Barry Melrose was supposed to be the one who could guide a re-vamped and rebuilt Tampa Bay Lightning out of the NHL cellar were they spent most of last season. Unfortunately, the Lightning have failed to play anywhere near up to expectations, and have stumbled through the opening of the season, compiling a disappointing 5-7-4 record.
The blame can’t be placed solely on Melrose’s shoulders, however. While the beleaguered coach certainly failed to get the best out of the roster he was given in the offseason, something must be said about the great deal of inconsistency that has plagued the Lightning all season. As one reporter pointed out, there have been at least 11 different defensemen in the lineup for the Lightning, while the anchors of past season’s defensive corps were dealt away in the offseason. Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich were both traded away, and one of the main pieces that the Lightning received in return, Matt Carle, was dealt to Philadelphia only a few weeks into the season.
At the same time, Tampa Bay has been terrible on offense. Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis have been decidedly unimpressive, leading the Lightning to a league=-low 2.06 goals per game. The only thing that has kept the Lightning from being even worse this season has been the play of their goalies, who were supposed to be the question mark in the new roster. The Lightning defense has allowed a league high 35.4 shots on goal per game, placing all the load on the goaltending tandem of Olaf Kolzig and Mike Smith.
What it comes down to, is that, while Melrose clearly didn’t put a system in place which most efficiently utilized the talent on his roster, at the same time, none of the players on his team have performed u to the expectations that were placed on them either. While finding a new coach is most certainly a necessity, the Lightning players will need to figure out what they have been doing wrong if they want to have any chance at making the playoffs this season.