MONTREAL -- For guys who are supposed to be at odds, Len Barrie and Oren Koules sure spent a lot of time together yesterday.
The Lightning co-owners were spotted in the lobby bar of their downtown hotel less than an hour after commissioner Gary Bettman spoke of their state of co-existence.
If it wasn't for no-smoking laws, Barrie and Koules might have been caught taking pulls on a peace pipe.
"They're actually speaking and they sat at the board meeting next to each other," said Bettman, noting the gathering of league governors lasted from 10:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. "While they may some have long-term issues they'd like to resolve, things are stable and okay right now. I think ultimately whatever's going on can be resolved."
Quite likely by Barrie and Koules going their separate ways.
A year after they bought the Bolts, they met with Bettman Tuesday for a decision on who would have the final say on team decisions.
WON'T DEAL PICK
If a winner was to be declared, it would have be Koules, who is apparently on the same page as GM Brian Lawton. Speaking with reporters 26 years after he was the first pick in the 1983 draft, Lawton stated that he was responsible for the team's hockey decisions.
"We'll be delighted to make our pick (tomorrow)," Lawton said when asked about the possibility of dealing the second overall pick. "There's no allusions that we'll change the direction of our franchise with one trade. We just are excited to add another young player. Hopefully he can do half as well as (2008 first-rounder) Steven Stamkos."
However, the buzz still has the Lightning in financial trouble, and that the Koules/Barrie partnership will not last through next season.
"Sometimes (unsettled ownership situations) get overblown," Bettman said when asked about Tampa, Florida and Phoenix. "When you have partnerships, people don't always see eye to eye on everything. It's like marriage and friendships and all relationships."
