GDT: 5/18/21 - 8:00PM EDT - #3CD Tampa Bay @ #2CD Florida [CDSF GAME 2]

[The Macho King]

Honestly I don't think they had more than a half dozen good chances all night. The ones that got the oos and ahhs in the third weren't actually that dangerous. Vasi doesn't get beat on jam plays period, and that's essentially what they were.

One of the things that surprised me was - despite being down - the Panthers forecheck was super passive all night. There was a spot in the first period after we were up 2-0 where they just sat back in a 1-2-2 or 1-3-1 with the forward barely creeping below the blue line. I know they're a counter team but if a team isn't giving you the counters you have to find a way to create chances, and I thought that they just didn't want to put in the work to do that.

 

[LightningStrikes]

7/11 was the right call I think. Not so much for Florida!

 

[RussianGuyovich]

it seemed interesting to me, that we collapsed and they seemed content to just work the perimeter and hammer point shots which inevitably turned into scoring opportunities for us with a counter. like they were just happy to be in the offensive zone. boltprospects said it best when they called it a "rope-a-dope" by the lightning.

i realize im basically echoing what macho man said, but the fact that they didnt even attempt anything else is mind bottling. this is eerily reminiscent of cooper and the columbus blue jackets sweep of the lightning.

 

[LightningStrikes]

it seemed interesting to me, that we collapsed and they seemed content to just work the perimeter and hammer point shots which inevitably turned into scoring opportunities for us with a counter. like they were just happy to be in the offensive zone. boltprospects said it best when they called it a "rope-a-dope" by the lightning.

i realize im basically echoing what macho man said, but the fact that they didnt even attempt anything else is mind bottling. this is eerily reminiscent of cooper and the columbus blue jackets sweep of the lightning.

So it’s like in a video game when character A has very cool weapon (tactic, skill) and beats character B. But B finds a way to beat A later on and gets the weapon (tactic, skill) from A and now can use it on new foes. I guess what I’m saying is we’re the Columbus Blue Jackets now or can be them if we want/need to. #CooperEvolution

 

[Hoek]

So it’s like in a video game when character A has very cool weapon (tactic, skill) and beats character B. But B finds a way to beat A later on and gets the weapon (tactic, skill) from A and now can use it on new foes. I guess what I’m saying is we’re the Columbus Blue Jackets now or can be them if we want/need to. #CooperEvolution

That's basically how we won last year. We can play any way you want and beat you at your game.

 

[Sky04]

They did have a couple chances on the doorstep, Vasi may be "good" at closing those but they're about as high danger as you can get. Florida likes to bait the defense down low and toss it to the middle, those are going to get cashed in eventually if keep letting them through.

 

[NatoGhost]

there's no way we dont..we have 0 competent righties ready to take those minutes. He's pretty much a 2/3 at the moment, we are just spoiled to have 4 very good (When Sergachev isn't being stupid) defenseman. Foote is a couple years off from being steady enough and the others are 1-2 year stop gaps. Important pieces, but not taking Cernaks spot. We need him.

Can't even say with confidence Foote is a couple of years off. He's a couple of MPH off. Hopefully he can fix that and he'll be a solid player.

 

[NatoGhost]

I’ll hide a little something in the next gdt

FL whiny/floppers. Lomberg & Hornquist have been trying to sell calls like mad.

 

[Hockey4Life91]

McDonagh and Cernak are, again, operating as a monster shut down pair. McDonagh’s first two runs with us were fairly disappointing. But he has really found another gear in the playoffs as of late. He really is the perfect number two behind Hedman.

 

[NatoGhost]

Got a chuckle at people thinking suggesting this all year, McDonagh logs the heaviest defensive minutes on this team yearly, he starts the most in the d-zone, plays the most PK and he's the go-to shutdown guy. Not to mention he's padded insurance in case someone goes out, imagine leaning on Hedman/Sergachev alone when one or the other gets injured.

He has some slow months in the regular season but why would anyone want McDonagh to play as the game he does in the playoffs in the RS? This guy is physically handing it out and shot blocking everything, he's what some people think Savard is in the playoffs.

