The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning are short a pair of veteran blueliners in the injured Radko Gudas and Matt Carle, which makes you wonder if they will look for depth on defense before the March 2 trade deadline.
But what we’re hearing is that general manager Steve Yzerman first wants to see how his younger blueliners answer the call.
Carle is expected back in early March and Gudas near the end of the regular season, so if the youngsters perform well enough, Tampa may be able to hang in without being forced to make a move.
