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

[TheDaysOf 04]

We'll know the plan with Sustr by July 1. If we're not in the market for a RHD, he's here for the year. IMO, that'll be the case. I think the organization is higher on him than most of us here, including myself.

I agree. I think they like him a lot and expect him to keep getting better. I also don't see him sticking around for more than a year or 2 due to the number of talented dman developing in Syracuse.

I hope we find a way to move Carle, but I don't see how it can happen without a bad contract coming back. Maybe something like Carle for Marleau, who's no longer worth his contract either, but could maybe use a change of scenery. Not sure Carle would waive for SJ just now though.

Yeah you can't pay your #5 dman $5.5 mil. We got Garrison for picks so I'm hopeful that when/if the time comes to trade him, it won't be too difficult. Garrison's cap hit was about a million less than Carle's but hopefully there's a team out there in need for a guy to play in their top 4.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Sustr might have potential and all but I have nothing against us shipping him out together with Carle and Morrow (UFA).

What we need is another depth centerman - ideally someone strong on faceoffs. Hard to come by I know but that's what we need.

With guys like Koekkoek, DeAngelo, Nesterov and even Witkowski available maybe add another depth veteran defenseman but I don't think that's a big need until maybe the TDL next year.

Over all I think this team is pretty much set. We have one more year before we have to extend a lot of key guys - or trade them - either way Yzerman has some salary cap puzzle solving ahead of himself but not until 2016 (of course I hope he'll do his homework a little earlier). Roser-wise we don't have any glaring needs outside that 3C IMO.

Of course you could go looking for a playmaking winger for Stamkos but that will be expensive and we have Drouin here who's likely to improve enough to fill that role midway through next season.

 

[Sky04]

Sustr might have potential and all but I have nothing against us shipping him out together with Carle and Morrow (UFA).

What we need is another depth centerman - ideally someone strong on faceoffs. Hard to come by I know but that's what we need.

With guys like Koekkoek, DeAngelo, Nesterov and even Witkowski available maybe add another depth veteran defenseman but I don't think that's a big need until maybe the TDL next year.

Over all I think this team is pretty much set. We have one more year before we have to extend a lot of key guys - or trade them - either way Yzerman has some salary cap puzzle solving ahead of himself but not until 2016 (of course I hope he'll do his homework a little earlier). Roser-wise we don't have any glaring needs outside that 3C IMO.

Of course you could go looking for a playmaking winger for Stamkos but that will be expensive and we have Drouin here who's likely to improve enough to fill that role midway through next season.

Chicago's main source of possession was off F/O wins, I'd say we won most of the puck battles but they dominated the circle.

Toews and Vermete were both in the top-8 in face off % and faceoff wins, our highest player was Filppula who was 31st.

 

[Callum]

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

 

[LightningStrikes]

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

Goc would be a great addition IMO.

 

[Callum]

Goc would be a great addition IMO.

Yep underrated. Plays similar to Kruger, most importantly he wins faceoffs

 

[Todd1a]

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

Bergenheim would be a nice 4th line add

 

[Rschmitz]

Want a faceoff winner and Morrow replacement? Lecavalier would be perfect @ like 2 million.

 

[HoseEmDown]

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

Which one of the top tier players are we getting for that much less then what we pay Carle? The lower end ones aren't an upgrade.

 

[Todd1a]

Want a faceoff winner and Morrow replacement? Lecavalier would be perfect @ like 2 million.

he skates to slow for coopers system richards at least skates better! but I do miss vinny on a power play for faceoffs

 

[Todd1a]

maybe vinny and brad richards both come back to tampa bay and sign one year deals for 1 million per season each and we win the cup next season. they don't need big money as they have huge buyouts paying them lol.

 

[Sky04]

maybe vinny and brad richards both come back to tampa bay and sign one year deals for 1 million per season each and we win the cup next season. they don't need big money as they have huge buyouts paying them lol.

Might as well get MSL back too considering the Rangers aren't resigning him, kidding aside,

wouldn't want Vinny back and Richards isn't going to leave Chicago..

 

[Jacko95]

In trust Yzerman, he has shown us, that he sees what we see in dealing Crombeen and Purcell, just to get ride of them. Nesterov is NHL ready and SY knows that. I am confident he trys to send Carle anywhere for anything.
The right side is where it gets interesting. Our prospect pool is still relativly thin there, with DeAngelo the only one with serious upside. I wouldn't mind holding onto Sustr, but not as a regular. Sign or trade for somebody there. Make Sustr and Witko #7+8 and see wether Sustr can develop further or not. Koekkoek goes back down for seasoning.

