Untitled Update

Alex Tanguay, one of the few relevant unsigned members of this year's NHL free agent class, officially completed a one year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team had been trying to sign the 29-year-old forward for several weeks and their courtship included phone calls from stars Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. From Tampa Bay Online:

Marty left me a voice mail and I talked to Vinny once and we had maybe a 25-minute conversation, and I think Marty actually called while I was on the phone with Vinny so that's why I didn't pick up the phone," Tanguay said. "But they both basically said that they would love to have me here and if I had any questions about the team, about the city or the organization. It was nice to have those guys call, especially both of them also being from Quebec and making the phone call to ask to have me come here and help their team.

But in the end, Tanguay's decision probably had more to do with the prospect of winning than phone conversations with fellow canucks. Tanguay, who has never missed the playoffs in his nine-year NHL career, likes the Lightnings chances this year. From Raw Charge:

I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help this team get to the playoffs and, hopefully, do further damage after that," Tanguay said. "But we'll worry about the playoffs first. Obviously the organization has made huge steps in improving the team this offseason and I know (coach) Rick (Tocchet) during his days as (assistant) coach in Colorado. I know what to expect out of him and am looking forward to the opportunity to getting back to the playoffs.

In 659 career games, most of which came with the Colorado Avalanche, Tanguay has scored 159 goals and amassed 580 points. In his lone season with the Montreal Candiens last year, Tanguay missed 32 games with a shoulder injury but made it back in time for the playoffs. He figures to be a key part of this year's Tampa Bay team partly because of his distributing abilities. From Raw Charge:

Tanguay's a good goal scorer, but he's more likely to pass than to shoot. I watched him play often early in his career with Colorado. So even if he has the wide-open net, he'll often make a pass instead.