How the Lightning’s March madness has put them among top Cup contenders — again
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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporter
The Tampa Bay Lightning had their own March madness this year. With a March mantra to boot: Just win, baby.
And no surprise — the Lightning did. A lot.
Tampa Bay went 9-1-1 last month, saving their best run of the season (so far) for the stretch drive toward playoffs. It’s not the first time the Lightning have hung back, only to flip the proverbial switch right when points and positioning are paramount.
It’s a sound strategy when successful — even if Tampa Bay isn’t exactly aiming to be so dramatic.
“We’re obviously not trying to wait that long [to get going],” defenseman Victor Hedman said with a laugh. “But yeah, that’s just how things have played out. But we’re always confident in ourselves and we’re confident in the core group that we are going to be able to sustain a high level of play from here for a deep playoff run.”
Tampa Bay certainly knows what it takes to go on one. The Lightning were back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in 2020 and 2021, and reached the Final again in 2022. The accumulation of acclaim made their first-round exit against Toronto in 2023 all the more disappointing — but even additional offseason rest didn’t help the Lightning transition to a new year.
In fact, Tampa Bay downright struggled to start this season. Without goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy — who was sidelined by offseason hip surgery until late November — the Lightning struggled to barely get above .500 and were 18-15-5 on Dec. 31. The Lightning had at that point also lost top-pairing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to an upper-body injury and were looking for a clear direction.
That was uncharted territory for Tampa Bay after being rapidly locked in to its postseason fate a season ago.
“I think last year at Christmas we knew we were playing the Leafs [in the first round],” Jon Cooper said last week. “This year at Christmas, we knew we weren’t playing the Leafs. It’s been one of those years. I don’t know what our point total was [at this point] last year. But we’re not too far off. It’s just we got to this point in a different way.”
Cooper was right: Tampa Bay had 96 points on April 3, 2023; the Lightning were at 91 points on April 3, 2024, and holding the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot.
So, what changed for Tampa Bay to take it from writhing to thriving? Because finding a way to sneak up on — and slip past — the competition is a tall order even for recent two-time champions. But the Lightning are doing it and hitting their stride after weathering a few storms.
And maybe those past achievements are also pushing Tampa Bay — on and off the ice — to embrace the ride.
“These guys have really in the month of March put them in a spot that you maybe on March 1 we weren’t thinking was going to be like this,” Cooper said. “I’m proud of the guys for what they’ve done. Because you know, every year is different.”
DOWNTIME DURING THE SEASON isn’t usually a bad thing.
Unless you’re the Lightning.
Tampa Bay had just cruised through January at 8-1-0 to arrive at its 10-day layoff between the bye week and All-Star activities. When the Lightning resumed play, though, it was under increasingly choppy seas.
“For whatever reason, our team hasn’t been good coming out of [All-Star] breaks in recent years, and we were true to that this year,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “We went into the break on a good tear. Then we had a couple of games where things really kind of went sideways in terms of what our identity is. We got away from it.”
The first wave hit when Sergachev — back in the lineup on Feb. 7 after a 17-game absence — suffered multiple tibia fractures that same night. He immediately had surgery, and Cooper said Tampa would have to go “deep” in the playoffs to see Sergachev rejoin the team.
The Lightning went downhill from there, finishing February 5-6-1 while barely clinging to a playoff spot.
Their slump presented a significant challenge. Would they let that crack turn into a crevice, swallowing the season whole? Or could they start patching what holes were in front of them?
Tampa Bay chose the latter.
“The coaching staff has a good feel on [what we needed],” Stamkos said. “You have those meetings where things aren’t necessarily pretty watching the video as a player, but it’s one of those moments whereas a group collectively, you have to man up and be better and just pay attention to more details when you don’t have the puck. Those are the harder things to do, but that’s the stuff that wins in playoff time, and the core group of this team knows what that takes.”
That’s not to say losing Sergachev hasn’t stung, or that the Lightning believe they’re in top form without him patrolling their blue line. Forging ahead without Sergachev is just another obstacle in Tampa Bay’s path.
“We’re a much better team when he’s in than out,” Cooper said. “We’ve had to learn to live with it and move on just as years ago when we lost [Stamkos] for a long time in a [2019] playoff run or we lost [Nikita Kucherov] for a year [in 2020-21]. You just have to adapt. The pity party can last for a day, but then you have to move on.”
