Well, come on, what else is he going to say? Not that it isn't true (Denis had his best years under Doug MacLean's leadership), but if MacLean is approved by the NHL and takes over the Lightning, it would not have been the smartest thing for Marc to say anything else.

Whatever his sentiments, Denis is in a strange spot. MacLean traded him away to another organization and now that person is again his boss. Denis said, well, that's hockey. He played with Luke Richardson in Columbus and also in Tampa, so who is to say what really is strange.

MacLean and his group will not be able to take over the Lightning until at least mid to lat September, so, unless another hidden bombshell breaks, it seems unlikely anything will change with the Lightning's goaltending situation before training camp. GM Jay Feaster has made it very clear he plans on entering camp with Denis, Johan Holmqvist and Kari Ramo as the top three. And even if MacLean and his boys could take over before then, there were no commitments to increase payroll, so, chances are, the goaltending would have stayed the same, anyway.

So there has to be hope Denis improves and Holmqvist can get more consistent. It will be interesting to see Ramo, though, get some real work in the preseason. For Denis' part, he sounded anxious to get going. Said he is working hard to get in shape and no doubt he is. Can't say I ever saw a guy work as hard as he did last season. Can't say he didn't care, and that is what Tampa bay is counting on this season, because Denis is not only playing to keep a job in Tampa, considering how he fell off a cliff last season, he is playing to resurrect his career and standing in the league.