EP. 11 "2026 Free Agency is Here"

Stevie Z recaps some of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, looks at Development Camp, breakdown where the Lightning are at heading into Free Agency and why JBB isn't doing much yet. He talks about a potential Zach Werenski trade to Tampa, and some names of Free Agent players that the Bolts could be in on. Lastly, he begins his Lightning Mt. Rushmore series. 

Transcript

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What's going on, everyone? 401 by podcast here. We are finally less than 24 hours away from NHL free agency. When you listen to this, we'll probably be less than like five or six hours away from NHL free agency. The NHL draft concluded this past weekend. The Lightning drafted six players. We'll get into that a little bit. We'll talk about development camp. We'll look at free agency, talk Zach Borensky, and then we're going to finally start that Mount Rushmore series that I've been talking about the last two episodes with the top four Lightning players that were drafted in the fourth round or later. So let's get into it. So the Tampe Lightning select selected six players during the second day of the 2026 NHL draft that took place in Buffalo. Look, there are really two players that I want to highlight out of this. It's not to slight the other four, but just two that were more so noticeable. Uh in the second round, the bolts trade up from 58 to 52 to select Oleg Kulibyakin out of Halifax in the QMJHL. And look, Kulibyakin's a 5'10, 178-pound forward, recorded 29 goals and 73 points in 64 games for Halifax. He's a native of St. Petersburg, Russia. Skated in four playoff games, registering two assists. And he's currently committed to play for UMass in the 27-28 season. Watching his, I guess you could say his post-draft interview. Incredibly excited, incredibly enthusiastic. Says he was a lightning fan, is a big Kucharov fan. Uh watching some of his highlights. He I guess he he has some traits that he's picked up from watching Kucharoff and how he can get lost in the offensive zone and kind of disguising himself from defensive players. His weakness looks like it's skating. I'm sure that the Lightning will hook him up with Barbunderhill. And you know, he's gonna go to college, he's gonna get that development, and we'll kind of see where he where his path takes him. Um just being so being so young. I don't know if his path will ever cross the likes of Anikita Kucharov in terms of being able to play with him, but I guess the next best thing is to kind of be in the same organization as a player that he loves to watch and emulate. The second player is in the third round, the 90th overall pick, Tampa selected Tomas Kavlovich from Sloven Bratislava of the Slovakian League. He's a 6'3, 202-pound right-handed defenseman who recorded six goals and 31 points last season in 52 games. He also scored, uh skated in 17 playoff games, registering four goals and six points. And then he appeared in five games for Slovakia at the 2025 World Junior Championships recording two assists. Now he caught my eye. So he he's 20 years old, and just doing a little bit of research, and from what I could glean on Pavlovich, you know, there was, I guess, a narrative about him that he wasn't necessarily good enough a couple of years ago to get drafted, and that he was somebody who they could see having a very good career in the Slovakian League. Uh the Lightning had monitored him over the last few years and saw marked improvement year after year, and enough so to where at the age of 20, which would be considered an overage year, really, if he were to be playing in Canadian junior hockey, um the Lightning use a third-round pick on him. Why he interests me is obviously 6'3, 202 pounds, right-handed, which is a organizational deficiency from what they have. But when you think about it, on the roster with the Tampa Bay Lightning currently, there's only two right-handed defensemen, Eric Chernak and Max Crozier. So to draft one who's 20, who I would assume would potentially be looking to make the jump over to North America and begin hopefully in Syracuse, that'll be interesting to see how his path takes him. Like I said, he he's 20 years old, he is eligible to play in the AHL. There's the element of size that the Tampa Bay like traditionally with their defensemen. And for somebody who wasn't on the radar for a lot of teams in the NHL, for the Lightning to go to Europe again, kind of like how they did with Emile Lilleberg, and select a player in the third round who this was the board. There has to be, and it's always what I think, and what I've mentioned before, there's a redeeming quality that goes beyond him just being the size that he is and a right-handed shot defenseman. Watching some clips that are few far in between. He is a bit of a smooth skater. Um, and like I said, we'll we're just gonna kind of track his path to see if he will be in Syracuse, uh Syracuse this upcoming season and how he kind of fits in and where he could fit in moving forward with the organization. With that being said, after the draft, uh Monday, June 29th, on ice workouts began with uh on ice testing for the 2026 development camp, which concludes obviously Thursday, Friday with the annual three-on-three tournament held at the TJH Ice Complex. Look, some names that obviously we're interested in seeing. Sam O'Reilly is one. I don't know how much he will be doing. JP Kote did an interview uh saying that he is recovering uh from a wrist issue. Uh Jack Pritham is another one. Obviously, he's gonna go play college hockey, but just to get eyes on him and to see what he looks like, JP Kote says that he's he's a pretty good skater and his game is built on speed. Obviously, he's a teammate of Sam O'Reilly. Uh Rao Tianan is not taking place on in anything on ice from what I've read. I hope that's correct. Um he played a long season. I would assume that he will be ready to go for training camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning when it begins in September. Uh, a name that is familiar, right, to Lightning fans by way of their dad, Anthony Thomas Maroon, 17 years old. Yeah, Pat Maroon's son got the invite to development camp after going undrafted in his age 17 year. Look, he's in the USHL right now. He scored 19 points this past year. He had 78 penalty minutes. Uh, he was bummed in his interview, saying that he didn't uh in his interview, he said that he was bummed he didn't get drafted, but that his dad said he he couldn't pass up an opportunity like this to attend development camp and get feedback on what he needs to work on and some things that could hopefully improve his draft stock when he goes back to the US HL and maybe get drafted next year or in the next couple years. Two other players, obviously, Kulibyakin and Kravlovich. Obviously, the most recent draftees getting eyes on them and seeing what they look like, and just the lightning continuing to find ways to uh build their prospect pool. Obviously, they are not household names. Um you know, the lightning after the draft, uh, the athletic said that the lightning draft class was weak. I think that's a bit subjective. The lightning don't mind going off the board for players that nobody knows about or that are lesser seen or unheard of because they believe in their development structure and that they feel that they can develop NHL players who complement the stars, if you will, for the Tampa Bay Lightning. So I think that's more of a subjective take. Uh like I said, I'm I'm always interested to see these players, these lesser-known players that the Lightning either draft or acquire through various means. Because, like I said, they trust their development system, their structure, and there's always some sort of quality that they feel that they can continue to build upon that will allow them to tap into other qualities of their game to hopefully round out their game so that way they're able to be a valuable NHL player. If