Speculation: 2024-2025 General Lightning Discussion IV

[Master P]

More hits and more blocks just means Florida didn’t have the puck much, right? Their shot total of just 17 tells the same story.

When you look at their goals it was the perfect mix of bounces going their way and defensive meltdowns on our part at the worst possible times:

• Bennett with the once in a lifetime kind of goal, redirecting the puck mid-air into the net.
• Reinhart follows it up seconds before the end of the 1st with a perfect redirect.
• Lilly panics with the puck because he doesn’t want to get hit (and ends up getting hit anyway), can’t clear it and then “Schmidt happens” with all the chaos it created.
• Then our top shutdown pairing decides to go for a walk and leaves Matt Tkachuk of all people all alone in front of the net. Couple of nice quick moves and it’s in too.
• On the next goal Vasi gets screened by like four people including a couple in blue.
• And on the last goal Barkov takes Vasi’s eyes away again and provides the perfect screen while our defense is puck watching once more.

Kudos to the Panthers, that was an efficient performance. Tough on the forecheck, bodies in front of our goalie and 3/3 on the PP. We gotta clear the crease, keep it calm and simple on the breakout and somehow figure out their PP.

Edit: Just noticed a guy on the main boards made an almost identical post. Glad I’m not alone with my terrific analysis.

Agreed.

 

[bov]

If Dallas loses in round 1 again, tough to take them seriously the next couple seasons. Regular season merchants, paper Tigers, pretenders, etc until they get to the SCF and/or win it all.

Missing their best player (plus Robertson) is a massive blow. A healthy Stars team is as good as anybody imo. It would be like losing Hedman and someone like Guentzel/Hagel/Point. Almost impossible to go all the way when you're missing such key players, especially your #1D.

 

[Stammertime91]

Missing their best player (plus Robertson) is a massive blow. A healthy Stars team is as good as anybody imo. It would be like losing Hedman and someone like Guentzel/Hagel/Point. Almost impossible to go all the way when you're missing such key players, especially your #1D.

It is... but I'm not just talking about this year as a vacuum but the last several years... they are deep and need to actually get back to the SCF before I see them as competition to Colorado or Vegas. Getting beaten by Edmonton last year was a laugh. They just shit themselves in that series.

 

[Stelio Kontos]

I’d trade cernak in two shakes of a Persian kittens whiskers if someone would trade a mobile RD back to us.

This get out from the cernak contract that’s going age poorly. Injury prone really not that physical anymore? total disaster without McD no thanks

 

[Lightning1995]

It’s time for a a major retool. This team is too small to beat Florida and too slow to beat the Leafs. Anyone named Herman, Hagel, and McDonough should be considered. Need more size in the top six. There’s no point in the status quo. This version of the Lightning isn’t good enough. If JBB doesn’t want to retool…and I mean a MAJOR retool….then rebuild.

This version of the Lightning isn’t just here to sell tickets

 

[creg]

It’s time for a a major retool. This team is too small to beat Florida and too slow to beat the Leafs. Anyone named Herman, Hagel, and McDonough should be considered. Need more size in the top six. There’s no point in the status quo. This version of the Lightning isn’t good enough. If JBB doesn’t want to retool…and I mean a MAJOR retool….then rebuild.

This version of the Lightning isn’t just here to sell tickets

trading hagel would be f***ing insane

 

[Lightning1995]

trading hagel would be f***ing insane

Agree, I said don’t trade Heddy, McDonough or Hagel. Everyone else should be considered. Not all of them, whatever makes sense. Vassey included

 

[aylib]

Agree, I said don’t trade Heddy, McDonough or Hagel. Everyone else should be considered. Not all of them, whatever makes sense. Vassey included

Vasi should be the first one to go.

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

Kucherov should be ashamed. Take a regular f***ing shot. This is all the selfishness of a generational great being the wrong kind of selfishness

 

[AlwaysSunnyInTampa]

I don't know how many more times I need to broadcast that teams have figured us out. It's time to either reinvent how we play or make major, major measures to the roster. Everyone knows what we are going to do before we even do it


We may yet win this series. But I'll be damned if it's not like the Cats won't see it coming

 

[RDTBay4]

Not shot on the left wing is killing us. Really miss Stamkos.

 

[More 2004]

2 goals in 2 games at home is unacceptable.. we are a 500 road team. We really think we can win 2 of the 3 road games? sucks. gonna be a busy off season.

 

[TheSchmidt]

you have to have some sort of mobility and offensive ability from your dcore.

i dont care how many many points they had in the regular season because of the powerplay and secondary assists. 1/6 players having any semblance of offensive ability or moving the puck ain't gonna get it done.

said it in the offseason. cernak needed to be the one to go and not sergy.

they are clearly leagues behind both florida and toronto. third straight first round exit and all this retooling ain't gonna get it done.

need a huberdeau like shakeup

 

[creg]

i think the idea of a retool is a lot more attractive than what it would actually take, all of our players who have any value have nmc or full ntc

the players that remain that have value are Kucherov, Hagel, Cirelli, Geekie, Moser & i think anyone who's suggesting a retool would probably have those players as no-go's.

 

[Power Surge]

In 02-03 season Bolts fell behind Caps 2-0 in opening series and came back and won 4-2.

It's not impossible even if it takes 7.

 

[Lightning1995]

The only significant move available to the Lightning is Kuch with an MTC. Everyone else with value has more protection. Not my first choice but he’d bring a haul

 

[Stelio Kontos]

The only significant move available to the Lightning is Kuch with an MTC. Everyone else with value has more protection. Not my first choice but he’d bring a haul

lol how about we try a new head coach before we trade one of the best players in the league..

