Everett Baldwin (middle) reacts to being drafted by the Lightning. (Ian Vescera)
Everett Baldwin had an inkling that the Tampa Bay Lightning liked him. His pre-draft meetings with Lightning management went well, and he knew that a future in the Sunshine State was a real possibility for him.
But as someone projected to go as high as the late second round, Baldwin couldn’t resist the anxiety that came as the NHL Draft progressed into the later hours of Day 2 and he remained on the board. Surrounded by family and friends with a mountain of Jersey Mike’s subs on the coffee table of his living room, all the Providence native could do was sit and wait.
“With the draft, you just never really know how things go. It’s unpredictable,” Baldwin said. “There was definitely a lot of stress, a lot of tweaking sometimes during the rounds. Each Tampa pick, I’d get all anxious and jump up.”
As the back half of the fifth round continued, Baldwin’s anticipation and anxiety grew again as the Lightning prepared to make the 151st overall pick.