When we entered into the contract with David this summer, both sides did so in good faith, recognizing that no one would work harder in the summer preparing for the new season than David, Lightning Executive Vice President & General Manager Jay Feaster said. At the same time, both sides understood that it would take some time to work through the impact of missing an entire season. What neither side could foresee was the type of game the 'new NHL' would be upon its return - a game in which speed and quickness carry the day. After giving ourselves half a season to evaluate and analyze, it became clear to us that David's game was not suited to the 'new NHL.'
John Tortorella and I met with David for almost an hour on Monday and discussed a number of options. Once again, the new CBA limited our options. Were David to retire, the Club would be relieved of its financial obligations under the contract. We felt that was not fair to David and his family and thus, in the end, our only realistic option was to place him on waivers today with the intention of assigning him to Springfield in the AHL once he clears those waivers, but not requiring that he actually report. This enables David to continue being paid this season without having to actually play in the AHL. "