Fortunately for Tampa Bay, Kucherov has been the molten-hot core of its nucleus this year. The dazzling winger has dominated as a frequent league-leader in points, generating a Hart Trophy-worthy campaign to buoy the Lightning through their inevitable ebbs and flows. It especially kept Tampa Bay afloat while Vasilevskiy rebounded into form.
The Lightning have yearly leaned on Vasilevskiy’s excellence, but the injury clearly set their Vezina Trophy winner back: After his first month in the crease, Vasilevskiy was 7-7-0 with an .899 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average. Tampa Bay oscillated between Vasilevskiy and backup Jonas Johansson until Vasilevskiy began to look like himself again right around (wait for it) March into April, when he was outstanding at 9-2-1 with a .918% and 2.33 GAA.
Kucherov’s other teammates eventually caught on, too, and the uptick in production across the board made every difference.
By the end of March, Brayden Point had 12 goals in 12 games, Stamkos punched in 17 points in 13 games and Hedman added 12 points in 12 games.
Oh, and Kucherov hit another high note, too, collecting 26 points in 13 games. Casual.
If it weren’t for Kucherov’s consistency, the Lightning would have had an even steeper climb up the standings. He’s without question the team’s MVP, and Hedman believes that candidacy should expand past their dressing room walls.
“[There’s] no debate in my mind [who should win the Hart],” Hedman said. “Just the way he’s carried this team through the adversity we’ve faced and the tough start that we had, he kept producing and trying to get us out of the slump. Now that we have, he’s still producing at an incredibly high level and he’s played big minutes. He’s the smartest player in hockey.”
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois had to be intelligent, too, in supporting Kucherov & Co., but Brisebois’ position heading into the trade deadline was (unsurprisingly) familiar: depth roles having to be filled, with little salary cap space with which to do it.
Stop if you’ve heard this one before, but Tampa Bay found its solutions again.
THE LIGHTNING HAVE A WAY of welcoming fresh faces.
In 2019-20, the Lightning brought in Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow at the trade deadline to help Tampa Bay lift the Cup. The Lightning did it again in 2020-21 with the addition of David Savard. In 2021-22, it was Nicholas Paul and Brandon Hagel joining Tampa Bay’s ranks, and they’ve continued to thrive with the Lightning since.
So BriseBois knew the benefit of bringing in veterans. He found them in landing Anthony Duclair from the San Jose Sharks for a prospect and 2025 seventh-round draft choice, and Matt Dumba (plus a 2025 seventh-round pick) from the Arizona Coyotes for a 2027 fifth-round selection. Both trades followed a typical Tampa Bay pattern of identifying key, depth-related needs and targeting the ideal players to address them.
Naturally, they’ve been a hit already. Since the March 8 deadline, Duclair has emerged as a top-line winger, collecting five goals and 10 points in 11 games, while Dumba has settled into a reliable, third-pairing role.
“The trade deadline [this year] I think was huge,” Hedman said. “For us, we added some pieces, and that’s kind of when our game started to click at a top level. We’ve had some runs throughout the year but for us mostly, after the trade deadline, we’ve been able to kind of cement ourselves with the way we want to play.”
Tampa Bay has remained loyal to many players from its championship run, but there were inevitable cap casualties, too, such as Yanni Gourde, Ryan McDonagh, Alex Killorn, Coleman and Goodrow. Replacing those players year after year is hardly a straightforward task, but somehow the Lightning have become masters of the craft.
“It’s so hard to win in this league,” Stamkos said. “Even the core guys that are still here, as many guys as we’ve lost, we brought in guys that have that same pedigree and management has always done an unbelievable job of just giving us that added boost come trade deadline with making moves. This year, maybe we didn’t have the capital that we had in other years to make big trades but for us, those were big moves. You add a top-six forward and reliable defenseman, and that’s exactly what we need and both those guys bring an element of obvious skill on the ice but character in the room, too. You lose some of those players over the years who just are glue guys in the room, and those [new] guys have fit in really well and sparked us I think.”
The Lightning’s second-half surge wouldn’t have been complete without a little youth movement. Rookie Emil Lilleberg, 23, has been stationed next to Dumba on Tampa’s blue line, and freshman Mitchell Chaffee, 26, can lately be found in a third-line slot with Paul and Michael Eyssimont. They, along with Max Crozier in previous stretches, have been a shot in the arm for the club’s overall mood.
