Dylan Duke Headlines Fight for Final Roster Spots

For the fans and coaches, the opening of training camp is a time of anticipation about what the future (near and far) will hold for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

For some of the players, the next 19 days will determine their professional futures, perhaps in the short term, but also for some, it could bring permanent ramifications.

“We make sure as an organization,” Syracuse Crunch Head Coach and General Manager Joel Bouchard said after leading the Lightning’s top young prospects through a three-game tournament over the weekend, “it doesn’t matter (how you got to Tampa). We evaluate what you bring on the ice, and the way that you handle yourself, and how much better can you be.”

The Lightning open a 19-day training camp at the TGH Ice Plex on Thursday, and there will be battles – serious battles – among the bottom lines both at forward and defense.

At the forward position, the mix for the final jobs got a touch wider on Wednesday when Tampa Bay General Manager Julien BriseBois informed the media that veteran Nick Paul would be out until November with an “upper body injury” that required surgery recently.

That opening, even if it is for a brief amount of time, is going to either extend someone’s NHL career or, more likely, create an opportunity to begin one.

“It’s different for everybody,” Bouchard said. “I really like that this organization is not stuck on where you’re drafted or where you’re from.

“You can tell, over the years, that this organization has been working with everybody, and gives everybody a fair chance. Then, what are you going to do with it?”

Memo to Isaac Howard (I digress).

For a guy like veteran forward Zemgus Girgensons, he picked a really poor time to have his least productive season of his career last winter, and now, he has an abundance of young talent ready to devour his career.

The 31-year-old produced just six points (two goals, four assists) in 82 games last season, and there is little chance that the Tampa Bay leadership is going to accept that level of production from a fourth-line center/wing again.

With Girgensons slated to make just $850,000 over each of the next two seasons, which isn’t a big salary cap hit for the Lightning if they were to part ways with the veteran, there is no shortage of players ready to take advantage of the opportunity that now presents itself. Those seeking that opportunity include Jakob Pelletier, Boris Katchouk, Tristan Allard, Nicholas Abruzzese, Jack Finley, and most definitely, Dylan Duke.

“I wouldn’t bet $2 against Dylan Duke,” Bouchard said. “Dylan is a leader every day he comes to the rink. The way he competes. The way he approaches a situation. The way he handles teaching and everything about the game.”

The Lightning will probably carry 13 forwards on its opening night roster (October 9 against Ottawa at Benchmark International Arena). There are most certainly (barring more injuries) 11 of those spots secured by Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirrelli, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Conor Geekie, Yanni Gourde, Gage Goncalves, Pontus Holmberg, and Mitchell Chaffee.

The remaining two roster sports will be fought for by the names mentioned earlier.

“Dylan is definitely a guy who everybody looks up to,” Bouchard continued. “He will leave it on the ice all of the time. But also the way he handles himself off the ice is always very impressive.”

In 62 games under Bouchard in Syracuse last season, Duke, 22, tallied a balanced 20 goals and 20 assists. He was a positive 10 in plus-minus play.

“First of all,” Bouchard said of Duke, “he is a strong competitor. He is a great person. He takes pride in pushing himself and getting better.

“That is why he got the game in the NHL last year. He deserved it.”

And what a game that was.

Playing near his alma mater (University of Michigan) in Detroit, the Lightning called Duke up, and all he did was score a goal on his very first shot attempt in the NHL.

“It was an exciting game,” Duke recalled. “The Lightning got the win, so that made it even better. Obviously, it was a dream come true.”

Duke played a couple of games for Tampa Bay last February, before being sent back north to Syracuse, but he is anxious to get back to where he was, and the next three weeks will provide that chance.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Duke said. “Getting a taste of the NHL exceeded all expectations. I’m just hungry to try and get back (to Tampa) and play more games and try and help the Lightning win hockey games.”