Speculation: 2023-2024 General Lightning Discussion - Part 5

[RLP55]

Showing my age. But when I saw the name Barabanov, I couldn’t help but smile. As to the player? What’s the obsession with 5”10’ and under guys?

 

[DFC]

Showing my age. But when I saw the name Barabanov, I couldn’t help but smile. As to the player? What’s the obsession with 5”10’ and under guys?

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I think they're just all that's left for guys with a shot at playing top6.

Do we have any players we could trade aside from Cirelli (we can't open up a hole at C to fill one at W)? Doesn't seem like there are any decent things UFA options left.

 

[RLP55]

Still believe that when the JJ Moser contract is settled, a trade will made.

JBB might already have something lined up.

 

[Todd1a]

We are not a better team, I just don’t see it. Our top six has such glaring holes in it. I hope to be proven wrong but I don’t see it. I think the defense is better. And hopefully Vasy returns to form. But our scoring depth is just bad.

I don’t think we are a better team but I don’t think we are worse we are basically the same the second line has a hole we are still about the same on defense and we don’t know which Vasy will be in net

Still believe that when the JJ Moser contract is settled, a trade will made.

JBB might already have something lined up.

Yes I think that’s the hold up

 

[Sky04]

We had like 5 holes in the lineup last year and now we have 1 and "we're not a better team", you guys are too funny.

The defense improvement alone is significant.

 

[OffBy1]

We had like 5 holes in the lineup last year and now we have 1 and "we're not a better team", you guys are too funny.

The defense improvement alone is significant.

Guentzel should be an improvement over Stamkos, but I still see holes on two of the top three lines with Sheary playing on any of them and Eyssimont not on the fourth line.

I want to see 35 year old McD play a chunk of the season before considering him an upgrade and also how Moser fits in and adjusts to our system. I'm more optimistic about Moser than McD.

 

[Sky04]

Guentzel should be an improvement over Stamkos, but I still see holes on two of the top three lines with Sheary playing on any of them and Eyssimont not on the fourth line.

I want to see 35 year old McD play a chunk of the season before considering him an upgrade and also how Moser fits in and adjusts to our system. I'm more optimistic about Moser than McD.

Yeah you're talking like the bar was high with Sergachev last season and McD forgot how to play hockey coming off a strong season. Makes sense.

Sheary is a solid 3rd liner, he had an off year you bozos think some AHL scrub who's never going to play a game in the NHL should be playing over him or that he's a career 4th liner Would you bet money he scores less than 4 goals this year after averaging 16 the previous 3? Yeah that's what I thought.

 

[Rschmitz]

Yeah, defense alone should be enough to have us competing for the division title.

If we can get 10g and 25-30 points out of Sheary he'd be worth his weight in gold, and I expect we see some regression towards his career average and he'll hopefully hit those numbers. He deserves every critic he gets though, the guy was invisible all year and never really clicked with anyone. The impatience with him is warranted.

 

[Sky04]

Yeah, defense alone should be enough to have us competing for the division title.

If we can get 10g and 25-30 points out of Sheary he'd be worth his weight in gold, and I expect we see some regression towards his career average and he'll hopefully hit those numbers. He deserves every critic he gets though, the guy was invisible all year and never really clicked with anyone. The impatience with him is warranted.

He costs 2m, bigger fish to fry bud.

 

[Soul Assumption]

Holes that I noticed:
1. We don't have a 2nd line RW + Cirelli is not good enough as a 2nd line center
2. 3rd line is just terrible. Eyssimont-Paul-Sheary? lol one big hole. Eyssimont and Sheary are 4th liners in any contender (If they even make the roster)
3. our best RD is Erik Cernak looks terrible last year + injured all the time.
4. no backup for Vasy
let's not forget that Kuch may not score 150 points again. so overall this is still a WC level team.

 

[JTBF81]

Only hole is really a.true top 6 RW. 3rd line is fine with Sheary-Paul-Ace/Chaffee. Kuch may not hit 144 again, but Guentzel will add a big offensive boost, Sheary is unlikely to stay at the level he showed last year(if healthy), and the additions of Girgensons and Atkinson provide decent support for the middle/bottom 6. If one of Goncalves or Ylonen step up and contribute as well, even better.

The defense is fine, as Moser can play the right if needed, and even if not, Cernak/Raddysh/Perbix/Crozier is fine. JJ may not be the best backup, but given the atrocious level of defense that was played in front of him while Vasy was out, he managed okay. Tampa wasn't about to spend any meaningful cap on a.backup with Vasy projected to be healthy from the start this season.

A team that was bottom 3rd in defense and missed Vasy for a 3rd of the season still came 5-6 wins from probably winning the division. If JBB does add someone else via signing or trade after he signs Moser, great; if.not, they still are more than.capable of contending for the division as long as Vasy is back on track.

