2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season

The 2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning season is the 18th season for the franchise in Tampa Bay.
== Off-season ==
On May 11, the Lightning gave Rick Tocchet a multiyear contract to make him their full-time head coach, removing the interim tag he held after taking over the position from Barry Melrose, who was fired during the previous season after 16 games.Lightning give Tocchet multiyear deal
With the 2nd overall pick in the entry draft, the Lightning selected Victor Hedman from Modo Hockey of Elitserien, the Swedish Elite League. Hedman was considered the top European prospect available.No surprise, Tavares is No. 1 on CSS final list Having acquired a second first-round pick from the Detroit Red Wings, the Lightning used the 29th overall selection on Carter Ashton from the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League. 
Among several of the free agent signings the Lightning made included defenseman Mattias Öhlund,Lightning Sign Free Agent Defenseman Mattias Ohlund goaltender Antero Niittymäki,Lightning Sign Free Agent Goaltender Antero Niittymaki and left winger Alex Tanguay.Lightning Sign Free Agent LW Alex Tanguay
==Pre-season ==
2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)	2009 Pre-season Game Log: 3–1–3 (Home: 0–0–0 ; Road: 1–0–2; Neutral: 2–1–1)
# 	Date 	Visitor 	Score 	Home 	OT 	Attendance 	Record 	Recap 	 	
1 	September 16 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	4 – 3 	Dallas Stars 	SO 	15,214 	0–0–1 	 	 	
2 	September 18 	Atlanta Thrashers 	2 – 1 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	OT 	16,223 	0–0–2 	 	 	
3 	September 21 (in Regina, SK) 	Ottawa Senators 	3 – 1 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	 	 	0–1–2 	 	 	
4 	September 22 (in Everett, WA) 	Phoenix Coyotes 	2 – 1 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	 	 	1–1–2 	 	 	
5 	September 23 (in Loveland, CO) 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	4 – 3 	Phoenix Coyotes 	SO 	 	1–1–3 	 	 	
6 	September 24 (in Winnipeg, MB) 	Edmonton Oilers 	4 – 3 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	OT 	 	2–1–3 	 	 	
7 	September 27 	Tampa Bay Lightning 	5 – 1 	Atlanta Thrashers 	 	7,179 	3–1–3 	 	 	
== Regular season ==
After the regular season finished with Tampa Bay missing the playoffs, the Lightning fired both general manager Brian Lawton and head coach Rick Tocchet on April 12, 2010.General Manager Brian Lawton and Head Coach Rick Tocchet to Be Replaced
=== Divisional standings ===
=== Conference standings ===
=== Game log ===
2009–10 Game Log	2009–10 Game Log	 	 	 	 	 	
October: 4–3–4 (Home: 4–0–3; Road 0–3–1)
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable"	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Game 	Date 	Opponent 	Score 	Location 	Attendance	Record	Points
1 	October 3 	Atlanta Thrashers 	6 – 3 	Philips Arena 	18,545 	0–1–0 	0
2 	October 6 	Carolina Hurricanes	2 – 1 (SO)	RBC Center 	16,186 	0–1–1 	1
3 	October 8 	New Jersey Devils 	4 – 3 (SO)	St. Pete Times Forum	17,454 	0–1–2 	2
4 	October 10 	Carolina Hurricanes	5 – 2 	St. Pete Times Forum	14,212 	1–1–2 	4
5 	October 12 	Florida Panthers 	3 – 2 	St. Pete Times Forum	14,126 	2–1–2 	6
6 	October 15 	Ottawa Senators 	7 – 1 	Scotiabank Place 	17,732 	2–2–2 	6
7 	October 17 	Pittsburgh Penguins	4 – 1 	Mellon Arena 	17,132 	2–3–2 	6
8 	October 22 	San Jose Sharks 	5 – 2 	St. Pete Times Forum	13,343 	3–3–2 	8
9 	October 24 	Buffalo Sabres 	3 – 2 (SO)	St. Pete Times Forum	15,804 	3–3–3 	9
10 	October 29 	Ottawa Senators 	5 – 2 	St. Pete Times Forum	13,213 	4–3–3 	11
11 	October 31 	New Jersey Devils 	2 – 1 (SO)	St. Pete Times Forum	12,154 	4–3–4 	12
==Player stats==
===Skaters===
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes
