Line Combos: Your 2024-25 Opening Night Lineup

[Felonious Python]

Except trading McD was the correct move for that point in time for a couple of reasons. Let's be real, JBB was.never moving either of Cirelli or Cernak, as one is the team's 2C for the long run, and the other is the best RD they had/have for now. Both were slightly overpaid, but not by as much as Serg. Both also have just as much potential to reach ceilings that make the contracts look even better. Not to mention, these players and their agents realized the cap would be increasing again during this contract, and so neither was going to accept some laughable min raise on a long-term deal.

Trading McD was also the correct choice, as at the time he was 33 and looking like a dman that may have been beginning to decline. Serg was 25 and looking as though he may be emerging as the true heir apparent to Hedman. The contract was 1.5-2 million overpaid, and he has not taken that next step since. JBB was also not going to spend 23 million on the left side of the defense, forcing him to sacrifice elsewhere. Trading back for McD wasn't even the plan, as Nashville contacted him about trading back for McD. It's great that McD has had two solid seasons with Nashvile (when not dealing with injury), and hopefully, he can have another 2 solid seasons with Tampa; but at the time, moving him was correct given lineup considerations and level of play.

Teams that are focused on trying to win don't trade a player like Stamkos at a trade deadline. JBB clearly wasn't going to send a message that he was giving up on the season by doing so, and again, Stamkos, who had in the past said he wouldn't waive his NMC, was extremely unlikely to do so. It's no big deal that they paid a 3rd round pick for Guentzel's.rights. JBB wasn't going to take any chances this time, and a future 3rd has a minimal chance of ever being anything (especially not for this core).

There's no one better that would be readily available imo. None of the GM's of other successful franchises are getting fired anytime soon it would stand to reason, and I don’t see Tampa looking to hire some 1st time GM or cast off from another team. Regardless of whether they make the SCF or win a Cup in the next two seasons doesn't change that, unless Tampa completely falls off a cliff and becomes a lottery team. JBB is a good GM because he's willing to take big swings and go for Cups while the window is open. He's got two, which is already an incredible achievement, and most of his moves have allowed the team to keep the window open. He's primarily played a tough game of balancing moves for now and the future well enough. I'm 100% fine with moving all the futures he has, as that's what teams in their windows should do imo to maximize their chances. If not for some injuries and being very run down, this strategy likely wojld have resulted in a cap era dynasty.

Vinik seems quite confident in the job he is doing, and the team's results with him as GM speak for themselves. For all the praise Yzerman gets on this board and others (most well earned), they won nothing under his leadership. Regardless of where he left the team, it is what JBB did as GM that helped push the team over the top. He's identified and corrected a couple of his weaker trades/signings, set the team up to hopefully contend this season and beyond, and added a couple of additional draft picks/prospects for the next couple of years (perhaps to be used at the tdl this year, who knows). The one skeptical signing remains Sheary, but if he can stay healthy and rebound to something like the player he was the 2 or 3 years before joining Tampa, that signing/contract may also look solid.

Back when the then 'expansion to Utah' was nearing its fever pitch, I did my own little expansion draft. I looked through the Vegas and Seattle drafts, and got a sense of what my priorities should be, both as the Utah GM, and who I'd need to protect as everyone else.

If Houston or Atlanta dropped in, and we had to protect three of Hedman, McD, Cernak, Moser, Perbix, Raddysh, and Lilleberg, who would we protect?

The answer I kept coming to was to protect your best, youngest players.

If you're going to lose players, it makes sense to offer up your older ones (if they aren't still too good).

 

[Outl4w]

Except Sheary had been averaging 19 goals and 41 points the prior 3 years to signing with Tampa. Getting a player like that for a 2 million aav is far from bad value. The term was probably a year too long, but his 1st year was riddled with injury problems. This year will be key in determining if the signing pans or if he gets jettisoned next summer (or before).

Yet his previous team had zero interest in bringing him back. Tells you what you need to.know.

