Hockeyville USA
Registered User
They'd give some guys a rest & get Howard in the lineup during the final 3-5 games. Minimalist load management to give guys a break before the playoffs
Speculation: 2024-2025 General Lightning Discussion IV: Delete This XenForo!
- Thread starter AlwaysSunnyInTampa
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JTBF81
Registered User
I hope they don't, provided the division is still up for grabs. Most years winning the division hasn't been that important, but this year it certainly is imo. If there's some minor injuries or something, perhaps; but if not, inserting a player with 0 NHL experience for games (including 2 Kate games against the Panthers and Leafs) for games that could have that level of importance doesn't seem like so ethkmg this staff would do.
RussianGuyovich
Hella Ennui
- Jan 2, 2007
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Why not? We play 11/7 quite often. So double shifting kuch on a 12/6 is an easy way to minimize rookie ice time.
Hockeyville USA
Registered User
They'll have to promise Howard regular season games to end the season to get him signed. Otherwise, Howard might just go back to State and run out the clock to August 15 UFA in 2026.
JTBF81
Registered User
If things are going well, there's no need to break it up for Howard to get 7 minutes a game for a handful of games. He's not some can't miss blue chip prospect that is a lock to improve the team at such a crucial point. He's going to be a good option in the future more than likely, but throwing him in very important games late this year, with minimal practice time and familiarity with the team doesn't sound like a recipe for success.
JTBF81
Registered User
That's one option JBB could take, but he's not going to be strong armed by some 20 year old demanding 3 or 4 NHL games. If MSU gets booted early, maybe he gets a longer look and can acclimate more with the team, but that's still a big maybe. If MSU goes deep and Tampa has literally 3 games left, and the division is still on the line, I very much doubt Cooper and JBB are going to mess with the team's set up so Howard can get 7 or 8 minutes a night for a couple games.
RussianGuyovich
Hella Ennui
- Jan 2, 2007
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I guess I just don’t see the downside, and if you play hardball with howard, He could just Sammy walker us. So like, agree to disagree.
Hockeyville USA
Registered User
BriseBois is not going to let Howard pull a Kevin Hayes and go back to university and then be left with a compensatory 2027 2nd rounder that we'd get for our 1st rounder not signing. If BriseBois had no interest in signing Howard, he would have been dealt at the trade deadline.
You have to play the leverage game in order to get the player to sign. BriseBois could get away with it in Dylan Duke's case because Duke was a 4th rounder who wasn't quite good enough to step into the NHL right out of the NCAA. Duke also didn't push back. Howard is good enough to get 3-4 NHL games to end this season, he's always been a better prospect than anyone else we've had in recent memory. If we really gave Geekie an extended run of 49 games (which probably cost us 3-4 standings points in all likelihood), we can afford to give Howard 3 or 4. Seems that simple to me. Better than the alternative, which is him running out the clock to August 15 UFA and we're left with a compensatory 2nd (that 98% of fans don't care about) & egg on our face.
JTBF81
Registered User
The downside is he blunders badly since he has little cohesiveness with the team, and costs them goals/games because of it. If that's the way he wants to be, then he probably wasn't a good fit for Tampa anyway, and JBB should look to get value for him via trade at the draft.
JTBF81
Registered User
The difference is, Geekie had plenty of time to work with the team the past summer and all canp/preseason. If Tampa was locked in to a playoff spot and the division wasn't on the line, sure, play Howard a few minutes in a few games. Having an inexperienced and unproven rookie come in cold in the most important regular season games of the year and expect them not to make critical mistakes (due to lack of NHL experience and little practice time) is unrealistic.
If Howard wants to play that game, that's also his right. However, in that case, JBB would be better off exploring a trade for him this summer. No one player, especially not a rookie who hasn't played a game yet, should try and hold JBB and the team hostage like that. If JBB and the team feels it's the best course, they will, but that has rarely been the case with Tampa.