“The youthful energy that has been brought into this room has been great,” Stamkos said. “They’ve done an amazing job on the ice but just that anxiousness, that nervousness, that energy that you have in the room for these young guys, I think that has been a help as well, maybe a little jolt. They’ve certainly played extremely well for us.”
Tampa Bay has used skaters old and new to up the ante on special teams. Going back to March 1, the Lightning own the league’s fifth-ranked power play (28.2%) and it’s No. 1 penalty kill (95.0%), and are tied for the lead in shorthanded goals (3).
The stars have, to put it mildly, aligned for the Lightning. Clinching a seventh consecutive playoff berth seems inevitable. And no, Tampa Bay doesn’t care which team it faces in the first round.
It’s the getting back there that counts — and the incomparable journey that awaits.
SOME EXPERIENCES IN LIFE might have a shelf life. Competing for a Cup isn’t one of them.
That’s what makes the Lightning’s current trajectory so fun — and all the hard days behind (and potentially ahead) of them so worthwhile.
“When you’ve been to the top of the mountain and you have that feeling, it’s almost like an addiction,” Stamkos said. “You want it again because it feels so amazing. You’ve accomplished your ultimate dream and then for the guys who have done that, that’s what drives you to do it again. And I think for the most part, the guys that are still here from those teams still feel that way.”
The exhilaration of winning might never fade, but players themselves do. Careers end in all sorts of ways, and the saddest one is with regrets. That thought alone is enough to fuel those lucky enough to remain in the fight.
“It’s the hunger that doesn’t stop,” Hedman said. “We’re not going to play this game until we’re 45 or 50. It’s a short lifespan, and you’ve just got to embrace every opportunity that you have, and you can’t take anything for granted just because you had success in the past. It’s just making sure that you embrace every situation, embrace every year and you look at it like it might your last chance. And that hunger we have in this room is what’s impressed me the most.”
Cooper’s perspective on winning it all spans beyond just the Lightning lens. It goes out to an appreciation for the fact that Tampa Bay didn’t see its early exodus last spring as a sign of its inevitable demise. It was more like a wakeup call about what’s at stake — and that’s extending the Lightning’s window long past what even they initially believed might be possible.
Tampa Bay has the formula down. Just win, baby.
“It was devastating when we lost to Toronto,” Cooper said. “It’s [lost] time in the league. Not everybody’s blessed to get to play for 15, 20 years. Guys get to play six, seven, eight and in that time, you’ve got to hope you play on a team that makes the playoffs. There are some guys in this league that haven’t had that experience. And they [never] get to have the experience. We’ve had that experience, but you cherish it because you don’t know when you go back. You just don’t know.”
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Kristen Shilton
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Greg Wyshynski
HENDERSON, Nev. — With training camps opening up this week, the NHL is close to being back in action for the 2025-26 season after an eventful summer that included a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the League and the players.
ESPN’s Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski caught up with dozens of stars at the NHL Player Media Tour near Las Vegas last week and asked all the pertinent questions:
What did they like about the new CBA? Who will take advantage of the new relaxed dress code? Are they happy with the current playoff format? Plus, their favorite “cheat meals,” pregame pump-up tunes and weird equipment quirks.
Here’s what the NHL’s best had to say:
What’s your favorite cheat meal?
“I’ll go with my most recent: I had just a massive plate of chicken wings on Sunday to watch some NFL football. Like every other American. I’m a Giants fan. We scored less than a touchdown in Week 1. I’m not a hot chicken wing guy. I like the flavors. I went honey buffalo and garlic parm. It’s so good.” — Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
A burger from 7th Street in New York — Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
“Probably a burger and fries.” — Connor Bedard, Chicago Blackhawks
“Pizza. Domino’s. Unbelievable. Everything there.” — Seth Jarvis, Carolina Hurricanes
“Probably like a burger, something like that. There’s some good spots in Denver for burgers. Hard to pinpoint one. But the Cherry Cricket has a solid burger.” — Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
“I’ll go with Shake Shack. Burger, fries and a chocolate shake. That’s a legit cheat meal. Some people are probably giving you, like, half answer.” — Travis Sanheim, Philadelphia Flyers
“Pizza. Pineapple and ham.” — Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
“Pizza with prosciutto. Not the American one. Like, the fancy pizza. Nice Italian one. Prosciutto with burrata.” — Lukas Dostal, Anaheim Ducks
“Nachos. Tacos. Something Mexican, for sure.” — Brady Skjei, Nashville Predators
“Chick-fil-a. Or a Culver’s burger, fries and chocolate shake.” — Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
“A burger. From anywhere. I’m easy.” — Macklin Celebrini, San Jose Sharks
What are you happiest about in the CBA?
