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Ross Colton

Snapshots: Colton, IIHF, 2026 WJC, Rutherford

August 20, 2022 at 5:01 pm CDT | by John Gilroy 17 Comments

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s incredible 2021 Stanley Cup run gave Ross Colton his first Stanley Cup in just his first try, however it wasn’t the rookie’s first time at a Stanley Cup Final. The New Jersey native grew up a huge fan of the New Jersey Devils, and in speaking with NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, discussed his fandom, which included attending every home game of the Devils’ 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. When approached with the idea of playing for his hometown team one day, Colton said “[t]hat would obviously be so cool.”

As much as the prospect of a New Jersey native and Devils fan playing for the team would be, Colton did pump the brakes on the narrative a bit when speaking to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, saying he would like to spend his entire career with Tampa Bay, but acknowledged the business-end of the sport, with players needing to be paid and teams having to conform to the salary cap. Colton is entering the second year of a two-year, $1.125MM AAV contract that will leave him a RFA for one more year ahead of his 2024 UFA status. Considering Tampa’s cap issues over the past few seasons, the gritty Colton could be a luxury they can’t afford, however the organization has shown a willingness to get creative in order to keep as much of their core as they are financially able to.

  • Speaking on TSN, and relayed by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, IIHF President Luc Tardif said Belarus and Russia will be suspended for the next year, and that decisions on whether to permit the countries to participate in IIHF events will be made year-by-year going forward. Pronman adds that this “next year” would likely refer more specifically to the 2022-23 hockey season. Being suspended for at least that length will cost the countries the ability to participate in IIHF-sanctioned events, including most notably the World Junior Championships and the World Championships. The two countries were suspended by the IIHF in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
  • Sticking with the topic of IIHF tournaments, TSN’s Gord Miller reports that the 2026 World Juniors will be held in the United States. Miller adds that a likely destination would be Las Vegas, Nevada, a location he notes was a dream of the late Director of USA Hockey, Jim Johansson. Putting the tournament in Las Vegas would be a feat not only for USA Hockey, but the NHL, whose expansion into the area, as well as other warm climates, was met with skepticism. A successful 2026 tournament in Las Vegas, should it happen, would no doubt be a testament to the growth and success of ice hockey throughout North America and could lead to continued growth and exploration in other non-traditional markets.
  • Since abruptly stepping away from his duties as General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins just a few games into the 2020-21 season, fans and media alike have been trying to figure out what exactly made Jim Rutherford leave the organization so suddenly. Many speculated that his departure had to do with disagreements over the direction of the team, but as the now-Canucks executive told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that was not the case. Carefully wording his response, Rutherford explained that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, being largely confined to his home took a toll on him, which left him without the necessary mental toughness to handle his duties. He added that he didn’t believe he necessarily had any mental health issues, but that things he could generally shake off as typical of the job, began to stick with him. It’s an interesting response, and not as dramatic as a feud with upper management like many had thought, but is surely relatable to the experience of many during the height of the pandemic. As much as owners, executives, coaches, and players may feel super-human or not-so-tangible to fans, Rutherford’s experience shows their experiences are just as human as that of their fans.

IIHF| Jim Rutherford| Las Vegas| New Jersey Devils| NHL| Pittsburgh Penguins| Players| Ross Colton| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| World Championships| World Juniors

17 comments

Snapshots: Point, Mock Draft, Kassian

June 13, 2022 at 11:16 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

As the Stanley Cup Final is set to commence in two days, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche will retake the ice today to practice ahead of their last four to seven games of the season. Of note from Tampa’s side of things is that injured star center Brayden Point continued to take part in practice today and took line rushes for the first time, centering a line between Nick Paul and Ross Colton, per The Athletic’s Joe Smith. However, assistant coach Jeff Halpern said after practice that “he didn’t know if you could read too much” into Point’s status, noting that it was a light session.

Tampa will be waiting anxiously to get an answer on when Point can return. Given the uncertain health of Nazem Kadri on the other side for Colorado, Tampa Bay having their full center depth available to them would give them a much greater chance at winning their third straight Stanley Cup.