 

[Rschmitz]

Serg was overpaid no question, but no GM is trading a 25 year old dman that is entering his prime, despite some warts, in favor of a 33 year old dman who looked pretty poor near the end of that season/playoffs. JBB played the long game there and paid Serg for his potential. It didn't quite work out after Serg had a more successful season. McD also dealt with some injuries and missed time his 1st year in Nashville I believe, so who knows how well that would've turned out.

Hindsight is great, but at the time, keeping the 8 years younger dman with the higher ceiling wasn't a difficult decision, as wvidenced by JBB quickly working to move McD within a couple.of days after the SCF. As with then, I believe JBB had already made the decision to look into moving a big contract dman(this time Serg) this summer. Whether it was Hanifin, McD, or another ufa acquisition, JBB seemed set on adding a considerable contract on the blueline.

If Serg does elevate his game now that he'll be a true #1 and get regular pp time, it may eventually look like a meh trade for Tampa, but for the here and now, getting the underrated Moser and a high-level prospect in Geekie (plus the 2nd) seems like a good move.

You don't need to look at the deal in hindsight. We traded McDonagh away for essentially nothing, added 2m in payroll, and downgraded the position by giving his minutes to Sergachev. That is how you go from winning cups to a 1st round exit.

The fact that Sergachev didn't develop into a #1 isn't surprising at all, his skillset requires PP time to take advantage of. We NEEDED McDonagh at 5v5, we did not need Sergachev taking over for Hedman on the PP.

 

[T REX]

His teams have two cups and 3 finals trips. The only way he has any chance of getting let go is if Tampa misses entirely both years. He has been the most successful GM in the league during his tenure. His seat is about as far away from being warm as they come.

So never. Got it. Thank you for answering lol

A third round pick has a 75% of not hitting years from now, and we can sometimes trade it for a guy who will 100% help the team now.

Scouting staffs have tiers of players they like. As long as they can get some of them in a draft, they can walk away from draft weekend pretty happy. They may look at their 3rd-4th round rankings, and not see much difference.


If TB really wanted some random player in the draft, they'd move up.

Is that the league avg you are using? Are we average or better? If you are just average then expect average results.

Yes? You people keep using league averages for hitting on picks but better teams HIT a higher %.

This is a poor argument.

 

[TampaIceman]

He didn’t say never, he said it would only be considered if they miss the playoffs the next two seasons, which seems fair considering JBB has never missed the playoffs as a GM.

 

[JTBF81]

Yet his previous team had zero interest in bringing him back. Tells you what you need to.know.

There are many reasons why a player and a team part ways, so no, your blanket statement does not, in fact, "tell you what you need to know."

 

[JTBF81]

You don't need to look at the deal in hindsight. We traded McDonagh away for essentially nothing, added 2m in payroll, and downgraded the position by giving his minutes to Sergachev. That is how you go from winning cups to a 1st round exit.

The fact that Sergachev didn't develop into a #1 isn't surprising at all, his skillset requires PP time to take advantage of. We NEEDED McDonagh at 5v5, we did not need Sergachev taking over for Hedman on the PP.

No, Serg was not seen as a "downgrade" at the position at the time by the organization and quite a few fans. He was overpaid by 1.5 or so million, but keeping a young dman who the team still believed had room to grow and improve was never in doubt over a 33 year old dman that seemed to be slowing down, having some injury issues, and was 8 years older. Someone had to go, and the older vet was the clear choice. McD wasn't anything that special his 1st year in Nashville either, so trying to argue that moving him and keeping Serg is the.main reason they failed to.advance out of the 1st round is also a dubious take imo.

So never. Got it. Thank you for answering lol


Is that the league avg you are using? Are we average or better? If you are just average then expect average results.

Yes? You people keep using league averages for hitting on picks but better teams HIT a higher %.

This is a poor argument.

Lol, never said never. You asked for what I thought it would take, and as usual on here, when someone didn't agree with your view, you come back with this typical kind of response.

