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GM Dudley knows time is running out

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 27, 2001

One more season. That's about how long general manager Rick Dudley figures he has before the vultures start circling.

"It doesn't take a genius to realize that if we have the same year next year as this year, I won't be in good stead in the Tampa Bay market," he said.

"At this point, we've had a year to rebuild and a year to let that sink in. Obviously, it hasn't been as successful as we would like. But I suspect if we don't win next year, then I'll get heat ... from everybody."

That said, Dudley had encouraging words for those who follow the team, which is wobbling toward an NHL-record, fourth straight 50-loss season.

"I believe," Dudley said with a straight face, "we can make the playoffs next year."

The Lightning is the NHL's worst team. It has the least points (41), the most goals allowed (224), the worst road record (4-24-3-3) and the second-worst power-play efficiency (11.4 percent).

Why, then, should we believe it is playoff bound?

"Because we don't have to improve much to win virtually any game we have played," Dudley said. "Any game we've been on equal footing with the other team, we're there. So you take a look and say, 'What do we have to improve?' It's not a lot."

Dudley knows people will read those words and figure he took too many punches to the head during his brawling NHL days.

And he insists this is not wishful thinking despite being in the second year of a four-year contract that includes an option year that automatically kicks in if the Lightning makes the playoffs next season.

"General managers have to look at things differently than anybody else," he said. "You're a coach, you look at it now. You're a fan, you look at it now. You're a newspaper writer, you look at it now.

"As a general manager managing team (which includes assistant GM Jay Feaster), we have to say, 'This is what we need to make the next step.' It's not the monumental task we faced last year. We haven't had the results, but we have had a progression."

Dudley still has much work to do. He wants a veteran power forward, which he said he will get through trade or free agency.

He thinks the pieces on defense are solid. Goaltending depends on Kevin Weekes' performance over the final 19 games.

"I believe that most of the people in the National Hockey League know exactly what we are doing," Dudley said. "I believe that our ownership knows exactly what we're attempting to do."

Team president Ron Campbell said he is disappointed the Lightning did not make a better second-half run but said injuries to defenseman Petr Svoboda and center Vinny Lecavalier were difficult to overcome.

"We like the acquisitions we made with the trades," Campbell said of defenseman Adrian Aucoin and forward Matthew Barnaby. "We're on the right path. There isn't any question in my mind."

Does he see any vultures in Dudley's future?

"It's not anything that's crossed our minds," he said. "We have a lot of confidence in Rick. No one works harder. He has proved to be an incredible evaluator of talent. We don't believe that's going to be a problem. We really don't."

VINNY RIDES PINE: In case you missed it, coach John Tortorella benched Lecavalier for the third period of Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Sabres. It was a bold move, but one that had to be done if Tortorella's demands for accountability are to hold any weight.

Lecavalier is Tampa Bay's most talented player. He might be able to carry the team on his shoulders one day, but that day hasn't come. And that means when the 20-year-old doesn't play well (and let's be honest, he hasn't shown real Vinny form since well before he fractured his foot) he should face the consequences just like any other player.

The benching works on different levels.

The obvious: Tortorella hopes Lecavalier gets the message that he has to battle in the corners and behind the net, hit, get back on defense (his minus-24 is second-worst in the league) and bust his butt on every shift.

Lecavalier also has to take the benching for what it is, a reminder, a wake-up call, not an indication Tortorella is down on his best player. Quite the contrary. The coach wants Lecavalier and his enormous talent on the ice in every crucial situation. He wants him on the ice to pull the power play out of an inexcusable 3-for-67 stretch. He wants him to be the player he knows Lecavalier can be.

Reading between the lines: It sends a message to the players that Tortorella is not playing favorites. When he demands accountability, he means from everyone.

It is no secret that when one player gets preferential treatment, the others notice. In that sense, they are holding Tortorella accountable, and he just passed a big test.

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