From Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune:
“This is also what I was able to surmise from conversations last night. Barry Melrose is not a done deal. No definitive offers have been made to anybody and the team is still talking to other candidates. And to clarify one other thing, no deal with Melrose, or anybody else for that matter, can be done anytime soon, and certainly not in the next couple of days. Oren Koules and his group were told by the executive board of the NHL the other day that the only issues that can be dealt with right now are those of a time sensitive manner. A head coach, is not a time sensitive matter. Nothing can be done until the board of governors meeting on June 17 in New York. So even if a deal was in place, it certainly couldn’t be announced.”
Here is the full entry from Bolts Report.
Erlendsson is as close to the Lightning organization as you are going to get, so I take his word on all that he said. I agree with just about everything he wrote regarding Tortorella who is reported to be out as head coach even though the replacement has not yet officially been chosen. I am sure Erlendsson will continue to keep us updated on this situation.
