Svitov Called Up

Don't kill the messenger.

http://messageboard.tampabaylightning.com/InfoPop/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=004279

-Sharon

Down with Sharon!!!!!

(j/k, thanks for stopping by)

I like this:

"i think our management knows what they are doing. we have a 7-0-1 record"


They're so cute at that age.

This IS a curious move.

Is there a need for more size in the lineup vs. Washington and LA?

Is Cibak not doing his job?

Is Taylor hurt?

I'm anxious to hear the reasoning for this one.

Free Willis!

If Cibak wasn't doing his job, then I'd guess that Cibak would be sent down. If TBL wanted five centers on the roster, then they would've started the season with both Cibak and Svitov.

It has to be a result of some kind of injury to one of the team's current forwards. Did something happen in practice this morning? I'm trying to find out detail... will post when available.

No injuries, etc.

According to our good friend Easy-E, they plan to alternate Cibak and Svitov.

Whatever it is, I don't like it. If Cibak wasn't doing his job (which he is), I'd rather see Perrin get the call than Svitov.

I'm trying to find out detail... will post when available.

No injury.

Basically it seems to be a case where Svitov is getting rewarded for his recent good play in Hamilton. We've noticed that, but apparently Doug Jarvis has lobbied for him to Feaster. The TBL want a couple of games to take another look at him since his play has been so well in Hamilton of late. Look for Cibak to get a few games off, but with the caution not to read anything more into it than that.

source: TBL

Interesting indeed. While Svitov has been playing well, IMO both Willis and Perrin deserve a call-up before Svitov. However, I speculate that because the Hershey forward ranks have been so decimated by the Avalanche, that the TBL can't really hang Fixter out to dry right now.

The Avs currently have called up four forwards and one defenseman from Hershey, plus two other Av forward prospects are injured. That currently leaves ZERO forwards on the Hershey team that are under contract to the Avs. If Feaster recalls Perrin, Willis, Keefe, or Artukhin, then it would really decimate the Bears.

Tough luck for Willis and Perrin right now. Maybe they'll get a look-see when the Avs start returning some of the forwards they've called up.

Whatever it is, I don't like it. If Cibak wasn't doing his job (which he is), I'd rather see Perrin get the call than Svitov.

I agree, Joe. I'd like to see Perrin, as he could bring more offense right now. I'd equally like to see Svitov continue to build confidence and play consistently in Hamilton.

Hershey's got a numbers problem... or so some Avs fans are reporting based on some inside info. They apparently only iced 17 skaters in their last game due to call-ups and injuries.

Edit: Sorry, Ex. I posted that while you were posting your info.

Kilger was reassigned to Montreal, so Hamilton is now "down" two centers from where they were last night. I wonder if Jarvis knew Kilger was going back up?

However, I speculate that because the Hershey forward ranks have been so decimated by the Avalanche, that the TBL can't really hang Fixter out to dry right now.

TBL denied my speculation as to the reason why Svitov was called up over Willis or Perrin, and re-iterated this is really just about giving Svitov a look at center. Willis does appear to be first in line for a call-up at wing.

I wonder if Jarvis knew Kilger was going back up?

Yes. It was known to the media that Kilger was on a 3-day, weekend rehab trip, so I'm sure Jarvis knew.

I am happy to see Svitov has been called up to the Bolts. Now Higgins can play center in Hamilton since the only other centers on the roster are Plekanec and Gratton.

Is there a need for more size in the lineup vs. Washington and LA?

Is Cibak not doing his job?

I'm anxious to hear the reasoning for this one.

It has become very obvious that Cibak lacks the body strength and size to win the battles along the board against a physical center. It isn't that Cibak has done that bad, he just doesn't have the size of Svitov. I recall commenting at least once a game watching Cibak get pushed off the puck, that this is why they wanted Svitov to make the team. Unfortunately, Svitov came to camp out of shape and they couldn't reward him with making the team. Now that he is doing better they have the "excuse" to bring him up.

I think this is a good move. I just didn't think they would do anything during the "streak".

This is not a big deal, IMO. Maybe they want to sit Cibak for a coupla games, put Svitov and Fedotenko together with Clymer and see what happens. Svitov can easily be sent back down, while the same cannot be said of bringing up Willis or Keefe (if/when they come up it's for good or until they're traded).

The meritocracy is a fraud. If they wanted to recall a center, Perrin has done more to earn such a callup than Svitov. Matter of fact, I'll make the argument I'd put Keefe ahead of Svitov for that callup. All this represents is blind favoritism, and its self defeating blind favoritism because they're stunting Svitov's development.

