Last season represented rock bottom for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the NHL's worst-overall team just four years after they captured the Stanley Cup. Needless to say, new owner Oren Koules wants more from his team, and he's directed GM Jay Feaster to take aggressive action this offseason.

In their first major move, Tampa selected star forward Steven Stamkos with the first overall pick in the draft. Stamkos will be able to lean on fellow former first overall pick Vincent Lecavalier, who knows more than a little about living up to unreasonable expectations (see former Lightning owner Art Williams' infamous quote: "[Lecavalier] will be the Michael Jordan of hockey").

Former Hart Trophy winner Martin St. Louis will also be on hand to help, and in the days before the start of the free agent signing period, Feaster has acquired the negotiating rights to and signed three high-profile free agents: Vaclav Prospal, Ryan Malone, and Gary Roberts. Prospal came aboard first with a reported four-year, $14 million deal. Malone's deal ($31.5 million over seven years) is heavily front-loaded, earning him between $7 and $8 million in each of the first two seasons, while Roberts has agreed to a one-year contract worth between $1.5 and $2 million.

And now, Feaster has struck again, acquiring Brian Rolston's negotiating rights from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft pick (in either 2009 or 2010). Rolston is an incredibly versatile player, a stellar skater and excellent penalty killer who can play in virtually all game situations. His value might be greatest on the power play, where his booming left-handed shot will provide an excellent complement to returning PP quarterback Dan Boyle.

With all these additions, it's clear that Tampa is serious about a return to the NHL's elite. But free agent shopping sprees don't always work out as expected (see: the New York Rangers of the late 1990s). Prospal has already shown to have good chemistry with Lecavalier, so his signing--though expensive--was relatively risk-free from a productivity perspective. But Malone's play improved dramatically in his walk year, good cause for serious concern amongst the Tampa faithful, and Roberts is 42 years old.

Whether Rolston signs--and whether he turns out to be a good acquisition--will depend largely upon how he's used by new head coach Barry Melrose. Matt Cullen went to the New York Rangers with a similar pedigree in the summer of 2006, but head coach Tom Renney's staunch refusal to use him on the power play point severely suppressed his value. The key to getting the most out of Rolston, without question, is to make sure that he's on the ice in all special teams situations. After spending over a decade in the broadcast booth, it's safe to say that Melrose has seen Rolston at his best.

Of course, there's plenty of upside here as well. Melrose has effectively been scouting and preparing for this job for over a decade, and should have an encyclopedic knowledge of virtually every NHL's player's strengths and weaknesses by now. He'll be incredibly enthusiastic about his return behind the bench, and this infusion of talent should make the Lightning much more formidable in 2008-09. Indeed, in the Southeast Division, the NHL's worst in 2007-08, that might just be enough to propel the Lightning back into the postseason.