Player Discussion: Tyler Johnson

Lightning1995

Registered User
May 16, 2016
3,970
1,540
I’m hoping TJ finds his game in the SCF. Obviously a rough playoff so far.

Regarding the offseason, trading TJ solves the cap problems (along with dealing Killer). I wonder if he’s still viewed as a legit 2nd line C by the league. If so a deal may be mutually beneficial. TJ can’t be happy with his role.
 

Sky04

Registered User
Jan 8, 2009
28,958
17,899
Bury this guy until he waives his NTC, looks horrible out there. Give CV or someone else his spot cause this guy does not have it in him anymore.
 
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HoseEmDown

Registered User
Mar 25, 2012
17,452
3,681
Bring in Stammer and bench him lol

I read this as you replacing Johnson with Stamkos just to sit Stamkos on the bench all game. Not sure which is worse being scratched for the first time in your career or being scratched only for the guy they replace you with to just sit on the bench and not even play?
 
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BowDownToVasilevskiy

Registered User
Jun 30, 2013
2,602
1,491
Canada
I read this as you replacing Johnson with Stamkos just to sit Stamkos on the bench all game. Not sure which is worse being scratched for the first time in your career or being scratched only for the guy they replace you with to just sit on the bench and not even play?
LMAO probably should have said Johnson in the post
 

Lightning1995

Registered User
May 16, 2016
3,970
1,540
All the criticism is warranted, but I thought Cirellis entire line was pretty good last night. By far and away the Lightning’s best line. They likely had the best matchup as well and need to find the back of net soon.
 

copperlion

Registered User
Aug 6, 2019
179
243
Soak it all in fellas, this might be the last time(s) we get to see TJ in a Bolts Jersey

:( but also :D
 

LightningStrikes

Champa Bay Lightning
Nov 24, 2009
26,063
9,772
The entire team looked uninterested yesterday but holy cow has TJ regressed. While Palat is arguably playing his best hockey, TJ just doesn’t seem to fit at all. He’s not a top-6 player anymore, he’s not a grinder, he isn’t exactly good defensively. Plays die on his stick, he gets constantly overwhelmed and loses pucks left and right.

I was ready to give him them benefit of the doubt, maybe last season was an outlier and he was victim of our depth and other players/lines developing too good a chemistry to break them up and give TJ a proper chance but the new reality seems to be he’s likely done. Guys like Joseph who themselves couldn’t stick last season easily outplay him right now.
 
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Lightning1995

Registered User
May 16, 2016
3,970
1,540
If TJ doesn’t pick it up the Lightning are gonna have to consider a buyout which will end up costing the team another piece due to the cap hit when Kuch returns next year.
 
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Sky04

Registered User
Jan 8, 2009
28,958
17,899
TJ was down the first game, he's had 2 meh games since. What happened to this guys hockey sense? He used to be so smart on the cycle and deadly off the rush.
 

Volodya Krutov

Lost Cosmonaut
Jan 18, 2012
8,135
1,036
We have to consider the psychological aspect too. We wanted to get rid of him, he's not fitting here anymore and he knows it. That could make him even more unconfident, and god knows he doesn't need that. He's just plain terrible, I fear the buyout solution is the only way going forward.

PS : the comparison with Palat is astonishing, at one time TJ was considered the backbone of the triplets line.
 

HoseEmDown

Registered User
Mar 25, 2012
17,452
3,681
A Johnson buyout next season isn't that bad, just over 1M, as we would save close to 4M. But then the savings are just 2.2M, 3.2M and 1.5M the next 3 years. We could replace McElhinney with someone making 1M or less which saves 300k or more. We could trade Rutta for a bag of pucks and replace him with someone making what Schenn does which saves 500k. Foote could be resigned for 750k which is almost another 200k. We bring back Volkov cheap, Barre-Boulet gets his shot, maybe Katchouk as a 4th liner. Try to trade Killorn but maybe he gets picked in the expansion draft. We could make it work next year without having to trade picks or prospects to move Johnson. It's just the following years with big names needing raises it becomes an issue especially if we don't know what the cap is going to do.
 

Sky04

Registered User
Jan 8, 2009
28,958
17,899
Every inch of capspace is valuable to this team right and the near future, I'd rather not be tied down to Johnson's cap if we can just move him with some pieces.
 

bov

Registered User
Nov 13, 2010
7,154
3,262
Johnson doesn't have the extra step he used to but the guy isn't a bad player "in a vacuum". He's in a much different role than he used to be, I really think this is being overblown because of cap hit. The offensive touch hasn't been there for awhile but he has proven enough in his career to deserve some time to get things figured out. He took a bit of a beating in the playoffs too, didn't like the way he hit his head on the ice in the fight with Krug.

The offseason situation would be tough on anyone to play with confidence. I see a player who is still engaged, knows the system well and like the rest of the league, should take some time to shake off the rust with no preseason etc. I can live with missed chances as long as he's still competing hard at both ends of the ice, which he is. I don't think it's a matter of being a bad player as much as being supplanted by good players on a team with great depth. I feel like he could have a bit of a resurgence on a team with more room for a complimentary offensive player.

Buyouts suck, I'd really prefer not to go that route.
 

Whoshattenkirkshoes

Registered User
Aug 11, 2014
3,818
1,620
Johnson doesn't have the extra step he used to but the guy isn't a bad player "in a vacuum". He's in a much different role than he used to be, I really think this is being overblown because of cap hit. The offensive touch hasn't been there for awhile but he has proven enough in his career to deserve some time to get things figured out. He took a bit of a beating in the playoffs too, didn't like the way he hit his head on the ice in the fight with Krug.

The offseason situation would be tough on anyone to play with confidence. I see a player who is still engaged, knows the system well and like the rest of the league, should take some time to shake off the rust with no preseason etc. I can live with missed chances as long as he's still competing hard at both ends of the ice, which he is. I don't think it's a matter of being a bad player as much as being supplanted by good players on a team with great depth. I feel like he could have a bit of a resurgence on a team with more room for a complimentary offensive player.

Buyouts suck, I'd really prefer not to go that route.

We won’t buy out TJO. Don’t worry
 

Rschmitz

Finding new ways to cheat
Feb 27, 2002
15,750
8,070
Tampa Bay
I was hoping he’d come in ready to stick it to JBB but it looks like the opposite.

His speed is good, but his timing just sucks right now. A lot of falling down and bad decisions
 

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