I said it two summers ago, but this organization still refuses to understand it. This guy has been playing 4th line minutes since he was 16 years old. That's right, for the last 5 years of his hockey life he's been asked to do one thing: not be a liability. That's it. Nothing too challenging. Nothing to sharpen his considerable physical gifts. Is he strong on the puck? Yes. Smart defensively? Yes. Has a great shot? Yes. But its been rotting for half a decade either on the end of a bench or in a Russian army installation, because 1 of those years he wasn't even playing hockey.

The way you get this young man to the promised land is you stick him in Hamilton for 40 games and you let him ::gasp:: get ice time and ::double gasp:: let him get his offense sharpened before you even THINK of bringing him back. All they are doing by recalling him to alternate (ALTERNATE! Jesus H Christ that's even worse than his situation last year!) at 4th line center is ensuring he won't meet his potential and that we wasted a #3 pick on a checking liner.

And the blackballing of Shane Willis continues. This is a goddamned joke.

It's a good thing you guys e-mail Feaster and not me. The f' bomb would definitely be in play. God I hate this crap.

-Pete Choquette

PS The only good thing about this trade:

Roy/Svitov/Fedotenko

OR

Fedotenko/Svitov/Clymer

Could be a gritty lower line and might wake up Fedotenko. Waste of a #3 overall pick though. The HF Lightning swear jar would've overflowethed had it been in my car when the word came over the radio.

-Pete Choquette

Waste of a #3 overall pick though.

As what I have been saying since day ONE! Still early, I really don't see this situation getting any better for Svitov. :shakehead I think at this point, it's safe to assume that the Lightning will forever screw up the 1st round by either

1. Trading away our first round pick
2. Waste the talent, only to have the player florish with another team.

I'm not THAT pessimistic. I think once they get an AHL affilite in place there will be an apparatus in place that allows them to more comfortably cultivate players in the minors and the temptation to rush them will be less.

And I don't think the Svitov pick was a wasted one yet. I was talking to Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and even they see that he drips potential. But there was the tag that was put on the guy "Most NHL Ready" because of the amount of games he had played in the Superleague and his physical maturity but no one stopped to think about the limited minutes the guy had played and that was made a problem by ten fold because of the contract dispute with Omsk.

Bottom line, you look at Tortorella and Feaster they've both been on the radio at different times saying they want to develop talent patiently like the Devils do (and I take solace in knowing they probably read my story on the minor league system, or at the very least Monsieur Preble helped them craft the company line based on it). But you know, talk is cheap, words are plentiful, deeds are precious.

Patrik Elias spent 134 games with Albany of the AHL before becoming a full time NHLer.

John Madden spent 149 games with Albany of the AHL before becoming a full time NHLer.

Colin White spent 205 games with Albany of the AHL before becoming a full time NHLer.

You look up and down that team and you see patience. Not in word, but in deed. Most everybody on that team had at least a season in the minors with the rare exception of guys like Niedermayer or Gomez who were CLEARLY ready to contribute in more than minor ways when they came in (a la our own Brad Richards).

And then you look at our guys, and a lot of this was Rick Dudley's obsession with prospects and rushing them to the NHL level so he could play with his new toys right away.

Jimmie Olvestad has played 16 games in the minors.

Alex Svitov has played 22 games in the minors.

Sheldon Keefe has played 74 games in the minors.

Nikita Alexeev has played 80 games in the minors.

And in all four cases they spent about half of their rookie seasons or more in the pros and their stints in the minors haven't been continuous. And now Jay Feaster is continuing the failed policies of Rick Dudley by rushing Svitov into the show and having him ride the shuttle between the minors and the pros rather than allowing him to develop continuously. We wonder why guys haven't developed to expectations after poor camp showings and then we cut short their development time in the minors. DUH! Its a downward spiraling destructive cycle that needs to end.

Playing Alex Svitov 10 minutes a night every other night does not further what should be the goal of this franchise: helping him fulfill his 25 goal 65 points and a cloud of dust potential. Its short sighted. Its self defeating. Its just plain WRONG. And its not like we're an expansion team with no depth that has to do this. We have a score of other candidates to plug in at any forward position. This is a case of 100% elective mismanagement. Nothing is holding a gun to Feaster's head forcing him to do this. Ray and Stevie also told me that even they can see he needs more time in the minors than 22 games career and 11 this season. A shame Feaster can't see that too.

-Pete Choquette

P.S. I've been saying this all along:

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=4658

Please, for goodness sakes, someone slow down and listen to reason.

Bottom line, you look at Tortorella and Feaster they've both been on the radio at different times saying they want to develop talent patiently like the Devils do (and I take solace in knowing they probably read my story on the minor league system, or at the very least Monsieur Preble helped them craft the company line based on it). But you know, talk is cheap, words are plentiful, deeds are precious.



