As we’ve said repeatedly during the past three years, Brad is one of the cornerstones of our franchise and it is great to have him signed and ready to go before the start of training...

When I sat in my office and looked at the line board, … I kept seeing that gaping hole on the right. Modin, Richards and a blank space. There is not another player in our...

The feeling we have right now after the past two games is that, obviously we have a lot of areas of concern, but one is we are not getting the kind of physical play and...

But you get the feeling if he gets one, he’ll get a bunch.

This signing is absolutely huge for the Lightning franchise.

He’s squeezing the graphite right out of his stick right now,

That’s where he played while we were in Traverse City for rookie camp, that’s where he has played in camp here with us and he is a forward as far as we are concerned. That’s...

I think you’ll see that hunger and that desperation in the playoffs. But the trick is, you have to make the playoffs. You have to take care of business and survive the grind of the...

We’re still looking. We check the waivers every day. We’re still looking to talk to teams to see if they have strength at that position, so nothing is guaranteed. These two guys have earned the...

It’s there for the taking.

What is fragile so often is confidence, and that’s the thing. Prior to the Olympic break we really thought we had that swagger back, that we were going to find a way. We will beat...

Brad Richards is a very special hockey player. The key for Brad is to continue to build on his performance and help move our club into elite company as well.

We are confident that, given his age and his maturation and development, he will only continue to improve and become even more productive and more of a complete, all-around player for this franchise.

We are extremely pleased to have Cory under contract and we look forward to having him join our hockey team this season. Cory is a very talented player, a legitimate goal scorer and a player...

We always talk about Dave Andreychuk, … but the unsung leader in this room is Tim Taylor.

As we evaluated where we were and what we want to accomplish in coming back as the defending Stanley Cup champions we felt this was the best way to go.

I’m not worried about that, … When you look at most 30-year-olds, there is a lot of wear and tear on them. But Marty has played fewer than 400 games, and no one keeps himself...

He earned himself a chance to stay around a little longer.

We are extremely pleased that Matt has decided to begin his professional career. We had tried to sign him last summer, but he was committed to returning to North Dakota and helping lead his team...

We knew we weren’t going to go through a whole season again without any injuries. Injuries are a part of the game. While you don’t want to have them, they do create opportunities for other...

He is such a great team guy. He told us that he intends to come in and win the No. 1 job. But he also told us that, if he doesn’t win that job, we...

Where might that have gone? He was a player who when we drafted him we believed was going to be part of the mix. In our opinion, he revealed a great deal about himself with...

We are absolutely thrilled to have Dan Boyle back in the fold and we are deeply appreciative of the fact that from the very beginning of negotiations, Dan bought into the concept of being willing...

But if all we can get out of (St. Louis is one year), we will do it and run it as hot as the engine can take it for ’05-06 and then figure we are...

Shortly after the new CBA was announced, Sean Burke was the goaltender we identified as we began formulating contingency plans for how we would proceed if (Nikolai) Khabibulin left our team. We did a lot...

Dave Andreychuk walked into our locker room four seasons ago and helped us find our way. He helped our young players grow and develop and mature more quickly, and he helped establish an expectation level...

I told him when I became general manager that I want him here for a career. I want him to be like a Steve Yzerman that we win a couple of championships here and at...

The game is so much in him and is so much a part of who he is and what he is. The thought of retiring, the thought of not having the game every day, is...

Martin St. Louis is the heart and soul of our hockey team, … Dating all the way back to the summer of 2004, there was never a moment when we were not firmly committed as...

Obviously, any time you lose one of your top players, it’s a huge disappointment.

When I talked to (St. Louis in August), he asked me what we were going to do with Andy,

We’ve had some personnel changes there, and as much as anything, we’re hoping we can get a spark. We need to start winning some games if we’re going to make the playoffs there.

I could read a little bit but I can’t write very well. I took to protecting myself. You put a wall around yourself. And when I was given the possibility of talking, I could speak...

John Grahame is licking his chops to compete for that spot.

I just think that what happened with Gerald in terms of his maturity, is his mental toughness improved dramatically last season. I think that mentally he is very, very strong. He really did respond last...

Some of the guys who are coming in here battling for jobs didn’t do themselves any favors today. You’re not going to win a job (in the first two days of camp), but certainly you...

relieved.’ I’m relieved and happy he is signed.

We’re very pleased to have Nolan Pratt back for another season. Nolan has been a valuable member of the team and contributed significantly to our outstanding season last year. We know he will come into...

Jimmy, when he was here, didn’t show anywhere near the desperation that we needed him to. We were a little disappointed. Actually, we were a lot disappointed in that. Then he went (back to Springfield)...

We did consider that alternative, but in the totality, that wasn’t for us. We made a decision that as far as Curtis Joseph and the other free agents available, the right option was to sign...

There are many more buyers than there appear to be sellers.

But we were incredibly pleased with what he showed us this camp. We told him that he should be extremely proud of what he has done. He came into camp and he wasn’t even really...

Actually, everyone showed up at five to seven. Already, everyone is on Tortorella time.

I’m certainly willing to let my reputation rise and fall on those two guys. We added two very good hockey players. We discovered some underutilized talents, and they can both be more than what they...

From all accounts, everyone who knows him calls him an incredible teammate and a true leader within the locker room. He is a perfect fit for our organization.

It was a very, very difficult time. Sitting and playing two or three minutes a game was not what he felt he signed up for.

We’re still looking, … We check the waivers every day. We’re still looking to talk to teams to see if they have strength at that position, so nothing is guaranteed. These two guys have earned...

In the salary cap world, if you get caught up in just rewarding past performance, it can be fatal for your team.

He does a lot of good things. He also has a lot of things to learn.

What has happened in the past is truly ancient history. Now the objective is to come in here and have a solid training camp. … We can’t afford to get caught up in the hype....