“I appreciate that training camp is a little bit shorter. I’m not the biggest fan of camp, so that’ll be good. And I think [adding] the two more games, I mean, anyone can grind out two more games. It’s not like they’re adding 10 right? It’s going to be fine.” — Jarvis
“The relaxed dress code is cool. I think our [Finnish players] are definitely gonna take advantage. They just have cool stuff, and they look cool. I’m not the type of guy that can, like, pull off anything. I literally have sweatpants or golf clothes or suits, so I need to kind of branch out a little bit more. I’m excited to see what Roope Hintz cracks out because it feels like he could be wearing the craziest thing ever. And he makes it look cool.” — Oettinger
“I guess shorter preseason is probably the biggest thing. You’d rather play more [regular-season] games than have a long preseason, I think.” — Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
“No more suits. That’s pretty good. A lot of people talk about the 84-game season, but it comes with less training camp and less preseason games, so it kind of evens itself out at the end. But I’d rather play two more meaningful games than two preseason games.” — Pierre-Luc Dubois, Washington Capitals
“I think the cap-compliant thing for the playoffs was neat. I think it was something that everyone loved to complain about, but now that’s sort of taken care of, so the playing field is level again. So I think they did a good job with that. And then 84 games will be a lot, I’ll tell you that. I thought 82 was good. But here comes 84.” — McAvoy
“I think maybe the healthcare that they added. I just think that’s an important thing to have post-career. Obviously, guys that have retired before have stuff about that and said it’s an important part of it, so it’s good to see.” — Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth
“No dress code. I like guys who express their fashion. You look at football guys, basketball, they get to show off. It’s good that we get that too.” — Hedman
“The dress code. You can express a little bit more yourself. But I still like to keep the suits. I like my suits. You invested in suits, but then you can invest in some nice jackets and stuff, so I feel like you can be more flexible with that.” — Dostal
“No fitness testing was nice. It came a little late. I mean, I’m getting old. I wish they did that 15 years ago. But I’m sure the guys are most happy with that.” — Jordan Eberle, Seattle Kraken
“I like the pension and health care for retirees. There’s so many great things that were able to come from the deal that I think will benefit players now and players and their families after they’re done playing. So there’s a lot of exciting things. The dress code allows guys to show a little bit more personality. But I think there’s going to be lots of guys wearing suits still. It’s a great hockey tradition. You see it right from minor hockey on up, with kids wearing suits to games. And I don’t think that’s going to change too much.” — Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues
“I like the dress code being a little more lenient. Guys can probably show their flash and show their style a little bit more.” [Are you planning to do that?] “If I had some flash, or some style, I definitely would.” — Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Which player on your team will most take advantage of the relaxed gameday dress code?
“That’s a good one. I’ll give you two guys. I think Pasta [David Pastrnak] is going to be the most. He’s got the best style, so I think he’ll be pretty eccentric. He’ll have some good outfits. And then I’ll say Morgan Geekie will take it easy. He loves a good hoodie and some sweatpants, just like me.” — McAvoy
“Myself. Timo Meier, Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt too. But I still think I’ll wear suits a little bit, but for the most part I’ll wear normal clothes and enjoy that.” — Hughes
“Probably Vince Dunn. I think he’ll be pretty stylish, though. I don’t know if he’s taking advantage of it, but he’ll take it to another level.” — Eberle
What’s your go-to pre-game hype song, either as a team or personally?