And he SHOULD leave him in the AHL where he belongs, instead of sending the wrong message. Like you said, one thing is to say, one thing is to do.

All they are doing by recalling him to alternate (ALTERNATE! Jesus H Christ that's even worse than his situation last year!) at 4th line center is ensuring he won't meet his potential and that we wasted a #3 pick on a checking liner.




From today's Trib:


``As we look at it right now, the place we would like to have some options is that third line center position,'' Feaster said. ``Svitov is a guy who gives us a lot of different weapons. He's a big strong guy, who skates well, he has some offensive ability - he's not going to light it up - but I think he's a guy who is made for that third-fourth line duties.''

In this sense, yes, it could be viewed as a waste of the #3 overall pick.

You don't go checking line with a top-3 pick. If they thought he could be more, they need to give him a chance to develope those skills. This has all been said before.

Our "third line" (Cibak's line) is really the 4th line by minutes so that's a misleading statement by Feaster right away.

he's not going to light it up - but I think he's a guy who is made for that third-fourth line duties.

Way to aim high Jay. :shakehead

If I was Goertzen or Yanchenkov I'd been in open revolt if my GM was openly saying things like this and going about his business under the belief that Svitov is only "made for that third-fourth line duties" because that would reflect poorly on my reputation as a scout to use a #3 overall on a player that is going to be pigeon holed like that.

-Pete Choquette

What a shame, I have been saying all along that I haven't had a good feeling about this. Though this isn't the final chapter, it sure looks like the ending isn't going to change. If we only landed Kovalchuk or Spezza.....

If we only landed Kovalchuk or Spezza.....

We'd have screwed them up, too.

HA! Well maybe someone should send a memo to Fleester and make him take note of the Ottawa Senators. Yashin, Bonk, Berard (Redden), Phillips, Hossa, Havlat, Volchenkov, AND Spezza. Not bad...not bad at all.

I remember that season we had the second worse record and Atlanta won the draft moving us down to #3. Dudley said there was 3 top guys not 2. At this point Kovalchuck is putting up amazing #'s and Ottawa is steadily bringing up Spezza who was rated the #1 prospect by HF.

At the time he was drafted wasn't he labeled a Holik, Lindin, Peca?


When we drafted Svitov I was wondering why we would draft a third line power forward. Then again, Lecavalier-Richards-Svitov-Cibak is probably the best crop of up and coming centers in the league, and fit their place in the lineup nicely. If we could sorround them with talent that would be nice.

A bit of a tangent, but still related: any news about an AHL affiliate, possibly by next season? What have the rumors been, if any? What exactly is the hold up?

Still looking for an agreement. Rumor is it will be done by Christmas.

Feaster has been in touch with the owner of the former Louisville franchise, who is looking for a city to put a team in. Leading the rumor pack are Des Moines and Kansas City. K.C. cannot support an AHL team, IMO, and though there's a group in K.C. trying to bring hockey in (they're called "NHL-21"), their goal is to bring in an NHL club. I've spoken with the Sports Editor of the KC Star and he hasn't heard of any NHL or AHL interest in the city at this time.

Utah has been the latest destination rumored as apparently Dallas wants to pull their affiliation out of there (or their contract is up at the end of the year) and have it somewhere closer to Dallas.

Can't wait for it to be done.

And I don't think the Svitov pick was a wasted one yet. I was talking to Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and even they see that he drips potential.

:joker:

I was at the last 3 games the Hamilton Bulldogs played, and I was impressed with Svitov's play. Also he was the last guy off the ice after warmups, staying out there taking shots on net, in 2 of the 3 games.

You can see he's strong and fiesty, I was surprised Hamilton got him. It sucks that he was called up though, as he seemed to have chemistry with Alex Perezhogin, who doesn't speak much English, and will now have troubles with the langauge again.

It sucks that he was called up though, as he seemed to have chemistry with Alex Perezhogin, who doesn't speak much English, and will now have troubles with the langauge again.

We are sorry we called him up also

We?

You're speaking for all of us now? Oh, gawd, please don't.

:(

Here's a tissue. I'm sorry.

And back down he goes...


C Alex Svitov, who was benched for the third period, was reassigned to AHL Hamilton after the game.

Per the Trib.

Well that leaves this team a center short, so is Perrin on the way back?

Or the more intiriguing option... Keefe as a center???

-Pete Choquette

Well that leaves this team a center short, so is Perrin on the way back?

Or the more intirguing option... Keefe as a center???

-Pete Choquette

They had Clymer on the Dirt Line in place of Dingman for a while last night. I wonder if instead of Dingman, Clymer replaces Andreychuk or Taylor and one moves down to the 4th.

I'd like to see Keefe. Get someone with energy up here.