Player Discussion: Vladislav Namestnikov

[LTIR Trickery]

I'm like 99% sure we did this because he's Kucherov's buddy. But that's shameless speculation on my end. At this point we have to just accept the situation for what it is.

Its not GM's playing favorites or friends of friends, its more like a GM that knows exactly what Vladdy is and has a good idea how he'll fit in. We're about a quarter into the season now and its been a rough start for him, Cernak, Bellemare, and to a lesser extent Hedman.

I also really like Koepke, but man he looks like an olympic sprinter when hes alongside Maroon and Perry/Bellemare. He hasn't fit the same way Colton has in the past.

 

[Hoek]

At this point you have to think of him as insurance against a top 6 injury, because I think he would do better there, but he's not good enough to earn that spot himself. Maybe JBB was feeling a little doubt about Hagel after Rschmitz's ranting about how bad a deal that was...

 

[FinnLightning26]

He does two things well. He can skate fast and get knocked around the ice like no one else. You can't convince me players making a million or less couldn't contribute the same amount that Names has contributed. There's even no playoff value in him since he's even more invisible when physicality gets turned up.

I hated his soft ass when he was scoring 44 points in 62 games in 17-18 season and I hate him even more now.

 

[JFleegs]

I'm like 99% sure we did this because he's Kucherov's buddy. But that's shameless speculation on my end. At this point we have to just accept the situation for what it is.

I agree it was definitely because of Kucherov and their history. Maybe it was a plan B if Hagel didn’t work out, and hoped he could find chemistry on the top line. However still a terrible signing..

 

[LightningStrikes]

TBF with Hagel turning it up this season, we’ll probably never know how Vlad would have performed on a line with Kuch.

The entire bottom-6 is a mess though: Three slow dinosaurs and three soft youngsters put in a blender. Can’t wait to have Cirelli back and reshuffle the lines.

 

[ccman68]

the third line just hasn't figured it out no matter who we put there. putting it all on namestnikov doesn't make too much sense to me. just gonna wait and see what happens after cirelli comes back

 

[DFC]

Its not GM's playing favorites or friends of friends, its more like a GM that knows exactly what Vladdy is and has a good idea how he'll fit in. We're about a quarter into the season now and its been a rough start for him, Cernak, Bellemare, and to a lesser extent Hedman.

I also really like Koepke, but man he looks like an olympic sprinter when hes alongside Maroon and Perry/Bellemare. He hasn't fit the same way Colton has in the past.

I don't think it's been all that rough for him. This is just kind of what he is, at least when he's not playing with Kuch and Stamkos. Maybe we should reunite those three at some point. Hagel-Point-Paul would likely be a decent second line, and we might get something out of Namestnikov.

He just doesn't have a game that looks good in the bottom-six, and he's usually not good enough to play in the top-six. But we have seen him with some great chemistry once upon a time.

 

[Lightning1995]

I hope he’s gone for good soon

 

[LightningStrikes]

I like the guy and hoped JBB was right to bank on his chemistry with Kuch but man oh man, does he suck.

 

[Hoek]

He hasn't even had a chance to play with Kuch has he? Total bust

 

[Point21]

He hasn't even had a chance to play with Kuch has he? Total bust

Just at even strength, of the 366:22 TOI he has played, only 21:31 has been spent with Kuch. if you want to factor PP time as well, he has 50:08 of PP time and 39:10 of it was spent with Kuch on the ice. so of the 416:30 PP/EV ice time Namestnikov has played, only 60:41 or 14.57% has been with Kuch on the ice and has 1 Even Strength point and 1 PP point with Kuch

 

[These Are The Days]

Can't expect JFBB to bat .1000 every time but yeah. This has been a dud of a signing since the day it was announced. I'm horrifically underwhelmed. Like put him with Kucherov or just let the reunion come to an end gracefully

 

[RussianGuyovich]

Not to defend names or anything because: I don’t really care. But where’s the vitriol towards maroon or belle? The muscle and the defense those two are supposed to bring, but last I saw both are minus players and cirelli is dropping the gloves. Our entire checking line is a joke, and it’s making me agree with @Sky04, let’s see what smith can bring.

Now I’m going to go wash my hands. My dirty hands.

 

[Stammertime91]

Not to defend names or anything because: I don’t really care. But where’s the vitriol towards maroon or belle? The muscle and the defense those two are supposed to bring, but last I saw both are minus players and cirelli is dropping the gloves. Our entire checking line is a joke, and it’s making me agree with @Sky04, let’s see what smith can bring.

