Player Discussion: Anthony Cirelli

[CupsOverCash]

I think the fact that hes looked better before says to me that he's either hurt, tired or both. Remember how he looked last season before the pandemic? Looked pretty damn good and was producing pretty well too. Something must have happened in the playoffs because he wasn't himself then either. Just wasn't as good as he was earlier in the season.

 

[Raistlin]

is his lack of offense just bad PDO? is he generating anything with his linemates? he started off the year great and is looking like he can be a second line center, but is currently a black hole on offense, is he miscast? Interested to know what boltfans think.

 

[Sky04]

Slumpin'

 

[bov]

He has never been a great offensive talent. He seemed to have an explosiveness/speed factor to his game before that he doesn't quite have now, but keep in mind he is rarely surrounded by high end players these days. I think when the team is fully healthy, the offense will pick up. Being a young player who is more relied upon for his 2 way game, I can't be too upset about the current slump. There will be ups and downs, and from a physical standpoint he takes a fair amount of punishment and doesn't exactly have the biggest frame. That has to wear him down a bit. While I'd love more offense, I just hope he can stay healthy and be reliable defensively against top competition as he continues to mature in this league. If he's putting up top 6 points, that's a bonus imo.

 

[Byrddog]

No goals in 19 games and only 3 asst's?????? While Johnson has 1 goal and 6 assts in the same time frame yet the board bags on Johnson at nauseum. Johnson 10 to 11 minutes a night on what ever line and Cirelli gets 16+. At this point Cirelli needs to be moved to the 3rd line move Yanni or Colton into a scoring line. There is not much season left and this team need to finish 1st in the division.

 

[ccman68]

i think cirelli has looked closer to normal the past few games. before that i just felt like he wasn’t doing anything offensively but right now he is getting some looks and making plays. should hopefully start leading to some points

 

[BoltzManConstant]

No goals in 19 games and only 3 asst's?????? While Johnson has 1 goal and 6 assts in the same time frame yet the board bags on Johnson at nauseum. Johnson 10 to 11 minutes a night on what ever line and Cirelli gets 16+. At this point Cirelli needs to be moved to the 3rd line move Yanni or Colton into a scoring line. There is not much season left and this team need to finish 1st in the division.

You want to break up the Gourde-Goodrow-Coleman line or the Colton-Joseph-Maroon line because... Johnson is outscoring Cirelli? What?

I mean Johnson and Cirelli are linemates. Is your argument that Cirelli is dragging Johnson down and we'd be winning more if we just had someone different centering TJ?

Johnson's getting 13+ minutes a night. I don't have the stats, but I suspect most of Cirelli's extra minutes are on the PK.

In any case, the obsession with winning the division is misplaced. Just ask the 2019 Lightning. Or the 2020 Lightning.

 

[Byrddog]

You want to break up the Gourde-Goodrow-Coleman line or the Colton-Joseph-Maroon line because... Johnson is outscoring Cirelli? What?

I mean Johnson and Cirelli are linemates. Is your argument that Cirelli is dragging Johnson down and we'd be winning more if we just had someone different centering TJ?

Johnson's getting 13+ minutes a night. I don't have the stats, but I suspect most of Cirelli's extra minutes are on the PK.

In any case, the obsession with winning the division is misplaced. Just ask the 2019 Lightning. Or the 2020 Lightning.

Both have made the 2nd line impotent. The point is most are bitching about Johnson and he has been no worse than Cirelli. As far as breaking up the Gourde line well if thats what needs to happen then sure move him and Coleman up with Killorn. Or Give Colton a chance to center Killorn and ABB and put Coleman on the 1st. The 3rd and 4th lines can not sustain the scoring loss from the 2nd line and relieve pressure from the 1st. Johnson and Cirelli are scoring like 3rd line players and are more suited to a shutdown line. It has been foolish using the 2nd as a shutdown line in the first place with Cirelli. It wastes scoring minutes. Look at most teams thru the league the 3rd is the shutdown line. Yes The Bolts are different than other teams when all are healthy but were not.

Now as to winning the division it is all about matchup this year. If you have not noticed both Carolina and Florida are strong teams. It will be better to play the 4 seed to get Stammer and Kuch back into the flow. We do not need to see both of them like they were two years ago against the Jackets and get bounced in the first round. All the guff about just getting in is not supported over history. Sure the Kings rode a hot goalie that year and it has happened a few other times but more often than not the higher seeded teams advance thru round one.

 

[BoltzManConstant]

So now your issue that we're misusing the splendid stick of Alex Killorn? And to remedy that we have to break up Gourde-Coleman-Goodrow?

