Bro I need your relentless positivity like Goku needed energy for the spirit bomb. I just do not get this year's Lightning team. Not saying the window is closed. Just that this year's team just does not act hungry. I feel like this lot could lose this game
I think we're stuck with what we have for this year. We don't really have many options until next season. I don't see how a trade or two is gonna drastically change the outlook from where we are now.
This offseason is where some big changes can and will occur imo.
As for the rest of this season. Fire Blashill or let someone else take responsibility for the defense. The current system is clearly not working.
Fortunately we still have Kuch in his prime as well as guys like Point and Vassy.
Hate to say it but our best option is free up cap space by letting some of the big guys go. Now whether that's by trade or letting them walk idk.
I think the elephant in the room is Stammer and Heddy. That's $16.3 mil in cap space.
We could use that to flesh out the middle 6 as well as address the defense.
As it stands now we have WAAAY too many supporting role type players.
Sheary
Eyssimont
Glendenning
Motte
Watson
ABB
Jeannot
Thats 7 of our 13 forwards. We just don't have the scoring depth we used to. Freeing up $16.3 mil in cap space gives us plenty of options to change that.
Our D core is Heddy, Serge and Cernak.
Everyone else is a place holder. Trade Heddy away and its just not NHL quality imo.
I picked Stammer and Heddy because they have the biggest hit and would require too much cap space to resign and stay competitive imo.
Only way it could work is if they both took a contract for half of what they're making now.
I know getting letting Stammer and Heddy go would be hard but its just the option that I think makes the most sense.
If you had a time machine and went back a few years and told me Chara and Lundqvist would both be Capitals and then the NY Rangers would Trade Patrick Kane to the Detroit Red Wings I would laugh myself into a coma.
As long as you have guys like Kuch, Point, and Vassy still in their prime I think you need to go for it.
Trading/walking Stammer and Heddy gives us the best chance at a re-tool that allows the team to compete imo.
Thank you for coming to my Ted-Talk.