Do you think the Bolts make the playoffs this year?

[PaulGG]

I think they will make the playoffs. I expect them to turn it up a notch and they have everyone back from injuries.
Cooper has tinkered with the team and the system and it really hasn't worked. I expect he will adjust to what does work soon. The stats are obvious. We are on track to have GA of about 10 less than last season however we are on track to score about 60 less goals. Math 101.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

absolfningggggggggggggggggggutely

yes yes yes

i will say this all the crap all the struggle all the turmoil as most of you know me i went through this year in year out with the wings for 20 some years the trade yzerman he cant win it all crap the rest of the nonsense etc.. winningest team going out in four etc..

barely get in win the cup

you need good goaltending we seem to have that you need desire skill and puck luck injury luck

well we have had about as awful puck luck as any team ive ever watched this year it has to change at some point

if we do make it and i think we will quite easily in fact this second half of the year we should be the scariest team in nhl cause we all know this team can score even though they are not doing it so if the magic happens late watch out a cup will be in the horizon

anyway that stamkos drouin bleh bleh bleh

i get drouin but he is on beg contract and stevie will swing him around imho and yep we will resign stamkos its all gonna work out

i agree in ways with drouin but also get stevie and cooper and keeping him back for keeping team in the swing in future we will probably not have many more drouins for awhile stevie is a smart man he sees all sides but hes also a strong man drouin can stamp his feet etc... is up to stevie what he wants to do but i say he stays we win some cups all is well
peace out folks


p.s. if the team scores as it can in the right time do not count your chickens so early brothers we are legit every team goes through growing pains this one just like every other

it is all gonna work out

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

stevie was on csn tonight and said yes would trade drouin but would have to HELP the tampa bay lightning meaning period has to be a deal of benefit for us which i personally do not believe will happen and jodru is here for the ride he has no reason to be moved and based on all i know on stevie and what he just said its like i said he gets it but also is more yep is a tempermental teenager and this will pass as he grows up so to speak

 

[Todd1a]

stevie was on csn tonight and said yes would trade drouin but would have to HELP the tampa bay lightning meaning period has to be a deal of benefit for us which i personally do not believe will happen and jodru is here for the ride he has no reason to be moved and based on all i know on stevie and what he just said its like i said he gets it but also is more yep is a tempermental teenager and this will pass as he grows up so to speak

I never thought we could start next season and stamkos and drouin both could be gone.

 

[nobody0211]

I think we have been to streaky this year. I dont think we will make it(of course I hope we do), if we do it will be the last seed and will have to face the best team in the NHL this year. It seems a lot is going on with TB this year...coop coaching style, drouin issues, stamkos issues, and the puck not bouncing are way(except last night).

 

[These Are The Days]

At this point I seriously do not care anymore. I am so pissed at the BLATANT "we're gonna do it OUR WAY" attitude that this franchise has taken on. The Tampa Bay Lightning honest to God thinks its **** don't stink. No matter what Yzerman's gonna sit back and either twiddle his thumbs or some other different part of his body and instruct Cooper to do the same because, "That's how Detroit does it."

Well newsflash Steve... being the backbone of that organization you'd know that it didn't purposely squander talent and purposely hold itself back because it was so goddamn concerned with a long term agenda. It hungered for glory EVERY season and took care of business in the moment.

Roll it into perspective Lightning fans.... if Tyler Johnson doesn't save our ass in Detroit we're looking at a 1st round loss to our name last season with all the current problems we have now likely presenting themselves.

 

[garmonbozia]

I believe! The Bolts...

Will make the playoffs.
Will get out of the first round.
Will not trade Drouin this season.
Will re-sign Stamkos, extend all impending RFAs, and extend either Hedman or Bishop this summer.

Yzerman will pull some magic out of the trade deadline and shake **** up just enough.
TKO turn the corner on health issues and get that chemistry reignited to light up the league heading in to the playoffs.
The commitment to more defensive responsibility paying dividends down the stretch.
Some of the HORRIBLE sh% on the team to improve toward, at least, average.



I have faith, I believe.

 

[Brie]

Well, if tonights result sticks then both Detroit and Boston will move by us and we'll be back in a WC spot, guess if we can't go back to winning we will be back on the outside looking in before we know it.

 

[Hoek]

Those games just started. Jumping the gun a bit?

 

[Brie]

Those games just started. Jumping the gun a bit?

Yeah, you're not wrong, I guess I'm mostly saying it to myself because I was getting really excited again and I have to remember that it's far from over and the the win streak, while great, was more about us catching up to the rest than actually moving ahead of them. But I still have hope and I know the team would't win every game they have left. It's just one of those annoying things about having several days off after a loss and you can't see how the team responds after it right away.

