Shattenkirk redeems himself, helps Lightning engage Stanley Cup

Injured captain Steven Stamkos, relegated to 2: 47 of play all via the Lightning’s total postseason flee, welcomed the defenseman off the ice after that Game 4 goal. 

The 2 men embraced, one in hockey tools, one in dual carriageway dresses. It changed into a moment of celebration, of pleasure, a “job smartly performed” and a “thank you” and an figuring out the finest-laid plans don’t the least bit times work out as meant. 

For Shattenkirk, there changed into relief and redemption. For Shattenkirk, the championship changed into the culmination of years of exhausting work and sacrifice, view to be one of many perfect highs that you would possibly perhaps well imagine in hockey, a piece more than a year after view to be one of his lowest lows. 

Because Shattenkirk wasn’t supposed to play in or engage the Stanley Cup with the Lightning. That changed into supposed to happen with his design of beginning Fresh York Rangers, who had signed him to a four-year contract price $6.65 million once a year July 1, 2017. 

Video: TBL@DAL, Gm4: Shattenkirk nets PPG, wins Game 4 in OT

Nonetheless on Aug. 1, 2019, after two seasons, the Rangers equipped out his contract. His time in Fresh York changed into over after 119 video games.  

“It changed into obviously very painful to see him struggle via the job of something that changed into supposed to be so improbable and something that I deem at the relieve of his head he the least bit times principal and changed into the least bit times utilizing in direction of,” Shattenkirk’s longtime agent Jordan Neumann acknowledged. “To survey it supreme no longer work out changed into very painful for everyone that loves him and cares about him.” 

The Fresh York experiment, seen as a homecoming for Shattenkirk that can protect the Rangers in Stanley Cup contention, had resulted in a rebuild Shattenkirk would no longer be participating in. The Rangers had been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs seven consecutive seasons, including the Closing in 2014 and the Eastern Convention Closing the next season. Nonetheless after Shattenkirk arrived, the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2019. 

The Washington Capitals, Shattenkirk’s crew in 2016-17, obtained the Cup in 2018. The St. Louis Blues, his crew from 2010-17, obtained in 2019. 

He didn’t know what the future held. 

“[You] don’t truly know which method is up at that point or how the chips are going to tumble,” Shattenkirk acknowledged. “It changed into intriguing to see my extinct teams the two years prior engage Stanley Cups, teams of guys that I had been with and change into shut with. It makes you wonder. It makes you imagine.” 

His phone started ringing. Despite the reality that most teams already had dedicated to the bulk of their free brokers, teams scrounged for residence to attain Shattenkirk. He looked at the Lightning, and in Tampa Bay’s defenseman group he saw a sturdy core of left shots, which would enable him to pair with Victor Hedman or Ryan McDonagh or Mikhail Sergachev, a dream for any supreme-shot defenseman. 

He signed, for one season and $1.75 million, four days after the Rangers equipped out his contract. 

“In my mind, when all the pieces came about remaining summer season, my goal changed into to discover myself in a design to imprint myself and repeat that I could well tranquil be a participant on this League,” acknowledged Shattenkirk, scheduled to change into an unrestricted free agent Oct. 9.

Video: DAL@TBL, Gm2: Shattenkirk buries shot via traffic

The Lightning had been thrilled. They’d added ahead Pat Maroon and defenseman Luke Schenn, and believed the three veterans would make the distinction after a 2018-19 season after they accomplished with 128 parts, the fourth most in NHL ancient previous, but had been swept in four video games within the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’d to make changes, including to the crew culture, and Shattenkirk changed into a substantial fraction of that. 

“In a roundabout arrangement, whenever that it’s most likely you’ll smartly be attempting to position the total objects of the puzzle together, that it’s most likely you’ll smartly be collecting skills,” Lightning frequent manager Julien BriseBois acknowledged, “but truly that it’s most likely you’ll smartly be constructing a crew, and they had been all key objects in helping this portray come together for us this year.” 

This changed into their vision. This changed into Shattenkirk’s vision. 

Factual a piece farther south than he had meant. 

