The injury-plagued Lightning battled for a playoff berth until the eve of their season finale at Hartford. The Calgary Flames are sitting out the postseason for the first time since 1992.
All that says plenty for Rick Tabaracci.
When General Manager Phil Esposito acquired the 28-year-old goaltender from Calgary in a Nov. 19 trade for center Aaron Gavey, the Lightning were struggling through a 2-14-2 stretch that saw them plummet from top to bottom in the Atlantic Division standings.
It didn't take long for people in Florida to warm up to the deal that received an icy response from fans north of the border.
"They had a media frenzy when he left," said Lightning defenseman Jamie Huscroft, who rejoined his former Calgary teammate just before the March 18 trade deadline.
"They had polls in the paper; everything was anti-Trevor Kidd and pro-Rick," Huscroft said. "They'd have a thousand people call in and 900 wanted Tabby to stay. The other hundred wanted Kidder to leave."
The Flames, however, were reluctant to part with Kidd - their first-round pick (11th overall) in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft - and sent a disappointed Tabaracci packing.
"I was there a year-and-a-half, and when I left it felt like I had been there five or six years," Tabaracci said.
"I think it was a cumulation of the best people that I've ever been associated with in hockey from a working perspective, and the people in the city were very warm, very receptive."
Tabaracci, though, was receptive to the idea of stepping into an everyday role with Lightning starter Daren Puppa recovering from surgery on a herniated disc in his back.
Beginning with a West Coast trip in early December, the Toronto native played in a franchise record 17 consecutive games as the Lightning climbed back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.
"It was probably they key move to keep us alive and in the playoff hunt," Coach Terry Crisp said of the trade. "Tabs came down here and he'd been wanting a No. 1 job. He was given the chance and did a great job for us."
But Tabaracci got a sudden dose of reality March 29 as Puppa returned to the starting lineup and within a few days pocketed a pair of 1-1 ties at Miami and Philadelphia along with a three-year contract extension.
"Had he come back two weeks earlier, I possibly would have been on another team," said Tabaracci, who has also played for Winnipeg and Washington after his only appearance - a no-decision in his NHL debut Oct. 21, 1988 - in a Pittsburgh uniform.
Never before has Tabaracci received the kind of playing time he got this season. The acrobatic goaltender appeared in a career-high 55 games, all but seven for Tampa Bay, while posting a 2.75 goals-against average.
He has been equally valuable off the ice. Shortly after arriving from Calgary, Tabaracci rallied his new teammates around an idea to purchase a luxury suite on behalf of the Children's Medical Center at Tampa General Hospital for the second half of the season.
"He's a great team guy and funnier than hell," Huscroft said. "He's not cocky, but he's not quiet either. I think he's the greatest, I really do."
Praise even flowed from the dressing room of a bitter rival.
"When the guys talk in the room, they say he's never going to quit on the puck," Florida goalie John Vanbiesbrouck said. "I think that's a great tribute to a goalie, to be a fighter when you're down and out, never to quit on the puck.
"I think Rick deserves a chance to be a No. 1 guy in this league. He's fought hard, and I've seen him play some wonderful games, make some wonderful saves."
Said Panthers forward Scott Mellanby: "If you get a chance, a little opening, you've got to bury it because he's real quick.
"Obviously, it was a blessing for Tampa Bay to get him."
Amen.