Don't do it again, Lightning

Oren Koules should not have the power to make trades or signings until he actually owns the team.

By John Romano, Times Staff Writer
Published February 25, 2008

Lightning center Brad Richards and defenseman Dan Boyle, a pair of veterans, reportedly are on the block as Tuesday's trading deadline approaches. Palace Sports apparently has given Oren Koules, the head of OK Hockey, the final say on roster moves.
	[Ken Helle | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [Getty Images] In February 1997, Gavin and Joe Maloof began exploring buying the Lightning. As negotiations continued, the Maloofs' input in roster moves became more prominent. Five months later, the deal fell through and the Maloofs were gone.

TAMPA - The next 36 hours are critical for the man in charge of the Lightning.

He will have trade offers to consider, a major contract extension to negotiate and next season's budget to ponder. He will, in effect, be determining a new direction for this franchise.

Don't you wonder what he'll do?

Better yet, don't you wonder who he is?

This is one of the natural snarls when a team is being sold. There is a lull between yesterday and tomorrow when two people of varying interests are sort-of-but-not-really in charge.

Are the old owners, who are desperate to sell the team, calling the shots? Or have they already ceded control to the new owners, who are eager to make a splash?

At best, the situation is tricky.

At worst, it could be a disaster.

Oren Koules has a purchase agreement to buy the Lightning, the St. Pete Times Forum lease and the surrounding 51/2acres for $200-million. Someone willing to sink that kind of money into a business enterprise should absolutely be kept abreast of any major decisions before the deal is finalized.

But that doesn't mean he has a right to make decisions himself. And that seems to be where we are today, wondering if the incumbents are still in charge or if the ownership nominee has already taken over.

Lightning management is expected to meet with Koules and his people today to discuss, presumably, the possibility of trading Brad Richards and signing Dan Boyle to an extension.

In these parts, such a meeting is sometimes known as a Maloof.

Or, after 11 p.m., a bleeping Maloof.

You may recall the lost summer of 1997, when the Lightning morphed from pitiful to pathetic in a single weekend. The team's Japanese owners were, like Palace Sports, desperate to sell. The Maloof family of New Mexico had a purchase agreement and, like Koules, was invited to take part in decisions.

On the weekend of the draft, a Maloof representative strolled into the team's hotel suite and began barking out orders. He demanded the payroll be slashed. This led to two veteran players being dealt for draft picks, which caused star forward Dino Ciccarelli to ask to be traded. Then-GM Phil Esposito would later call it the worst moments of a nearly 40-year NHL career.

And, as it turned out, the Maloofs never bought the team.

That doesn't mean Koules will make similar demands, but it should be a cautionary tale for the Palace Sports people. One purchase agreement involving Koules has already fallen through, and financing for the current agreement is still up in the air. In other words, he is not necessarily the next owner.

Palace Sports should keep that in mind as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches. The current ownership group has been largely dispassionate over the past decade, but it has usually made sound business decisions.

So I ask you now:

Would a smart business executive allow someone else to make critical decisions about some of the franchise's greatest assets?

This is not about whether the Lightning should or should not trade Richards. A lot of us have been saying for a long time that Tampa Bay needed to balance its payroll between offense and defense.

And it's not a question of whether this season can be salvaged. The way they have performed the past week, Lightning players might as well have had price tags on their sleeves and clearance stickers on their helmets.

It's not even a matter of fairness or respect, as coach John Tortorella forcefully suggested Saturday night. This team put itself in last place, where most rumors and innuendo reside.

What this is about is the future.

The Lightning has one shot at reconfiguring the roster and reinventing itself as a contending team again. Signing Boyle is part of that. Getting the right return in a trade for Richards is another part.

Those decisions are too large to be turned over to someone who has not yet invested his money, sweat or reputation into the franchise.

If a slam dunk trade offer comes along in the next 36 hours then, yes, the Lightning should jump on it. But, alas, that doesn't seem likely. Good goaltenders are not available in February, and most teams seem to think they can swipe Richards or Boyle for pennies on the dollar.

Given those circumstances, the Lightning might be better served by playing hard to get. Instead of trading out of necessity, Tampa Bay should behave as if a trade is just one of many options being considered.

By holding on to Richards until summer, the Lightning increases the number of teams that might be involved in the pursuit. It also increases the chances of getting a goaltender in return.

Of course, there are no absolutes here. Each trade, each contract must be weighed on its own merit. These are decisions that should be considered carefully and with the franchise's future in mind.

These are decisions to be made by the team owner.

The one still signing the checks.

John Romano can be reached at romano@sptimes.com.

[Last modified February 24, 2008, 22:49:44]