 

[creg]

The only significant move available to the Lightning is Kuch with an MTC. Everyone else with value has more protection. Not my first choice but he’d bring a haul

it doesn't matter the haul you will never win a kucherov trade

 

[RSchmitz PhD]

In 02-03 season Bolts fell behind Caps 2-0 in opening series and came back and won 4-2.

It's not impossible even if it takes 7.

That team was shell shocked, full of youngsters with no playoff experience, this is a different beast. Definitely can happen though

 

[Hoek]

In 02-03 season Bolts fell behind Caps 2-0 in opening series and came back and won 4-2.

It's not impossible even if it takes 7.

Don't even have to go back that far. Rangers series in 2022.

 

[Lightning1995]

Don't even have to go back that far. Rangers series in 2022.

This ain’t that team

 

[Stammertime91]

All it took was 2 games for someone to jack in the box trading Hagel or Kucherov. Lol. Okay, enough crack cocaine...

The only Huberdeau like move would be trading Point. I think that'd be a huge mistake. We don't need to go that route. We need a heavier set of forwards. Compare this team to 2019 and its another reiterating of high octane offense, zero grit. It's a team full of limp dicks. Seriously. There's a reason why Shattenkirk and Maroon were disgusted when they arrived and saw a dressing room sulking on the previous season and most of these jokers are still here minus Stamkos and their leadership (and yeah, Stamkos was probably [maybe] to blame as captain). We have a bunch of guys looking left and right instead of digging in when it gets hard. Our toughest guy is made of glass, our second toughest is a pylon, and then a bunch of forwards incapable of making an impact with their body. Hell, even Paul was knocked off the puck in game 1 with ease. Forward group is good, but not championship material. This group was either a first round knockout or ECF team that would get their with fortune and maybe opponent fatigue/injuries. I didnt get to see game 2 but the fact we've got two goals at home and game 1 was such a shitshow, I don't think we fair better against them this year when analytically we should. Florida plays a multitude of ways and have bought in. We've got too many that don't know what it takes nor can they match their intensity.

Id get heads rolling if we did this against Ottawa but Florida is still a favorite and the current champ, tough to be in favor of blowing it up but I'll say this... every business, corporation, etc has a mission statement and vision. JBB and the coaching staff do not seem to have a vision for the product they are icing. It's a high offense team but if you shut down Kucherov, it evaporates. It's not deep nor are they capable of grinding out a win. It's a very one dimensional roster. He needs to do something this offseason because rolling the same shit out there ain't cutting it.

Also, id relieve Blashill immediately. Whether he's to blame or not, coaches have to be held accountable and I'd rather see Coop and Halpern stay, but maybe 1 or 2 assistants need to go.

 

[creg]

All it took was 2 games for someone to jack in the box trading Hagel or Kucherov. Lol. Okay, enough crack cocaine...

The only Huberdeau like move would be trading Point. I think that'd be a huge mistake. We don't need to go that route. We need a heavier set of forwards. Compare this team to 2019 and its another reiterating of high octane offense, zero grit. It's a team full of limp dicks. Seriously. There's a reason why Shattenkirk and Maroon were disgusted when they arrived and saw a dressing room sulking on the previous season and most of these jokers are still here minus Stamkos and their leadership (and yeah, Stamkos was probably [maybe] to blame as captain). We have a bunch of guys looking left and right instead of digging in when it gets hard. Our toughest guy is made of glass, our second toughest is a pylon, and then a bunch of forwards incapable of making an impact with their body. Hell, even Paul was knocked off the puck in game 1 with ease. Forward group is good, but not championship material. This group was either a first round knockout or ECF team that would get their with fortune and maybe opponent fatigue/injuries. I didnt get to see game 2 but the fact we've got two goals at home and game 1 was such a shitshow, I don't think we fair better against them this year when analytically we should. Florida plays a multitude of ways and have bought in. We've got too many that don't know what it takes nor can they match their intensity.

Id get heads rolling if we did this against Ottawa but Florida is still a favorite and the current champ, tough to be in favor of blowing it up but I'll say this... every business, corporation, etc has a mission statement and vision. JBB and the coaching staff do not seem to have a vision for the product they are icing. It's a high offense team but if you shut down Kucherov, it evaporates. It's not deep nor are they capable of grinding out a win. It's a very one dimensional roster. He needs to do something this offseason because rolling the same shit out there ain't cutting it.

Also, id relieve Blashill immediately. Whether he's to blame or not, coaches have to be held accountable and I'd rather see Coop and Halpern stay, but maybe 1 or 2 assistants need to go.

Point is honestly the one player I wouldn't mind moving if it wasn't for his full NMC. He has become a full blown Kucherov merchant, I don't get it. He was a 2-way monster when he entered the league and now he seems completely disengaged playing defense, forechecking, I don't even like how weak he's been on PP zone entries.

I do agree that there is a vibes issue but I don't really get how you fix it, even Dumba and Duclair talked about how dead the room was when they joined. It's so odd, so many of our stars are the exact same gamers we had in our runs but they in a lot of ways feel so different.

I do think we need to shake something up, we're such a talented team but it feels like we just want it to come easy.

 

[Power Surge]

We just need to fix the bottom 6 and bottom 4. Not go crazy trading our core.

 

[JTBF81]

We just need to fix the bottom 6 and bottom 4. Not go crazy trading our core.

Yeah, some on here think blowing up a core that improved overall, still had/have a few guys in thelr 1st season with this group, and have most locked up on good contracts (with trade protection for most) is just going to magically be able to bring in multiple new high end pieces and presto, it's all fixed and they'll go deep.