it's not for the Tampa Bay Lightning, which we always hope it is, that they could be used as an asset in a trade to acquire somebody else or another player who will hopefully put on a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey. So, development camp is this entire week. Uh, like I said, concluding Thursday, Friday with the three-on-three tournament games. Let's be streamed live on the Lightning Map and on the spot, Tampa Bay 66. The broadcast will feature the Lightning broadcast team of Dave Randolph and Brian Engblom, and then reporter Gabby Shirley will be at the ice level. And that stuff's always fun to watch. Uh, obviously, they're like small-sided games, right? It's only a small portion of the ice, so you're really getting to see how the players operate in tighter spaces. Obviously, there's no checking. So, like I said, we'll we'll see how that goes. But look, it's it's prospects, and to be quite honest with you, I'm I'm just not sure where they fit in with this current iteration of the lightning because really that's what you're here for, right? We have free agency starting in less than 24 hours. And look, this is these are some things to think about right going in. So number one, I'll preface free agency by saying that Kutrov is now eligible for an extension as of July 1st. What will that look like? Well, we only have a framework from a current deal in the Alex Tuck deal that he just got from the Washington Capitals, eight years, ten and a half million per. So obviously he's making a million more than Kucharov would. Uh Kucharov is making in the final year of a $9.5 million AAV. Uh, eight years at 9.5 million. Look, if Alex Tuck is getting 10.5 in the new NHL because the salary cap is going up, and I say new NHL because obviously, like I said, the salary cap's going up, and I would assume that those types of contracts will be commonplace. Uh, Alex Tuck has never touched the production of Nikita Kucheff, keeping in mind that that production, Nikita Kuchrov, if he wanted to, could say, I want to be paid like one of the top players in the league. And he would have every right to do so. And it's not that Alex Tuck is a bad player, he's just never produced like Kuchrov has. He's not dynamic like Kucharov is, and so and he's not a game changer like Kucharov is, and Kuchev has proven that year on end. So, seeing that contract that Alex Tuck got, that could be a basis for Kucharoff to say, well, if that guy's getting 10.5 million in this new dynamic and this new landscape of the NHL with the salary cap going up, hey, you could I want to be paid 15 mil plus. Is that gonna happen? I don't necessarily know if the lighting will go that high. Um, not saying that he won't deserve it, but I do think that he enjoys playing in Tampa. I think that Julian Breeswall's main one of his main priorities is to ensure that Kucharov is a bolt for life. So just keep that in mind. Heading into free agency, okay. There has been a lot of talk about teams like the Panthers, the Sabres, and the Maple Leafs all getting better. The Lightning have done nothing. What is Julian Breeswall doing? Um, look, I'll say this about the Panthers. Yes, they got Brady Kachuk. Um, yeah, Garniant Hathaway, Ratko Gudis. They traded for Markstrom. They've got Akira Schmidt as a backup goalie. On paper, it looks like they've got a very good top nine. It's not a very fleet-of-foot team, uh, but they're definitely going to try to bully some teams. I think they have some holes. The games aren't played on paper, right? So I think people freaking out about that need to understand that all teams that I just mentioned, especially in the Atlantic Division, they're all trying to improve, right? Buffalo lost Tuck. They traded away two NHL caliber defensemen. Boom Byron paid 82 games for them last year and they traded them away, right? And they had a rotating cast of four goalies. So, like I said in the last episode, it's much easier to do when you don't have a target on your back. How are they going to do when they have a target on their back? They have some cap space to do some things, right? I'm I I really want to see how the likes of you know, Florida, Buffalo, and Toronto what they do with their subsequent moves. Because each of their trades, like Toronto getting Darren Radish, like that's not earth shattering. Right? Like none of the moves that either of those teams that I've mentioned have made are earth-shattering as standalone moves. What's really important to see is what they do in their subsequent moves and how they improve their team. Florida has, I'm not saying they're done, but you know, with their moves, are they a better team? I honestly don't know. Um, they're gonna be they're gonna try to bully teams all over the ice. Uh, you know, and so we'll see how that works out for them. You know, but I don't I don't necessarily think that the moves that they've done uh impact the lightning directly, right? The Atlantic Division is getting is obviously gonna be tough again. It's an arms race. But as I've stated before, right, people who are saying that, well, Julian Breeswall is doing nothing, right? You don't want Julian Breeswall to make reactionary moves heading into free agency. You know that he won't, you know that the organization doesn't. They're very calculated and measured in what they do. I think that's something that you that that you and and I can all appreciate as fans, that he doesn't feel like he just always has to make moves to combat what the Panthers are doing or what the Sabres are doing, what the Canadians are doing, or what the Leafs are doing. That's not a way to build a team. That's not a way to construct a roster, that's not a way to run an organization. You have to really focus on yourself internally and what you can improve upon. And I say that in saying this. Last year, uh heading into the season, I thought over the offseason, prior to this most recent season, that the Lightning needed to sign a player or a couple players that were bigger and grittier. They go out and get Scott Sabron and Curtis Douglas. Obviously, Curtis Douglas gets put on waivers and gets picked up by Vancouver. Sabron uh bounces back and forth between Syracuse and Tampa. But Tampa was in the top end of fighting majors last year, and they didn't really go out and sign somebody who was notable of that gritty, I guess, for lack of a better term, goon-like player. And they showed that they just weren't going to be pushed around. And sometimes I thought it was to their detriment. You know, so you don't you don't want the lightning to go out and sign players that will, you know, try to be a deterrent or you know, sign players because you want to try to stop the likes of Garnet Hathaway or Ratko Goodis for taking runs or whatever. You know, and so I I appreciate that. I know that people are getting antsy. I would say just bear with bear with the organization and and kind of let Julian Breeswall get to free agency. Understand that July 1st is only the first day of free agency. Okay, and they're you know, it's a weaker free agent class. So you have to think about do you want Julian Breeswall to overpay uh for free agent, which is likely going to happen. Uh, Boltz Breakdown had a couple notes, and shout out to Boltz Breakdown, where he made note of, right, since Julian Breesball became GM in 2018, he's never signed an external free agent to a contract longer than three years or worth more than three million AAV. Understanding that with a weaker free agent market, Julian Breesbaugh may have to break the structure in which he uh has maintained towards signing free agents. And look, right, here's where the lightning are heading into free agency. Okay, so Puckpedia, which I'm on as we speak, has them at 23 roster players with $13.1 million in cap space. Now, understanding that, here are the here are the Fords they have Gensel, Point, Kucharov, Hegel Sorelli, Gonçalves, Gergenson's Gord, Paul, Holmberg, Dominic James, Connor Geeky, and