Speculation: The 2015-16 Lightning: Our team next year

[CupsOverCash]

Yeah. It's almost in that territory now.

There was a time last season before he got hurt where he wasn't playing that bad. Don't know if he had a lingering injury but he was awful in the playoffs.

 

[Werewolf]

If Matt Carle can go back to being the 28 to 35 pt defenseman and cut down on turnovers we'll have a top tier third pairing. Specially if we can get Sustr in the 15 to 20 pt range this season as his development continues on upward trend. Carle is a former US Worlds defenseman and has worn the A on our team...hopefully he comes back with something to prove. He must feel the heat from the up and coming players we have. He is not lacking on talent...I think he got a bit lazy & comfortable. Not a bad player if you ask me...I bet he has just gotten comfortable on his contract and if he doesn't show up to play might be the end of the road for him not only in Tampa. He won't live up to his contract ... but he is certainly a luxury on the third pairing if he can get back to form.

 

[DFC]

There was a time last season before he got hurt where he wasn't playing that bad. Don't know if he had a lingering injury but he was awful in the playoffs.

The playoffs were downright scary. He didn't even really look like an NHLer.

If Matt Carle can go back to being the 28 to 35 pt defenseman and cut down on turnovers we'll have a top tier third pairing. Specially if we can get Sustr in the 15 to 20 pt range this season as his development continues on upward trend. Carle is a former US Worlds defenseman and has worn the A on our team...hopefully he comes back with something to prove. He must feel the heat from the up and coming players we have. He is not lacking on talent...I think he got a bit lazy & comfortable. Not a bad player if you ask me...I bet he has just gotten comfortable on his contract and if he doesn't show up to play might be the end of the road for him not only in Tampa. He won't live up to his contract ... but he is certainly a luxury on the third pairing if he can get back to form.

I agree on Carle possibly getting lazy/comfortable. Although I don't see Sustr developing into much more than he is now. Maybe he becomes a solid bottom-pairing guy (he's almost that now), but I don't see him ever being a legit top-4 option. Carle actually has the talent to be that. Like Stamkos, it's almost always his decision-making that's the problem.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

[nhl]833515[/nhl]

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Hello everyone

Just wanted to stop in and get your expectations on this years TB team. Would it be fair to say expectations are high and its cup or bust?

I really think TB is on cusp of establishing itself as the Eastern equivalent to Hawks/Kings but also recognize that Stamkos situation and other pending RFA's in coming years will alter your lineup potentially going forward

I would compare your team going into this season to Hawks of past season. With Kane/Toews extensions on horizon and Richards brought in via FA 2014-15 was essentially cup or bust year

 

[dechire]

Hello everyone

Just wanted to stop in and get your expectations on this years TB team. Would it be fair to say expectations are high and its cup or bust?

I really think TB is on cusp of establishing itself as the Eastern equivalent to Hawks/Kings but also recognize that Stamkos situation and other pending RFA's in coming years will alter your lineup potentially going forward

I would compare your team going into this season to Hawks of past season. With Kane/Toews extensions on horizon and Richards brought in via FA 2014-15 was essentially cup or bust year

I wouldn't say it's Cup or bust. Very few people here expected to even get to the Finals last year(I think it was like 3 people on the poll ). I have high expectations for this year and I'm expecting us to be very competitive in the playoffs but there are too many good teams in the league for me to expect the Cup. My expectation is to be better than last year and reach the Finals again. Hopefully we'll win the Cup but even if we don't I think it's only a matter of time with the group we have.

Lol just put me down as cautiously optimistic I guess

 

[Hoek]

Personally I'm trying to be grounded in the fact that it's so hard to get back to the finals. I won't freak out if they don't get it done this immediate next season, but absolutely the goal at this point is to win the dang thing this time. It's impossible to set expectations lower than that considering the progress made and the roster we have. But I am patient and hoping we can extend the window as long as possible so we have as many chances as we can.