 

[Rschmitz]

No, Serg was not seen as a "downgrade" at the position at the time by the organization and quite a few fans. He was overpaid by 1.5 or so million, but keeping a young dman who the team still believed had room to grow and improve was never in doubt over a 33 year old dman that seemed to be slowing down, having some injury issues, and was 8 years older. Someone had to go, and the older vet was the clear choice. McD wasn't anything that special his 1st year in Nashville either, so trying to argue that moving him and keeping Serg is the.main reason they failed to.advance out of the 1st round is also a dubious take imo.

Of course the organization didn't think they were downgrading.

The Japanese didn't think they were making the wrong decision bombing Pearl Harbor either, doesn't mean it was a prudent decision to make.

McDonagh performed much better than Sergachev 5v5, this shouldn't be disputed.

 

[Night Shift]

Anyone find the 3rd jersey logo a little bland? I'm not a fan of it at all, I hope we aren't thinking of using that logo for a rebrand. Much rather the original logo with a new design.

Since we have the Kings, Ducks, Sens, (Panthers and Jet fans asking for their original logo), alot of teams are going back to the 90s, if we are going to rebrand I would think we are are also going the inaugural logo too.

 

[Fan from AK]

Anyone find the 3rd jersey logo a little bland? I'm not a fan of it at all, I hope we aren't thinking of using that logo for a rebrand. Much rather the original logo with a new design.

Since we have the Kings, Ducks, Sens, (Panthers and Jet fans asking for their original logo), alot of teams are going back to the 90s, if we are going to rebrand I would think we are are also going the inaugural logo too.

I loved the black and hated the Maple Leafs blue with a passion.

 

[JTBF81]

Of course the organization didn't think they were downgrading.

The Japanese didn't think they were making the wrong decision bombing Pearl Harbor either, doesn't mean it was a prudent decision to make.

McDonagh performed much better than Sergachev 5v5, this shouldn't be disputed.

And yet, Serg was 8 years younger and still had and has room to reach his ceiling of established #1. I don't think moving him now is the wrong move given cap constraints and the fact they went back for a now 35 year old McD (which has some risk vs going out and paying similar $ to a younger ufa, but the familiarity factor with McD, his short contract duration, and his improved play this past year in Nashville makes some sense). At the time they traded McD, both players, based on recent play, seemed to be trending in different directions. JBB had to consider that one was entering his best years and the other likely had limited time left as a top level dman. He could've kept McD one more year and made other moves to make the cap work, but he wasn't willing to spend that much on LD.

Even now, it seems as though McD wasn't someone JBB was actively trying to re-acquire perhaps, but was surprised.when Trotz came calling. I think by then the decision had likely already been made to try and trade Serg, but McD as the big name replacement doesn't seem like the name JBB was necessarily targeting. Tampa remains in a position where in 2 years they'll likely need to go out and spend some big $ on a high end ufa dman (or trade for one), as McD and Hedman will be 37 and 35. In hindsight, it can be argued that perhaps moving Serg then and keeping McD was a better option (although not conclusive), but at the time JBB had to make a choice between them, several factors made.betting on Serg a sensible decision.

 

[JTBF81]

Anyone find the 3rd jersey logo a little bland? I'm not a fan of it at all, I hope we aren't thinking of using that logo for a rebrand. Much rather the original logo with a new design.

Since we have the Kings, Ducks, Sens, (Panthers and Jet fans asking for their original logo), alot of teams are going back to the 90s, if we are going to rebrand I would think we are are also going the inaugural logo too.

Yeah, the latest logo/jersey combo is a little bland and too close to Toronto. I think the latest 3rd's are solid though, and at least it's a little different in terms of the design (and with much better color combinations). The original logo with some color/design tweaks (like the reverse retro's from a couple years back) or even a 3rd/alternate with the previous logo could be interesting.

