Player Discussion: Steven Stamkos - Part 8

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Sky04

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I would like to see what he can do playing the left or right wing (I believe he played the left wing in our last playoff game), but I don't see Cooper doing that. He is going to want to put Stamkos at center, because it gives us depth with Point and Cirelli

The problem isn't Stamkos playing center, it's that we need to stop expecting him to be the guy to step up when we need it the most - it's not going to happen. Doesn't mean we have to trade a 98 point center to win, especially one that's on a fair contract. What we need to do now is get the appropriate depth to support the 2 main play drivers, Kucherov and Point. Look at Washington, yes Ovy won the Conn Smythe but lets be real, Evgeni Kuznetsov was by far the most dangerous Capitals forward in our series, Ovy was in a secondary role and they had guys like Wilson support them.

Stamkos had 16 points in 17 games last playoffs and was fine for the most part, didn't really take over games but he chipped in offensively, played a responsible game and didn't take stupid penalties - a performance like that is good enough for us to win with the right pieces around him. It's when he's completely invisible like games 1-3 that can't happen.
 

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Stamkos' game took big steps this year. Every off-season where he's healthy is a blessing. His problems in the playoffs were shared by the entire team. He's just not going to be the guy who grinds it out and wins battles in the playoffs, that's well established. Best we can hope for is a guy who can score timely goals, be a weapon on the PP.
 
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BowDownToVasilevskiy

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Stamkos' game took big steps this year. Every off-season where he's healthy is a blessing. His problems in the playoffs were shared by the entire team. He's just not going to be the guy who grinds it out and wins battles in the playoffs, that's well established. Best we can hope for is a guy who can score timely goals, be a weapon on the PP.
I agree, and he did that last year in the Washington series. Sadly, he didn't show up for games 1-3 this year.
 

These Are The Days

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There is no reason to move Stamkos to wing. Why are we talking about this? Him playing center isn't why we lost to the CBJ and if we're gonna say otherwise then I think we ought to begin with other, greater concerns such as how no one (even Stamkos) could get past the damn blue line
 

The Macho King

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There is no reason to move Stamkos to wing. Why are we talking about this? Him playing center isn't why we lost to the CBJ and if we're gonna say otherwise then I think we ought to begin with other, greater concerns such as how no one (even Stamkos) could get past the damn blue line
Actually hes really f***ing bad defensively. So moving him to wing softens his responsibilities.
 

These Are The Days

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Actually hes really ****ing bad defensively. So moving him to wing softens his responsibilities.

It does but he's also been really f***ing bad offensively in the playoffs at times. You hit the nail on him about it being a personality trait. Dude is soft. I don't know if a move to wing is gonna help him or not. Devil we know at center. If we move him is he gonna fail or what?
 
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DFC

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With a 1-2-3 of Stamkos, Point, and Cirelli, I think we're locked into that position for at least a few years, and that's not a problem. I wouldn't mind adding a big gritty winger to the top-six, maybe in a hockey trade--somebody like Johnson, Palat, Miller, or Gourde moving the other way. Just to change the mix.

I felt a bit for Stamkos in this series. His goal was one of his nicer goals of his playoff career, but we were so bad that he didn't get a full chance to "prove himself" in the playoffs, so this is yet another year where it looks like he wasn't good enough. And I mean, he wasn't. But the team as a whole was so trash that it's hard to single him out this time. I guess maybe he gets a bit more heat because he's the captain and all.
 

Lightning1995

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With a 1-2-3 of Stamkos, Point, and Cirelli, I think we're locked into that position for at least a few years, and that's not a problem. I wouldn't mind adding a big gritty winger to the top-six, maybe in a hockey trade--somebody like Johnson, Palat, Miller, or Gourde moving the other way. Just to change the mix.

I felt a bit for Stamkos in this series. His goal was one of his nicer goals of his playoff career, but we were so bad that he didn't get a full chance to "prove himself" in the playoffs, so this is yet another year where it looks like he wasn't good enough. And I mean, he wasn't. But the team as a whole was so trash that it's hard to single him out this time. I guess maybe he gets a bit more heat because he's the captain and all.
Duchene had 3 Goals and 7 points the first three games matched with Stammer. 0 matched with Cirelli in game 4.

I’m not blaming Stammer for the sweep. But I don’t want it to happen again. Stammer could be lethal on the wing.
 

The Macho King

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It does but he's also been really ****ing bad offensively in the playoffs at times. You hit the nail on him about it being a personality trait. Dude is soft. I don't know if a move to wing is gonna help him or not. Devil we know at center. If we move him is he gonna fail or what?
I mean - he's bad in the playoffs period. But defensively he's a trainwreck in the regular season or the playoffs.

He probably doesn't move positions. It's a shame.
 

BowDownToVasilevskiy

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Not sure if this is true or not, but on Twitter some people are saying that on his podcast Friedman says Stamkos was dealing with a significant shoulder injury
 

VoluntaryDom

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Actually hes really ****ing bad defensively. So moving him to wing softens his responsibilities.
eh i wouldnt say really f***ing bad, hes below avg prob but there are way worse defensive centers such as the aforementioned kuznetsov

hes also elite offensively
 

Flat Ronnie

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Not sure if this is true or not, but on Twitter some people are saying that on his podcast Friedman says Stamkos was dealing with a significant shoulder injury

I'm on the Stamkos side of this fight. The way we get beat in the playoffs is indefensible from a coaching perspective.

When it's not just Stamkos who sucked, but the whole team, that's a damn coaching problem. Esspecially when a Hart, Venzina, Norris finalist and two centers that had career years all of a sudden look defeated and cant produce one freaking win.

I hope the exit interviews shed some light on this situation for JBB and Vinik.
 

JAY7791

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I honestly feel some people just see the score or a plus minus and send out their opinion. I think Stamkos has really matured his game. Way better defensively (Yes i saw the Duchene rebound goal) and even has been good on faceoffs. Watching him post injury, he always had to be with someone who created opportunities, but this season he was creating on his own. Playoffs were a disaster all around, and I'm not one too blame a coach every time, but man i put a good amount of coaching.
 

JoVel

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I honestly feel some people just see the score or a plus minus and send out their opinion. I think Stamkos has really matured his game. Way better defensively (Yes i saw the Duchene rebound goal) and even has been good on faceoffs. Watching him post injury, he always had to be with someone who created opportunities, but this season he was creating on his own. Playoffs were a disaster all around, and I'm not one too blame a coach every time, but man i put a good amount of coaching.
The consensus here was that Stamkos was playing his best hockey since the leg injuries, but in the playoffs we saw exactly what we've seen before. Stamkos was a non-factor apart from his goal in game 4. Even in that game he ultimately destroyed all the hope that was left by mishandling the puck and giving the Blue Jackets an easy empty netter.
 

Flat Ronnie

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The consensus here was that Stamkos was playing his best hockey since the leg injuries, but in the playoffs we saw exactly what we've seen before. Stamkos was a non-factor apart from his goal in game 4. Even in that game he ultimately destroyed all the hope that was left by mishandling the puck and giving the Blue Jackets an easy empty netter.
This would be more profound if the ENTIRE team didn't also implode. Esspecially with the other players also having career years.

He did have maybe the best, most well rounded year of his career. Then he just instantly fell off a cliff? Again, this would be more legitimate if the entire team didnt ALSO fall off a cliff. How the hell does that happen? That's the strange part.
 
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