So that would make our D:
Hedman-Stralsy
Garrison-Coburn
Nesterov-X
Witko,Sustr

My forwards would look like this:
Drouin-Stamkos-Killorn
TKO
Brown-Filppula-Callahan
??-Boyle-Paquette
JAM

I still fully expect Drouin to have a Kuch type season, so I pencil him next to Stammer. Killorn or Callahann will join them, the other goes on to play with Flip. And thats where it gets tricky. Namestnikov is a nogo with Flip as they play similar styles, but i don't want to see him on the 4th line or in the presser. I love Brown and he should work well with Flip and the other guy. That leaves us short one quality 4th liner to play with Paquette and Boyle. Or a 3rd liner and Brown goes down. JAM is the perfect 13th forward IMO. Both Richard and Peca will make a push over the season for a bottom 6 spot IMO, but I want some more seasoning for both.

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

And now this great list comes into play: A 4th lliner should not be a problem, as they are available every season and my favorite would be fellow German Goc

That still leaves Namestnikov without work and I honestly belief we trade him. Peca is the same breed of player and will eventually take over Flips job, but as long as Flip is here I don'T see a chance to suceed for Vladdy.
I would try to trade him for a RD in the same ballpark (NHL ready, top4 potential), which I would then use as the 3rd regular RD.

 

[Stammertime91]

With a bit of cap room and the likely cap dump of Carle I could see us picking up a veteran with 1 year left on his deal or 1 year deal through FA.

Possible FA on short term deals:
Richards - Add offense to our 3rd line and PP
Martin - Replace Carle and share the load with Garrison and Coburn
Fisher - 2nd/3rd line center who can win faceoffs
Williams - Clutch, adds some veteran scoring depth
Oduya - need I say more? Come join your swedish buddies Hedman and Stralman
Beauchemin - This guy would put us over the edge

Possible FA on moderate term deals:
Goc
Slater
Winnick
Downie
Kennedy
Bergenheim

Martin, Fisher and Goc would all be welcomed. Fisher would be excellent, about the closest thing you can get in a complete player. Ive followed his career a lot and I love the guy. I was high on Vermette and then saw Chicago got him and knew that'd be good for them. Look how that turned out. They finally play him and he wins a series, he was the most impactful player on their team bar Keith IMO. Vermette wins draws and is just a very smart player. The only player I actually like on Chicago.

But, Mike Fisher would be ideal. Wins draws, hits, scores, etc. Goc is a lighter version of him but still a good player and somebody we could get pretty cheap I'd imagine.

Martin, he's good, but the guy has his flaws too, I seriously see him turning into Matt Carle V2 if he were to come here, though as a 2nd/3rd pairing LHD with Garrison/Coburn trading spaces, its a risk we could take. I wouldn't pay more than what we pay Stralman for anything less than Stralman tbh though.


What a steal Stralman was.

Opinions on Filppula? I thought he was poor in the playoffs for a guy that won the cup, didnt seem hungry enough for a couple series.

 

[Todd1a]

Was anyone happy with Brian Boyle ?

 

[Maelmoor]

We have a great core, a few tweaks can make us even better:

- Third-pairing, we have plenty of options here or we could trade someone, as long as it's not Sustr and Carle

- Fourth-line, we need a good face-off guy and some more quality depth here, out with Morrow

Apart from players we need to improve on this:

- Face-offs must be better from everyone, more practise!

- Cooper must adjust if there is such a need

- Power play, with all the offensive guys we have we have to do better, it was way too inconsistent, stop playing pretty all the time!

 

[ThunderAlleyNomad]

Was anyone happy with Brian Boyle ?

Not in this series. I thought he was good in some of the previous rounds and absolutely fantastic in the regular season, but I was seriously disappointed in him in the SCF.

 

[Outl4w]

3rd Line MSL Richards VL4. I can picture all the drama now.
1st STammer Flip Callhan
2nd Triplets
3rd Br vl4 MSL
4th Drouin Boyle Brown
Vlad the Impaler

 

[Stammertime91]

3rd Line MSL Richards VL4. I can picture all the drama now.
1st STammer Flip Callhan
2nd Triplets
3rd Br vl4 MSL
4th Drouin Boyle Brown
Vlad the Impaler

So we traded Killorn and Paquette for Vinny?

Signed MSL and Richards?