 

[Leonardo87]

Personally I'm trying to be grounded in the fact that it's so hard to get back to the finals. I won't freak out if they don't get it done this immediate next season, but absolutely the goal at this point is to win the dang thing this time. It's impossible to set expectations lower than that considering the progress made and the roster we have. But I am patient and hoping we can extend the window as long as possible so we have as many chances as we can.

Winning the EC is still a big deal, yeah its not the SC but it's the next best thing, and there will be a nifty Banner that will be forever in the rafters. If they don't get back to the SC finals, will be a little upset but it won't be the end of the world and like you said hope to have that window open for years.

They can certainly improve next year, they need to finish series in less than 7 games like they did against Montreal. You go 5,6,5, and then the SC Finals, players still have some energy left.

I'm a little concerned with Stralman and Boyle though who have been in back to back SC finals, and it can take a lot on the body with the amount of games they played in two years. Also think Johnson will not be 100 percent till later in the season. This is Stamkos chance to be our best player again, and we need him to be!

 

[Rschmitz]

I think they have to finish with the top seed in the east barring a huge injury. The playoffs are wildly unpredictable, not many teams are fortunate enough to even make it to the finals despite the talent on their roster.

 

[Sky04]

I think they have to finish with the top seed in the east barring a huge injury. The playoffs are wildly unpredictable, not many teams are fortunate enough to even make it to the finals despite the talent on their roster.

Agreed but for this team I think the bar is set at making an ECF appearance, a loss in the first or second round would be considered a disappointment IMO.

Similar to the Ranger's season this year, who made the Cup Finals in 2014, went on to win the presidents trophy and then once again made the ECF in 2015.

 

[Werewolf]

Report from Brandon. 18 of 23 here this morning for vet skate including triplets, stammer, bishop, Nesterov, condra, march, etc. Notables missing: Drouin, Witko, Paquette, Boyle, and Namestnikov.

Waiting for rook practice...maybe drouin, vladdy, and Paquette skating wuth rooks.

 

[DFC]

Report from Brandon. 18 of 23 here this morning for vet skate including triplets, stammer, bishop, Nesterov, condra, march, etc. Notables missing: Drouin, Witko, Paquette, Boyle, and Namestnikov.

Waiting for rook practice...maybe drouin, vladdy, and Paquette skating wuth rooks.

Anyone looking like they haven't fully healed?

 

[Volodya Krutov]

anyone looking like they haven't fully healed?

 

[DFC]

I think we can live with that. His wrist isn't half as worrisome as whatever injury cut his speed in half.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

I think we can live with that. His wrist isn't half as worrisome as whatever injury cut his speed in half.

He'll be fine, to 100% recover from a wrist injury you mostly need a cautious reeducation and it's a long process.

 

[Werewolf]

Paid close attention to TJ. He did not wear any protective covering. With that said there was no contact just skating and puck drills, and did not see any signs that he was even injured. He was passing, shooting, and puck handling without restriction that I could see/notice.

 

[wxkid23]

Wrist injuries are very rough

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

Hello everyone

Just wanted to stop in and get your expectations on this years TB team. Would it be fair to say expectations are high and its cup or bust?

I really think TB is on cusp of establishing itself as the Eastern equivalent to Hawks/Kings but also recognize that Stamkos situation and other pending RFA's in coming years will alter your lineup potentially going forward

I would compare your team going into this season to Hawks of past season. With Kane/Toews extensions on horizon and Richards brought in via FA 2014-15 was essentially cup or bust year

is not cup or bust to me but yes expect stamkos signed expect a truly strong year and playoffs yet playoffs are tricky i watched ours again last year and saw how close we escaped at times and how close really other teams came to sending us out etc..

we have a team to compete but in playoffs anything can and probably will happen

on paper and barring injury we should be a favorite in top five of teams to win a cup but to do that you simply have to do it

 

[Werewolf]

Almost everyone showed up today. Still no sight of Drouin. Boyle was leading the drills in the parts that i saw. No Bishop today. There was a goalie in Lightning gear that I did not recognize at all. Wilcox and Guds were with the rookies. Seemed maybe one if the goalies was a local boy with random gear but the other goalie was not Emery and was not York. I asked around but nobody really knew. So thought that was weird...definitely geared out in Tampa Bay Lightning official practice gear though. No number nor name on the back. Facemask was all black and pads had two orange borders on white background. White guy with thick blonde full beard.

