BRANDON - John Grahame took the news that Nikolai Khabibulin will be the Lightning's opening-night goalie with an I'm-not-surprised shrug.
"It's not really something I can control," Grahame said after a workout at the Ice Sports Forum. "Nik is a tremendous goaltender and he deserves a chance to play. But I think I deserve a chance to play as well."
Coach John Tortorella agrees. And even though he gave Khabibulin the nod - "There's not going to be any kind of goaltending controversy" - he said he expects Grahame to push Khabibulin for playing time. In fact, he wants Grahame to push because competition keeps players sharp.
"Decisions are not made yearly. Decisions are made daily," Tortorella said of playing time. "That's what we've tried to create here, that nothing is a given. If there's a time we feel certain players need to be taken out of the lineup to help the team win, then it's going to happen."
Consider last season. While Khabibulin struggled through a nine-game winless streak, Grahame kept the ship afloat by winning four of seven decisions and tying one. After Khabibulin was benched for Game 5 of the East semifinals against the Devils, Grahame sparkled with 46 saves in a 2-1 triple-overtime loss.
"Johnny Grahame has a mental toughness that I like. He's not going to give an inch, and that's what you want," Tortorella said. "Nik Khabibulin means so much to this organization, and you can't forget about what he's done for this team. John Grahame will have to wait his turn. But I like the attitude he brings. ... It's good to have that kind of push behind you."
RICHIE RICH: Brad Richards' new contract could be worth a heck of a lot more than the $9.25-million for which he signed. The center could earn hefty performance bonuses this season, and those bonuses would be added to his base salary for the final two seasons of his three-year deal.
If Richards earns the $700,000 on the table for a 100-point season, next season's $2.5-million base salary would increase to $3.2-million. And his 2005-06 salary would go from $4.35-million to $5.05-million.
Such revisions are not unique. One is included in Vinny Lecavalier's contract. What makes Richards' deal noteworthy is it is being used as a benchmark by players such as Ottawa's Martin Havlat, Minnesota's Marian Gaborik and Edmonton's Mike Comrie. Each, like Richards, is coming out of his entry-level contract.
"It doesn't matter what Tampa Bay did," Senators general manager John Muckler told the Ottawa Sun. "I'm not running Tampa Bay. That's (GM Jay) Feaster's job. He did what he felt was best for the organization. I don't have to like it, but I'm not going to criticize it."
SECURITY CONCERNS: Defenseman Brad Lukowich said eight screws and a metal plate were inserted into his right middle finger to repair breaks in two places above the knuckle sustained during last season's playoffs. The result: He said he sets off airport security metal detectors.
"I could go naked and it would go off," he said.
Lukowich said his hand was so stiff when he resumed skating in July, he could not hold his stick. He said that is no longer an issue. He might not be so lucky in airports. Lukowich said the screws and plate never will be removed.
SORE THUMB: Richards said his strained right thumb, which he hurt during a workout on his native Prince Edward Island, is still "tender" and expects the pain to be with him into the season. On the plus side, he said, "The sharp pain is gone," and he does not expect it to hamper his play.
LIGHTNING LOSES AGAIN: Tampa Bay lost 2-1 to the Blues on Saturday at Center Ice Arena and fell to 0-2 in the rookie evaluation camp at Traverse City, Mich. Forward Adam Henrich skated in warmups but missed the game because of an oblique muscle strained in Friday's loss to the Red Wings.
Trainer Adam Rambo said Henrich's injury is not serious and the 2002 second-round pick is day to day.
Konstantin Zakharov gave the Blues a 2-0 first-period lead with goals at 7:55 and 15:35. Defenseman Gerard Dicaire scored for the Lightning on the power play at 17:04.