 

[Night Shift]

Yeah, the latest logo/jersey combo is a little bland and too close to Toronto. I think the latest 3rd's are solid though, and at least it's a little different in terms of the design (and with much better color combinations). The original logo with some color/design tweaks (like the reverse retro's from a couple years back) or even a 3rd/alternate with the previous logo could be interesting.

People keep saying that but it would be in Torontos best interest to become the St Pats again because at this point Blue and White isn't working for them.

 

[DFC]

Except trading McD was the correct move for that point in time for a couple of reasons. Let's be real, JBB was.never moving either of Cirelli or Cernak, as one is the team's 2C for the long run, and the other is the best RD they had/have for now. Both were slightly overpaid, but not by as much as Serg. Both also have just as much potential to reach ceilings that make the contracts look even better. Not to mention, these players and their agents realized the cap would be increasing again during this contract, and so neither was going to accept some laughable min raise on a long-term deal.

Trading McD was also the correct choice, as at the time he was 33 and looking like a dman that may have been beginning to decline. Serg was 25 and looking as though he may be emerging as the true heir apparent to Hedman. The contract was 1.5-2 million overpaid, and he has not taken that next step since. JBB was also not going to spend 23 million on the left side of the defense, forcing him to sacrifice elsewhere. Trading back for McD wasn't even the plan, as Nashville contacted him about trading back for McD. It's great that McD has had two solid seasons with Nashvile (when not dealing with injury), and hopefully, he can have another 2 solid seasons with Tampa; but at the time, moving him was correct given lineup considerations and level of play.

Teams that are focused on trying to win don't trade a player like Stamkos at a trade deadline. JBB clearly wasn't going to send a message that he was giving up on the season by doing so, and again, Stamkos, who had in the past said he wouldn't waive his NMC, was extremely unlikely to do so. It's no big deal that they paid a 3rd round pick for Guentzel's.rights. JBB wasn't going to take any chances this time, and a future 3rd has a minimal chance of ever being anything (especially not for this core).

There's no one better that would be readily available imo. None of the GM's of other successful franchises are getting fired anytime soon it would stand to reason, and I don’t see Tampa looking to hire some 1st time GM or cast off from another team. Regardless of whether they make the SCF or win a Cup in the next two seasons doesn't change that, unless Tampa completely falls off a cliff and becomes a lottery team. JBB is a good GM because he's willing to take big swings and go for Cups while the window is open. He's got two, which is already an incredible achievement, and most of his moves have allowed the team to keep the window open. He's primarily played a tough game of balancing moves for now and the future well enough. I'm 100% fine with moving all the futures he has, as that's what teams in their windows should do imo to maximize their chances. If not for some injuries and being very run down, this strategy likely wojld have resulted in a cap era dynasty.

Vinik seems quite confident in the job he is doing, and the team's results with him as GM speak for themselves. For all the praise Yzerman gets on this board and others (most well earned), they won nothing under his leadership. Regardless of where he left the team, it is what JBB did as GM that helped push the team over the top. He's identified and corrected a couple of his weaker trades/signings, set the team up to hopefully contend this season and beyond, and added a couple of additional draft picks/prospects for the next couple of years (perhaps to be used at the tdl this year, who knows). The one skeptical signing remains Sheary, but if he can stay healthy and rebound to something like the player he was the 2 or 3 years before joining Tampa, that signing/contract may also look solid.

I disagree strongly that trading McDonagh was always the correct move. There were forwards that could have, and should have, gone first. Neither cup is won without McDonagh, and he's one of only 4 or 5 guys on the team you can say that for. It would have been better to move Killorn, IMO, rather than wait out his contract.

That's not to say Killorn wasn't great. But McDonagh was really, really key in both cup wins, particularly the second. Even after a bad year, it was still going to be nearly impossible to replace him, which we have seen. Thus, bringing him back.

 

[JTBF81]

I disagree strongly that trading McDonagh was always the correct move. There were forwards that could have, and should have, gone first. Neither cup is won without McDonagh, and he's one of only 4 or 5 guys on the team you can say that for. It would have been better to move Killorn, IMO, rather than wait out his contract.