Pelchier. Uh, I would venture to say that, you know, Pelchier is sent down for the for just the purposes of cap. If that's the case, the lightning now have $14 million in cap space. Uh, they've got Scott Sabin and Crozier in the press box. Uh, defensively, they've got Hedman, Mosier, McDonough, Chernack, Destu, Lilleberg, Vassi and Johansson. Um, you know, the first six on defense, obviously Vassi and Johansen in net. Uh, we could say that for all intents and purposes, let's say Sabin is sent down for cap purposes, and now the Lightning are looking at just under uh 15 million in cap space, around 14.895. Right. So let's say the lightning are playing with that uh heading into July 1st. Well, this is I talked about in the last episode, this is the most valuable asset that the Lightning have right now is cap space to be able to do something with. They haven't had it in years, right? They've always been right upon the cap, even heading into free agency. So now to have some something to play with is and something to utilize is a unique position for the Tampa Bay Lightning that uh makes me very curious as to what they're going to do with it. Now, before I get into some names for free agency that I think the Lightning could kick the tires on at the forward and defensive positions, how about a little Zach Worensky talk? So heading into Tuesday night, right, Zach Worensky had vetoed a trade to the Dallas Stars. It has been reported on a lot of hockey media outlets that he prefers to stay in the With Tampa and Toronto being preferred destinations. Now, Zach Berensky is the current Norse winning defenseman. He's had 80 points over the last two years. He's gonna be 29 years old this upcoming season. And if the lightning can get it done, you take that. Right. I mean, you take that. He's got a cap hit of 9.5 million. And look, I mean, it's there's a lot of fans who make very good points that it's not every day that you are going to have uh a Norris-winning defenseman who is interested in saying, hey, I want to I want to pick my destination, and my destination, one of them preferred spots, is Tampa. Right? He's gonna be 30 when he becomes a UFA. And look the likelihood of if you get him, if the lightning do get him, right, then you kind of have a one-two punch if the lightning are somehow able to hold on to Mosier. And we're gonna like let's look at what the lightning would have to give up potentially, right? So TSN Insider Trading says that Tampa Bay is his preferred trade destination. However, the Blue Jackets are not interested in a pure futures package, meaning just strictly prospects and draft picks. So you have to think about what you are willing to give up here to get a player like him. It's not Kuchov, it's not Sorelli, it's not Hegel, it's not Gensel. Braden Point has a no move. So he could nix that. And I just don't, I'm just not sure if getting rid of a player like him helps the Tampa Bay Lightning. It could, right? But what does that who do the Lightning, in a sense, give away as an asset to get Isaac Worensky, right? Defensively, you've got Hedman, you've got Mosier, McDonough, Chernak, Destu, Liliberg. Here's the thing with Mosier, it you just signed him to a very good contract, 6.75 AAV for eight years, and he's gonna get into the first year of that this upcoming season. You don't want to trade Eric Chernak because he's really your only true bona fide right-handed shot who plays a consistent amount outside of Max Crozier, who's the other right-handed shot defenseman with the Tempe Bay Lightning currently. So you have to think about what you are asking the Lightning to give up for a player like him. You want JBB to swing for the fence? This is probably it if he can make it happen. It just worries me that you may be giving up three rostered players, uh, four player like Zach Rorensky, potentially, or maybe you're giving up one and and some future pieces, such as maybe a Sam O'Reilly or a Rao Tiananen or Rigiki or any any of the likes of that. The draft picks are the draft picks. You know, the lightning always find value in later draft picks who are through college free agency now. So the first round draft picks aren't really much of anything to be concerned about. If you can make it work, he's he's obviously happily welcomed in Tampa. I just don't know what that looks like and what is going to be required to get it done. The lighting will have the cap space, but I think with a player like him, you get him, and then you kind of maneuver the cap for him because you can a sense usher him in right as like you have one elite caliber defenseman and Victor Headman, and obviously Ryan McDonough as well, but those two guys kind of ushering the end of their careers, and then you have Worensky and Mosier kind of right behind them. And so looking at that, absolutely, it seems like a no-brainer. It's just what's that cost gonna be? And it's kind of cool to see a like a player like his of his caliber, who has scored 80 points in the last two years, to say, hey, Tampa is one of my two preferred destinations. And I think that there was a lot of hyperbole about the lightning, they are no longer. I've seen it from some of our fans on social media that the lightning are no longer a preferred destination for Tampa, the window is closed. Look, guys, uh it's hard for me to agree with you, right? When the Lightning have 106 points and metrically they were better this past season than the year before, right? They were better in pretty much everything outside of power play, right? Which we know has to get fixed. So looking into that, uh power play and and you know, looking for more scoring, especially in the top six. Um, so looking into that and getting away from Zach Borensky, let's look at some potential names and free agency that the Lightning could pick tires on. Right, so like I said, right now we're we're kind of looking at it if let's say the Lightning have just under $15 million in cap space, obviously sending the likes of Saburin um and Pelchier down. And so looking at it right now, and a name at the Ford position that really catches my eye. Somebody who has had success as a complimentary winger pretty much their entire career is Victor Arvidson, who is coming off of you know four million dollar cap hit with the Boston Bruins, uh 54 points this past year. Look 25 goals, 29 assists. And and over the duration of his career, I mean, he's hit 20 goals, one, two, three, four, five, six, right? Six times in his career, over 30 goals twice. What you're looking for is not somebody who is going to pick up the load or the slack for Kutrov whenever he's not on it. Just somebody who's a proven goal scorer, another element of that. Um the Lightning for the past couple years have kind of just been a rotating cast in two spots. The the first one being a top six forward spot on the wing, and you know, the the old Stamp Cost spot on the power play. There's just been a rotating cast of different players, none of them necessarily proven, they're given chances to everybody, it just hasn't worked. You know, do the Lightning want a bona fide complimentary winger in the likes of a Victor Ardenson, obviously 33 years old, but a $4 million cap hit, a weaker free agent class. What is it going to look like for him? Does it start lower than five? And so that's where you kind of get into it. But he catches my eye as somebody, like I said, who's bona fide, who could be a fit because he's a right-hand shot, and he can play either the right or the left wing. The next name on the list, Mason Marchman. 