One of the bigger question marks for Verhaeghe, who scored an AHL-high 34 goals last season, has been his skating ability. You look at guys who have inched their way forward and really shown growth and improvement and he’s definitely one of them. It’s how his game has evolved and he has been a pretty pleasant surprise from watching him in camp two years ago until now. … You look at the stats, he led the team in scoring in the preseason but that really wasn’t it. “Well, nobody stayed here because they had to - everybody stayed here because they earned it,” Cooper said. (Volkov is still in camp but didn’t practice Friday because of body maintenance and didn’t dress Saturday night). Of all the prospects who came to camp with hype and a shot at making the team - including Mitchell Stephens, Alex Barre-Boulet, Alex Volkov - Verhaeghe was the last one standing. Smith, a puck-hound who is strong on the penalty kill, has the kind of skating ability and competitiveness the Lightning are looking for.Īnother benefactor of the injury situation could be Carter Verhaeghe, who parlayed a career year with AHL Syracuse last season into a strong training camp. What does this mean for the Lightning’s roster?Īn extended absence by Paquette could open a roster spot for someone like Gemel Smith, who has 80 games of NHL experience and had reps centering the fourth line during preseason. “Ceddy, it’s probably going to be a little bit of a battle if he’s going to be available right away,” Cooper said. Paquette, who took a big hit by Riley Stillman, was seen leaving Amalie Arena with his arm in a sling and will be re-evaluated. While Tyler Johnson (undisclosed) was removed as a “precaution,” according to Cooper, it looks like Cedric Paquette’s status for Thursday’s opener could be in question.
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