Confirmed with Link: Lightning sign Slater Koekkoek to a 1-year, one way $800,000 deal

[Brie]

Click to read more...

 

[Flat Ronnie]

So we are going to have 2-3 dudes making under a mil, Giradi and Sustr all on D......this is gonna be fun - in a tragic way.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

PLEASE do not dress Sustr and G.

Heds-Jake
Serg-Strals
KK-BC

 

[DFC]

This is a good deal. Koekkoek performed well in the 2016 playoffs. He has it in him. It's just easy to forget when we're stretching his struggles out by never playing him in the NHL.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Solid deal, let's see where he's at!

 

[Leonardo87]

Very good deal.

 

[Cmac66]

Happy with this

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

Solid let's-see-what-you've-got deal.

 

[Stormbreaker]

Hopefully he's given a chance

 

[CupsOverCash]

Hopefully he's given a chance

They will give him a chance. He played well in the playoffs for the Crunch and has a 1year 1 way deal. It's a make or break year for him with the Lightning. Which we have invested a lot of time into. Also invested a 1st round pick into. With some very solid players they could have picked instead.

This is what I hope happens

Hedman Dotchin
Koekkoek Stralman
Coburn Girardi
Sergachev

Sustr (plays in case of injury or Sergachev needs to sit and watch a little)

What I think happens:

Hedman Stralman
Coburn Girardi
Koekkoek Dotchin
Sustr

Sergachev goes back to Windsor.

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[MattM92]

Kid hasn't been given a fair shot. Give him his 150-200 NHL games and see what he has.

 

[Sky04]

Kid hasn't been given a fair shot. Give him his 150-200 NHL games and see what he has.

No kidding, he was supposed to be a roster lock last year, but sat and then demoted so Coop could play Nesterov.

Right now we have Dotchin, Stralman, Coburn and Girardi down the right side. With Coburn being a LHD playing the right, chances are they move him to the leftside and keep the other guys on the right. If Sergachev pulls a Point and has a stellar camp/pre-season where have no choice but to keep him Koekkoek could find himself as a 7th in limited minutes or scratched all together.

 

[DaBolts]

Solid deal, let's see where he's at!

^ This. Nuf said.

 

[Rschmitz]

I don't like this. Koekkoek has to have an exceptional camp or they'll have no problem cutting him and keeping Sergachev, which is sad considering they've abused his ice time and role for quite some time now. A two year deal at least provides some security for Koekkoek, and if he had a good season we wouId still be able to extend him at the end.

 

[The Macho King]

Overpaid by 500k.

 

[Todd1a]

I don't like this. Koekkoek has to have an exceptional camp or they'll have no problem cutting him and keeping Sergachev, which is sad considering they've abused his ice time and role for quite some time now. A two year deal at least provides some security for Koekkoek, and if he had a good season we wouId still be able to extend him at the end.

I'd bet they will probably give a two year deal to dotchin over koekkoek. He has at least shown more so far in the NHL.

 

[DFC]

I don't like this. Koekkoek has to have an exceptional camp or they'll have no problem cutting him and keeping Sergachev, which is sad considering they've abused his ice time and role for quite some time now. A two year deal at least provides some security for Koekkoek, and if he had a good season we wouId still be able to extend him at the end.

I question whether or not they have any serious intentions of keeping Sergachev. I just don't see Cooper relying on a 19 year-old, who's never set foot in the AHL, regardless of skill level.

I guess I'll just believe it when I see it. We've seen this trick before.

 

[The Macho King]

I question whether or not they have any serious intentions of keeping Sergachev. I just don't see Cooper relying on a 19 year-old, who's never set foot in the AHL, regardless of skill level.

I guess I'll just believe it when I see it. We've seen this trick before.

Well - no one had Point on the roster last season. Generally I agree with you, but if Serge has a decent brain he may be able to force his spot.

 

[Rschmitz]

I question whether or not they have any serious intentions of keeping Sergachev. I just don't see Cooper relying on a 19 year-old, who's never set foot in the AHL, regardless of skill level.

I guess I'll just believe it when I see it. We've seen this trick before.

I hope you are right. There's been rare exceptions, like Point. Definitely didn't give Slater that oppurtunity. They've always pissed me off with handling Koekkoek. Part of that might be high draft pick expectations, but they've also thrust him into the lineup in too many sink or swim situations and then been quick to send him back down. He played exceptional in the series against Pitt.

They should have started giving him regular minutes 3 years ago. He's never gotten the Dotchin treatment where he's been paired consistently with someone who can protect him in a lot of low pressure situations. It's frustrating and sad.

 

[DFC]

Well - no one had Point on the roster last season. Generally I agree with you, but if Serge has a decent brain he may be able to force his spot.

Point was a shocker though. And he was 20, and a prototypical "safe" Cooper player. And, as best I can remember, he's the single exception during Cooper's tenure with the Lightning. But there've been several cases where we've heard Yzerman talk about young players playing bigger roles (Drouin, Koekkoek come to mind) only to see Cooper defer to the old guard. And usually we don't see young players handed significant responsibility until one or two people ahead of them get injured. We'd have never have found Dotchin's knack for playing with Hedman without injuries.