That's not to say Killorn wasn't great. But McDonagh was really, really key in both cup wins, particularly the second. Even after a bad year, it was still going to be nearly impossible to replace him, which we have seen. Thus, bringing him back.

There are arguments to be made to keeping McD then, but not at the expense of trading Serg at the time. If it had been different forwards being moved to keep McD, perhaps that could've worked, but my main argument was that, for that specific point in time, JBB wasn't trading any of the three big name rfa's in order to keep a McD that had just struggled.during the 3-peat run. I wasn't thrilled that he was traded either at the time, as I thought he could've been kept for at least one more season; however, given the cap situation at the time, sinking that much into the left side of the blueline and having any depth in the F group seemed very difficult.

 

[Outl4w]

There are many reasons why a player and a team part ways, so no, your blanket statement does not, in fact, "tell you what you need to know."

Career middle 6 ,Older, injury prone, and is small not particularly strong on skates, not a lot of muscle, and his game is based on speed and hustle which had been declining for a few yeats.These players seem to jump off cliff when their speed slowns down a few steps and body start to age. He never had real top line talent and at best was a middle six winger. Yes I know Pitt had him on first line out of cap situations, but he never truly had first line skill. Both sheary and Atkinson are listed as 5 8 and 170ish pounds. If they can't skate in the top 6 and produce they are pretty useless in the bottom 6. Neither of them have shown the speed and tenacity in the last few years to be effective in the bottom 6 and definitely haven't shown any flashed our top 6 in the last two years

 

[Outl4w]

Anyone find the 3rd jersey logo a little bland? I'm not a fan of it at all, I hope we aren't thinking of using that logo for a rebrand. Much rather the original logo with a new design.

Since we have the Kings, Ducks, Sens, (Panthers and Jet fans asking for their original logo), alot of teams are going back to the 90s, if we are going to rebrand I would think we are are also going the inaugural logo too.

I wish we would wear the OG Stanley CUP Blacks for our thirds forever.

 

[OffBy1]

Stamkos was no longer a good 2C, and has only got worse since then. It would've.been a terrible move to put him back there. Cirelli was overpaid by 500-750k tops. He was never taking some pitiful low 5's offer, as I'm guessing if that's all JBB offered they'd look at exploring other options. Both players are two years in to an 8 year deal with a now steadily rising cap, so both contracts will look even better moving ahead in terms of cap %.

Those lines are atrocious. Neither the 3rd nor the 4th lines were any good, Killorn was aging and has been injury probe, and Stamkos and Paul were.a dumpster fire together. While I would've liked to have kept Colton, and sinking some of the $ that could have been used towards him on Jeannot was unfortunate, but if Gauthier can pan out it won't be ultimately terrible.

Teams never stay together for long during the cap era, and JBB had to make tough decisions. It's been very, very clear that aging vets are not going to be prioritized with high value contracts (Hedman being the exception)..A big draw to bringing McD back is he only has two years left, and they'll have room to address the defense in two years via trade or ufa with considerably more cap space.

I already said this about Stamkos, and was responding to you (and others) who think trading Stamkos at the tdl was some great and/or easy play. I agree it's impossible to say what may have happened, but the fact remains that Stamkos very clearly said he had no plans to leave and thus waiving his NMC seems very unlikely (especially with a team in playoff position).

I doubt most 3rd round picks have a 25% chance of hitting 200 games and/or being impactful NHL contributors. In the end, I don't care if he trades a few 3rd and 4th round picks to help seal deals for players that can help now. The next 3-5 years are the prime final years for this group, and these at best 25% chance 3rd rounders.*may* be of any help (although doubtful), by the very end of that window. They have more than a few players in Syracuse that could get spots or fight for them now, but the team seems to prefer to primarily add via trade or ufa.

