Speculation: 2018 Off-Season: We fell short again... now what do we do?

[These Are The Days]

18-19 is a big contract year (capfriendly is down atm, so I'm going off of memory) including every rostered d-man outside of Hedman and Sergachev becoming free agents. It seems that the big change we can do right now is with the coaches, with the ability to hit that reset button hard next off-season.

It does seem that way but I think it's imperative for Yzerman to take advantage of the window now if he does indeed need to move the likes of a Johnson and Killorn. He's not going to get second chances at this because of the movement/trade clauses. My odd man out is Johnson for a thousand reasons I've gotten into a million times. He and Miller can go. I'd like to see Kovalchuk join because I think he'd be good for Kucherov. I can't prove his lack of performances late in the postseason are the result of coaching because I can't prove what Jon Cooper is saying to him. At the same time players need to take it upon themselves to perform. If they need a coach in their ear to be sufficiently motivated in game 7 of the ECF then I don't know what to say.

A guy like Kovalchuk may yet just keep him in check in ways that Cooper can't. Not that Kucherov needs a mentor in a traditional sense but Kovalchuk is a Russian, a superstar, a winger, a former captain and 11 years Kucherov's senior. I don't think Kucherov has shown us everything we have to give. Now more than ever I'm not convinced Stamkos can or will keep him in check -especially not with Kucherov being the better player. But yet how easy it is to forget Ovechkin played with Fedorov for 2 years. And again not that Ovechkin likely needed a mentor but I'm sure at some point a young superstar in Ovechkin came to his senior in Fedorov or so came a time when Fedorov had words for Ovechkin.

Give me that chance instead of Miller scoring twice and Johnson going AWOL because he wasn't tied to Palat's hip anymore.

 

[Outl4w]

We lose again to the team that wins the cup. We need to beef up and get some fight in this dog to win the cup. We need more size and grit on the bottom 9 forwards.

 

[These Are The Days]

Lets contrast defenses too for a minute with the champions. On one team you have toughness in Orpik, balance in Niskanen and two guys who can shoot the living daylights out of the puck in Orlov and Carlson. The other you have Norris caliber defender who somehow manages to miss the net on 9 out of 10 shots, a #2 who has been declining in points for 4 years and can't handle the puck on the blue line, another who specializes in blocking shots and does little offensively, another that's constantly injured, another who probably skates faster backwards than he does forwards and is not a good shooter and a rookie who is not ready for big boy minutes. And yet somehow all of this is supposed to effectively cycle and generate scoring chances on the the wall of Holtby with an offense whose toughness and grit consists of Kunitz and Callahan.

Yzerman needs another puck moving defenseman pronto and we need to promote new blood from the Crunch that's gonna get the job done in front of the net.

 

[DFC]

Yet again, we're the only team to push the eventual champs to seven games.

 

[T REX]

Early power rankings have us at number 1. Again.

No pressure Coop.

 

[Outl4w]

We always come up short but we need to find someone like Smith Pelly and Wilson instead of Kilhorn and Kunitz.

 

[DFC]

I don't think it's a roster problem. Washington didn't beat us because they had player type X and we didn't. They beat us because we had no answer for Trotz's system. Neither did Vegas, really, and the Penguins didn't manage to score 4 goals a single time against them. Columbus's only wins came in OT.

We'll obviously try to improve, but let's not start jumping to the conclusion that the team's blueprint is somehow faulty.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Maybe Volkov as well?

Isn’t he LW?

 

[TampaBoltz]

I think Johnson will be the piece that goes before July 1st. If SY doesn't use him for a RD, like we really need, then maybe Minnesota would be looking for a change and might let Niederreiter or Coyle go. It would make us bigger and more physical up front and those guys are skilled. Also, has there been any news about JT Miller being hurt in the playoffs ? A couple of times against the Caps, I saw him cover-up in the corner before a hit. He isn't the type to avoid contact normally and we needed him to be more physical in that series.

 

[Todd1a]

I think Johnson will be the piece that goes before July 1st. If SY doesn't use him for a RD, like we really need, then maybe Minnesota would be looking for a change and might let Niederreiter or Coyle go. It would make us bigger and more physical up front and those guys are skilled. Also, has there been any news about JT Miller being hurt in the playoffs ? A couple of times against the Caps, I saw him cover-up in the corner before a hit. He isn't the type to avoid contact normally and we needed him to be more physical in that series.