 

[Todd1a]

Martin, Fisher and Goc would all be welcomed. Fisher would be excellent, about the closest thing you can get in a complete player. Ive followed his career a lot and I love the guy. I was high on Vermette and then saw Chicago got him and knew that'd be good for them. Look how that turned out. They finally play him and he wins a series, he was the most impactful player on their team bar Keith IMO. Vermette wins draws and is just a very smart player. The only player I actually like on Chicago.

But, Mike Fisher would be ideal. Wins draws, hits, scores, etc. Goc is a lighter version of him but still a good player and somebody we could get pretty cheap I'd imagine.

Martin, he's good, but the guy has his flaws too, I seriously see him turning into Matt Carle V2 if he were to come here, though as a 2nd/3rd pairing LHD with Garrison/Coburn trading spaces, its a risk we could take. I wouldn't pay more than what we pay Stralman for anything less than Stralman tbh though.


What a steal Stralman was.

Opinions on Filppula? I thought he was poor in the playoffs for a guy that won the cup, didnt seem hungry enough for a couple series.

I'm fine with flippula he can carry the puck more then 5ft unlike others on this team.

 

[Stammertime91]

Based on quality and where they should be placed to view as a depth chart imo:

TKO
Drouin-Filppula-Stamkos
Killorn-?-Callahan
Paquette-Boyle-Brown


Two scoring lines if 27 pans out and 91 gets his head out of his ass. Killorn and Callahan can move up obviously but this is such a great 3rd if we get a guy like Goc/Fisher/etc. 4th is complete shutdown. Will score a combined 10 goals in 82 games next year if we're lucky though.

Then we have Namestnikov, Barberio and fringe players that either walk/we dont sign, guys in the A. Erne?

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Coburn
Carlstr junk

Top 4 is as steady as you could possibly get, its gotta be top 3 in the league in terms of mobility and just as a whole. Garrison is the only letdown cause of his speed but he's still damn good. Hedman and Stralman are probably the best pairing in hockey imo.

That bottom pair just needs to be gone for good. One of them goes this summer, not sure who though.

Carle: who would really want him? That contract...I dont think TML/ARZ/BUF would even touch him.
Sustr: do I need to say anything at all? Management apparently loves him yet he's awful, not even ECHL level and he's there.

We can "get by" with one being there but we need somebody else...

#3C and a steady 5/6 dman. God please, Fisher and Oduya.

 

[Stammertime91]

I'm fine with flippula he can carry the puck more then 5ft unlike others on this team.

Lol true. Yeah, guess I expected more but then again he was playing with Stamkos lol....

 

[Todd1a]

Carle and morrow need to get there pink slips today. If carle makes 5.5 million a year Hedman needs to earn 55 million a year.

 

[Leonardo87]

I think if anything Namestnikov gets Morrow's old spot on the roster. Drouin was healthy-scratched for a 7th defenseman on a regular basis and Morrow got to play every night so I think of it as Drouin already had a spot and Morrow's is the one up for grabs.

I'm really excited to see what Vladdy is gonna do. I think he will be able to pitch in around a dozen goals and somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 points while playing a 2 way oriented game. That kind of depth is invaluable even if it doesn't seem like a lot. I don't think he's gonna get time with the big dogs on even strength and any extra points would have to come on the power play because we are top heavy on forwards anyway.

Callahan's gotta score at least 20 goals at minimum to make himself worth what we are paying him and I greatly favor keeping him with Stamkos because he can sneak in and score very deceptively when everyone is drawn to Stamkos.

Callahan could score close to 30 goals if he stays healthy and plays in a top 6 role or with Killorn and Flip. He was one of our best forwards in the SCF and coop gave him only an average of 15 mins a game. he proved what he could do on the biggest stage in the SCF series. Would of had better numbers if he did not have his appendix removed. Took him a good week or two to get back to 100 percent.

I want to see Cally back with Stamkos next season this current top line was not good enough to get the job done and also gave up too many goals. Throw Drouin up there and you have a very good line. Those three looked really good but Cooper never let it run.

That 3rd line worked because of the efforts of guys like Cally and Brown, Paquette was on and off at times and that line did the best it could and turned out to be one of our most consistent lines in the finals.

Would not be opposed to seeing a KFC line but then you are leaving Stamkos out to dry by not putting any of these 3 guys with him......hmm maybe that is a good thing.

 

[Todd1a]

It's is funny that brad Richards , Marty st.louis and vinny might all be free agents July 1st