident or do you have the same expectations?
Hes not overconfident i think he will have an important role on the team, I do not see him paired with meszaros though, maybe 2nd line , will see.
and öhlund would be a good fit.if we can get öhlund and a scoring winger we really could make a shot at the play offs in the upcoming season.
i see him paired with krajicek on the bottom pair to start the season. a rookie generally does not get major ice time to start the season. as the season moves along, he should work his way up and maybe work with smaby. that would be a scary duo to work against.
]i see him paired with krajicek on the bottom pair to start the season.[/B] a rookie generally does not get major ice time to start the season. as the season moves along, he should work his way up and maybe work with smaby. that would be a scary duo to work against.
This. But in the future I think a pairing with Meszaros would be the best thing, then have Wishart on with Ranger.
I'd say Ohlund, but based off what he wants money wise, and term wise I don't think the Lightning can fit him in their plans. I wouldn't mind seeing Beauchimen either. I think Hedman is gonna start the season off on the 1st pairing, for the sole reason he already plays 20+ minutes and plays men. They need a workhorse like this kid so guys like Smaby and Krajicek don't need to make up those minutes.
To early to say right now. But I remember a few months back an interview with Mr. Lawton he said "will try and pick up a solid d-man via free agency.-""Don't forget, where ever Jay B. goes, that team will be getting rid of someone off of their team--possibly a solid top 6 d-man". As I am not holding my breath for this to happen, and I am not convinced that this GM is capable of bringing any free agents in, due to the not so good stability of this ownership. So I will reserve my judgement. I am dreaming for some deal between Tampa and Edmonton which would bring in Sheldon Sourray--------
ohlund, if we don't get him, then oduya, not just because they're swedish, but because they can play in all situations...and also a little bit cause they're swedish.
Actually, he said in an interview that he wants to go somewhere so he can play a bigger role, that the money and team were not the main concern.
Well if this is true (even though it sounds too good to be true), sounds like a perfect fit for us. Im not getting my hopes up though.
Anyways, everyone is saying that this guy has definitely lost a step or two. Are we really gonna pay this guy $5 million to be an underachieving top pairer? Or $5mil for a 2nd pairer?
I know ohlund plays the left side, wasn't sure about hedman. if we're looking for longevity, and probably cheaper than ohlund, oduya would be good, and I'm pretty sure he can play the right side...he's not the most veteran guy out there, but he's pretty steady
Theres the link, in swedish though, but it says Ohlund wants to go to a team with a chance to go far into the playoffs.
Im sorry I didn't have time to find and post the link before, but I haven't been home for a few days.
Theres the link, in swedish though, but it says Ohlund wants to go to a team with a chance to go far into the playoffs.
Im sorry I didn't have time to find and post the link before, but I haven't been home for a few days.
here's a quick google translate:
Quote:
32-year-old Mattias Öhlund contract with the Vancouver Canucks expires this summer.
And he will not write anything new with the club he played for eleven seasons.
- I want to try something new, simply. It will be fun to see what happens in the summer and the NHL clubs who are interested, he says to nsd.se.
What clubs can be relevant for the Swedish star is back is not clear, nor those that expressed interest.
But it is clear that Öhlund want to come to a club that has a chance to go really far in the Stanley Cup finals.
- This will be a family decision in which several things will be recorded. But at my age it would of course be fun to get into a club that has a decent chance of winning the Stanley Cup, "he says.
Ohlund would be nice, but I don't see it happening. You almost have to pair Hedman with a veteran defenseman because he will make mistakes and you need someone who is stable on the blue line.
Anybody interested in Denis Seidenberg? He´s a legitimate top4 D-man, two way capabilities, still quite young and a good skater.
He just seem to fit the blueprint of D-man that Tampa has aquired lately. Two-way D-men with OK size and good skating.
And it´ll give them another option in the top4 which´ll help guys like Smaby and Lashoff by not asking them to play too many minutes
Seidenberg, Mara, maybe even Morris are guys that I´ll like them to take a crack at. Even more so than a hard-hitting defensive D
Seidenberg isnt bad. He was on Carolina who went deep in the playoffs last year. I say go get him. Hes prolly better than a lot of the d-men we had last year.