 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	
Player	GP	G 	A 	Pts	+/−	PIM
 	82	51	44	95 	-2 	38
 	82	29	65	94 	-8 	12
 	82	24	46	70 	-16	63
 	69	21	26	47 	-8 	68
 	79	22	24	46 	14 	208
 	71	8 	34	42 	-5 	48
 	80	10	27	37 	-2 	32
 	74	4 	16	20 	-3 	79
 	81	6 	11	17 	-14	50
 	55	9 	8 	17 	-13	27
 	67	0 	13	13 	-8 	59
 	28	4 	9 	13 	-1 	2
 	49	3 	10	13 	-4 	18
 	77	3 	6 	9 	-14	48
 	19	3 	6 	9 	-8 	6
 	52	5 	2 	7 	-15	18
 	50	3 	3 	6 	-12	54
 	48	2 	3 	5 	-9 	18
 	66	2 	3 	5 	-11	90
 	74	2 	3 	5 	-11	265
 	39	0 	4 	4 	-2 	25
 	32	1 	3 	4 	-3 	17
 	16	0 	2 	2 	-5 	4
 	8 	1 	1 	2 	-2 	6
 	33	0 	2 	2 	-4 	27
 	23	0 	1 	1 	-4 	21
 	3 	0 	0 	0 	0 	5
 	4 	0 	0 	0 	-4 	2
 	14	0 	0 	0 	-5 	10
 	5 	0 	0 	0 	-2 	21
 	1 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
 	14	0 	0 	0 	-3 	2
===Goaltenders===
Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; GAA= Goals Against Average; SA= Shots Against; SV= Saves; Sv% = Save Percentage; SO= Shutouts
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Player	GP	TOI 	W 	L 	OT	GA 	GAA 	SA 	Sv% 	SO	G	A	PIM
 	49	2657	21	18	5 	127	2.87	1388	.909	1 	0	1	0
 	42	2273	13	18	7 	117	3.09	1165	.900	2 	0	0	14
 	2 	44 	0 	0 	0 	3 	4.09	16 	.813	0 	0	0	0
†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect time with Lightning only.
‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record
== Awards and records ==
=== Awards ===
Regular Season 	Regular Season 	Regular Season 	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season
Player 	Award 	Awarded 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Mike SmithLangenbrunner, Smith, Eriksson top week's '3 Stars' 	NHL Second Star of the Week 	January 4, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Steven StamkosStamkos, Leighton and Turco top week's '3 Stars'	NHL First Star of the Week 	February 15, 2010	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Steven StamkosStewart, Stamkos, McCabe named Stars of the Week	NHL Second Star of the Week 	March 8, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Steven StamkosWinners of Richard, Ross and Jennings announced 	Maurice Richard Trophy(Shared with Sidney Crosby)	April 11, 2010 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
=== Records ===
=== Milestones ===
Regular Season	Regular Season 	Regular Season 	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season	Regular Season
Player 	Milestone 	Reached 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Victor Hedman 	1st Career NHL Game1st Career NHL Assist1st Career NHL Point	October 3, 2009 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
James Wright 	1st Career NHL Game 	October 3, 2009 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
James Wright 	1st Career NHL Goal1st Career NHL Point 	October 22, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
James Wright 	1st Career NHL Assist 	October 24, 2009	 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Transactions ==
The Lightning have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.
=== Trades ===
Date 	Details 	Details
June 26, 2009Lightning Acquire 29th Overall Pick in 2009 NHL Entry Draft 	To Detroit Red Wings 32nd and 75th pick in 2009	To Tampa Bay Lightning 29th pick in 2009
July 21, 2009Lightning Acquire LW Todd Fedoruk, D David Hale 	To Phoenix Coyotes Radim Vrbata 	To Tampa Bay Lightning Todd FedorukDavid Hale
August 13, 2009Lightning Acquire LW Drew Miller, 3rd Round Pick From Ducks 	To Anaheim Ducks Evgeny Artyukhin 	To Tampa Bay Lightning Drew Miller3rd round pick in 2010
March 3, 2010Lightning acquire RW Teddy Purcell, 3rd round pick in 2010 from Los Angeles	To Los Angeles Kings Jeff Halpern 	To Tampa Bay Lightning Teddy Purcell3rd round pick in 2010
|}
=== Free agents acquired ===
Player 	Former team 	Contract terms
Mattias Ohlund 	Vancouver Canucks 	7 years, $26.25 million