I'd like to see Sergachev in the NHL this year, if he earns the spot. It just feels like we stack the deck against young, skilled players.

 

[garmonbozia]

Point was a shocker though. And he was 20, and a prototypical "safe" Cooper player. And, as best I can remember, he's the single exception during Cooper's tenure with the Lightning. But there've been several cases where we've heard Yzerman talk about young players playing bigger roles (Drouin, Koekkoek come to mind) only to see Cooper defer to the old guard. And usually we don't see young players handed significant responsibility until one or two people ahead of them get injured. We'd have never have found Dotchin's knack for playing with Hedman without injuries.

I'd like to see Sergachev in the NHL this year, if he earns the spot. It just feels like we stack the deck against young, skilled players.

Honestly, I think there is consistency and accountability in Cooper making kids earn the spot. Nothing is given to them. The more they are able to handle things responsibly the more responsibility he gives them.

Johnson, Palat, Killorn, Gudas, Panik, Conacher, Connolly, Brown, Paquette, Namestnikov, Kucherov, Drouin, JAM, Barberio, Sustr, Nesterov, Dotchin, Point, Koekkoek, Vasilevski, Gudlevskis, Vermin, Witkowski, and Gourde are all young players that were afforded opportunities by Coop to contribute. More than half of those guys have been able to earn bigger roles off those opportunities. That Drouin was held accountable isn't an indictment of Cooper as much as an example of Jo expecting more than he's earned. Kucherov makes an excellent counterpoint to Drouin as someone who worked to earn more opportunity under similar circumstances.

If Koekkoek is ready to bring it full time there is a spot there for the seizing. If he can't legitimately earn it he doesn't deserve it. I hope he is ready and can remain consistent. Slater succeeding could address some of the bigger challenges facing our D. If he fails to grab the spot it will be because Sergachev, Masin, Hajek, whoever, outworked him for it not because Cooper has a dislike for skilled players.

 

[Sky04]

Honestly, I think there is consistency and accountability in Cooper making kids earn the spot. Nothing is given to them. The more they are able to handle things responsibly the more responsibility he gives them.

Johnson, Palat, Killorn, Gudas, Panik, Conacher, Connolly, Brown, Paquette, Namestnikov, Kucherov, Drouin, JAM, Barberio, Sustr, Nesterov, Dotchin, Point, Koekkoek, Vasilevski, Gudlevskis, Vermin, Witkowski, and Gourde are all young players that were afforded opportunities by Coop to contribute. More than half of those guys have been able to earn bigger roles off those opportunities. That Drouin was held accountable isn't an indictment of Cooper as much as an example of Jo expecting more than he's earned. Kucherov makes an excellent counterpoint to Drouin as someone who worked to earn more opportunity under similar circumstances.

If Koekkoek is ready to bring it full time there is a spot there for the seizing. If he can't legitimately earn it he doesn't deserve it. I hope he is ready and can remain consistent. Slater succeeding could address some of the bigger challenges facing our D. If he fails to grab the spot it will be because Sergachev, Masin, Hajek, whoever, outworked him for it not because Cooper has a dislike for skilled players.

Wrong. Completely 100% lucked out.

 

[TampaJay]

Honestly, I think there is consistency and accountability in Cooper making kids earn the spot. Nothing is given to them. The more they are able to handle things responsibly the more responsibility he gives them.

Johnson, Palat, Killorn, Gudas, Panik, Conacher, Connolly, Brown, Paquette, Namestnikov, Kucherov, Drouin, JAM, Barberio, Sustr, Nesterov, Dotchin, Point, Koekkoek, Vasilevski, Gudlevskis, Vermin, Witkowski, and Gourde are all young players that were afforded opportunities by Coop to contribute. More than half of those guys have been able to earn bigger roles off those opportunities. That Drouin was held accountable isn't an indictment of Cooper as much as an example of Jo expecting more than he's earned. Kucherov makes an excellent counterpoint to Drouin as someone who worked to earn more opportunity under similar circumstances.

If Koekkoek is ready to bring it full time there is a spot there for the seizing. If he can't legitimately earn it he doesn't deserve it. I hope he is ready and can remain consistent. Slater succeeding could address some of the bigger challenges facing our D. If he fails to grab the spot it will be because Sergachev, Masin, Hajek, whoever, outworked him for it not because Cooper has a dislike for skilled players.

This is correct. Cooper has his biases, but it’s not against youth. It’s about who he trusts. He was giving Point big minutes because he has a two-way game when most of us thought he should be in the AHL. He had rookie Paquette out there against Chicago’s top forwards in an SCF. He trusted Koekkoek in an ECF and then didn’t the next season. When Dotchin first came up he was playing limited minutes and he quickly moved up as he earned trust. For every Drouin and Koekkoek there is a Point and Dotchin. You can disagree with why Cooper trusts one guy over another, but you can’t say it is solely based on youth.

 

[Flat Ronnie]

Wrong. Completely 100% lucked out.

I agree. Until there's evidence to prove otherwise, this is nothing but a giant assumption.