Posted by Quebec born, French speaking, 12th overall, highly skilled All-Star wing-man Alex Tanguay is precisely the man Tampa Bay wants to lock down. And after four weeks of communication between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Tanguay’s camp, the deal has been given the okay pending a physical examination taking place tomorrow.
After an off-season shoulder surgery, Tanguay’s days have been filled entertaining offers by not only the Lightning, but also the Minnesota Wild and New York Islanders. The details of the Lightning offer have not been made public, but it is rumoured that it wasn’t the largest of the three. The decision to sign with Tampa was made on the hopes of Tanguay playing alongside fellow francophone superstars Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.
The line combination of Tanguay and St. Louis centred by Lecavalier has the prospects of being the strongest french speaking line since Buffalo’s infamous “French Connection” combination of Perreault, Martin and Robert of the 1970’s. Both Tanguay and St. Louis have scored at a pace higher than a point per game for three of the past five seasons, with Lecavalier close behind having reached this feat twice.
Lecavalier played alongside Alex during the 1998 World Juniors, and St. Louis opposed Tanguay in the 2004 All-Star game. Both Lightning players reportedly lobbied for the addition of Tanguay to the roster.
Tanguay’s impressive NHL career has brought him to Colorado, Calgary and Montreal. Alex’s constant team contribution is reflected in the years leading up to his stop in Montreal where he played no less than 69 games and consistently scored 48 or more points. Many question this highly offensive forward’s ability to perform after a serious shoulder injury limited Tanguay’s season in Montreal to 41 points in 50 games, but all doubts will be put to rest of Tuesday’s physical examination.
With each day that brings the Lightning closer to the regular season, the chance of repeating the mistakes seen in 2008-2009 grow ever more distant. Here’s to the French Connect, part deux!
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I think this is a pretty good pick up for the lightning for sure.
At first I thought he’d be a keeper in Montreal, but I was wrong.
If he can stay consistent with the numbers he’s put up so far in his career, he should be a boost to the lightning.
The lightning might not look too bad this year.