Winning bronze at the world championship was 'awesome,' Lightning's Nate Thompson says

Lightning center Nate Thompson called winning a bronze medal with the United States at the world championship "a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget."

Thompson, 28, had a goal, three points and was plus-1 in 10 games at the tournament in Sweden and Finland. He was an alternate captain and played with Tampa Bay teammates Matt Carle (also an alternate captain) and Ben Bishop....

Lecavalier's lament: 'I thought we were going to have a great year'

Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier was off to one of his best starts in a while (four goals, 11 points in his first seven games) when his left foot was hit by a slap shot from teammate Sami Salo in the final second of a Feb. 2 game with the Rangers.

Lecavalier played through the injury, which never really healed and limited his mobility. And when on March 12 he skated into Florida defenseman Erik Gudbranson, the bone that had been bruised by Salo's shot was fractured, knocking Lecavalier out of nine games....

Will St. Louis be hockey Hall of Famer?

Mike Johnson was starting his second season with the Lightning in September 2000 when Marty St. Louis came to training camp.

As Johnson recently recalled, it wasn't 10 days before that he and teammate Todd Warriner concluded St. Louis "is the best small guy we had been around."

Mind you, the 5-foot-7 St. Louis, cut loose the previous summer by the Flames, had yet to play a game for Tampa Bay. And Johnson and Warriner in 1998-99 played in Toronto with 5-9 Steve Sullivan, an eight-time 20-goal scorer and two-time 30-goal scorer....

Marty St. Louis is a Lady Byng finalist

Lightning right wing is a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy, given annually "to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,”  as voted by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

Also nominated are Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane and Islanders left wing Matt Moulson. St. Louis won the award in 2010 and 2011. The winner will be announced during the Stanley Cup final...

St. Louis on Yzerman: ''Full confidence in what he's trying to do''

For all the negativity that surrounded the Lightning this season, right wing Marty St. Louis sounds relatively upbeat about what is in the team's future.

St. Louis, 38 in June, who became the oldest player to ever win an NHL points championship says he "feels good" about what Tampa Bay has in the locker room and that he has "full confidence" in what general manager Steve Yzerman is trying to do....

Russian wing Nichushkin presents Lightning draft dilemma

There has been much discussion about whom the Lightning will take with the third overall selection in the June 30 draft, with the bulk of speculation falling to forwards Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon.

But Tampa Bay will not know who is at the top of its draft list until it speaks to Valeri Nichushkin at the prospects combine that begins May 27 in Toronto and determines his intentions....

Marty St. Louis named finalist for NHLPA's outstanding player award

Lightning right wing Marty St. Louis on Thursday was named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Awad, given annually by the NHL Players Association to the league's "most outstanding player."

Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin also were named finalists for the award voted on by Players Association members. St. Louis previously won the award in 2004 when it was known as the Pearson Award....

Jon Cooper says his first 15 NHL games are a running start

Coach Jon Cooper is passionate about how he wants the Lightning to develop over time. The last thing he wants is a team that, in terms of the playoffs, is "out, out, out, in, out, out, out, in."

Cooper said the model should be the Red Wings, which this season made the postseason for the 22nd consecutive year.

The coach, who went 4-8-3 after Guy Boucher was fired, said of missing the playoffs, "It's somewhere we never want to be again." But 15 NHL games under his belt "makes us that much farther ahead for next season."...

Lightning signs D Radko Gudas to 3-year, $2.975 million deal

The Lightning on Monday signed dfefenseman Radko Gudas to a three-year, one-way contract, the team announced.

The $2.975 million package pays $575,000 next season, $1 million in 2014-15 and $1.4 million in 2015-16. His cap hit is $991,667. Gudas, 22, was to be a restricted free agent.

Gudas, 6 feet, 204 pounds, started the season with AHL Syracuse, but in 22 games with Tampa Bay had two goals, five points, was plus-3 and had 38 penalty minutes while averaging 16:59 of ice time. His 87 hits were third on the team, just four behind leader Keith Aulie who played 45 games....

Steven Stamkos says 'more urgency' needed from core group

Lightning star Steven Stamkos has started what he called "a long summer" after the team for the second straight season finished out of the playoffs.

The center had a fine season. His 29 goals and 57 points were second in the league. Still, he called 2012-13 "a dark year" and put the onus on the core grpoup of players to increase its ugency and consistency to get Tampa Bay back to the postseason....

Lightning D Gudas signs three-year deal

Defenseman Radko Gudas on Monday signed a three-year, one-way deal with the Lightning.

The $2.975 million package pays $575,000 next season, $1 million in 2014-15, and $1.4 million in 2015-16. He was to be a restricted free agent.

"We're extremely happy to have Radko signed for another three years," general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. "He played well in his first NHL season, and we look forward to him playing an important role on our defense in the coming years."...

Yzerman: 'I'm not going to be held to timelines'

Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman understands their is impatience with the team's lack of success. But that does not mean abandoning his long-term plan.

"I'm not going to be held to timelines," he said this week. "These things take time and we’re going to be patient and we’re going to try to draft well and we’re going to try to use free agency wisely,"

Yzerman hit on several topics in his postseason news conference. Here are excerpts of what he had to say:...