The Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning have won the two
most recent Stanley Cups that the NHL has awarded, but any AHL
observer is fully aware of the struggles that the two clubs' AHL
affiliates have endured in recent seasons.
This season both organizations continue to have their respective
struggles in the AHL. Tampa Bay's AHL affiliate, the Springfield
Falcons, is an uninspiring 5-6-0-0. The Albany River Rats, who host
the Hurricanes' AHL prospects along with those from the Colorado
Avalanche, are a decidedly disappointing 5-6-1-0 more than a month
into the AHL's regular season.
Mediocre to poor records at the AHL level can be the byproduct of
neglect from the NHL parent club, poor draft classes, thin
organizational depth and so on, but both Albany and Springfield
should be prospering much more after the commitment that Carolina
and Tampa Bay put forth this past summer. In both cases, the NHL
parent clubs sunk a lot of effort into rebuilding their respective
AHL operations.
After some wandering through the AHL and the former IHL, both
organizations have finally found what look to be relatively stable
homes. Carolina shifted their AHL operations to Albany from Lowell,
Mass. this past summer. Tampa Bay set up shop in Springfield prior
to the 2004-05 season.
Upon their respective arrivals in their new cities, the two
Southeast Division organizations set about icing competitive AHL
affiliates and upgrading organizational depth.
Under a new head coach, former NHLer Dirk Graham, Tampa Bay made at
the time seemed to be a number of useful veteran additions for the
Falcons, names like Craig Darby, Shane Willis, Jamie Storr and Terry
Virtue all joining the organizational fold in 2004. Proven veterans
Brad Tiley, Anders Eriksson and Todd Rohloff all came onboard for
2005-06.
Few could have argued with those moves at the time, but by and
large, the moves bombed. The Falcons put together 57- and 65-point
seasons in 2004-05 and 2005-06, respectively, finishing nowhere even
remotely close to a playoff berth.
Once one of the AHL's stronger markets, years of non-playoff hockey
have impacted a Springfield team trying to firm its footprint in
Western Massachusetts.
Solidifying the Falcons for seasons to come is a worthwhile goal for
Tampa Bay, as the Lightning like Springfield's location in the AHL's
crowded New England corridor that cuts down on travel time, adds to
practice time and makes keeping tabs on Tampa-contracted players and
players from other organizations very easy.
"We're very mindful of making sure that we grow that fan base
there," said Tampa Bay executive vice president and general manager
Jay Feaster. "It's a market that has suffered there for a number of
years."
So this summer, the Lightning and the Falcons once again sat down
and tinkered with the blueprint. Surely adding the likes of Andy
Delmore, who won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenceman
last season, and proven goal-scorer Eric Healey qualified as very
solid moves. The Falcons received a boost in goal with NHLer Sean
Burke's demotion to the AHL at season's start. Respected former NHL
head coach Steve Stirling replaced Graham.
"We want to win there," Feaster said. "There is no question. I think
that Bruce Landon is one of the best owners in the business, and
with my background in the American League, I know how important it
is to win for the owner [in an AHL market]."
"You want a partner that you have a good relationship with and you
can trust."
Meanwhile, after a robust 2004-05 season with Eric Staal and Cam
Ward as their AHL centrepieces, Carolina found itself needing to
boost its organizational depth after running into roster last season
while based in Lowell. Last season, the Carolina-Colorado
partnership in Lowell was left scrambling for players from the lower
leagues when injuries and recalls hit.
The Hurricanes found themselves this summer moving into a new locale
in Albany, N.Y., a hockey market badly scarred after years of a
losing relationship with the New Jersey Devils. With an eye on
making a splash in their new home while building up the
organizational stable of depth players, the Hurricanes went out and
signed Willis, Derrick Walser, Brad Isbister and Tim Conboy to
combine with holdovers Keith Aucoin and David Gove.
As part of the dual affiliation with Colorado, the Avalanche
provided reliable two-way centre Ben Guite and Matt Murley, who
spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"You've got to have depth so that you don't get crushed with call-
ups and injuries," Albany head coach Tom Rowe said.
The River Rats may have too much depth now, particularly with two
NHL parent clubs supplying players. An excess of players who fall
under the AHL's veteran rules has left Rowe sitting out top-end
veteran AHL players on a nightly basis.
Springfield is a less top-heavy with veterans this season, but
adding the likes of Delmore and Healey meant that the Lightning
could not be happy to settle for anything less than at least a
competitive Springfield team.
"We believe in development," Feaster explained, "and we believe that
our guys develop better in a winning atmosphere. But it has been a
slow go so far. I think that one of the biggest things so far is
that we pretty much have one offensive line [in Springfield]."