Another interesting tidbit. Nesterov, Kucherov, and Vladdy stayed 30 minutes after practice today and must have just shot 100 pucks from all over the ice. Nesterov feeding them slappers from the blue line. Then Kucherov stayed another 10 minutes signing autographs.

 

[Brie]

Almost everyone showed up today. Still no sight of Drouin. Boyle was leading the drills in the parts that i saw. No Bishop today. There was a goalie in Lightning gear that I did not recognize at all. Wilcox and Guds were with the rookies. Seemed maybe one if the goalies was a local boy with random gear but the other goalie was not Emery and was not York. I asked around but nobody really knew. So thought that was weird...definitely geared out in Tampa Bay Lightning official practice gear though. No number nor name on the back. Facemask was all black and pads had two orange borders on white background. White guy with thick blonde full beard.

Another interesting tidbit. Nesterov, Kucherov, and Vladdy stayed 30 minutes after practice today and must have just shot 100 pucks from all over the ice. Nesterov feeding them slappers from the blue line. Then Kucherov stayed another 10 minutes signing autographs.

Thanks for the info. Saw that Drouin tweeted that he's flying back to Tampa today so he should be out on the ice soon. Curies to see who that goalie was. Glad to hear that the older players helping out with te drills, Boyle on the once you saw and this Cally on the 3-on-3/4-on-4 drills (which btw it's great to see that they have already started thinking about the 3-on-3 since it's new thing this season it doesn't hurt that they all have a hum on what to do with it already before TC):



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[DFC]

A mystery goalie?

Now they're just ****ing with us.

 

[Brie]

How would you guys put together our 3-on-3 units?

I was playing around with it a bit and while I know these won’t be the once this is what I was thinking might work:

Johnson – Kucherov
Hedman
(Playmaker/scorer in Johnson with a goal scorer and a puck moving ‘d’ that can also score)

Drouin – Stamkos
Stralman
(If things goes as planned I’d like to see them, and then add Stralman who can help cover the backend while the other two do their thing)

Palat – Callahan/Killorn
Garrison
(I wouldn’t mind seeing Palat with Johnson but think it would be better to try Johnson with someone who’s a bit more of a natural goal scorer, and then add either Cally, since they already work well or Killer, and then add Garrison with his shot. I think they can both score a goal but if not they can at least keep the puck out of our zone)

Filppula – Callahan/Killorn
Coburn/Nesterov
(Whoever isn’t with Palat should be with Fil who we know can play with both Cally and Killer, and then add either Coburn or Nesty to it)

Those 4 (or another combination of them) should be our first unit, and then if we need another one I guess something like:
Names/Paquette/Condra/Boyle could be one if we needed one but we’ll see how it work.

 

[DFC]

TJ-Palat-Stralman

Stamkos-Kucherov-Hedman <-- I want the outlet pass hitting these two.

Drouin-Callahan-X <-- Drouin will have to earn time in this situation, IMO. And it's a rare spot where I'd agree with that. Fewer people to bail him out.

Killorn-Filppula-X

Bonus: Brown-Johnson-Stralman <-- Fastest 3-on-3 unit in the league.

 

[Leonardo87]

3 on 3 situations...

Palat - Johnson - Stralman
Hedman - Flip - Callahan
Hedman - Stamkos - Kucherov

Run those trios. You have the best Winger and Center chemistry combo with these trios.

 

[Leonardo87]

So Scott Cullen has all the triplets regressing, Palat with the least regression. I mean that is really bold to think all will take a step back.

Crap, might need Stamkos to be our best player again if that happens.