Speculation: 2023-2024 General Lightning Discussion - Thread title week to week on IR

[RussianGuyovich]

Looking forward to cap cheating again by making serge sit until the playoffs

 

[Byrddog]

Kevin Nash of the New World Order. On second thought we put Hedman in as Hollywood Hulk Hedman. Now you're getting it and having fun.


If we use any Lightning player ever we open the door to amazing possibilities. @DFC would get an X-Paq avi
 

Cirelli’s would be the Miz… A wanna be

 

[JTBF81]

Hey look, the team struggles for two games and right on cue, doom.and gloom champion Byrd shows up in multiple Lightning threads with his usual drivel. Interesting that he was basically nowhere to be seen when they were winning 8 of 9 and 14 of 20...interesting indeed...

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Isaac Howard is going to look nice next to Point and Kucherov in a couple years. Excited for him

 

[These Are The Days]

Isaac Howard is going to look nice next to Point and Kucherov in a couple years. Excited for him

Yeah he is. I'd rather the Lightning miss the playoffs entirely than to give up our prospects. Missing the playoffs sucks but it doesn't mean the window is closed. I can get as mad as I want about it. But it doesn't change the fact that the Lightning are in one of the best positions of ANY team to win a championship.

We have to trust Coop, JFBB and our development of guys like Howard and Gauthier

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Yeah he is. I'd rather the Lightning miss the playoffs entirely than to give up our prospects. Missing the playoffs sucks but it doesn't mean the window is closed. I can get as mad as I want about it. But it doesn't change the fact that the Lightning are in one of the best positions of ANY team to win a championship.

We have to trust Coop, JFBB and our development of guys like Howard and Gauthier

Gauthier will be a responsible middle 6 C who puts up 40-60 points depending on linemates/deployment. Likely a Cirelli replacement long term

 

[These Are The Days]

Gauthier will be a responsible middle 6 C who puts up 40-60 points depending on linemates/deployment. Likely a Cirelli replacement long term

I think he can at least match that 40 point output but he has to REALLY work on the defensive aspect to come close to Cirelli. The coaching staff needs to be careful here. If they handle this wrong they're gonna 12 step this guy into Cory Conacher because they want "muh 200 foot game" and whatever polish he has on offense gets lost by turning him into a plug.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

I think he can at least match that 40 point output but he has to REALLY work on the defensive aspect to come close to Cirelli. The coaching staff needs to be careful here. If they handle this wrong they're gonna 12 step this guy into Cory Conacher because they want "muh 200 foot game" and whatever polish he has on offense gets lost by turning him into a plug.

My point is I think he already has a mature 200 ft game, especially for a major junior player in the Q. He isn't a cherry picker who stat pads and doesn't play any D

 

[These Are The Days]

My point is I think he already has a mature 200 ft game, especially for a major junior player in the Q. He isn't a cherry picker who stat pads and doesn't play any D

You're right about that. I'm not saying he can't. His game at the Q is about as balanced as it gets. This is more like that I don't know if the Lightning will allow it. For the last few years, I have come to realize that the Lightning definition of a mature 200 foot game is actually just 100 feet. For the last 2 years the game plan they would draw up would be to have Kucherov score 30 seconds into the game and sit on it for the last 59 minutes and 30 seconds and win 1-0. At this point I'm praying they just don't turn Gauthier into a plug too

 

[Hockeyville USA]

You're right about that. I'm not saying he can't. His game at the Q is about as balanced as it gets. This is more like that I don't know if the Lightning will allow it. For the last few years, I have come to realize that the Lightning definition of a mature 200 foot game is actually just 100 feet. For the last 2 years the game plan they would draw up would be to have Kucherov score 30 seconds into the game and sit on it for the last 59 minutes and 30 seconds and win 1-0. At this point I'm praying they just don't turn Gauthier into a plug too

We know Kucherov won't always backcheck and Stamkos can't get up and down the ice consistently as he once did due to age and all of the injuries. Point becoming a plug defensively is concerning. I have a couple theories on it:

1. Point is relied on so much to score, so he conserves energy in the D-zone
2. The injuries from being tripped into the boards against New Jersey in 2021-22, the 2022 Playoffs injury, and being boarded by Rielly in the 2023 Playoffs have led to him avoiding contact more, especially in the regular season where hockey is generally softer.
3. He has his Cups/money and doesn't want to grind through an 82 game regular season.