6'5, 212. Um 45-point season between Columbus and Seattle. He had a four, he's coming off a 4.5 million dollar cap hit. He's got size, but you know, he's a left-hand shot. He's only scored 20 plus goals twice in his career. And you're curious if those are anomalies or if that's what you can expect moving forward? Is he a player that uh the lightning already have how he plays? They don't certainly don't have his size, it's 6'5, you know, but how he plays the game, right? Like a complementary depth forward. You know, is he a top six player for Tampa? Do they have somebody who already fulfills what he does? You know, is he going to contribute enough to command more than 5 million, 6 million a year? I'm going to keep reiterating that that weaker free agent class, some of these guys are going to get paid more handsomely than they would in the likes of a stronger free agent class, like what we're expecting next year and what would be Kucharov's UFA year. So, I mean, I just he's got the sides, but he's a left-hand shot. Right. So that doesn't really, I mean, yeah, it fixes one issue in terms of being a top six forward potentially, but it doesn't fix the other issue on the power play if they're not gonna adjust anything. Another name, Anders Lee. Look, he's he's a big bull, right? 6'5, 236. He can score. I'm sorry, 6'3, 236, right? He plays left wing. He's another left-handed shot. He's gonna be 36 years old. He's coming off of a uh $7 million cap hit with the New York Islanders. 19 goals, 23 assists this past year for 42 points. He's got over 300 goals in his career, so you know he can score. He's got history with John Cooper from their time in the USHL. Will he leave the island? I don't know. The other part is obviously we'll touch into this later in the offseason, but obviously there are some fans who would like the lightning to get younger or or get uh some players who can, in a sense, be of an age where they can be under team control for longer, and and I agree with that. Um, but it's slim pickings this year and in free agency. And like I said, if you if you want bona fide complementary scoring, Andrews Lee has proven that he can be that and he provides the size that lightning fans uh desire. But once again, he only he only fits one aspect of that in that he could just be a top six forward. Can he skate in the top six? That remains to be seen. With top six with the lightning, not necessarily with any of the team, just with the lightning and how they operate and how they move. But he doesn't fix that that's that old stamco spot on the power play, which is an issue. The next name is none other than Patrick Kane. Look at 37 years old. Patrick Kane is way past his best. We know that. Um plays right wing, right? He's a left-hand shot, so once again, fills the spot in the top six, not necessarily on the power play. 16 goals, 41 assists, 57 points this past year with Detroit. I think at his age, the skill is there. It's undeniable. 500 goals, 1400 points. That's why I put him on the list. I don't think he's necessarily a fit for the Lightning in the sense that he might be more of a defensive liability for the Lightning, despite his ability to maybe put the contribute and putting the puck in the net and scoring offensively. You don't necessarily want to be playing, you know, like you're playing a forward down when he's on the ice in the defensive aspects of the game. Uh, with that being said, like I said, you know, what's he gonna command? I mean, he's gonna be 38 years old. I don't envision it being more than three to four million dollars for a year. And it's undeniable what he's done in the game, right? Like I said, four of 500 goals, 1400 points. You you know what you're getting out of him. He's just he's just way past his prime. Right. And I do think that I put him on the list to cover bases, but you kind of hope the lightning don't go this route unless it's out of like sheer desperation, and even then, don't. Um just I put the name because, like I said, he what he provides, his his pedigree and his track record of being able to generate points and what he does offensively. But you see, even the likes of Kuchrov now becoming more in tuned to the defensive aspects of the game. And I'm just not sure if the signing of Patrick Kane is what the Lightning need. But like I said, I put him on the list to cover bases because he was a name that caught my eye in the free agent class. True more, Matias Micelli, didn't get a qualifying offer from Toronto Maple Leaves. Uh, this is an interesting player in the fact that he was due for a little bit of a raise in his qualifying offer, uh, you know, coming off of a three-year contract where he had a 3.425 cap hit this past season with Toronto in 7-1 games, 14 points, 25 assists, 39 points, uh, 5'11, 187 pounds. He can play either wing, but once again, he's a left-hand shot. My question is that is he more like players that we already have in the organization and what they can offer, you know, the likes of like a Gonçalves or a James, or like even like what a geeky could become, you know. Um does he have potential to increase his production, right? So over the duration of his career that he's been a full-time NHLer, and that's really going back to 2022-23. Um you know, he's had 39 points, 18 points, 57 points. Um when he was 23, he had 57 points in 82 games in 23-24. And is really in his first year as a full-time NHL in 22-23, 64 games, 49 points. I think the first two years of the full-time NHL may have piqued people, you know, piqued people's interest. I'm just the last two years, however, and obviously 24-25, a year marked by injury, for him, this most recent year just kind of lends me to believe he might be more along the lines of players that we already have, but you kick tires on because he didn't get a qualifying offer. Then Lightning did, you know, pick up a player in Homeburg last year, Pontus Homburg, who didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Um, so maybe he could be one that the Lightning do look at. Um, like I said, could fill a top six role, but because he's a left-hand shot, doesn't necessarily fix the power play without making adjustments to how that operates. And the last name on the list is Jack Roslovik. So uh Jack Roslovic is coming off of a year where he played 69 games, 21 goals, 15 assists, 36 points for the Edmonton Oilers. He was on a one-year contract at a $1.5 million cap hit. He could play center or right wing, right hand shot, 6-1, 198 pounds. Over the last two years with Edmonton and Carolina, he's had 21 and 22 goals respectively, just under 40 points. This is more so like a depth signing. I wouldn't imagine him getting inserted into the top six. It would be you're moving one of those younger guys who are in uh a middle six role or a bottom six role up to the second line to kind of see what they can do if they can do well in an elevated role, and then you use Jack Rossovic to replace them uh in that in the middle six or bottom six role. And so, you know, at his cap hit, it's interesting, but he's more so on the lower end of players that I would be looking to see the lightning sign and free agency. Um, like I said, he would have to have a very specific role. And now you can't ignore the fact that he's scored 21 and 22 goals in the last two years. Uh that that's important. There, there is an element of complementary depth scoring that we want to see. But in also saying that, it just goes back to are you signing him to sign him? Can the lightning give another player who's already on the roster or in the organization an opportunity to see if they can maximize their potential and their value rather than signing somebody in just for the sake of signing somebody, right? And and and that's what I'm getting at to you. You don't want to see the lightning sign free agents or go into free agency signing players just for the sake of signing players, right? Like I said, you've got extensions for Kucharov, Zach Warensky is currently on the table. Like you don't know what's coming, so you don't want the lightning to go into July 1st just signing anybody and everybody. Uh, from the list of forwards, going back to Arvidchmint Lee, Kane, Michelli, and Rosovic, I had Bobby Brink on the list before he signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract earlier Tuesday night, and that's unfortunate. I would have loved to have seen him with the Lightning