 

[Rschmitz]

He costs 2m, bigger fish to fry bud.

I agree with you.

Just like Myers however it'll be something we harp on until he's gone or "shuts us up", the former being more likely since there are still fans who complain about Hagel.

Only hole is really a.true top 6 RW. 3rd line is fine with Sheary-Paul-Ace/Chaffee. Kuch may not hit 144 again, but Guentzel will add a big offensive boost, Sheary is unlikely to stay at the level he showed last year(if healthy), and the additions of Girgensons and Atkinson provide decent support for the middle/bottom 6. If one of Goncalves or Ylonen step up and contribute as well, even better.

The defense is fine, as Moser can play the right if needed, and even if not, Cernak/Raddysh/Perbix/Crozier is fine. JJ may not be the best backup, but given the atrocious level of defense that was played in front of him while Vasy was out, he managed okay. Tampa wasn't about to spend any meaningful cap on a.backup with Vasy projected to be healthy from the start this season.

A team that was bottom 3rd in defense and missed Vasy for a 3rd of the season still came 5-6 wins from probably winning the division. If JBB does add someone else via signing or trade after he signs Moser, great; if.not, they still are more than.capable of contending for the division as long as Vasy is back on track.

Agreed on every point, well stated

 

[LightningStrikes]

Sure, thought it was obvious I was agreeing with you.

Just like Myers however it'll be something we harp on until he's gone or "shuts us up", the former being more likely since there are still fans who complain about Hagel.

Just one lol

 

[Zwui21]

Dom from The Athletic wrote this about our offseason so far:
"The Lightning didn’t rest on their laurels after a first-round exit, they made some huge changes to keep this era alive. Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev out; Jake Guentzel and Ryan McDonagh in. That move is the essence of Tampa Bay’s summer where the team got three goals better while saving a million bucks. Tidy business.
Stamkos is a franchise legend so his departure stings, but Guentzel’s addition should lessen the pain. That he costs only one million more is huge considering how much more value he brings to the table, especially at five-on-five. That’s an area of Stamkos’ game that was starting to lack. That came with a sacrifice on defense, but it’s one the Lightning should be able to live with. Sergachev was a luxury in Tampa Bay and McDonagh fits a lot better with the team’s current plans."

 

[OffBy1]

Yeah you're talking like the bar was high with Sergachev last season and McD forgot how to play hockey coming off a strong season. Makes sense.

Sheary is a solid 3rd liner, he had an off year you bozos think some AHL scrub who's never going to play a game in the NHL should be playing over him or that he's a career 4th liner Would you bet money he scores less than 4 goals this year after averaging 16 the previous 3? Yeah that's what I thought.

What I said only makes less sense after you contort it. I said I want see McD play at 35 before instead just assuming every change JBB made is going to work out fabulously like this board does every off season. We've seen Hedman's game drop off at he's not even 35 yet. Does that help you understand where I'm coming from?

Sheary was absolute garbage last year. Maybe you had parts of your memory selectively erased. I'll be elated if he turns into a solid third liner, but you have to be capable of winning puck and board battles to do that and he was the worst I've seen.

 

[Point21]

 

[The Gongshow]

There's still a few weeks before training camp, but this seems like JBB is done. He signed 3 FA, made 3 trades. He's done quite a bit, I give him credit for this.

Unfortunately we're still really lacking in the top 6 department. So we'll see a carousel of players on the 2nd line all year.

 

[Felonious Python]

PuckPedia is also presuming that Jesse Ylonen is on the NHL roster.

It's more like we have $1.5m in cap space.

 

[The Gongshow]

PuckPedia is also presuming that Jesse Ylonen is on the NHL roster.

It's more like we have $1.5m in cap space.

Gives us flexibility with call ups as well as potential to grab a (50% retained) 3mil player at the TDL

 

[LightningStrikes]

PuckPedia is also presuming that Jesse Ylonen is on the NHL roster.

It's more like we have $1.5m in cap space.

Ylonen is also listed on the roster on the official site.

 

[Rschmitz]

I get it, one way contracts.

 

[LightningStrikes]

I get it, one way contracts.

Wasn’t Ylonen reported to be a two-way contract though?

 

[Rschmitz]

Wasn’t Ylonen reported to be a two-way contract though?

Aww you are so right. Perhaps they are lumping two way contracts in then.

 

[RLP55]

Ylonen is also listed on the roster on the official site.

Interesting, site also list Pouliot on the roster.

With Moser deal done, that makes 7D men. Not counting Lilleberg.

Still believe a trade is coming before training camp.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Or they just threw all the newly signed names on the roster site until camp.

I mean is anybody thinking Pouliot is our 7th defenseman over Corzier or Lilleberg?