Matt WalkerLightning Sign Rugged Defenseman Matt Walker 	Chicago Blackhawks 	4 years, $6.8 million
Stephane VeilleuxLightning Sign Free Agent LW Stephane Veilleux	Minnesota Wild 	1 year, $750,000
Kurtis FosterLightning Sign Free Agent Defenseman Kurtis Foster	Minnesota Wild 	1 year, $600,000
Antero Niittymaki 	Philadelphia Flyers	1 year, $600,000
Alex Tanguay 	Montreal Canadiens 	1 year, $2.5 million
Mitch FritzLightning Sign Free Agent LW Mitch Fritz 	New York Islanders 	1 year
Mark ParrishLightning sign free agent RW Mark Parrish 	Dallas Stars 	1 year, 2-way contract
=== Free agents lost ===
Player 	New team 	Contract terms
David KociColorado Signs David Koci 	Colorado Avalanche 	1 year, $575,000
Cory MurphyDevils sign D Cory Murphy 	New Jersey Devils 	undisclosed
Richard PetiotBlackhawks Sign MacArthur and Petiot 	Chicago Blackhawks 	1 year
Geoff KinradeBulletin: Senators sign defenceman Geoff Kinrade 	Ottawa Senators 	1 year, 2-way contract
Noah WelchThrashers Sign Unrestricted Free Agents Anthony Stewart and Noah Welch	Atlanta Thrashers 	undisclosed
Jason WardFlyers Sign Five 	Philadelphia Flyers	1 year
Brandon SegalKINGS SIGN SEGAL 	Los Angeles Kings 	2 years
Vaclav ProspalRangers Add Veteran Center Prospal 	New York Rangers 	1 year, $1.1 million
Matt PettingerCanucks sign Matt Pettinger 	Vancouver Canucks 	undisclosed
Lukas KrajicekFlyers Add Krajicek 	Philadelphia Flyers	undisclosed
=== Claimed via waivers ===
Player 	Former team 	Date claimed off waivers
Radek SmolenakLightning Claim Radek Smolenak Off Waivers 	Chicago Blackhawks	October 10, 2009
Nate ThompsonLightning Claim C Nate Thompson off waivers from Islanders	New York Islanders	January 21, 2010
=== Lost via waivers ===
Player 	New team 	Date claimed off waivers
Radek SmolenakBlackhawks Claim Smolenak Off Waivers From Tampa Bay	Chicago Blackhawks	September 25, 2009
Drew MillerWings claim Miller off waivers 	Detroit Red Wings 	November 11, 2009
=== Player Signings ===
Player 	Contract terms
Mitch FaddenLightning Sign C Mitch Fadden 	3 years
Lukas KrajicekLightning Re-Sign Defenseman Lukas Krajicek 	1 year, $1.475 million
Victor HedmanLightning Sign Defenseman Victor Hedman 	3 years
Blair JonesLightning Sign Restricted Free Agents Jones, Tukonen 	undisclosed
Lauri TukonenLightning Sign Restricted Free Agents Jones, Tukonen 	undisclosed
Matt SmabyLightning Avoid Arbitration with D Matt Smaby 	2 years, $1.05 million
Martins KarsumsLightning Re-Sign RW Martins Karsums 	1 year
Matt LashoffLightning Re-Sign D Matt Lashoff 	2 years
Mike LundinLightning Re-Sign Defenseman Mike Lundin 	1 year
Radek SmolenakLightning Re-Sign LW Radek Smolenak 	1 year
James WrightLightning Sign James Wright to Entry Level Contract 	3 year entry level contract
Carter AshtonLightning Sign RW Carter Ashton to Entry Level Contract 	3 year entry level contract
Jaroslav JanusLightning Sign G Jaroslav Janus to Entry Level Contract	3 year entry level contract
Johan HarjuLightning sign 2007 draft pick, LW Johan Harju 	1 year
== Draft picks ==
Tampa Bay's picks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal, Quebec. 
Round	Pick 	Player 	Position	Nationality	Club Team
1 	2 	Victor Hedman 	(D) 	 	Modo Hockey (Elitserien)
1 	29 (from Detroit) 	Carter Ashton 	(RW) 	 	Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
2 	52 (from Philadelphia) 	Richard Panik 	(RW) 	 	HC Oceláři Třinec (Czech Extraliga)
4 	93 	Alex Hutchings 	(LW) 	 	Barrie Colts (OHL)
5 	148 (from Carolina via Nashville)	Michael Zador 	(G) 	 	Oshawa Generals (OHL)
6 	162 (from Nashville) 	Jaroslav Janus 	(G) 	 	Erie Otters (OHL)
7 	183 	Kirill Gotovets	(D) 	 	Shattuck-St. Mary's School (MN) (United States High School)
== Roster ==
== See also ==
* 2009–10 NHL season
== References ==
Category:Tampa Bay Lightning seasons
Category:2009 in hockey
Category:2010 in hockey