Now I’m going to go wash my hands. My dirty hands.

They've all sucked and Perry is slow. Our bottom 6 became fan favorites and it's biting us in the ass. Maroon is so slow and ineffective 95% of the time. Bellemare definitely looks like he's taken a few steps back this year or age finally caught up to him. Perry is good but the play leaves him, he's just too slow. Names was brought back and has been absolute ass. Seriously. Then there's Colton who is streaky and I think would be best on the 4th line to give it a bit of a pop. It's a total cluster f*** of a bottom 6.

 

[DFC]

Just at even strength, of the 366:22 TOI he has played, only 21:31 has been spent with Kuch. if you want to factor PP time as well, he has 50:08 of PP time and 39:10 of it was spent with Kuch on the ice. so of the 416:30 PP/EV ice time Namestnikov has played, only 60:41 or 14.57% has been with Kuch on the ice and has 1 Even Strength point and 1 PP point with Kuch

The PP time is pretty significant. ...how do I not remember them on the same unit at any point?

They've all sucked and Perry is slow. Our bottom 6 became fan favorites and it's biting us in the ass. Maroon is so slow and ineffective 95% of the time. Bellemare definitely looks like he's taken a few steps back this year or age finally caught up to him. Perry is good but the play leaves him, he's just too slow. Names was brought back and has been absolute ass. Seriously. Then there's Colton who is streaky and I think would be best on the 4th line to give it a bit of a pop. It's a total cluster f*** of a bottom 6.

This is why it's better with Cirelli down there though. Gives us a chance to make a solid 3rd line, although I think we are short a winger to do it.

 

[These Are The Days]

I am waaaayyyyy less worried about the bottom lines than I am the top lines. Perry, Belle and Maroon aren't gonna be asked to play mega heavy minutes in a shutdown role come playoff time. Be proficient at the PK. That's it. I'm sure they've got it in them. Why would you go heavy on them when guys like Cirelli, Paul and Killorn know how to toe the balance? Our scoring is as follows: Hagel-Point-Kucherov and "Let's just figure it out starring Steven Stamkos" and on any given night we're a bad night from line 1 away from just trying to out-defend our scoring problems again. We're gonna be fine defending our end of the ice guys. It's buying a f***ing goal at the time we need it that's cost us 2 Stanley Cups (then again like half our team had either blown out knees and shoulders last year) and 2 game 7's in the ECF; both in which we had 3-2 series leads.

We need to either get Vladdy some time to figure it out with Kucherov or just be done with him. We rightfully shit on how bad Drouin is and at this point I don't see how he at 50% retention (nearly the same salary as Vladdy) as a power play specialist could possibly be any worse.

 

[FinnLightning26]

Why would anyone want to saddle Kucherov with Namestnikov's worthless ass? You don't break up that first line especially for f***ing Namestnikov.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Why would anyone want to saddle Kucherov with Namestnikov's worthless ass? You don't break up that first line especially for f***ing Namestnikov.

I don’t think anybody wants that but it seems like it was the only reason he was acquired with Palat gone on that 1st line. Hagel changed that equation though and now we have a $2.5M 4th liner that doesn’t gel with anybody on the team and who doesn’t score, doesn’t win pucks and is arguably the easiest player in the entire league to push off his skates.

 

[JoVel]

I feel like any chemistry between Kucherov and Namestnikov is overstated anyway. Stamkos and Kucherov had chemistry that year. Namestnikov just touched the puck every now and then.

 

[FinnLightning26]

I don’t think anybody wants that but it seems like it was the only reason he was acquired with Palat gone on that 1st line. Hagel changed that equation though and now we have a $2.5M 4th liner that doesn’t gel with anybody on the team and who doesn’t score, doesn’t win pucks and is arguably the easiest player in the entire league to push off his skates.

It was a doomed plan from the get go. We need to find someone who'll take him off our hands. I'm sure some basement team will take him as a filler on their team for the rest of the season for like future conditions and we'll then repay them for their favour down the road.

 

[DFC]

I feel like any chemistry between Kucherov and Namestnikov is overstated anyway. Stamkos and Kucherov had chemistry that year. Namestnikov just touched the puck every now and then.

I think most of us could see that at the time, which was why nobody was sad at all that he was part of the McDonagh deal.

I don’t think anybody wants that but it seems like it was the only reason he was acquired with Palat gone on that 1st line. Hagel changed that equation though and now we have a $2.5M 4th liner that doesn’t gel with anybody on the team and who doesn’t score, doesn’t win pucks and is arguably the easiest player in the entire league to push off his skates.

