Tampa: Swap Stamkos and Kucherov on/off the LTIR?

[LTIR Trickery]

Are you a doctor?

He's an expert™

 

[MartyOwns]

somehow, the devils will wind up losing a draft pick from all this

 

[Total Bender]

The satisfaction is knowing your opinion means jack. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

I am wearing my Stanley Cup Champions shirt while I type this...smiling.

Kind of like wearing a Sheriff badge when your a child. You think it actually means something while everyone else just laughs and says "how cute".

 

[Riseonfire]

For those criticizing Tampa, do you genuinely believe Kucherov is healthy enough to play and that Tampa is just holding him off until the playoffs to circumvent the cap?

It’ll be interesting to see when he is ready. If it’s game 1 of round 1 there will be a lot of mouthing off about it and rightly so IMO.

If he can’t make it back for the last game of the regular season he should sit out round 1.

 

[archanfelnsx]

For those criticizing Tampa, do you genuinely believe Kucherov is healthy enough to play and that Tampa is just holding him off until the playoffs to circumvent the cap?

Yes.

 

[archanfelnsx]

All these excuses for Tampa Bay so how about this, if LTIR required the player to be out all season including the playoffs then I wonder how injured Kucherov really would’ve been?

They needed Kucherov to be on LTIR for multiple reasons; yes maybe he is injured but the timing is all too convenient. They couldn’t or wouldn’t trade Johnson, Killorn or Palat so that they could sign Cirelli, Sergachev and Cernak. Most teams up against the cap have to trade guys they cannot sign or make space other ways like trading existing contracts. No one offered to help TB plus they didn’t wanna lose their RFA’s so they hatched this legal, but shady AF, deal where Kucherov sat out the whole regular season.

Bottom line is this, LTIR itself is fine, teams have used it in the past to help out other small market teams by taking on contracts for players that’ll never play again (David Clarkson, Marc Savard, Marian, Gaborik). But those players do not suddenly become available when the playoffs role around. The league needs to make LTIR players ineligible for the playoffs or they need to make the teams cap compliant in the playoffs.

Tampa literally could’ve traded for $50 Million in expiring contracts at the deadline, stashed them on LTIR for the rest of the regular season, then activated all of them for Game 1 of the playoffs.

 

[TGWL]

Does Tampa use white for the "no contact" jersey?

 

[GeeoffBrown]

Imagine how much cap space the Lightning could save if they put all their star players on IR

 

[Madap]

For those criticizing Tampa, do you genuinely believe Kucherov is healthy enough to play and that Tampa is just holding him off until the playoffs to circumvent the cap?

Genuinely curious here, what other options do they have? I mean, assuming there was no one else on IR, how could they get him back early?

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

As one famous Russian "journalist" said- Coincidence? Yes coincidence

 

[amjay13]

They are clearly working over the cap but the fact that they can do it and still finish 1st overall makes me respect them more than get upset over it.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

I thought the first post was so over-the-top that the entire basis for this thread was for sarcasm.

But, no, the OP seems to actually think the Lightning being without Kucherov and now Stamkos (yet again) is somehow the latest example of them cheating. And putting Stamkos on LTIR after the trade deadline, when doing so is pretty much of no use for them whatsoever, at that. It's too late to solve that McElhinney-sized backup goalie issue now, you know.

 

[CupsOverCash]

 

[CupsOverCash]

The real thing that sucks is that it's unclear how healthy Stamkos is going forward. Is he gonna miss another playoffs? With his recent injury it's looking like a repeat in terms of his availability for the playoffs. Hope we have him healthy for a playoff run for a change but hope the guy can stay healthy!

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

This is not cheating, it's called being a good GM...

Actually it’s just called being lucky, if you don’t believe anything suspicious is going on here.

 

[The Macho King]

sure is convenient how he shows up to practice the moment cap space clears. i personally think they are playing the system and Kuch has been able to play for quite some time now. we'll likely never know and suffer HF speculation for the remainder of the season and onward.

He's been practicing for weeks. He traveled with the team.

He's still not a full participant. It's part of his rehab.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

I thought the first post was so over-the-top that the entire basis for this thread was for sarcasm.

But, no, the OP seems to actually think the Lightning being without Kucherov and now Stamkos (yet again) is somehow the latest example of them cheating. And putting Stamkos on LTIR after the trade deadline, when doing so is pretty much of no use for them whatsoever, at that. It's too late to solve that McElhinney-sized backup goalie issue now, you know.

No, don't you get it? That's the genius of it all! The Lightning are going to LTIR Stamkos and Kucherov so they can play without both of them and use all that space to ... (checks notes, checks calendar) ... add no one to the team's Reserve List for the playoffs because the trade deadline has passed and anyone added now can't play for them in the playoffs!

It's brilliant! It's 93-level, 38-dimensional quantum bridge chess and go!

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Actually it’s just called being lucky, if you don’t believe anything suspicious is going on here.

The CBA allows it...Stammer is hurt...complaining about a GM that uses every advantage allowed to him is done by fans of teams that have shytty GMs...I'm a Habs fan; I'd luv for our GM to be that smart...unfortunately, he's not...

 

[DS7]

Tampa isn't cheating, but it's not like they're naive or innocent either.

Good teams take advantage of situations like this.

 

[Sky04]

Yes.

Then can you explain why Seguin isn't back with Dallas yet, since you're so smart and all, Seguin resumed skating March 25th, he must've good to play a game then right Dallas is just holding him out for cap relief cause they're safe in a playoff position?

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

The CBA allows it...Stammer is hurt...complaining about a GM that uses every advantage allowed to him is done by fans of teams that have shytty GMs...I'm a Habs fan; I'd luv for our GM to be that smart...unfortunately, he's not...

It’s allowed within the rules, but it’s not exactly skillful.

The Lightning got lucky that they didn’t have to shed salary because of the Kucherov situation and they’re a good enough team to survive it.

Now they may get to add him a bit early and with how things have gone for them this season, I’m sure Stamkos will be ready to roll for the playoffs.

 

[Sky04]

I love these Kuch conspiracy threads, just bring up Seguin and no one has an answer

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

It’s allowed within the rules, but it’s not exactly skillful.

The Lightning got lucky that they didn’t have to shed salary because of the Kucherov situation and they’re a good enough team to survive it.

Now they may get to add him a bit early and with how things have gone for them this season, I’m sure Stamkos will be ready to roll for the playoffs.

Luck, shrewd GMing, whatever...it's all allowed...no sense being pissy at Tampa for taking advantage of the situation...

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

Luck, shrewd GMing, whatever...it's all allowed...no sense being pissy at Tampa for taking advantage of the situation...

They got lucky. Let’s just make sure to characterize the situation accurately.

 

[M88K]

Then can you explain why Seguin isn't back with Dallas yet, since you're so smart and all, Seguin resumed skating March 25th, he must've good to play a game then right Dallas is just holding him out for cap relief cause they're safe in a playoff position?

Not exactly the same situation Seguin was never on ltir
Bishop and Johns are.
But same surgery and seguins still not back with the team despite being at practices now