or kick the lightning, kick the tires on him. Obviously, 5'868 pounds, right-handed shot. You know, he's at an age of 24 years old, 25, where he's got a great shot and in an elevated role with the lightning, because I believe he was being utilized as a third-pair winger or a third-line winger, that in a top six role, playing along the likes of either like a Hegel and Sorelli or Gensel or Kudrov in in some capacity, what could he do? And he was at a price point and at an age where maybe you do spend a little bit more because he's at an age where you can get more team control, right? And he's not somebody who's older that you have to worry about what the fall off looks like as they get a little bit older in their career. Looking defensively, obviously, Zach Werensky, but that's only going to be through trade. But in terms of free agent, um, John Carlson is still on the list. Obviously, the Carolina Hurricanes traded for his rights. We haven't seen anything about a deal being signed. Obviously, as I record right now, that could very well be taking place. They have until noon tomorrow to get a deal done. Uh, it was rumored that the lightning were a favorite for John Carlson. That cap hit, if it's 10 million, I mean, that's steep. Uh but that's if if that's if like if the lightning get Carlson, I would assume that means that they're out on Werensky. I could be talking out of my ass. But you know, that's in my head, that's that's where it's kind of going, and I might be projecting a connection right there that doesn't exist. Um look, he had 60 points this year. However, he's gonna be, he's 36. So once again, another older defenseman. He's a right-handed shot. He's still very productive over 23 and a half minutes this past year between Washington and Anaheim. He delivers the experience and leadership, right? But it'd be short term. And although still very effective, that that salary, if it's 10 million, that is steep, right? But if it's for short term, I guess I can understand that that it it's just that that's pretty hefty. That is hefty. You know, considering that you've got Hedman who's 35, you've got McDonald who's 37, to add another 35 plus player to the roster, especially on the D Cor. Um Makes me a little anxious, a little bit cautious, but like I said, he's still productive at his age. So it would just be the salary that would be a turn off for me. If the lightning can make it work to get it to an AAV that's lower than that, I don't know how they manage that considering the rumors that have been out that he's looking for a nine or ten million dollar deal. Obviously, the lightning are going to do a shorter-term contract. So you're hoping that if that's going to be the case for a player like him, that they can get it below nine million. I mean, if you could get it to eight, that's that's that's great. Lower than that is a beautiful. I just don't know if they'll be able to get to that if Carolina doesn't sign him. A player who interests me, who is going to be able to test the UFA market for the first time in his career, is Jacob Truba. Now, Jacob Truba played for Anaheim this past year after being traded from the New York Rangers. He's 32 years old, right-handed uh shot defenseman, 6'3, 212 pounds. He's coming off the previous cap hit of 8 million. Like played 81 games this year for Anaheim, 10 goals, 25 assists, 35 points. He's not shy about his headhunting tendencies. He did have a quietly good year for Anaheim this year. It was always seemingly like when he played for New York, that he was always at the crime scene in terms of goals against. That could just be the element of playing in New York in the microscope, you know, you're always being under a microscope and the team not being good or being inconsistent in terms of being good. And so when you're the captain of a franchise like New York, that's gonna happen, and you're playing in one of the biggest markets, not only in the league, but in the world. So knowing that him going over to Anaheim, he had a pretty good year. Um, like I said, he's gonna be able to test UFA for the first time. And then reading something on the Athletic, an article done by Pierre LeBron, it was looking like Trubo is gonna head to market because the Ducks want shorter term, he wants longer term. What does that look like? Um the lightning he he he fits that stature archetype that the lightning are always looking for, bigger, longer defensemen. Like I said, 6-3-2-12. It's interesting. Um he could be a fit, right? We we do are the lightning looking to replace Darren Radish in terms of being a right-handed shot defenseman, um, like getting a player in for him, potentially, right? Right now you have Mosier. If Hedman goes back to the first pair, you would I guess you would have Mosier playing on his off on his offhand. And so maybe you sign a Truba and you're looking at uh a first pair of Mosier and Truba, and the second pair of McDonald Chernak, and a third pair of, I don't know, Headman, and potentially uh if you want to go, if you're concerned about a handedness, right, Max Crozier, who's the other right-hand shot defenseman on the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Destu and Lilleberg um are in the press box. Right. You you could see something like that. Um I think really, out of a lot of the defensemen that I've seen, there's two more on this list that I'll mention. He is probably the best fit in terms of, you know, the lightning aren't gonna ask him to score, but they're asking him to be defensively responsible. He's not gonna, I would assume that he's not gonna have to shoulder a large load because the lightning like to try to disperse that amongst their decor as equally as possible. Obviously, Mosier was taking on a big load along with Radish at certain points during the season last year, and Mosier showed that he could handle it. But hopefully, with a healthy Victor Headman and uh and a and a really a healthy Max Crozier or some a sixth defenseman in that that maybe you could lighten the load off some of the top four guys and you could disperse those minutes much more evenly throughout the decor. I think he could be a good fit. Once again, he's he's 32, he's gonna be 33, so he's not he's not on the he's on the back nine of his career, but he like I think that especially defensemen uh in today's NHL, we're seeing them be more effective as they we're seeing them be more effective for longer as they kind of get into the later stages of their career. Uh Jacob Truebuk could be one maybe four or five years. I know that's steep for some, but at his age, you know what the lightning need right now, and in this, like I said, weaker free agent class, I think he's probably the best fit if you're not getting somebody like Jay uh John Carlson. The last two guys are a little bit on the smaller side. Um, they're they're more sneakier players. I don't know if the lighting will go for the first one being Nick Blankenberg, who is a 28-year-old right-hand defenseman, uh, 5'9, 176 pounds, coming off of a year where he played for both Nashville and Colorado. Uh $775,000 cap hit. Like he had he had 24 points this year, and he played 60, what, 63 games, or 61 games rather. Here's the only thing about him. I understand why some fans have listed him as someone that they would like to go after, um, because they've seen the likes of a Quinn Hughes and Elaine Hudson, especially in the Montreal playoff series most recently. And you're hoping that he could be something of a Quinn Hughes or Lane Hudson light. In terms of stature, yes. I just don't know. I haven't seen Julian Breeswall, especially at it in his time as a GM, go for smaller defensemen because you want some of that, you know, the beef and the you know, I guess more imposing figures on the on the blue line. Although Blinkenberg can skate, something that would concern me, and something that I have seen is that sometimes bigger players or heavy players will target him just because of his stature. And look, I