  • With the 2022 NHL Draft now within a month, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler, one of the top public prospect evaluators, released his 2022 NHL Mock Draft, taking team needs, consensus, and intel into account aside from just his own rankings. Although more and more doubt remains around the status of Kingston Frontenacs center Shane Wright as the Montreal Canadiens’ no. 1 overall pick, Wheeler still has Wright listed in the first spot. Rounding out the top five is winger Juraj Slafkovsky to the New Jersey Devils, center Logan Cooley to the Arizona Coyotes, defenseman Simon Nemec going first off the board among d-men to the Seattle Kraken, and defenseman David Jiricek headed to the Philadelphia Flyers.
  • The first buyout window of the offseason opens July 1, and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli has Edmonton Oilers winger Zack Kassian at the top of his list of 10 buyout candidates for this summer. Kassian, who carries a cap hit of $3.2MM through 2024, mustered just 19 points in 58 games this season and averaged under nine minutes per game in the playoffs. With the 31-year-old forward only set to continue declining, Edmonton could take the buyout penalty to free up more space to improve their depth scoring. The buyout for Kassian is relatively benign, per CapFriendly, with a cap hit of $666,667 in 2022-23, $1,866,667 in 2023-24, and $966,667 in 2024-25 and 2025-26. It offers $2.5MM in savings upfront in 2022-23, an appealing number for general manager Ken Holland.

Arizona Coyotes| Brayden Point| Colorado Avalanche| Edmonton Oilers| Juraj Slafkovsky| Logan Cooley| Los Angeles Kings| Montreal Canadiens| Nazem Kadri| New Jersey Devils| NHL| Nick Paul| Philadelphia Flyers| Ross Colton| Seattle| Seattle Kraken| Shane Wright| Snapshots| Tampa Bay Lightning| Zack Kassian

4 comments

Kyle Clifford Suspended One Game

May 3, 2022 at 3:17 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

The Department of Player Safety has assessed Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kyle Clifford a one-game suspension for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton in the first period of last night’s Game 1 of the First Round series between the two teams.

After Colton made a play for the puck along the boards early in the first period, he cleared the puck down the ice. Clifford, seconds after Colton lost possession of the puck, forcefully skated into him from behind, making contact with Colton’s back with his elbow. Colton’s head hit the boards and he fell to the ice, although he remained in the game. Clifford was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct on the play.

In rationalizing the suspension, the Department of Player Safety said the following:

It’s important to note that this is not a case where a sudden or unexpected movement by Colton prior to contact changes a legal check into an illegal one. From the moment Colton appraoches the puck battle until the hit is delivered, Clifford sees nothing but his numbers. While we have heard an argument that Clifford does make some attempt to deliver this contact legally, this remains a forceful hit to a defenseless player who is no longer in possession of the puck. What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the angle from which Clifford approaches this hit, which makes Colton particularly defenseless, combined with his force. If Clifford wants to avoid supplemental discipline on this play, he must further adjust his force to deliver legal body contact, avoid the check entirely, or at the very least minimize the force of the hit. Instead, he finishes with force, driving Colton into the glass dangerously.

Clifford has never been suspended over his 751-game NHL career but has been fined three times.

Kyle Clifford| Ross Colton| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs

3 comments

Kyle Clifford To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

May 3, 2022 at 9:48 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

Kyle Clifford missed nearly the entire game last night for the Toronto Maple Leafs after earning a misconduct early in the first period, and he’ll have to sit even longer. The Department of Player Safety has announced that Clifford will have a hearing today for boarding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ross Colton.

After delivering a hit in the corner, Clifford raced up the ice and hit Colton, late, directly from behind, into the boards. While the Tampa Bay forward did not appear to suffer a serious injury, the on-ice officials gave Clifford a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct. Toronto managed to climb their way out of the whole that the veteran forward put them in, but now will have to likely use a different look on the fourth line in game two.

Notably, just a few games ago Clifford was involved in another incident that included the Lightning. On April 22 he was handed a fine for his high-stick on Corey Perry during a scrum. That recent history, despite being of a different nature, will likely factor into the punishment for Clifford.

The Maple Leafs do have several other options for the lineup, though none bring the same kind of physicality as the 31-year-old winger. Even more, head coach Sheldon Keefe spoke glowingly after the game about how much Clifford adds defensively to that group, noting that the line has been the best when it includes him.

Kyle Clifford| Ross Colton| Toronto Maple Leafs

1 comment

Ross Colton Enters COVID Protocol

January 4, 2022 at 5:46 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

The Tampa Bay Lightning can’t escape the protocol, it seems. Just as they had Cal Foote and Taylor Raddysh re-join the team, another young player has been ruled out. Ahead of tonight’s game, Ross Colton has been placed in the COVID protocol according to team reporter Bryan Burns.

Colton, 25, has played in all 34 games for the Lightning this season, registering four goals and 14 points while averaging just under 14 minutes a night. The fourth-round pick is another example of Tampa Bay’s strong development system, which turned a depth prospect into a full-time NHL contributor–one with a Stanley Cup-winning goal to boot.

The Lightning actually sent Gabriel Fortier back to the AHL earlier today, likely not something they would have done had they expected Colton to be unavailable. Raddysh could enter the lineup after clearing the protocol and is once again listed on the active roster.

Ross Colton| Tampa Bay Lightning

0 comments
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