 

[ccman68]

Isaac Howard is going to look nice next to Point and Kucherov in a couple years. Excited for him

i would be excited but i know jbb is about to trade his ass because we have nothing else. just gotta hope we get something useful back this time

 

[ccman68]

please don’t show this to jbb

 

[OffBy1]

Isaac Howard is going to look nice next to Point and Kucherov in a couple years. Excited for him

We'll have to first see if he survives a season with Coop playing him on the third line, assuming he's still coaching the team then. I believe Coop did that with both Kuch and Point.

 

[Point21]

Wouldnt mind him here. only 25, is an RFA after this year. Cirelli for Mittlestadt with pieces from both sides to make it work?

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Wouldnt mind him here. only 25, is an RFA after this year. Cirelli for Mittlestadt with pieces from both sides to make it work?

Heard they wanted a starting goalie for Mittlestadt.

 

[JTBF81]

Cirelli isn't going anywhere, and Mittlestadt isn't a realistic option anyway.

 

[Ducati Boy]

So who would you all consider out top 10 prospects right now? boltprospects.com doesn't rank them anymore so I guess it's up to us.

Not in any order, I'd include: Duke, Howard, Groshev, Finley, Goncalves, Lilleberg, Huuhtanen, Thompson, Gauthier, and Alnefelt. Schmidt, Crozier, Robert, Chaffee, Carlisle, and Koepke fall just outside. Edmonds could be there if he gets his shit back together. Did I forget anyone?

Edit: Right away I see I missed Shaugabay, possibly Merela.

 

[These Are The Days]

So who would you all consider out top 10 prospects right now? boltprospects.com doesn't rank them anymore so I guess it's up to us.

Not in any order, I'd include: Duke, Howard, Groshev, Finley, Goncalves, Lilleberg, Huuhtanen, Thompson, Gauthier, and Alnefelt. Schmidt, Crozier, Robert, Chaffee, Carlisle, and Koepke fall just outside. Edmonds could be there if he gets his shit back together. Did I forget anyone?

Edit: Right away I see I missed Shaugabay, possibly Merela.

Shaugabay needs the fairy godmother to tap him on the shoulder. He feasts on less skilled competition with those S tier hands but the level of play is the USHL and he's already kind of inconsistent.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

So who would you all consider out top 10 prospects right now? boltprospects.com doesn't rank them anymore so I guess it's up to us.

Not in any order, I'd include: Duke, Howard, Groshev, Finley, Goncalves, Lilleberg, Huuhtanen, Thompson, Gauthier, and Alnefelt. Schmidt, Crozier, Robert, Chaffee, Carlisle, and Koepke fall just outside. Edmonds could be there if he gets his shit back together. Did I forget anyone?

Edit: Right away I see I missed Shaugabay, possibly Merela.

Howard, Thompson, Goncalves, Lilleberg (he will graduate from that status in a couple weeks), Huuhtanen, Crozier, Gauthier, Carlile, Pylenkov, Groshev.

 

[Lightning1995]

Personally, I’d really like to see the Lightning use the cap room, which is significant, to facilitate a couple deals in the west and accumulate draft capital and or prospect. I don’t think this team is going on a run, but they are not washed either. The additional assets could really benefit the organization’s ability to build its roster and acquire deadline assets when the team is performing at a higher level and perhaps has a cheap top 6 forward like Howard to augment the roster.

I really think the inability of-the second line to do anything without Hagel holds this team back. Hagel with Point and Kuch is one of the best lines in hockey. But Cirelli Stammer Paul just doesn’t work.

 

[Point21]

I think finding a team that doesnt want to use a retention spot uses us as a 3rd team to retain 50% on a pending UFA to facilitate a deal would be smart for the other teams as well. whoever is trading the pending UFA doesnt use a retention spot that they may want to use for another player, the receiving team doesnt have to give up max value for a 50% retained player to only 1 team, and we get a prospect or draft pick while not losing anything

 

[Outl4w]

Gauthier will be a responsible middle 6 C who puts up 40-60 points depending on linemates/deployment. Likely a Cirelli replacement long term

Well is Cirelli going anywhere?

 

[Master P]

please don’t show this to jbb

 

[bov]

Edmundson and Dowd could be fits.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Lots of pending UFAs and RFAs in San Jose. Wonder if the Lightning are interested in any of Duclair, Barabanov, Kunin, or others.