mean the cap hit is friendly, but like I said, his and and his ability to skate is really good. Um, and other than being a right-hand shot defenseman, it just being 5'9 and under 180 pounds concerns me. You know, I just I don't know. I it it would just be like an anomaly, right? Like he would he would have to be that such good of a skater, you know, from his defensive position in comparison to what the lightning have, for me to be like, yes, go after him. Um, otherwise, I just don't see the lightning breaking their shell or their mold for what they look for in blue liners, in terms of what they look for in a prototypical size, um, the blueprint, I guess, in which the lightning have kind of adhered to on the blue line. The last player is Connor Clifton, who is coming off of a year with Pittsburgh, in which he was on uh 3.33 million. And like he had six points this year, 5'11, 192 pounds, he's a right-hand shot defenseman. The big concern with him is he's slower, uh, especially like his skating is is a bit of a concern. I kind of had him on the list because him being a right-hand shot defenseman, and he could be somebody who is a value depth signing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, uh, in the sense that like I like when doing some research on potential free agent names that the lightning can kick tires on, he's got over 400 games of NHL experience, and that's something you can't really ignore. Um, but in saying that, he he plays a chippy game for being uh shorter but stockier defenseman, and and you know that's the lightning, I'm sure, would appreciate that. I just have a concern about him getting blown by against some faster matchups. And so for me, he's really only on the list as somebody who would be a sixth or seventh defenseman, and I don't think it'd be much more than that. And if you could kind of get him at a at a lower cap hit than what he was making in Pittsburgh, uh, then maybe you you look to do something like that. But like I said, it was just to cover bases. It was one of those things like a Patrick Kane, where you're kind of covering the bases with adding the name to the list. It isn't somebody who I'm expecting the lightning to pursue, it's just somebody who caught my eye because of the handedness and knowing how he plays would suit the lightning and he would like lightning would suit him and he would suit the lightning, but his skating ability is something of a concern to me. So, really looking at it from the forward perspective, if I had to pick a name, it'd probably be Victor Idvardson, right, because of him being able to play either wing, his history of being a complimentary winger in the top six, his ability to score, um, but the the obvious concern is you know what's he gonna command, right, in in this free agent class this year. And from a defensive standpoint, if you obviously, and I'm just speaking free agents, so leave Zach Worensky out of this. If you don't, let's say this is assuming John Carlson signs with Carolina, it would have to be Jacob Truba, right? I think that those are two names, one forward, one defense, that have caught my eye that could that are potentially good fits for the lightning in free agency. Obviously, assuming that you can get them to something good. And like I said, Julian Breeswall is going to have to break, I guess, his his structure or his mold for how he goes about signing free agents, especially this year, and with the cap going up, it's just something that we're probably going to have to see Julian Breeswall do if he's interested in any of these guys that I've mentioned. Um, and so and and who knows, like the Lightning may just decide, yeah, we're we don't want to overpay. We're gonna kind of, and I've mentioned this before, like maybe he doesn't like anything in free agency, and he's gonna kind of triple down and go into the roster without, in a sense, and I and I'm giving quotes, improving it, right? I I don't want to say this out of fear of being complacent, um, but looking at the roster, it's from our management perspective, if I'm him and I'm the management team and you're saying, well, we have a 106-point team, we obviously can get better, but metrically we were we improved and we were better in everything that we were in the year before. We can can we improve the roster on the fringes? Uh is there anybody in the organization in Syracuse or a player that's you know we haven't seen yet who's coming into the organization like a Samuel Riley or a Ratian, you know, or I don't know, a Geeky or whatever, uh, that could potentially give, you know, kind of fill the spots that this team needs to fill, that there's always potential for that too, right? And then you kind of take the cap space into the trade deadline, and then now you're able to maybe maneuver a little bit more when it comes to asset management and trading players if you're in a position to do so at the trade deadline. It wouldn't surprise me to see them do that either, right? But if the lightning are looking to improve in free agency, in a sense, and I use that term lightly because not all free agents are going to improve the team. You hope they do, but that's not always the case. Uh Victor Artson at the forward position, Jacob Truber at the defensive position are two players that uh do interest me. Uh, my buddy Chuck, who I attend lightning games with, had mentioned the likes of a Patrick Line. Uh and I and I kind of told him, I'm like, that's a good shout. I think really his my concern with him is his ability to keep pace at five on five and just inconsistencies with health as of late. He had a really good couple of years when he came into the league. Um, but really he's he's fallen off. And um, you know, it was Matthews and Line, and you don't even hear about Line anymore. And so, you know, it is a good name in theory. It would probably be a player on a one-year prove-it deal, you know, somebody who is a right-hand shot who could fill that Stamco spot on the power play. Um, and you wouldn't ask much of him. It's just what concerns me is his ability to escape 5-1-5 is 5-1-5 play. How does he fit in in the top six if that's where he is? Um, you don't want a one-trick pony. Like, if you're gonna go and sign a one-trick pony at this point in his career, like just throw the bank at Ovechkin. You know what I'm saying? Um, if he's willing to leave Washington, but that's just I'm being far-fetched at that point, right? So Line A is a good shout. I just outside of his shot, I would have concerns about how he operates and how he performs five on five and his injury history. I know he didn't play last year, so or you know, what was his what would his impact look like? You know, is do we have the potential similar to a Patrick Kane where yay, maybe he could put up points, but on the other end of the ice, like, you know, he's a detriment, you know, that can't be it can't be mitigated by the other players that he's playing with. Um, so yeah, as I round this out, right, I want to get into starting this Mount Rushmore series, right? And and look, with this Mount Rushmore series, I'm gonna give my names and I'm going to you know post it on the social medias and allow you guys to, yeah, I'm gonna pose the question who would you put in some of in some of these spots? Who is your your Mount Rushmore? But I'm being specific, it's more so than just who are the top four players in Lightning history, who are the top forge, who are the top defensemen, because it's like that's that's kind of easy, right? Like I want you guys to have fun and research and you know, learn more about the lightning. Um, and I kind of want to just maybe hit on some names that bring back good memories for some fans. Uh, maybe have some fans be like, oh gosh, get the hell out of here with that name. But so this one was really specific, the first one in this series. So, in this first part of the Mount Rushmore series this summer on 401 channel side, it was the top four lightning players