Indeed, part of Springfield's problem has been the players who made
the cut in Tampa Bay. Centre Eric Perrin and defenceman Doug Janik,
both top-notch AHLers, both might have been expected to begin the
season with the Falcons.
They never arrived in Springfield, however, as the pair both made
the cut with the Lightning out of training camp.
Now, the Falcons do have the luxury of having an NHL veteran like
Burke in Springfield to help tutor Finnish goalie prospect Karri
Ramo. Putting any long-time NHL goaltender in the AHL for the first
time in his career certainly bears the potential for problems, but
the word is that the Burke situation and its dynamics have gone well
for the Falcons.
And having Burke in Springfield and playing is preferable to having
him withering in Tampa Bay as a third goaltender to Marc Denis and
Johan Holmqvist, particularly in terms of eventually being able to
move Burke to another situation that would enable his return to the
NHL.
"The reality of the situation," Feaster explained, "is that he is
going to have to stand on his hand and show that he can still play,
and then as teams go along and have some goaltending trouble, then I
think we should be able to [make a move]. The big thing is that
Burke needs to be playing."
The River Rats are in the midst of a Western Conference trip taking
them through difficult stops at Milwaukee, Grand Rapids and Peoria.
Springfield hosts the powerful Portland Pirates tonight. This
weekend would be as good as any for both teams to put up a big
weekend.
And so with the season still rather early, Tampa Bay and Carolina
are hopeful of turning the corner.
"I hope so," Feaster said. "Certainly it has been frustrating."
COMINGS AND GOINGS
The Boston Bruins shipped out G Hannu Toivonen and D Mark Stuart to
Providence. Brian Finley, who has found new life in Providence, will
replace Toivonen in Beantown.
San Antonio picked up some additional muscle when the Phoenix
Coyotes assigned tough guy Josh Gratton to the Rampage.
Bridgeport loaned forward Matt Koalska to the Hershey Bears on
Wednesday.
BOLTS, FLYERS SWAP AHLERS
A pair of disappointing clubs in the opening month, Springfield and
Philadelphia, hooked up on a trade on Thursday. The parent Tampa Bay
Lightning sent gritty winger Darren Reid to the Flyers for
playmaking centreman Daniel Corso.
Reid, 23, is a gritty third-year pro who should add some
abrasiveness to the Phantoms' lineup. The Alberta native had a goal
in 10 games with the Falcons this season.
The 28-year-old Corso returned to the AHL from a European stint.
Corso battled an injury early in the season, but he managed a point-
per-game pace with the Phantoms (2-4-6 in six games) this season and
is at least a reasonable recall option for the Lightning.
For Philadelphia, given the unexpected presence of a number of
veterans in the AHL with the Phantoms - Nolan Baumgartner and the
recently recalled Petr Nedved, for starters - the trade relieves the
Phantoms of a veteran in Corso.
NUMBERS
Chicago's Jason Krog leads the AHL in scoring with 25 points. Krog's
16 assists lead the AHL as well. Teammate Darren Haydar trails Krog
by four points.
Mathieu Darche of Worcester and his 12 goals lead the AHL.
Hartford's Dale Purinton leads the AHL with 58 penalty minutes.
OVERTIME
Chicago forward Jason Krog won AHL player of the week honours for
the week ending Sunday. Krog went 3-7-10 in three games, including a
seven-point effort last weekend in a 10-5 win at Peoria. The seven-
point outing was the most in the AHL in close to eight since
November 1998 when Providence's Randy Robitaille and Landon Wilson
both put up seven points in a 14-2 win at Syracuse.
Chicago has outscored opponents, 38-15, in seven road wins so far
this season.
The AHL will introduce its 2007 AHL Hall of Fame class next
Wednesday. Induction ceremonies will be held during the AHL All-Star
Classic in Toronto in late January. Tickets for the AHL All-Star
Classic also go on sale this coming Monday.
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers logged a ridiculous 2,622 kilometres on
the bus last week, somehow also managing to squeeze in four games in
five days. Leg one had the Sound Tigers heading from Connecticut to
southern Virginia for a game at Norfolk. From there, the traveling
road show moved on to Binghamton, N.Y. for last Friday's game with
the Senators. A Maine-bound overnighter to Portland followed. The
Sound Tigers finally arrived home in the early hours of Sunday
morning from Portland, slept in and then hit the ice for a late-
afternoon home date with Hartford, losing 2-1.
Patrick Williams can be reached at patrickwilliams@canoemail.com.
