Tampa Bay Lightning: Cory Conacher Making Most of Second Chance
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Cory Conacher is taking full advantage of his second chance with the Bolts as they head into the 2016-17 season.
For the Tampa Bay Lightning, trading Cory Conacher to the Ottawa Senators for a relatively unproven netminder in Ben Bishop at the 2012 trade deadline was quite the gamble. One that left many scratching their collective heads, as Conacher was in the midst of a breakout rookie campaign while Bishop spent much of his time shuttling between Ottawa and Binghamton, home of the Senators AHL affiliate.
Since then, Bishop has taken the reigns in Tampa and never looked back, putting together one solid season after another. He’s twice been voted a Vezina Trophy finalist (2013-14 & 2015-16), led the Lightning to the 2015 Stanley Cup finals before falling short in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks and got them to the 2016 Eastern Conference finals before an injury forced him out of the lineup.
Conacher, meanwhile, had trouble adjusting to a new system in Ottawa. His numbers weren’t horrible but they likely weren’t what the Senators expected either from an offensive standpoint, scoring four goals and 20 points in 60 games played.
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That made him expendable, with the Senators placing him on waivers prior to the 2014 trade deadline. He was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres but struggled mightily in 19 games, thus becoming a free agent on June 30th, 2014.
Early in the 2014 free agency period, Conacher was signed to a one-year deal by the New York Islanders. He continued to struggle though, potting one goal and netting three points in 15 early season games. That led to another bout with waivers and, ultimately, a demotion to the Isles’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.
Approximately three months later, Conacher found himself traded once again, this time to the Vancouver Canucks. While he never played a game with the big club, he did find a role for himself on the AHL’s Utica Comets, helping them to the Calder Cup finals.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to secure an NHL contract so Conacher ended up signing on with Swiss club, SC Bern. Coached by former Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Guy Boucher, he found his game and confidence, first helping Team Canada win the Spengler Cup title and then helping Bern capture their league title.
That caught the eye of Lightning GM Steve Yzerman who offered the young winger a one-year contract early in the 2016 free agency period. It also gives Conacher the second chance he so badly wants after years of bouncing around from one team to another to another.
It also reunites Conacher with several former AHL teammates and coach Jon Cooper from the 2012 Calder Cup winning Norfolk Admirals team. Guys like Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, and Alex Killorn, all of whom followed up their AHL success with NHL success.
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Conacher looks to do the same despite taking a bit of a different path than those mentioned above. His preseason numbers are encouraging, as he’s shooting the puck whenever the opportunity presents itself and has at least one goal.
He’s also been receiving some power play work, something the Lightning surely hopes will add options to a man advantage that ranked near the bottom of the league last season.
Will Cory Conacher crack the 2016 Tampa Bay Lightning roster? Given his one-way contract, it’s likely he will make the team. Where he plays is a different story, though. While many expect him to slot in on one of the bottom two lines, injuries or trades could force him up the depth chart.
Not that any of those things matter to Conacher–the undersized former NHL afterthought is just grateful for another opportunity. One he hopes ends with his name being engraved on Lord Stanley’s Cup.
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