drafted after the fourth round. Now, I had seven players. I had seven players, and there was really two that were bona fide locks, and other two that I kind of had to, it was more so about comparison, and and you have to understand, like, what am I considering? Like the impact they had with the team, longevity with the team, did they supersede the amount of games that they that they were expected to play? Like, where were they drafted? And what would, like I said, like what was their impact in comparison? What should what it should have been when they were drafted? Um, the memories, the impact moments, and and sometimes like there's a player on here where you're saying, How the hell is this guy in your top four? But his role that he was able to solidify for the lightning in this stuff in his time with the lightning, and knowing that you would either have one of those two spots locked up for sure, and hit the role, and he played his role so well. That's why I put him in. So we'll get into the first one. Uh, the first player on my lightning Mount Rushmore of players drafted in the fourth round or later is Andre Palat. And how how could you not? Right, you've heard the stories. Um, I believe he was an overager, right? Drafted in the seventh round, 208th overall in the 2011 NHL entry draft out of Drummondville. Look, I mean he played 10 years with the Lightning, 628 games, uh 143 goals, 280 assists, 423 points. Over a thousand hits. Like, just remember when he got his tribute when he came back with New Jersey, and it was a video, it was like a tribute that I had never seen before where they labeled him a hockey warrior. And it was just it was like goosebumps because Andre Pilot had been so clutch in playoff moments. One moment that I'm speaking on specifically, there's two. Um he scored that that overtime goal against Boston in the bubble in the second round. And the the one, the most recent one that comes to mind, I was in the arena for it was in that most recent Eastern Conference Final Series versus the New York Rangers game three, 48 seconds left, a play between Kutroff and Pilat to the front of the net, where Kutroff essentially has eyes in the back of his head and finds Pilat driving the net and just an absolute beauty of a play. Kutroff backhand pass to Pilat to stuff it past Shisterkin and what would spark the lightning coming back and winning four straight in that Easter Conference Final Series, I believe, in 2022. Uh the the arena just the the the roof blew off of that place, and you just like it it personified Andre Pallot in clutch moments, right? And and in his best year with the lightning, right? 81 games, uh 23 goals, 36 assists, 59 points. He wow, I I misspoke. I'm sorry. The year after that, when he played 75 games and he had 16 goals, 47 assists for 63 points, he never really got to those heights again. Um 2014-2015 was was was really his year when he had that statistical high. He never really got back to that level because there was a portion and really after 2016-2017 where he was you know playing less than 70 games for a stretch of years because of injury, and it was tough to see, and really there was a resurgence in the later years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, you know, 2019, 2020, 21, where he was back to playing, you know, he's 69 games in 2019, he played 55 in 2020, uh, he played 77 in 21-22, which is last year with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he scored 49 points. And he got back to that, and it was so good to see, right? And like I said, a seventh-round draft pick, 208th overall, you're not expecting it, and what he did for the lightning and the memories he provided. That's why he is in the top four of Lightning players drafted after the fourth round for me. The next player, a blast from the past. And some old heads will be like, wow, what a name. Uh, defenseman Pavel Kubina, 6'4, 258 pounds, uh, drafted in the seventh round, 179th overall. The 1996 NHL entry draft from Look, I mean he played ten years with the Lightning. And it was ten years, six hundred and sixty-two games, seventy-two goals, one hundred and seventy-one assists, two hundred and forty-three points. Like I just remember in my younger days hearing the likes of a name like Pavel Cubina. And he was a stalwart, he was a made stay on the Tampa Bay Blue Line. And he spent the first eight years of his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Before he was with Toronto for three years, then Atlanta, and then really towards the twilight of his career, he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning again. And he was on the blue line with Victor Hedman. You know, so just his impact. I mean, he was he was really through the first two eras, like if you could split it up, like the early days of the Tampa Bay Lightning, that middle transitionary era where they won the cup, and then it looked like the team could leave Tampa because of poor ownership before we got to this golden era of Tampa Bay Lightning hockey. Like he Pavel Cubino was there. And for me, brings up a lot of good memories as just a name of familiarity, just a player he drafted in the seventh round who once again, I mean, he had a 14-year career, played just under a thousand games at 970. And look, you know, he he wasn't he wasn't necessarily known for his scoring. He had years, he had a lot of years where we were in double digits, you know, 11, 11, 17, 11, 14. You know, we had five years in in the NHL where he was in double-digit goals, uh, three of those being with the lightning. His best year with the lightning in terms of goals was uh 17 in the year the lightning won the cup. So obviously he's a cup winner. You know, he's a he's a player who has been with the lightning throughout the duration of those first two, I guess, eras, the early days and the transitionary era. And he kind of helped usher in the era of Victor Hedman. And so for me, he's he's the second one who is on the uh on the list on of Mount Rushmore top four lightning players drafted fourth round or later. Now we'll get into some so two more of the last ones are our current players. Um and this was really tough. And you know, so I'll get into some honorable mentions a little bit later, but this player here, when I talked about, maybe he wasn't as impactful offensively, but the role that he played, and you knew what his role was, and he played it so well for the lightning that you know how we're talking about finding bottom six grit and toughness and like agitation. Cedric Poquette. How about that name? Seti. Um drafted in the fourth round, 101st overall out of Blaineville uh in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Look, he played seven years with Tampa, 377 games, he had 85 points, 956 hits for a forward is incredible. He had a specific role, and his specific role was to shore up the bottom six and make those minutes count, whether he was a third line center or the fourth line center. He was more so the fourth line towards the later end of his career with the lightning. But I remember um the lightning used to do a post-game show, I believe it was at it, was it at Rumfish in the arena when they when it was called Amaly? I believe it was the post-game radio show at Rumfish Bar and Grill. And they did it with Brian Engblom. Did they do it with JP Peterson? Eric Erlanson? Wow. Oh, you know who it was? It was Matt Salmon. How about that name? Matt Salmon and Brian Engblom used to do the radio show, I believe, at the Rumfish Bar and Grill on the first level. Um, just as soon as you enter the arena, right? Before you walk up the escalator, if you're if you're sitting on the um in the 300s, like I do, you you pass right by it. And they used to do a radio show. I met Valterio Villapola. Um let me I digress, right? I remember he did a radio show, post-game, I don't remember who the team was, but he said that I don't always like being the guy that gets chased, but it's my role. So because it's my role, I'm