And you're full of crap about seeding. The higher seeds are better teams (that's how they earned the high seed); if seeding/matchups really conveyed a material benefit then the higher seeds would do better -- and not just a little better, significantly because. Because they're already the higher-quality team. Yet that's just not how it plays out in hockey. Over the last 10 years, only three teams who won their division went on to win the Cup. The other 7 were split just about evenly -- 3 Cups from teams who finished second in their division and 4 Cups from teams who finished third. Yes, apparently the "best spot" to finish in your division over the last decade has been *third*.

In other words, seeding/matchup quality means next to nothing.

 

[Byrddog]

So now your issue that we're misusing the splendid stick of Alex Killorn? And to remedy that we have to break up Gourde-Coleman-Goodrow?

And you're full of crap about seeding. The higher seeds are better teams (that's how they earned the high seed); if seeding/matchups really conveyed a material benefit then the higher seeds would do better -- and not just a little better, significantly because. Because they're already the higher-quality team. Yet that's just not how it plays out in hockey. Over the last 10 years, only three teams who won their division went on to win the Cup. The other 7 were split just about evenly -- 3 Cups from teams who finished second in their division and 4 Cups from teams who finished third. Yes, apparently the "best spot" to finish in your division over the last decade has been *third*.

In other words, seeding/matchup quality means next to nothing.

We will see if we are kin the third seed lose home ice and Kuch and Stammer are not lights out. We will see who is full of crap then.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

No goals in 19 games and only 3 asst's?????? While Johnson has 1 goal and 6 assts in the same time frame yet the board bags on Johnson at nauseum. Johnson 10 to 11 minutes a night on what ever line and Cirelli gets 16+. At this point Cirelli needs to be moved to the 3rd line move Yanni or Colton into a scoring line. There is not much season left and this team need to finish 1st in the division.

One of these guys actually forechecks and is responsible away from the play and it isn't Tyler.

 

[Byrddog]

One of these guys actually forechecks and is responsible away from the play and it isn't Tyler.

And that is just more reason for Cirelli to be on the 3rd line. That is what a 3rd line center does a 2nd lind center scores. Both Johnson nor Cirelli have done that the last 20 games

 

[gn2007]

Cireli been great on the FO and able to.stick check against high end players. Our d loves to pinch for a wrist shot/screen shot that's gets blocked and cirelli always goes back and stops the advantage usually.

 

[HoseEmDown]

This isn't 5M Tyler Johnson vs ELC Anthony Cirelli, this is 5M Johnson vs 4.8M Cirelli. For Johnson you're looking at 49 gm 7g 13a 20p, ES 5g 12a 17p, PP 2g 1a 3p, 55.6% faceoffs, 59 hits, 5 giveaways, 52.0 SAT%, 1.65 p/60 5v5, 13:39 TOI, 12:11 ES. Cirelli 44 gm 9g 13a 22p,
ES 6g 10a 16p, PP 1g 3a 4p, SH 2g, faceoffs 48.5%, 60 hits, 19 giveaways, 51.3 SAT%, 1.36 p/60 5v5, 17:49 TOI, 14:02 ES. So if you think Johnson is barely an NHL player who's grossly overpaid then what is Cirelli?

 

[Sky04]

Cireli been great on the FO and able to.stick check against high end players. Our d loves to pinch for a wrist shot/screen shot that's gets blocked and cirelli always goes back and stops the advantage usually.

No he's not, he's under 50% and 7th on the team overall, there's no "he's too busy playing defense" excuse either it doesn't pass the eye test nor do the stats say the same, he's actually had less defensive responsibility because we have the Gourde line this year. Cirelli's main responsibility this year has been scoring, that's why he played a chunk of time on the first line and is 3rd among forwards in ES/TOI per game.

10 points in his first 10 games, 12 in the next 34, Cirelli needs to be better otherwise this has the next Johnson written all over it. The playoffs last year was a pass but this is a nearly 40 game slump now and you can't have that from a 5m player.

 

[Lightning1995]

Cirelli needs to be better otherwise he’s a 3C. What’s saving the Lightning is that Guorde is really the 2C right now.

If Cirelli doesn’t score more he’s a non tender candidate when his contract expires. I’d still want him back but paid appropriately like a 3C.

But it’s early for that. He’s got 2 more years at this price and right now he is over paid.

 

[EmptyNetAssassin]

I think the fact that hes looked better before says to me that he's either hurt, tired or both. Remember how he looked last season before the pandemic? Looked pretty damn good and was producing pretty well too. Something must have happened in the playoffs because he wasn't himself then either. Just wasn't as good as he was earlier in the season.

