Injury Report: IR: Gaborik, Nilsson | Killorn, Kucherov, Hedman, McDonagh, Goodrow

[LightningStrikes]

Kuch was the QB and right side threat on the PP. Who can slot in there?

 

[Sky04]

Kuch was the QB and right side threat on the PP. Who can slot in there?

Palat makes the most sense.

Stamkos-Point-Palat
Hedman-Sergachev

 

[Five Alarm Fire]

Kucherov getting hip surgery for our cap relief is the ultimate team player move. Such a selfless person.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Kuch was the QB and right side threat on the PP. Who can slot in there?

Give me Barre-Boulet. He doesn't have Kucherovs one timer, nobody does, but it's a good one and he shots very well off the rush like Kucherov. He also seems like a more selfish player so you won't be getting 10 passes to Stamkos trying to get him to shot instead, he prefers to do the shooting himself. It would also maximize his skillset the most and hopefully it makes it easier to adapt to the NHL.

 

[BoltsOfAnarchy]

Let's put it this way - a key injury and the playoffs are a question now. Vasi goes down and we are f***ed.

or Hedman injury

 

[Todd1a]

Hedman and a Vasy injury is absolutely what we can’t have now for sure

 

[Hoek]

 

[The Gongshow]

 

[PaulGG]

Gives other guys ice and a chance to prove it. No way we don’t make the playoffs and good chance of having him back in playoffs too. We won without Stammer and we can win without Kuch. Meanwhile does help with cap issue.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

This "trade-off" only works if Kucherov's hip is fine long-term. And that's not something any of us are going to have 100% confidence in until we see it happen.

If it turns out that Kucherov is completely fine long-term, comes back in time for the playoffs a la Forsberg in 2002 and is close to his usual level of performance right then and there, and then we end up with a more manageable cap situation a year from now due to it...then I guess things worked out as well as they reasonably could. But that's not the kind of "trade-off" with this kind of player I would ever feel comfortable about.

The playoffs are no concern at all to me. The other good teams in this division, in no particular order, are Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, and Nashville. I can see us being troubled by Nashville; they've always been our biggest problem from the West for some reason. Otherwise, I see two teams that were barely above .500 last season who we beat in the playoffs, and Carolina, a team we always handle just well. And we only need to finish in front of one of those four to make the playoffs (because I'm not seeing Chicago, Detroit, or Florida troubling us in that regard). Honestly, fear of missing the playoffs is the furthest thing from my mind here, but at the same time, we've also seen this core get off to slow starts several times before ('15-'16, '16-'17, and last season) and this is a more compact season with a short off-season preceding it, so these guys are going to need to be ready to go.

 

[The Gongshow]

Kuch was the QB and right side threat on the PP. Who can slot in there?

I'm wondering if its either Palat (who took over Stamkos' side and had a few goals there) or they put Point there and then Palat in the slot.

Cirelli gets PP2 time right? He's our top PK guy so he doesn't usually get alot of PP, gets some rest, but I wonder if they try and slot him in there as well.

I still prefer Heddy on the first unit, he does some good QB work as well at times.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[CupsOverCash]

It will definitely be at least a little bit worrisome about his return and how he will be during that. It will be during the playoffs obviously and we will want him 100 percent but that most likely won't happen. I feel like for a guy who likes to be as precise with his game as kuch is not likely to be ready with that right out the gates. Will be interesting to see how they handle that.

 

[SRQKiter]

It will definitely be at least a little bit worrisome about his return and how he will be during that. It will be during the playoffs obviously and we will want him 100 percent but that most likely won't happen. I feel like for a guy who likes to be as precise with his game as kuch is not likely to be ready with that right out the gates. Will be interesting to see how they handle that.

You're worrying about this now? About a million things have to happen between now and then.

And while we certainly hope for a more long lasting result, Stammer jumped on ice after more than 6 months off it and scored on a snipe. If Kuch is back, and we have zero reason to believe otherwise, he'll be fine and more than able to contribute. He's been doing it his whole life and it's not like he'll be jumping out there cold, he will have had rehab and plenty of ice time. This entire thing has been carefully thought out and planned (not the injury itself, mind you, that's legit, but everything surrounding it once they realized he was injured and surgery would be required).

 

[CupsOverCash]

You're worrying about this now? About a million things have to happen between now and then.

And while we certainly hope for a more long lasting result, Stammer jumped on ice after more than 6 months off it and scored on a snipe. If Kuch is back, and we have zero reason to believe otherwise, he'll be fine and more than able to contribute. He's been doing it his whole life and it's not like he'll be jumping out there cold, he will have had rehab and plenty of ice time. This entire thing has been carefully thought out and planned (not the injury itself, mind you, that's legit, but everything surrounding it once they realized he was injured and surgery would be required).

I know its still early. Just a thought I had about Kuchs injury. That's why I said it WILL be worrisome. Anyways you make a good point about Stamkos but that was still just a few minutes of play. I know they are professionals and all but I'd be lying if I wasn't going to be worried about how Kuch will be when he comes back. Especially for the playoffs. His game is so methodical that when he's off he's really off and I am just worried about how that will be when he gets back. I know its still early to be thinking like this but the thought had crossed my mind so I wanted to talk about it.

 

[The Gongshow]

It will definitely be at least a little bit worrisome about his return and how he will be during that. It will be during the playoffs obviously and we will want him 100 percent but that most likely won't happen. I feel like for a guy who likes to be as precise with his game as kuch is not likely to be ready with that right out the gates. Will be interesting to see how they handle that.

