DETROIT - Lightning owner Bill Davidson said he is proud of the way his team has performed for general manager Jay Feaster and coach John Tortorella. But he still is not convinced the Tampa Bay area is a viable hockey market.
Because of that, and because of losses Tampa Bay has said reached $50-million since Palace Sports & Entertainment bought the team and the St. Pete Times Forum lease in June 1999, Davidson reiterated he'll wait for a new collective-bargaining agreement before deciding whether to keep the team.
Davidson said there are inquiries "all the time" as to the Lightning's availability. "Whether they are serious or not, that's something (else)."
He said the team isn't soliciting offers and inquiries go no further because the league is discouraging anything more until labor issues are settled.
"The league is in deep financial trouble," Davidson said Monday. "Southern cities aren't, I don't want to say not as profitable, but you don't have the following you have in northern cities. Up here, they probably have three times the ticket prices we have. So it's difficult to look forward to Tampa Bay as a viable market. A lot depends on what happens with the new collective-bargaining agreement."
Davidson, whose offices are in nearby Auburn Hills, Mich., said he is disappointed with the team's finances. The Lightning has said it will lose $10-million on its Tampa operation before playoff revenue.
But Davidson said he is "100 percent" behind Feaster's player moves and "keeping the payroll in an area we consider to be prudent."
Davidson said the key for the Lightning has been "the way Jay has handled things and the player moves he's made. And John Tortorella has done a great job in terms of getting the players confident and together."
Moves appear unlikely
The lines of communication between Feaster and fellow GMs apparently are open, though it appears unlikely there will be a trade before today's 3 p.m. deadline.
"We're talking to teams and seeing what's there," Feaster said from his Times Forum office. "But at this point I'm not expecting it to be a busy day."
It was believed the Lightning would try to bolster its defensive depth. But Feaster said preserving the chemistry of a squad that is on a 24-3-2-4 run was just as important.
Feaster also said he was wary of giving up the draft choices or prospects for which teams asked.
"The price is relative for what you're doing to your (locker) room," he said. "If you're willing to pay the price and willing to pick up the money, then I have to fit that player into the room and displace somebody. And now maybe I've created three or four displacements. And maybe I've displaced the guy who the players say is the glue. I'm not sure why we do it."
So don't hold your breath.
"I like the club," Feaster said.
KHABIBULIN HONORED: Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was named the league's defensive player of the week. Khabibulin was 4-0 with a 1.99 goals-against average, a .927 save percentage and a shutout.
SEASON HIGHS: Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis played 25:42. Left wing Fredrik Modin played 23:17. Center Vinny Lecavalier played 23:06.
ODDS AND ENDS: The Red Wings lost center Robert Lang, who came in as the league's second-leading scorer behind St. Louis, late in the second period with what was called an upper-body injury that might have occurred when checked cleanly by Tampa Bay defenseman Cory Sarich. ... Detroit defenseman Derian Hatcher played 15:43 on 21 shifts in his first game since Oct.16, when he sustained a right-knee injury. ... Lightning prospect Gerald Coleman, who plays for nearby London, Ontario, and is one of the OHL's top goalies, was at the game. ... Defensemen Nolan Pratt and Darren Rumble and left wing Chris Dingman were scratched.