JBB has added a couple of picks, and, after this coming draft, they'll have most of their picks again. If JBB feels the '26 and beyond picks are best used as trade chips to add for the now, so be it. Until he, management, and ownership feels they can't compete, they should use the pieces they have to add. Even doing what he did this offseason and re-tool on the fly, while keeping the window open, may have to happen again, who knows. I do know that it isn't the time to just focus on re-building the farm system while still in a win now position. They will no doubt use some picks and trade others as needed,.while JBB continues to have to juggle doing what's best for the short term and mid to long term. He's made some mistakes, but nothing even close to egregious enough to warrant talk of "hot seat" or being fired. His overall body of work is still much more positive than negative. There are very few GM's, if any, that I would consider to have more job security and confidence from ownership than JBB has with the Bolts heading into this season.

This is another truth/myth of this forum - that Cirelli has been the 2C because Stamkos wasn't a good center any more. The last time Stamkos got to play center for an extended period I believe was when we lost to Colorado in the Finals - the 21/22 season. That was his only 100+ point season, which is 1C level numbers. The end of that season is when JBB gave Cirelli his 8 year deal. So it wasn't because they didn't think anyone else could play 2C.

Those lines are atrocious? Paul, Killorn and Stamkos was very effective for half a season while Cirelli was out from his double shoulder dislocation and subsequent surgery. The bottom six is only missing Paul, so not sure what you are basing that on.

Take the two picks we traded for Duclair and Dumba, the pick we used to sign Guentzal early, and the net three lost in the Jeannot saga - what are the chances of getting a decent player, maybe even two out of those six?

 

[OffBy1]

Career middle 6 ,Older, injury prone, a d is small , not a lot of muscle, and h9s game is based on speed and tenacity. These players seem to jump off cliff when their speed slowns down a few steps and body start to age. He never had real top line talent and at best was a middle six winger. Yes I know Pitt had him on first line out of cap situations, but he never truly had first line skill. Both sheary and Atkinson are listed as 5 8 and 170ish pounds. If they can skate in the top 6 and produce they are pretty useless in the bottom 6. Neither of them have shown the speed and tenacity in the last few years to be effective in the bottom 6 and definitely haven't shown any flashed our top 6 in the last two years

You made me laugh when you talked about Sheary and tenacity in the same sentence.

 

[Outl4w]

You made me laugh when you talked about Sheary and tenacity in the same sentence.

When he first game up with the Pens he would skate his rear off using his body size and hustle to get every lose puck he could, but he hasn't done that in quite some time.

 

[JTBF81]

Career middle 6 ,Older, injury prone, a d is small , not a lot of muscle, and h9s game is based on speed and tenacity. These players seem to jump off cliff when their speed slowns down a few steps and body start to age. He never had real top line talent and at best was a middle six winger. Yes I know Pitt had him on first line out of cap situations, but he never truly had first line skill. Both sheary and Atkinson are listed as 5 8 and 170ish pounds. If they can't skate in the top 6 and produce they are pretty useless in the bottom 6. Neither of them have shown the speed and tenacity in the last few years to be effective in the bottom 6 and definitely haven't shown any flashed our top 6 in the last two years

Sheary wasn't brought in to be a top 6 F though by all accounts. I think JBB was hoping to get a solid 3rd line type for 2 million a year that could put up 35-40 points and 15-20 goals. Injuries derailed most of his season last year, but his ability to hit these levels is probably why he wasn't traded this offseason.

 

[JTBF81]

This is another truth/myth of this forum - that Cirelli has been the 2C because Stamkos wasn't a good center any more. The last time Stamkos got to play center for an extended period I believe was when we lost to Colorado in the Finals - the 21/22 season. That was his only 100+ point season, which is 1C level numbers. The end of that season is when JBB gave Cirelli his 8 year deal. So it wasn't because they didn't think anyone else could play 2C.

Those lines are atrocious? Paul, Killorn and Stamkos was very effective for half a season while Cirelli was out from his double shoulder dislocation and subsequent surgery. The bottom six is only missing Paul, so not sure what you are basing that on.