 

[Todd1a]

Yes we can make the playoffs I figure we need another 7 game win streak run before the year is up to do it.

 

[MattM92]

The downside of falling behind early. There is such a slim margin of error for us now. We can't afford to lose any more than 4 out of every 10 games the rest of the way. No losing streaks.

 

[Werewolf]

Are we making the playoffs...

 

[Leafs87]

They have had their fair share of distractions this year.

 

[The Gongshow]

Playoff hopes dwindling. Boys need to get out of yet another bad funk

 

[dechire]

Me, a month ago: No !
Me, two weeks ago: Yes !
Me, today: Maybe

Come on guys just pick one and stick with it

 

[Todd1a]

I really don't know at this point the January bolts yes the now bolts nope

 

[wxkid23]

IF we don't make the playoffs we lose Stamkos for literally nothing. Cooper should be fired

 

[dechire]

IF we don't make the playoffs we lose Stamkos for literally nothing. Cooper should be fired

If we don't make the playoffs I guarantee that Stamkos himself is at least somewhat responsible due to lackluster effort so good ****ing riddance tbh

 

[wxkid23]

If we don't make the playoffs I guarantee that Stamkos himself is at least somewhat responsible due to lackluster effort so good ****ing riddance tbh

Of course he is. I'm more critical than most on here of him

He plays like a guy that doesn't want to get injured so he can get his bucks. Hard to blame someone for that but then again... he's already filthy rich so


And yeah... we miss the playoffs Cooper should be fired. I like Cooper but this team is way too talented to not make the playoffs

 

[dechire]

Of course he is. I'm more critical than most on here of him

He plays like a guy that doesn't want to get injured so he can get his bucks. Hard to blame someone for that but then again... he's already filthy rich so


And yeah... we miss the playoffs Cooper should be fired. I like Cooper but this team is way too talented to not make the playoffs

I think that's what bugs me the most about the saga because there's all the people saying "He's checked out of Tampa but he'll return to form on a different team" but at the same time he's not looking for a trade and seems happy to drag the team down with possibly purposeful lazy play on the off-chance he gets a Cup out of it. Which seems like really poor character to me. Or the other possibility is that he's just not that good anymore which also sucks but at least it doesn't make him seem like a dick.

I just can't get behind the idea that he hates the Lightning enough to play like crap for a year but doesn't think "Hmm maybe I should ask for a trade..." But hey maybe he's just not very bright lol

Re: Cooper I'm still not quite on the firing bandwagon but it's obvious from how he uses JAM that he's learned little from the Drouin thing. Play the best players, not the ones you like the most. Clearly this lesson is still a work in progress.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

I'll be pissed at Coop, but firing him because we miss the playoffs by a couple points isn't right. He didn't sit on his hands during the off-season and give us the same, exact roster, ok, plus Condra, woo hoo. He's not failing to make needed trades, that should go on Y.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

it would surely seem disingenuous to complain about the roster when, back in the off-season, knowing the cap crunch that existed not too far down the road...what exactly would you have changed from that team, other than, of course, letting Morrow leave?

Still wish they had never given up Connolly. And I said that much when it happened, too.

 

[CarpeNoctem]

it would surely seem disingenuous to complain about the roster when, back in the off-season, knowing the cap crunch that existed not too far down the road...what exactly would you have changed from that team, other than, of course, letting Morrow leave?

Still wish they had never given up Connolly. And I said that much when it happened, too.

Yzie got us in to the cap crunch, though. Look at his veteran signings, Carle, Flipp, Callahan, Garrison, etc. Basically none of those guys have met the expectations we had when they got signed, truthfully.

 

[DFC]

Yzie got us in to the cap crunch, though. Look at his veteran signings, Carle, Flipp, Callahan, Garrison, etc. Basically none of those guys have met the expectations we had when they got signed, truthfully.

That's a little harsh. Carle is the only contract that's gone completely sour. Flip has had great moments and bad moments. He was bad for a lot of this year, but he's been good for a lot of it too. Callahan's having a bad season, but it's hard to call him a bad signing based on that. He was bad at times in the playoffs last year, but might have salvaged them by being one of very few guys who was good in the finals. And I have no idea how you think Garrison hasn't met expectations. He's been far better than any reasonable expectation.

It's only a cap crunch if the contracts can't be moved. The one contract that can't be moved is Carle. He's regressed to the point that he's no longer an NHLer. We could still move Flip or Cally if it came to that. There's no way we'd even consider moving Garrison. He's outplayed his contract. I'd more expect us to resign him than move him before the contract is up.