Lightning Round: Alex Barre-Boulet and Gemel Smith added to waivers

Oct 4, 2022 - 11:00 AM

Just yesterday we wrote, “There is a danger of losing Smith and Barre-Boulet on waivers like they did last year, but that is a chance the Lightning might be willing to take.” A few hours after that the Tampa Bay Lightning took that chance as they placed Gemel Smith and Alex Barre-Boulet on waivers with the intention of sending them to the Syracuse Crunch.

It wasn’t much of a surprise as both have been waived by the Lightning in the past. The chanced of them clearing are quite good (although both were claimed last season when they were waived) as neither has found a way to find consistent playing time in the NHL. If they do clear, then they will be a tremendous help for the Crunch.

While the news has put a damper on their 2022-23 season, it is good news for some of the rookies vying for spots in camp. It was another cut day and Cole Koepke, Gabriel Fortier, and Symon Ryfors are still in camp (as is P.C. Labrie). It’s likely that, barring a surprise trade or waiver claim by the Lightning, that at least two of those players will make the roster. The two upcoming games against the Florida Panthers will likely decide which of them will make the opening night roster.

Lightning / NHL News

Veteran addition Ian Cole wants to help Lightning defensemen read plays the same way [Tampa Bay Times]

Adding a two-time Stanley Cup champion at a bargain rate contract could be one of those underrated Julien BriseBois deals that goes pretty much unnoticed until they are raising the Stanley Cup. Expect him to block a lot of shots this year.

Raw Charge Top 25 Under 25: #1 Mikhail Sergachev [Raw Charge]

In the least surprising news of the summer (it’s still summer to me!) Mikhail Sergachev topped the rankings of the top 25 players under the age of 25 in the Lightning organization. Excellent.

As the number of players in camp dwindles we get a better idea of how the lines will shape up when the season actually begins. Erik Erlendsson was at practice today and Tweeted the power play units. That second unit could be sneaky good.

Florida Panthers announce proceeds from game will go to Hurricane Ian relief efforts [Florida Hockey Now]

The Panthers and Lightning are meeting up for a preseason tilt on Thursday in Sunrise and the home team announced that all proceeds from ticket sales will go to Hurricane Ian relief efforts as will funds from their 50/50 raffle. Fans attending the game can also donate items such as blankets, air mattresses, nonperishable food, and bottled water.

NHL to debut digitally enhanced dasherboards [ESPN]

Get ready for a new viewing experience. The NHL is going to roll out digitally enhanced dasherboards for games this season. Broadcasters will now have the ability to display rotating ads along the dasherboards throughout the game, thereby increasing ad revenue and target specific markets. Chances are it will be quite jarring early on for viewers and then kind of fade off into the background. The brain is pretty good at filtering out non-essential noise when it needs to. That being said, I’m sure a lot of folks will be outraged for a week or so.

Hockey Canada used player fees to build a second fund for sexual assault claims [The Globe and Mail]

It’s time to burn Hockey Canada to the ground, right? When you have not one, but two vaguely titled funds to pay off potential sexual abuse claims it’s a pretty good indication that the entire structure is flawed from the inside out.

2023 NHL Draft: Early Top 32 Rankings [Daily Faceoff]

As of right now the Tampa Bay Lightning don’t have a contestant in this fight as they don’t have their 2023 first round pick, still it’s always fun to see who the top prospects are for next summer. Connor Bedard tops the list as expected, but Dylan Duke’s University of Michigan teammate, Adam Fantilli, is moving up the list. Expect some of these players to appear in the IIHF World Junior Championships later this year.

Pierre-Olivier Joseph on trading block [Pensburgh]

The little brother of former Bolt, Mathieu, Joseph might be the odd man out for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they look to put a solid roster around their aging core of superstars.

Ottawa Senators claim goaltender Magnus Hellberg [Silver Seven Sens]

Not every player is going to slip through waivers at this time of year. The Seattle Kraken tried to get goaltender Magnus Hellberg through, but he was claimed by Ottawa, who was in need of another netminder after Cam Talbot was diagnosed with a fractured rib that will keep him out of the line-up for five-to-seven weeks.

First shootout of the season, Erik Cernak better be first in line to take a shot after this silky move.