Kuch gonna come out in game 5 of the final, play 3 shifts and score a goal, then leave.

 

[Byrddog]

Food for thought for those just sure Stammer can produce at the same rate as Kuch. In his early years Stammer was the goal scorer and assists were sparse then the Kuch monster came online before then there was one season Stammer had as many assists as he had goals. Something nobody considers much is the effect on the other lines. With Kuch on the 1st and Stammer on the 2nd out teams had a hell of a time matching up. The one hope right now is that Point can carry that 1st line and allow Stammer to stay on the 2nd. This probably means that Coleman moves up and weakens Yannis line yet again. I fully expect Coop to be playing musical chairs the first 10 games looking for a balance that gives us an advantage. WHat I do not expect is ABB to jump in top 6 and be as effective as he was in the Q or AHL. He may in time but not this season.

 

[DeeVeeUss]

You're worrying about this now? About a million things have to happen between now and then.

And while we certainly hope for a more long lasting result, Stammer jumped on ice after more than 6 months off it and scored on a snipe. If Kuch is back, and we have zero reason to believe otherwise, he'll be fine and more than able to contribute. He's been doing it his whole life and it's not like he'll be jumping out there cold, he will have had rehab and plenty of ice time. This entire thing has been carefully thought out and planned (not the injury itself, mind you, that's legit, but everything surrounding it once they realized he was injured and surgery would be required).

We've seen though with Gourde and Point the struggle it is to get your hips back to game shape. Sure he might be cleared to play but that doesn't mean he'll come back and be the 128pt monster we know right away

 

[JTBF81]

Food for thought for those just sure Stammer can produce at the same rate as Kuch. In his early years Stammer was the goal scorer and assists were sparse then the Kuch monster came online before then there was one season Stammer had as many assists as he had goals. Something nobody considers much is the effect on the other lines. With Kuch on the 1st and Stammer on the 2nd out teams had a hell of a time matching up. The one hope right now is that Point can carry that 1st line and allow Stammer to stay on the 2nd. This probably means that Coleman moves up and weakens Yannis line yet again. I fully expect Coop to be playing musical chairs the first 10 games looking for a balance that gives us an advantage. WHat I do not expect is ABB to jump in top 6 and be as effective as he was in the Q or AHL. He may in time but not this season.

Except ABB is likely not to be in the top 6 at all, as it will be some combination of Palat, Point, Stamkos, Cirelli, Killorn and Johnson. Maybe Gourde or Coleman moves up and Johnson goes to the 3rd line, but with the effectiveness of the 3rd line I doubt it. As soon as Johnson and Killorn were kept, the chances of ABB getting a top 6 role this year all but vanished. He should still have a chance to make the team, and if he does impress then he could see extended playing time. More than likely he either sees a few games this year or stays in Syracuse, then gets a more concrete role next year when there will be some turnover among the F group.

 

[SRQKiter]

We've seen though with Gourde and Point the struggle it is to get your hips back to game shape. Sure he might be cleared to play but that doesn't mean he'll come back and be the 128pt monster we know right away

I am fully confident that everything surrounding the injury has been carefully thought out, including the timing of the surgery and the rehab protocol and timing. This is still a team with a ton of talent and we saw just how good Point can be even at 70 or 80 percent during the playoff run. You just don't do what he did with a bad hammy. Kuch doesn't need to be absolutely 100%. And again, even discussing this is putting the cart a mile in front of the horse.

 

[DFC]

Kuch was the QB and right side threat on the PP. Who can slot in there?

It will probably be a different look all together. My guess is Point QBs it, one way or another, and we put somebody else, probably Killorn, in the slot.

 

[The Gongshow]

It will probably be a different look all together. My guess is Point QBs it, one way or another, and we put somebody else, probably Killorn, in the slot.

Point slots over to Kuch's side I think, Palat goes to the slot, Killorn behind the boards then Stamkos on his dot, Hedman at point.

Or Palat takes Kuch's side and Point stays in the slot were he is lethal.

2nd unit is Coleman, Johnson, Gourde, Serg and Maroon

 

[DFC]

Point slots over to Kuch's side I think, Palat goes to the slot, Killorn behind the boards then Stamkos on his dot, Hedman at point.

Or Palat takes Kuch's side and Point stays in the slot were he is lethal.

2nd unit is Coleman, Johnson, Gourde, Serg and Maroon

...You know what? It's probably gonna be Johnson in the slot. Needs to be a right-handed shot, and he's the only one I can think of. We might not even put someone in that spot and just stick Maroon/Palat/Killorn in the crease. Hell, Gourde has even played that role well in the regular season.

I would bet on Point in Kucherov's spot. He won't be the one-timer threat that Kucherov was, but he's a righty, so he can protect the puck better and have two big one-timer options (Stamkos and Hedman) directly across from him. Maybe Maroon and Killorn/Palat. The thing about having Johnson in the bumper spot is it would put 4 righties on the same unit. Buuuuut we do have a history of pumping up players we want to dump, so I do kind of think he winds up on the first unit. If he comes close to 20 goals in 56 games (best case scenario), that contract gets a whole lot easier to move in the off-season.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Palat makes the most sense.

Stamkos-Point-Palat
Hedman-Sergachev

This makes no sense

 

[bov]

Stamkos-Point-Palat-Killorn-Hedman
Johnson-Gourde-Maroon-__________-Sergachev is my guess for PP.