gonna do the best that I can. And he did a hell of a job. Statistically, he never got above 20 points with the lightning. He never got above 20 points in his career in general. His best year statistically in points was his last year with the lightning in 2019-2020 when he scored seven uh seven goals, 11 assists, 18 points. Uh oh, wow, actually incorrect. It was 2014-15. Uh he scored 12 goals, had 19 points. How about that? And so he was just, like I said, he knew his role. He knew his role. And really towards the later end of his career, he was at 51.5% with the lightning in his last two years on face-offs. Um 2018-19 had 269 hits as a forward, you know, that's really impressive. Just like I said, and maybe not from a standpoint of what he did production-wise from an offensive standpoint, but his role, what he was asked to do, like he is the quintessential mid-round draft pick. What you would expect, like you're signing a depth guy, like Seti, this is gonna be your role. You need to go and just like embrace it, and he did. And for that, for me, he's number three on my lightning Mount Rushmore of players drafted in the fourth round or later. And the last one is gonna um maybe pull on some heart strings for some. Uh Ross the Boss Colton, right? He had a very short career with the Tampay Lightning. I wouldn't say very short, but he was only here three years. He was drafted by the Tampay Lightning uh in the fourth round, 118 overall in the 2000 uh the 2016 NHL entry draft out of Vermont. Look, I mean this guy, like he played with edge, he played with flair for a middle six player. Like, and although he was only here for three years, like he had some clutch goals, like, and he was willing to to go to the dirty areas, he was willing to drop them. He just like there was a swagger, there was a cockiness about Ross Colton that you're just like, yeah, that's the guy. And his second year as a really, really his first year as a full-time NHL, he got 30 games in his first year with the Tampa Bay Lightning 2021. Uh, but in 21-22, when he was 25, played 79 games, scored 22 goals, 17 assists, 39 points. And you were all like, the lightning have found a guy who is in that Andre Pallat mold who hits, he can chip in offensively, he was defensively responsible, and he just played with that swagger that you loved. Two goals that I can remember. Uh, that last second goal down in Sunrise, where Nikita Kutrov behind the net. Uh, was I believe that Mackenzie Wiegert just, or was it Ekblad who just got did in with a behind-the-back pass? No look from behind the net with less than a second left. And Ross Colton, left alone in the blue paint, stuffs it in on Brobrowski. Was it Brabrovsky? Was it Spencer Knight? It doesn't matter. Who fucking cares? Less than one second, and you could just hear the collective breath on the TV of the Panthers fans leave, like their souls left the arena. And Amelie South at the time, as it was called in my book, just dead silent outside of Tampa Bay Lightning fans as Ross Colton heads to the corner, jumps, and bangs on the glass as lightning win that playoff game in Sunrise. And then was it that same playoff? I believe it was, where it was that same playoff. Where he scores, yep, 21-22, where he scores the game winning goal in game five of the Stanley Cup final. Wow. What a yeah. Off a fee from David Savard and Ryan McDonough, Ross Colton beats was Carrie Price, and Emily at the time just erupted. And I remember going down to the to the arena. I watched the game on TV. Um, I went down to Amily and in the plaza, like the Lightning fans pushed over the portal potty. It was pouring rain. It was just wow, like, such good memories. And although his career here with the Lightning was short, his impact is like for me, like when I saw him, he got traded to Nashville, and I was like, man, what about a guy like Ross Colton back on the Lightning? You know, I mean, his production has petered off a little bit. Uh, you know, he's played 61 games and he played 61 games two years ago, had 29 points, 16 goals, 13 assists. I believe that was more so due to injury. And this past year, though, uh, 73 games, only had nine goals, 15 assists, he had 24 points. Production has petered a little bit, but just like what he provided. And when I remember when he wasn't going to be able to be re-signed by Tampa and he signed with Colorado, especially after you know, the Lightning lost to Colorado in that Stanley Cup final. Like what a dagger that was for Lightning fans. But yeah, just the memories, the impact that he had in the short time here, and like the swagger that he played with for me, that puts him as the fourth and last player on my Mount Rushmore of Lightning players drafted in the fourth round or later. Honorable mentions, um Matthew Joseph. I couldn't put him on here because I just have memories of Matthew Joseph having stone hands on breakaways and never being able to score. Uh, it just left you wanting more from him. Uh you know, unfortunately, like it's for me, it's just that's what I remember. That's what I'm memorized. His skating was undeniably incredible. But his finishing was utrid for the Catholic Lightning. Uh Nick Perbix, he played 220 games with the Lightning. He was just like for from a longevity standpoint for a player drafted, I believe, in the fifth or sixth round, good, 220 games with the Lightning now with the Nashville Predators, but um it wasn't impactful, I would say. He was just, he he ate minutes and as a defenseman, and that's what he did. Right? It wasn't ever impressive. Uh, it was just it was consistent and he was consistently available. So from that standpoint, good, but not enough to get into the top four of on this Mount Rushmore. Uh, how about this name, Paul Ranger? Like he played three or four seasons with the Lightning, but injuries kind of derailed him. And when looking at defensemen, like between him and let's say, if I had to compare him to Pabel Kubina, just the longevity of Kubina and Kubina's overall impact is what put him over the likes of Paul Ranger. Paul Ranger was a fantastic player, but I believe Paul Ranger missed like four years due to injury before resurfacing again with the Toronto Maple Leafs after he left the Lightning. So, you know, yeah. I mean, there was another player. It was, it was he didn't play for the Lightning, but it was um, he was drafted by the Lightning. Uh Bryce Salvador. If that name sounds familiar to older hockey heads, he was a um, I guess you could say a defensive pillar for St. Louis and the New Jersey Devils when New Jersey was winning their cups. Um played just under 800 games in the NHL. He was drafted in 1994, I believe it was in the sixth round, and he never played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Never played just under 800 games drafted by the Lightning, never played for them. Obviously, he's not going to make this list because he never impacted the Lightning, but it was just a name as I as I was researching. It was a name that was like, wow, that name is familiar. I didn't know he was drafted by the Lightning. So I learned something new. Um, so yeah. Uh Canada recap it. My Lightning, uh Mount Rushmore players drafted the fourth round, Andre Pilat, Pavel Kabina, Cedric Paquet, and Ross Colton. Uh, I'm definitely gonna post this on some social media stuff and try to get your uh get your guys' opinions on it. Um look, free agency is coming. You know, take it easy, right? Like, like don't blow gasket wondering what Julian Breeseball is gonna do. Just kind of let it take its place, right? Like I said, Julian Breeswall could go multiple different ways here, right? He could swing big and trade for Zach Werensky or somebody else. He could overpay in a free agency, he could do absolutely nothing and be comfortable with that. And I'm not saying you have to agree with all of them. I just like to believe that there's a plan for all of it, and he's not just winging it, right? And so, anyway, guys, we'll talk soon.