“I don’t have one. And they keep me away from the Aux cord in the room, anyway.” — Jarvis
“I feel like I’m not really getting hyped up as much anymore. I mean, I still do [to play], but I’m more of like 90s stuff, like Matchbox 20, Dave Matthews, that my kind of music.” — Skjei
“I like old-school Drake. Like, ‘Headlines’ Drake. That’s my vibe.” — Oettinger
“My most hyped song I would go [with] is probably ‘Best of You,’ Foo Fighters.” — Hughes
“Just something like country music. I like Morgan Wallen, so his new album probably right now.” — Sanheim
“There’s a lot of country on. And then there’s hype music before we go on the ice. But it’s different every time.” — Hedman
“I listen to French rap, so it’s just whatever I’m into in that moment. I am the DJ at times, but I can’t play French rap for the team, just for myself.” — Dubois
“I’m kind of whatever they throw on. I listen to anything. I don’t mind. Some little oldies to get it going a little bit. Like Dire Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing.'” — Makar
How would you change or expand the playoff format? Or do you prefer it as is?
“I think it’s nice the way it is. I think you get those [great] matchups every year. The only tough thing is that two contenders might play each other in the first round, but it’s part of it. You’ve got to beat the best to be the best. I got no problems with it.” — Alex DeBrincat, Detroit Red Wings
“I would do 1-through-8 again. We get to play the same teams pretty much every time in the wild card, so I would like to see it a little bit different.” — Hedman
“I would probably change it, because sometimes I feel like it’s unfair when, in the first round, you get one of the best teams right away.” — Dostal
“I think we could [go back] to one through eight, but I can see how there’s so many rivalries that have been created through the format right now. It’s going to be hard no matter what you do. So it’s not like the one through eight set up would be a cakewalk for the No. 1 seed. Every series is still going to be a tough series.” — Skjei
“I like the way it is. I mean, if we start expanding the league a little more and add more teams, then I think you’ve got to probably start adding more teams to playoffs. But I like the way it is. I would probably go 1-through-8 instead.” — Eberle
“I feel like all the players want back to 1-to-8. I think that’s a thing that we’d like, but I get it. I understand the playoff format now. It makes the road harder sometimes. [Some players said the wild card locks in the same matchups every year?] I mean, if you’re from Edmonton or LA, I’d say so, yeah. Sometimes you get a good matchup and sometimes you are playing a top-six team with another top-six team like we did this past year. That’s the way she goes.” — Makar
“I would go 1-through-8. I wouldn’t expand it. The toughest thing to be a part of is the Stanley Cup playoffs. To have half the teams make it … I don’t know if you’d want necessarily want more than that. I understand it’d be exciting and bring a new element to it. I think just as a player, over 82 games to be a part of the top 16, it’s a challenge. If you open it up, you’re going to have teams that maybe don’t necessarily deserve to be there.” — Sanheim
“I wouldn’t expand it. I’m all for trying new things sometimes and if they wanted to do the play-in like the NBA … some people think that the 10th seed can make the playoffs, but the 10th just becomes the eighth. I like the 16 teams, with half the league in half the league out.” — Dubois
“I like how it is now. I’m used to it. Seeded one through eight might create some different matchups, but I’ve got no problems with it now.” — Jarvis
“I think I’m happy with 16 teams right now. I don’t know how I feel about the play-in games in the NBA, but I think right now I think half the [NHL] makes it and I think that’s pretty good numbers. I used to love 1-through-8, but the divisions were a little different too.” — Hughes
What’s your weirdest equipment quirk? Or the weirdest thing you’ve seen a teammate do?
“The weirdest thing is probably moving my helmet around all the time before a faceoff. It’s just my helmet fits so terribly, it’s like a habit at this point to move it around all the time.” — Sam Reinhart, Florida Panthers
“I wear these massive foam-like donuts in the front of my skates to prevent lace bite. And I think I might be the only guy to wear those. They’re about an inch thick. Rick Nash had the same problem, and I played with him in New York. So when I had lace bite, I went to him, and he’s gave me a couple of pads, and I’ve used them ever since then.” — Skjei
“I’m very particular about my gloves. I’ll change my left glove and keep my right glove. I’m sure I drive the trainers crazy, but sometimes I’m just looking for something.” — Eberle
“I get a new stick before every game. That’s just something that I’ve done. I just don’t trust it. I go crosscheck a guy and it’ll snap in half. I don’t want to be standing in the D-zone with a broken stick.” — Sanheim
“I’m always [hitting] my stick in my glove. I do that, like, 1,000 time a game. I don’t know why. I saw Carey Price do it when I was about 14, and I started doing it and now it’s just like a little tick. I don’t even realize I’m doing it.” — Oettinger
“I cut the laces on my skates. The tip of it is plastic. I cut the plastic part off. I just fold it in half. It’s because when I was in Junior, we didn’t have 96 [inch] laces and the laces were too long. So I just started cutting them. Now I can get 96 laces.. But it just doesn’t feel right.” — Dubois
They said it!