He's a beast no doubt it's just his age and the length of that contract that concern me going forward and why I considered Seattle/trading him as something we might have to do. Who do you pick between Hedman & him? Okay now the young Sergachev and him? Serg has sucked a bit so that 2nd question is closer but generally the young/upcoming Serg would be picked over McD. So the problem is can you afford keeping 3 LD paid 8m 7m 5m?

I feel like more balance between LD & RD would be beneficial? But maybe I'm over-rating that idea. Certainly would not get of McD just to pay Savard 4m+.

I know you know most of this as well, just saying I don't think it's something that can be just waived off. It has to be considered. Patriots always walked away from players sooner rather than risk the aging contracts. Generally it worked very well for them. (Don't bring up Brady haha...and yes I am a Bucs fan.)

BUT all of that said if we can shed money elsewhere and keep our gluttony of LD, maybe it's the best move for the next 2-3 years. Still think McD at age 33, 34, 35, 36 is very high risk.

 

[NatoGhost]

Cause 17m>9m lol even though 7.7m of ours is towards 2 players that havent played in 2-3 years

Take away Gaborik & Nilsson. That's 7.5m right there. Only added that for LTIR benefit.

Edit: Didn't quite read your whole post lol.

 

[Hoek]

He's a beast no doubt it's just his age and the length of that contract that concern me going forward and why I considered Seattle/trading him as something we might have to do. Who do you pick between Hedman & him? Okay now the young Sergachev and him? Serg has sucked a bit so that 2nd question is closer but generally the young/upcoming Serg would be picked over McD. So the problem is can you afford keeping 3 LD paid 8m 7m 5m?

I feel like more balance between LD & RD would be beneficial? But maybe I'm over-rating that idea. Certainly would not get of McD just to pay Savard 4m+.

I know you know most of this as well, just saying I don't think it's something that can be just waived off. It has to be considered. Patriots always walked away from players sooner rather than risk the aging contracts. Generally it worked very well for them. (Don't bring up Brady haha...and yes I am a Bucs fan.)

BUT all of that said if we can shed money elsewhere and keep our gluttony of LD, maybe it's the best move for the next 2-3 years. Still think McD at age 33, 34, 35, 36 is very high risk.

Yeah I would definitely prefer more balance. Problem is we can't seem to find a RD that's worth it.

 

[J T Money]

it seemed interesting to me, that we collapsed and they seemed content to just work the perimeter and hammer point shots which inevitably turned into scoring opportunities for us with a counter. like they were just happy to be in the offensive zone. boltprospects said it best when they called it a "rope-a-dope" by the lightning.

i realize im basically echoing what macho man said, but the fact that they didnt even attempt anything else is mind bottling. this is eerily reminiscent of cooper and the columbus blue jackets sweep of the lightning.

 

[These Are The Days]

I'm re-watching the Palat goal and I swear to God only Connor McDavid could've done better than Point to set up the play as he might've actually scored on it. This kid is an animal.

 

[Sky04]

He's a beast no doubt it's just his age and the length of that contract that concern me going forward and why I considered Seattle/trading him as something we might have to do. Who do you pick between Hedman & him? Okay now the young Sergachev and him? Serg has sucked a bit so that 2nd question is closer but generally the young/upcoming Serg would be picked over McD. So the problem is can you afford keeping 3 LD paid 8m 7m 5m?

I feel like more balance between LD & RD would be beneficial? But maybe I'm over-rating that idea. Certainly would not get of McD just to pay Savard 4m+.

I know you know most of this as well, just saying I don't think it's something that can be just waived off. It has to be considered. Patriots always walked away from players sooner rather than risk the aging contracts. Generally it worked very well for them. (Don't bring up Brady haha...and yes I am a Bucs fan.)

BUT all of that said if we can shed money elsewhere and keep our gluttony of LD, maybe it's the best move for the next 2-3 years. Still think McD at age 33, 34, 35, 36 is very high risk.

What's the point of that if you're forced to ice a horrible 3rd pairing? Our strategy now guarantees we ice one of our top defenders at all times. Talent balancing is overrated, especially in a cap world where it is impossible to fill all holes in a lineup, you need to cut corners somewhere.