I don't think Johnson moves yzerman is not that type that hands out a long term contract then moves a guy after one year.

 

[Leonardo87]

Yet again, we're the only team to push the eventual champs to seven games.

Not just that, push them to the brink of elimination, with two chances to advance.

Also, This team has blown the lead in a series with the Top 6 going totally invisible several times now. 2015 SCF, 2016 ECF, and 2018 ECF.

I don’t think it matters how much skill or talent you stack on this team. If there is no passion, hunger, or determination to win, then can just throw that skill and talent out the window.

 

[Todd1a]

Not just that, push them to the brink of elimination, with two chances to advance.

Also, This team has blown the lead in a series with the Top 6 going totally invisible several times now. 2015 SCF, 2016 ECF, and 2018 ECF.

I don’t think it matters how much skill or talent you stack on this team. If there is no passion, hunger, or determination to win, then can just throw that skill and talent out the window.

and 2011 we took boston to game 7 and they won the cup

 

[The Macho King]

I think we are one postseason away from being in the same discussion with the Sharks, the Sens of the 00s, and the Caps (until this year) as playoff disappointments.

 

[More 2004]

Yet again, we're the only team to push the eventual champs to seven games.

Unfortunately just makes me feel worse.

I think we are one postseason away from being in the same discussion with the Sharks, the Sens of the 00s, and the Caps (until this year) as playoff disappointments.

Our stars game 7 performances aren't helping our case, that's for sure.

 

[Felonious Python]

Early power rankings have us at number 1. Again.

No pressure Coop.

 

[Todd1a]

I think we sign James Neal since he has failed to win the stanley cups back to back years with Nashville and Vegas! we need him on our team

 

[Stammertime91]

We could have been a potential dynasty if we had guys capable of winning a game 7. 2011, 2016 and 2018 could have been walks in the park if we got by the ECF. Disappointing.

 

[RegularSznAllStars]

Need some grit up front. Caps size was a big problem.

 

[Todd1a]

We could have been a potential dynasty if we had guys capable of winning a game 7. 2011, 2016 and 2018 could have been walks in the park if we got by the ECF. Disappointing.

It’s funny in 2011 we were not built for the long term but that team would have won the cup if the refs gave us any power plays vs Boston in 2011. We had a legit stamkos, Marty and Vinny! Downie and Purcell were rolling and we had a great vet goalie in roloson who swept the capitals!

 

[The Macho King]

We made Game 7 of the ECF purely on talent. We didn't get that depth production you need to get to win this season. Devante-Smith Pelly scored 7 goals as a fourth liner. Our fourth line scored like 4 total, and only two of those on goalies. They got 7 goals from Lars Eller. Cirelli had 1 goal, and our third line as a whole was ineffective at putting pucks in the net.

We have the talent to make it - we need to have the players step up.

 

[Master P]

Isn’t he LW?

He's listed as both LW and RW on elite prospects. If you go to nhl.com they have him listed as a RW. He's 6'1" 192. Would be nice to get a little bit of size for our forwards.

 

[JoVel]

He's listed as both LW and RW on elite prospects. If you go to nhl.com they have him listed as a RW. He's 6'1" 192. Would be nice to get a little bit of size for our forwards.

Does he actually use his size? People were pretty hyped about Sustr's height you know...

 

[Master P]

Does he actually use his size? People were pretty hyped about Sustr's height you know...

Well one is a defensemen and the other is a forward. Heres an interview with him after this season ended. Seems like he's focused on learning english lol. But he had 23 goals and 22 assists this year and was a plus 19. I think he might have a shot at making a splash in training camp. Who knows.

 

[Felonious Python]

He's listed as both LW and RW on elite prospects. If you go to nhl.com they have him listed as a RW. He's 6'1" 192. Would be nice to get a little bit of size for our forwards.

EP lists their more frequent position first. So LW. He shoots left so that makes sense.

 

[Master P]

EP lists their more frequent position first. So LW. He shoots left so that makes sense.

The syracuse site has him listed as a RW though