The Lightning shed their 7th defenseman and return their hardy forward back to the Syracuse Crunch.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's active roster was reduced earlier today as the Bolts sent two players to the Syracuse CrunchL: Forward Tye McGinn and defenseman Nikita Nesterov.
Wait, wha...? Nesterov? That one seems a little odd with thanks to the fact this reduces the Lightning's roster depth at the blue line to 6 players. No insurance on hand if someone gets hurt? It's peculiar simply from how Jon Cooper's Lightning has tended to carry 7 D.
The whispers about Matt Carle and his recent healthy scratching are a problem as well - if Carle is on the trade block, healthy scratches are not the way that the team will actually highlight the player or show him off.