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Hockeyville USA
Registered User
Personally, I don't think the team/management cares about the division that much compared to the fans/local media, they just want to clinch & they'll play whoever they play. Once they clinch, they'll give guys a game or two off, which is where Howard will get his game or games plural. Pretty simple
Hockeyville USA
Registered User
High end talented NCAA players have more leverage. We've seen this countless times across the NHL. I don't want us to have our own Kevin Hayes situation, and if we got to that point, Howard's trade value would decline significantly.
At the end of the day, I just want to see Howard in a Lightning uniform & not risk that not happening. The easiest way for that to happen is to sign him after State is done & give him 1 or more regular season games in the NHL. If he's ass, then you don't have to play him more. If he's good and develops immediate chemistry with Hagel/Cirelli or Kucherov/Point, then give him more games, which would force Cooper to reassess the lineup.
Felonious Python
Minor League Degenerate
- Aug 20, 2004
- 30,315
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What selection he's taken with shouldn't really matter, especially at this point. That was nearly 3 years ago.
We have no idea what's going on, so we're assuming the worst and basically negotiating against ourselves in our minds.
If he signs an ELC, good for him. If he signs an ATO, good for him.
25:40
NCAA hockey is better than the CHL, but being a top 10, 5, Hobey Hattrick or even Hobey winner doesn't mean an immediate surefire NHLer.
Dryden McKay won the Hobey a few years ago as a 24-year-old. He was a finalist the year before as a 23-year-old. He's in the ECHL. Hasn't made the NHL, and there's a good chance he never will. He hasn't even signed a deal with an NHL team. Only AHL.
There are some very, very, good players who won the Hobey Baker, but it's not a murderer's row.
Hobey Baker Award - Wikipedia
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JTBF81
Registered User
Then they're stupid, plain and simple. Given that you have arguably the 3 best teams in the East sitting at the top of the Atlantic, only a very poor management team would take that position of, yep, we've now clinched a top 3 spot, so who cares about winning the division and likely avoiding having to go through both of the other top teams just to then likely face the other top team (probably Washington) in the ECF. They should do everything they can to make Florida and Toronto have to bash each other for, hopefully, a long drawn out 7 game series while Tampa hopefully gets a less experienced (but still dangerous) Ottawa in rd 1. No disrespect to the Senators, but if the road is them and just one of the cats or Leafs instead of both of them, it's a very easy decision.
Stelio Kontos
Registered User
- Nov 6, 2011
- 791
- 329
Thank you. Have no idea how people cant understand this.
Knies did it. Critical mistakes?? He’s a forward who will get 10-12 minutes it’s not the game changer you think it is.
And if he makes a mistake ok? Can he score? Than you live with it. Cause Gourde and Bjorkstrand sure don’t.
JTBF81
Registered User
Lol, it's been 7 games with Gourde and Bjorkstrand on a brand new team. The difference is that those guys have proven they can score at an NHL level, where as Howard has not. 10-12 minutes is plenty of ice time to make costly mistakes, especially with no experience and minimal practice time. I could care less about what Knies did. His performance has zero bearing on Howard's path. There is no spot for him (nor should there be given the play of the team right now) in the top 9. If he has the ability, he'll earn his spot, just like most every other Tampa player, through camp and preseason next year.
Oh baby would you look at that facial hair. HAHAHAHAHA
Kid has ALL of the swagger.
Kid has ALL of the swagger.
I don't ask for much but I would do anything for this guy to be a ridiculous asshat on the ice on top everything else. Pat Maroon is the closest thing we've ever had to a cartoon character and I lived for every moment of it. I hope Howard does the same thing but scores a bunch
Felonious Python
Minor League Degenerate
- Aug 20, 2004
- 30,315
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Do we think Isaac Howard has the patience or inclination for strategic thinking to wait for August 2026 to sign UFA with an NHL team?
JTBF81
Registered User
Even if Howard does get into a game this season, Cooper is very unlikely to play him in the top 6. More than likely, he'll help the Crunch out and be a black ace option for the playoffs. He, Geekie, and likely Duke should have a good shot to make the team next year (or at least 2 of them).