Quinn Hughes on new Canucks coach Adam Foote: “He’s been really good. Brought structure, competitive, good guy. So we’ll see how it goes with him as the coach, but I think he’s really excited and looking forward to the opportunity.”
Zach Werenski on belief in Columbus: “We were right there. We were in the playoff [mix] until Game 82. So we know we’re a good hockey team. It’s doing it consistently now, doing it again year after year, right? We had a good year last year. It still wasn’t good enough. So it’s doing it again and doing it even better. So I think [GM Don Waddell’s] belief in us is going to give us some confidence, too.”
Patrick Kane on Olympic Development Camp invite: “I think there was just talking with my agent about how there’s the potential of maybe making the team and that I was under consideration. So when you hear that, it’s not really that big of a surprise that you’re there. Probably a little bit more surprised that Alex [DeBrincat] was left off, but I think both of us have some motivation to get off to good starts this year.”
Robert Thomas on his goals for this season: “I’d like to get 100 [points]. I think I was pretty close to on pace for that last year, minus an injury. So, staying healthy and continuing to improve, I think that 100 points is my next target.”
Connor Hellebuyck on learning from 4 Nations Face-Off ahead of an Olympic year: “The emotional grind of the Four Nations was definitely a learning experience. Not only that, but I learned about the off-ice [stuff] and what to expect from that, and how to manage bringing your family around, managing how much extra media there is and stress there is on that. I definitely learned some good stuff from that.”
Sam Reinhart on Florida re-signing its own free agents: “I think it’s a testament to what we’ve got going on there. Guys might be able to make more in other places you know? But we’ve got something they want to be a part of and they don’t want to leave. It’s obviously pretty exciting just to see it all get done the way that it has and see everyone back on board.”
Patrick Kane, after Sidney Crosby interrupted an interview to say hello: “That’d be a good centerman to play with.”
HONOLULU — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed last month accusing them of causing a Hawaii real estate investor and broker to be fired from a $240 million luxury housing development on the Big Island’s Hapuna Coast.
Ohtani and Balelo were sued Aug. 8 in Hawaii Circuit Court for the First Circuit by developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto, West Point Investment Corp. and Hapuna Estates Property Owners, who accused them of “abuse of power” that allegedly resulted in tortious interference and unjust enrichment.
Hayes and Matsumoto had been dropped from the development deal by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the joint venture’s majority owner.
In papers filed Sunday, lawyers for Ohtani and Balelo said Hayes and Matsumoto in 2023 acquired rights for a joint venture in which they owned a minority percentage to use Ohtani’s name, image and likeness under an endorsement agreement to market the venture’s real estate development at the Mauna Kea Resort. The lawyers said Ohtani was a “victim of NIL violations.”
“Unbeknownst to Ohtani and his agent Nez Balelo, plaintiffs exploited Ohtani’s name and photograph to drum up traffic to a website that marketed plaintiffs’ own side project development,” the lawyers wrote. “They engaged in this self-dealing without authorization, and without paying Ohtani for that use, in a selfish and wrongful effort to take advantage of their proximity to the most famous baseball player in the world.”
The lawyers claimed Hayes and Matsumoto sued after “Balelo did his job and protected his client by expressing justifiable concern about this misuse and threatening to take legal action against this clear misappropriation.” They called Balelo’s actions “clearly protected speech “
In a statement issued after the suit was filed last month, Kingsbarn called the allegations “completely frivolous and without merit.”
Ohtani is a three-time MVP on the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Nez Balelo has always prioritized Shohei Ohtani’s best interests, including protecting his name, image, and likeness from unauthorized use,” a lawyer for Ohtani and Balelo, said in a statement. “This frivolous lawsuit is a desperate attempt by plaintiffs to distract from their myriad of failures and blatant misappropriation of Mr. Ohtani’s rights.”
Lawyers for Hayes and Matsumoto did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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