If rookie Steven Stamkos was bothered by what Barry Melrose said on Tuesday, he didn't show it. In fact, the 18-year-old center was acting like, well, and 18-year-old, running down the hallway at HSBC Arena to join his teammates in a little indoor soccer, and later in the locker room, bouncing the ball through his legs like a basketball and taking mock jumps shots.

In a nutshell, Melrose said he believes Stamkos is not ready for the NHL.

"That's his opinion," Stamkos said. "My job is to help this team win and do everything possible. You can't let stuff like that bother you. It's his opinion, he said what he said. If anything, this team can use it as motivation."

Coach Rick Tocchet took Stamkos aside during the usual morning meetings and met with him personally.

"We talked," Tocchet said. "He's a great kid. It's a process, and he's going to be a great player for this franchise. I think sometimes he puts too much pressure on himself. ... He told me he laughed about it, which was nice to hear."

"You just don't pay attention to it," Stamkos said. "You keep working hard. This team is working hard. ... That's the only thing we're focused on, not comments from anyone."

Other stuff from this morning: Left wing Ryan Malone (upper body) is out and might play Thursday at Montreal, though Tocchet didn't seem all that positive. ... Mike Smith gets the start in goal. Tocchet said Olie Kolzig probably starts against the Canadiens, but that could change depending on Smith's performance. ... Left wing Matt Pettinger (knee) is still out. ... Tocchet praised Paul Szczechura, who had his first goal Monday against the Bruins, but said he wants Radek Smolenak and Steven Downie to turn it up a notch. ... Tocchet said defenseman Steve Eminger has "definitely been a plus for us."

Getting back to Melrose for a moment, Tocchet said he wants the players to use it as motivation.

"Every time you're in this position people are going to take shots at you," Tocchet said. "We're in last place. People are going to take shots at you. You're looking for guys to face adversity and show character. Those are the guys I want. I'm looking for guys to get to the front lines and roll up their sleeves, not to retreat to the back of the bus. It's a good test to see what you've got. I'm actually excited to see who responds."