Early Trading: NHL monitoring Hurricane Milton

TSN's Gino Reda is joined by TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston to discuss the effects of Hurricane Milton on the Lightning and their home opener.

Gino Reda: CJ, when it was clear the storm was heading to Tampa earlier this week, the Lightning packed up and headed North to Carolina to avoid interfering with rescue efforts and to keep the players, staff and their families safe. Tampa was supposed to play its home opener this Saturday, but the region has been devastated, so what's the plan now moving forward? 

Chris Johnston: Well, right now it's still to be determined if that game will go ahead with Tampa facing Carolina on Saturday night. The feeling is, the NHL and the team will have to make a call probably at some point here on Thursday about whether that game goes ahead. It's about a couple things. I mean, obviously, the devastation to the area, the effects on people in that community where there was significant evacuations in the Tampa area. And obviously not wanting to take away any other resources that might be needed as the clean up efforts and the emergency services continue in the effects of this storm. And so I think that it's something that will all be weighed together, but fortunately for the Lightning, they were able as you mentioned, to get out of the region and in plenty of time. Their pets, their family members and the like have been in North Carolina where they've been skating and where the Lightning do open their season Friday at Carolina. Obviously, a mixed reaction to start this season for the Lightning where they're focused on the business at hand, but concerned about those in their community and their homes and everything in the wake of this terrible storm. 

Reda: Because emergency relief efforts were supposed to come out of Tropicana [Field], we've seen the type damage that was done to that building. The roof was just destroyed. Do we know what, if any, damage has happened to Amalie Arena in terms of water damage or flooding? 

Johnston: The home of the Major League baseball team there unfortunately took a huge hit. It doesn't sound like there's anywhere near that kind of damage to Amalie Arena, so I don't expect that will be significant part of the decision making, but the storm did hit a little harder in St. Petersburg. So, don't have a full report on exactly the state of Amalie Arena at this point and time, but it doesn't sound like it got through the storm in too bad of shape.