I'm not against moving McDonagh down the line, I'm against moving him this or next year because I haven't seen enough from Sergachev/Foote/Thomas/Rutta to step up immediately. 2 years down the line when Cernak is up for extension and each of those players get more development is when you look at moving McD. If we're talking about shedding salary, you should look at which positions are replaceable and start there, in our case it's middle pack forwards that are banging on the door not top-4 defenseman.

 

[The Gongshow]

I think we could eventually move McD when his age starts to show in a couple more seasons when there isn't a hard cap in place anymore. For now he's just too valuable and we need to let Sert continue to develop.

He also puts less pressure on Heddy, which allowed Heddy to beast out last year in the playoffs, and play hurt this year.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Stay down Marchment

 

[The Gongshow]

Stay down Marchment

Literally all these "though guy" Florida Panthers:

 

[J T Money]

Forgot how fickle the main boards can be. Got Panther fans reporting posts now since they’re down 2-0

 

[DMXATF23]

Forgot how fickle the main boards can be. Got Panther fans reporting posts now since they’re down 2-0

You’ve got a few of them that seem to just love you.

 

[BoltzManConstant]

What's the point of that if you're forced to ice a horrible 3rd pairing? Our strategy now guarantees we ice one of our top defenders at all times. Talent balancing is overrated, especially in a cap world where it is impossible to fill all holes in a lineup, you need to cut corners somewhere.

I'm not against moving McDonagh down the line, I'm against moving him this or next year because I haven't seen enough from Sergachev/Foote/Thomas/Rutta to step up immediately. 2 years down the line when Cernak is up for extension and each of those players get more development is when you look at moving McD. If we're talking about shedding salary, you should look at which positions are replaceable and start there, in our case it's middle pack forwards that are banging on the door not top-4 defenseman.

This time next year, Serg will have another full playoffs and 82 under his belt, Cernak will have another full 82 and playoffs under his belt, and Foote will hopefully have his first full 82 (and maybe a few playoff games) under his belt. We will have one of the best top 3's in the league, and an overall serviceable top 4. We've also got the best goalie in the business backstopping them, and he's paid commensurate with his value. At some point there are diminishing returns in committing resources to the defense.

You have to make hard calls in a cap world, and sometimes it means moving on from a guy a year or two too early.

Not clear what you mean by "against moving McDonagh this or next year". Are you saying you're dedicated to keeping him for 2021-22 AND 2022-23 no matter what?
Moving him for 2023-24 would mean finding someone who will take him for his age 34, 35 and 36 seasons at $6.75m per year, plus he's got a full NTC so our only option is to waive him and hope someone likes that deal enough to take him with no sweetener.

 

[J T Money]

You’ve got a few of them that seem to just love you.

Based on the start of playoff thread, I was expecting a solid back and forth with their posters...sucks they’re in serious mode and can’t handle memes now.

Real talk: Panthers are a great team, the only downside is timing because they’re stuck dealing with the juggernaut this year.

 

[DFC]

This time next year, Serg will have another full playoffs and 82 under his belt, Cernak will have another full 82 and playoffs under his belt, and Foote will hopefully have his first full 82 (and maybe a few playoff games) under his belt. We will have one of the best top 3's in the league, and an overall serviceable top 4. We've also got the best goalie in the business backstopping them, and he's paid commensurate with his value. At some point there are diminishing returns in committing resources to the defense.

You have to make hard calls in a cap world, and sometimes it means moving on from a guy a year or two too early.

Not clear what you mean by "against moving McDonagh this or next year". Are you saying you're dedicated to keeping him for 2021-22 AND 2022-23 no matter what?
Moving him for 2023-24 would mean finding someone who will take him for his age 34, 35 and 36 seasons at $6.75m per year, plus he's got a full NTC so our only option is to waive him and hope someone likes that deal enough to take him with no sweetener.

I don't like gambling based on projections. Until you've seen somebody do something, they haven't done it. I'm as high on Serg and Cernak as anyone, but I'd be wary of moving McDonagh.