“The 2d half of the two years changed into witness-opening of how he principal to play on a winning crew, and how principal it changed into to engage,” Neumann acknowledged. “Being in a design where he knew he could well engage, I deem he truly perked up. I deem he obviously did feel enjoy he had something to imprint, that what came about in Fresh York changed into truly no longer who he changed into as a participant. And you build these two things together and I’m no longer even a piece bit very a lot surprised that he’s had an prominent year.” 

Shattenkirk scored 34 parts (eight desires, 26 parts) in 70 video games this season and changed into plus-22, and scored 13 parts (three desires, 10 assists) in 25 postseason video games. Continuously unpleasant on the energy play, he has found a match, as a ingredient of the total, as a fraction of a defenseman group that has gamers with bigger roles. The Lightning enjoy let him be the participant he changed into when he found a dwelling with the Blues. 

When Ken Hitchcock coached him in St. Louis for six seasons, Shattenkirk changed into efficient. He didn’t force his offensive sport. He moved the puck smartly. He let the game come to him. That didn’t happen in Fresh York. 

There, nothing went as deliberate. The Rangers missed the playoffs in 2018. Shattenkirk accomplished with 23 parts (five desires, 18 assists) in 46 video games, one season away from scoring 56 (13 desires, 43 assists) in 80 video games between the Blues and Capitals. He changed into minus-14. The subsequent season he had 28 parts (two desires, 26 assists) in 73 video games for Fresh York and changed into minus-15. 

As a change of being a fraction, Shattenkirk perceived to feel the must tranquil be the predominant fraction. It wasn’t what had made him wanted as a free agent. It wasn’t what had made him successful. It wasn’t even truly who he changed into as a person. As Neumann acknowledged, “As great as he’ll enlighten you he’s a huge golfer, there would possibly perhaps be minute doubt whenever you exercise time with Kevin that he changed into born to play a crew sport.” 

That wasn’t the fashion he changed into playing in Fresh York. 

“You’re feeling enjoy, here is a crew that recruited me, they principal me, and I’ve bought to present,” Hitchcock acknowledged. “So incessantly you discover caught in attempting to present quite than supreme slot in. … And then all of a unexpected the interior rigidity on your self begins to truly mount, and it’s exhausting. Or no longer it’s exhausting for gamers to kind via that stuff.” 

Nonetheless there had been lessons in Fresh York. Wanted ones. 

“I deem it made him a bigger person, it made him a bigger hockey participant,” Neumann acknowledged. “Did it work out? No. Nonetheless he’s moreover the first guy to enlighten he has no regrets because he principal to survey what it changed into enjoy to play for his design of beginning crew. And had he no longer taken that opportunity he would enjoy regretted no longer having experienced it. So, sure, it didn’t work out. Nonetheless no regrets — you progress ahead as a bigger person and a bigger participant.” 

He changed into precisely that with Tampa Bay, going relieve to his roots, becoming in perfectly on the ice and within the dressing room, taking on one of the principal principal management feature the Lightning principal filled. 

And he let the skills with the Rangers force him, push him. 

“I’ve acknowledged it earlier than, I never roughly put out of your mind what came about remaining summer season,” Shattenkirk acknowledged. “I’ve ragged that to gas me and supreme no longer discover gratified.” 

The game Friday changed into, in diverse methods, a microcosm of what Shattenkirk has been via within the previous year-plus.  

The tying goal by Stars heart Joe Pavelski with 8: 25 remaining within the third duration had long gone in off Shattenkirk’s knee. Nonetheless Shattenkirk changed into undaunted. With the Lightning on the energy play in extra time, he took a wrist shot from the finest face-off circle. 

It went in. All but again, he changed into redeemed. 

His lowest low had vaulted him as high as he has ever been in his profession.  

“I deem the total hockey world is able to serene down now and … with a piece of luck esteem what we all knew two, three, four, even eight or 9 years within the past about supreme how fair a participant he’s,” Neumann acknowledged. “And I deem maybe with the bumps within the dual carriageway here the rest two years, maybe that changed into forgotten a piece bit. 

“So if there would possibly perhaps be some redemption in that, I deem that’s astonishing.”