Barry Melrose back at ESPN

Melrose got a raw deal. You don't fire a coach after 14 games, period. Especially when he inherits the worst team (record-wise) in the league. The new GM who replaced Jay Feaster is a moron.

I don't see why Lecavalier signed a long-term with these primates.

 

To be fair, Feaster is half the reason they're in this mess. The Richards deal was way too big, and they did well to dump that on Dallas.

Add in that Feaster's draft record was pretty abysmal, which is why the Lightning's AHL affiliate in Norfolk is about the same place in the standings as the parent club is. The cupboard has been bare in Tampa for quite a while, and it's going to take some time to rebuild.

As for Melrose, there were some signs that this wasn't going to work early. When you publically rip the team after your second game in charge, and then keep doing it again and again, you're going to lose the room in a hurry, which is precisely what happened. Tocchet hasn't been great, see the above record, but at least he's showing some patience with the team in the media. They're still laying eggs every once in a while effort-wise, but they are playing better for the most part.