I think that is the case, but I do not think he is a 2C right dealing with something else off the ice. If we can get Stamkoso back and send him back to a 3C, it would ease the minutes and let him build up some confidence. I think he is probably one of the guys that will be a great 3rd liner center and a so so 2nd line center. I hope he just hit a wall and climbs over and explodes with talent.

 

[LeafLoyalist]

Been watching this kid since his junior days, anyone who has doubted him has been made a fool. It's definitely easy to look at his recent slide and jump all over him, that's what fans love to do, but I am most certain things will turn around for this kid. He's a competitor, and always finds a way to help his team win, I would judge his history over his past dozen games, history doesn't lie. I would tend to believe he is dealing with some fatigue or injury, or maybe just mental strain, who really knows, but he always finds a way to make an impact when it counts. Wasn't it Gourde who struggled last year, goalless in 30+ games?

 

[DFC]

No he's not, he's under 50% and 7th on the team overall, there's no "he's too busy playing defense" excuse either it doesn't pass the eye test nor do the stats say the same, he's actually had less defensive responsibility because we have the Gourde line this year. Cirelli's main responsibility this year has been scoring, that's why he played a chunk of time on the first line and is 3rd among forwards in ES/TOI per game.

10 points in his first 10 games, 12 in the next 34, Cirelli needs to be better otherwise this has the next Johnson written all over it. The playoffs last year was a pass but this is a nearly 40 game slump now and you can't have that from a 5m player.

And really, even when he was putting up points at the first of the year, it didn't feel like he was breaking any games. He just hasn't been very good since the shutdown over a year ago.

He seems to have lost his top end speed. He's not breaking away from defenders like he used to.

 

[Sky04]

And really, even when he was putting up points at the first of the year, it didn't feel like he was breaking any games. He just hasn't been very good since the shutdown over a year ago.

He seems to have lost his top end speed. He's not breaking away from defenders like he used to.

He wasn't "breaking games" but I'd thought he was really taking that next step at the start of the year, his offense was very calm and consistent, since Cooper pulled him from the 2nd line and put as a winger on Points he's been lost finding his game again. I don't buy injury, he just looks like a guy who's hit a wall and needs to get over it.

 

[Byrddog]

He wasn't "breaking games" but I'd thought he was really taking that next step at the start of the year, his offense was very calm and consistent, since Cooper pulled him from the 2nd line and put as a winger on Points he's been lost finding his game again. I don't buy injury, he just looks like a guy who's hit a wall and needs to get over it.

It could be that his scoring is more influenced by his linemates, since Stammer went down he has been invisible. 9 or 10 games is a slump what he has done over the last 12 months is alarming.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Tony is not gifted offensively. He's never played great with Kuch or Stammer.

He's a pesky workman type player who has seemed to have lost his energy/peskyness

 

[BoltzManConstant]

Cirelli's underperforming, but the Johnson comparison is a little silly. Let's say we've got a healthy Stamkos and Kucherov, and you've decided you're not going to break up Maroon-Colton-Joseph.

Are you really going to scratch Cirelli and play Johnson? No, not unless Tony gets a lot worse than where he is now. He's far too valuable on defense and the PK, and still has contributed a little more on offense than TJ has (though less than we expected). I don't think you even blink before you make the call to scratch Johnson.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Cirelli's underperforming, but the Johnson comparison is a little silly. Let's say we've got a healthy Stamkos and Kucherov, and you've decided you're not going to break up Maroon-Colton-Joseph.

Are you really going to scratch Cirelli and play Johnson? No, not unless Tony gets a lot worse than where he is now. He's far too valuable on defense and the PK, and still has contributed a little more on offense than TJ has (though less than we expected). I don't think you even blink before you make the call to scratch Johnson.

Duh

That said Joseph or Colton could get scratched before Johnny. That would piss me off

 

[HoseEmDown]

Cirelli's underperforming, but the Johnson comparison is a little silly. Let's say we've got a healthy Stamkos and Kucherov, and you've decided you're not going to break up Maroon-Colton-Joseph.

Are you really going to scratch Cirelli and play Johnson? No, not unless Tony gets a lot worse than where he is now. He's far too valuable on defense and the PK, and still has contributed a little more on offense than TJ has (though less than we expected). I don't think you even blink before you make the call to scratch Johnson.

I would hope they sit the guy with 1 point in his last 17 games and not the one with 5 in that span. You should be playing the guys who are playing the best currently and Cirelli is the worst forward the past month+.