This is the main story for tomorrow's paper but thought it would be a good discussion here. Seems Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick, is averaging just 9:47 of ice time. That was 41st among rookies heading into Tuesday's games. Saturday against the Hurricanes, he played just 6:05.

Many factors seem to be involved.

First, the kid does not play on the penalty kill. Considering the amount of time the team has spent killing penalties (the Lightning was shorthanded nine times against Carolina), it was tough to get Stamkos in. But six minutes? Coach Barry Melrose, who said 12 to 15 minutes would be best at this stage of Stamkos' development, said he took some of the blame for not getting the hugely talented youngster into the game.

"It's got to be a conscious effort on my part," Melrose said about finding Stamkos some ice time. "You want to get him in the lineup. You want to put him in situations where he will succeed. We have to get him more than six minutes."

Beyond getting a regular shift, and Melrose said he would consider double-shifting Stamkos and linemates Vinny Prospal and Radim Vrbata, getting Stamkos on the power play is an option. The kid has an NHL-quality shot and has shown an ability to create. He also has been terrific on faceoffs, winning 12 of 18.

For his part, Stamkos said he understands the situation.

"It's not frustrated," Stamkos said. "I get frustrated the team is not doing as well as we hoped. There's still plenty of hockey left, and as the season progresses, hopefully, I can keep working hard and prove I can perform at an elite level in this league."