Take the two picks we traded for Duclair and Dumba, the pick we used to sign Guentzal early, and the net three lost in the Jeannot saga - what are the chances of getting a decent player, maybe even two out of those six?

Paul and Stamkos were good for maybe 25-30 games the year before last, great. They were laughably bad when put together this past season, and they were a sieve defensively. Stamkos is no longer capable of carrying a line. Maybe he was year before last, but neither JBB nor Coop were committing to him as the 2C moving ahead at that point. Paul is also not well suited as a regular in the top 6; he can play spot duty up there, but he's much better positioned imo as a 3C.

Yes, those lines are not great. Names and ABB sucked in their last stints here, and the 4th line was old, slow, and looking done their last year together. Killorn hasn't been the same player either since being traded, as age and injury have started to catch up with him. Both the 3rd and 4th lines needed an overhaul, and I'm glad JBB has done so.

None of the lost picks from the Dumba, Duclair, nor Guentzel trades were likely to ever help this team when it can actually matter to a contender. The only pick that has been used in a trade that has really hurt was the 1st used in the Jeannot trade, which hasn't been recouped. A couple of 3rds and a 2027 5th aren't helping this team at all. While I'm sure that '27 5th might have ended up an ECHL or AHL regular by 2030, I don't see that player ever being a factor for Tampa. At best, one of those 3rd round picks may have amounted to a fringe NHL player by 2027, but that's also not a big loss to a team that is trying to go for Cups now.

 

[Outl4w]

Sheary wasn't brought in to be a top 6 F though by all accounts. I think JBB was hoping to get a solid 3rd line type for 2 million a year that could put up 35-40 points and 15-20 goals. Injuries derailed most of his season last year, but his ability to hit these levels is probably why he wasn't traded this offseason.

Breaking news, he is still a complete waste of 2 million dollars per season until he proves other wise.

 

[OffBy1]

None of the lost picks from the Dumba, Duclair, nor Guentzel trades were likely to ever help this team when it can actually matter to a contender. The only pick that has been used in a trade that has really hurt was the 1st used in the Jeannot trade, which hasn't been recouped. A couple of 3rds and a 2027 5th aren't helping this team at all. While I'm sure that '27 5th might have ended up an ECHL or AHL regular by 2030, I don't see that player ever being a factor for Tampa. At best, one of those 3rd round picks may have amounted to a fringe NHL player by 2027, but that's also not a big loss to a team that is trying to go for Cups now.

With your philosophy, JBB should trade almost all the remaining picks for 2025 and 2026. We've got a 4th, 5th, 6th and four 7ths for this year he could trade to make this "win now" roster even better. Why is JBB hanging on to them? Maybe he doesn't know, in your assessment, these yet-to-be-named players aren't going to be a factor. The recent cup winning GMs in Florida and Colorado don't know any better either as they're stuck with a number of these inconsequential mid to late round draft picks this year. Maybe you can't even give them away? Though it does make me wonder how or why JBB managed to accumulate three additional 7th rounders for this year alone.

In addition to the value of draft picks to the team in its current state, our disagreement revolves around you being in whole hog with JBB that we are still contenders, and I'm much less so. I'd say the last two seasons support my position more than yours. Regardless, I'll be watching this year hoping to be wonderfully surprised and seeing a deep cup run, I just won't bet any money on it.

 

[JTBF81]

Breaking news, he is still a complete waste of 2 million dollars per season until he proves other wise.

Which he did the 3 years leading up to being signed by Tampa. Unfortunately, JBB doesn't have a crystal ball to be able to tell him when players are going to miss many games bc of injuries. As long as Sheary can stay healthy this year, we'll find out how the contract value looks. If he doesn't work out this season, he'll be easier to move with just one year left, or waive/bury if needed. The 2.3 % of the cap he's making this season isn't crippling them, and if he gets back to the level he was before Tampa, the value will be at least solid.