With two preseason games remaining, Tampa Bay Lightning roster coming in to focus

by Erik Erlendsson |  @Erik_Erlendsson |  Like us on Facebook
October 6, 2021

ORLANDO – When it comes to earning roster spots out of training camp, it’s not first impressions that matter but lasting impressions.

With two games left on the preseason schedule for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the start of the regular season less than a week away, final roster decisions for the opener on Tuesday against Pittsburgh are now in the final stages.

And the decisions on who makes the cut are starting to come into focus, particularly for two players who made lasting impressions coming out of Tuesday’s rough-and-tumble tilt against the Florida Panthers.

Tampa Bay sat out a good number of regulars on Tuesday, which allowed the coaching staff to get another look at the players still vying for spots on the opening night roster and lineup.

All of Alex Barre-Boulet, Boris Katchouk, Taylor Raddysh and Simon Ryfors were in the lineup against the Panthers, the fourth time in five games the trio has been in the lineup together this preseason, making it literally a direct competition for the chance to start the season with the Lightning.

“That was our best game we played in preseason and we were playing a good team,” Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said of Tuesday’s game. ” thought, all those young guys, they fit in their lines, they made plays, they did their jobs”.

During the 2003 preseason, when there was a spot open on the Lightning roster, one player in particular left a lasting impression late in the preseason. It was during a game in Kitchener, Ontario, late in the third period and Tampa Bay protecting a lead. Dmitry Afanasenkov, a third round pick in 1998 at the time – the same draft that produced Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards – was known more for his potential skill set and offensive upside. But there was Afanasenkov, looking to make his first opening day roster after a couple of call ups the previous two seasons, out late in the third period.

In looking to preserve Tampa Bay’s lead at the time, Afanasenkov laid out to block a shot. For a player looking to add a different element to his game in an attempt to win a roster spot, it left quite an impression. Afanasenkov made the team and was a key bottom six forward on the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup championship team.

Why, might you ask, is this relevant?

With at least one roster spot open this year, a lasting impression can go a long way.

And needless to say, Katchouk – a former second-round pick in 2016 known as a scorer in junior who has transformed into a reliable two-way center who has hit double-digits in goals the past two seasons – might have made a lasting impression in his showing against the Panthers on Tuesday that no doubt will leave an image in the coaching staff as well as his teammates.

Early in the third period, when the temperature was starting to rise after Florida’s Sam Bennett made a run at Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in the second period, and declined any invitations to stand up to his actions, it ended up being Katchouk 34 seconds into the third period who dropped the gloves with Bennett.

It earned major props from the team.

“Fighting is not easy, I think it’s maybe the hardest job in the league,” Lightning forward Pat Maroon said. “Boris did a hell of a job in stepping up, responding and taking it upon himself to respond. So good for Boris. Obviously, he’s here for a reason and to do that, I think it opens up a lot of eyes around the room and he grows a lot of respect for answering the bell. So hats off the Boris, it takes a lot of courage to fight.”

Those type of moments, whether you agree with fighting in the game or not, go a long way and resonate in a locker room. It shows a willingness to put the team in front of the individual, and in hockey circles, that matters.

While Barre-Boulet didn’t show anything that resonated like that, or stood out, he quietly put forth perhaps his best showing to this point of the preseason, more so than his performance in the opening game of the preseason when he notched the only goal of the game. Barre-Boulet, who has been a top line scorer at every level to this point in his career, was put on the top line with Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat while showing an understanding of how to play with those top players and looked like he had some chemistry.

Barre-Boulet also saw work on the top power play unit, including getting time on the 5-on-3 unit, striking the crossbar on his best look of the night. Since the game was played at Amway Center, there were no available stats regarding ice time or situational play, so it was difficult to judge by the stat sheet what the game looked like.

But, looking toward next week, it’s easy to see the potential the coaching staff sees with Barre-Boulet in the lineup depending on the role he would be asked to play.

Raddysh also had his best game of the preseason, picking up an assist on Mikhail Sergachev’s power play goal. Raddysh had some decent looks off the rush, looked to get to the middle areas of the ice and was more noticeable on Tuesday. That is a good sign that he elevated his game while going up against an NHL team instead of one mixed with veterans and prospects.

Ryfors, who led the Swedish Elite League in goals last season, continues to adapt to the smaller ice surfaces in North America after playing his full career to this point in Sweden. It’s easy to see why he was successful in Sweden and his play to this point even made it to Elliotte Friedman’s 32 thoughts column this week as a training camp standout/surprise that has garnered some attention.

But Ryfors is the only of the four players that do not require waivers to be assigned to the Syracuse Crunch, which might allow for him to get top line playing time to start and allow him more time to adjust.

Now, with two more games remaining, the impressions are all but made. Now it comes down to the decisions.

The clock is ticking. 

Training camp schedule is below, all practices at TGH IcePlex in Brandon unless otherwise noted (all sessions closed to the public):

Thursday Oct. 7

Morning skate: 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. at Amalie Arena

vs. Florida, 7 p.m.

Friday Oct. 8

Practice, 12 p.m. at Amalie Arena

Saturday Oct. 9

Morning skate: 10:15 a.m. at Amalie Arena

at Florida, 6 p.m.