I think he was signed to add speed to the bottom-six, and he actually HAS done that. It's just that he doesn't make much of an impact, doesn't bring any real scoring threat to those lines, which, at least for me, makes me think we should find somebody who can bring more defense.

 

[RussianGuyovich]

I think he was signed to add speed to the bottom-six, and he actually HAS done that. It's just that he doesn't make much of an impact, doesn't bring any real scoring threat to those lines, which, at least for me, makes me think we should find somebody who can bring more defense.

That’s what I’m saying, he’s literally the best defensive forward we have on the fourth line. If you want to say his offense is dead, then yeah sure. But What game are you guys watching?

Maroon and belle have been god awful, and maroon got promoted. For being slow?

 

[These Are The Days]

I think most of us could see that at the time, which was why nobody was sad at all that he was part of the McDonagh deal.


I think he was signed to add speed to the bottom-six, and he actually HAS done that. It's just that he doesn't make much of an impact, doesn't bring any real scoring threat to those lines, which, at least for me, makes me think we should find somebody who can bring more defense.

I think it'll get better when Balcers comes off the LTIR. I'm seriously not worried about our defense. Once we get to the playoffs we're just gonna "death by structure" like we always do. Right now we're #8 in goals against with 112 goals scored on us with 6 goals separating us from 3rd place. And I'm willing to bet there's (at least) half a dozen fluke goals Vasy never should have let in during games that were long out of reach and simply ruined his shutout. Unless you REALLY wanna count having Anders Lindback, I can't stress enough that we've never lost a playoff series in the Jon Cooper era because we couldn't play well defensively. The second we rolled more than 1 scoring line we won 62 games and then went back-to-back champs. The rest of the time the 1 scoring line we had died and God forbid we had to score more than twice. We either shut out the other team to win a series or we manage to only score like once and lose it. There's almost no in between

We REALLY need a contingency plan for if Hagel-Point-Kucherov get cold. God forbid Vasy has an off night and we need to score more than 3 times

 

[Fabiobest]

I think it'll get better when Balcers comes off the LTIR. I'm seriously not worried about our defense. Once we get to the playoffs we're just gonna "death by structure" like we always do. Right now we're #8 in goals against with 112 goals scored on us with 6 goals separating us from 3rd place. And I'm willing to bet there's (at least) half a dozen fluke goals Vasy never should have let in during games that were long out of reach and simply ruined his shutout. Unless you REALLY wanna count having Anders Lindback, I can't stress enough that we've never lost a playoff series in the Jon Cooper era because we couldn't play well defensively. The second we rolled more than 1 scoring line we won 62 games and then went back-to-back champs. The rest of the time the 1 scoring line we had died and God forbid we had to score more than twice. We either shut out the other team to win a series or we manage to only score like once and lose it. There's almost no in between

We REALLY need a contingency plan for if Hagel-Point-Kucherov get cold. God forbid Vasy has an off night and we need to score more than 3 times

True. I think that a second line with Paul-Stammer-Killer could be a good solution to have another scoring line. Of course all those 3 guys have to make an impact during the playoffs (for example...last year's Killer was useless...if Killer this season is hot, we'll be fine also with that line). The third line with Cirelli and Colton could guarantee some goals too, imo.
About our defense...in the 2018 ECF, we allowed 7 goals in the final 2 games.
In the 2016 ECF, we allowed 5 goals in Game 6 and, in game 7, Vasy was brutal (the second Pens goal was... )
I mean: our defense was not always perfect...
What I want to say is that, to win the Cup, we need to play a good hockey both in our zone and in the offensive zone as well.

 

[DFC]

I think it'll get better when Balcers comes off the LTIR. I'm seriously not worried about our defense. Once we get to the playoffs we're just gonna "death by structure" like we always do. Right now we're #8 in goals against with 112 goals scored on us with 6 goals separating us from 3rd place. And I'm willing to bet there's (at least) half a dozen fluke goals Vasy never should have let in during games that were long out of reach and simply ruined his shutout. Unless you REALLY wanna count having Anders Lindback, I can't stress enough that we've never lost a playoff series in the Jon Cooper era because we couldn't play well defensively. The second we rolled more than 1 scoring line we won 62 games and then went back-to-back champs. The rest of the time the 1 scoring line we had died and God forbid we had to score more than twice. We either shut out the other team to win a series or we manage to only score like once and lose it. There's almost no in between

We REALLY need a contingency plan for if Hagel-Point-Kucherov get cold. God forbid Vasy has an off night and we need to score more than 3 times

Yeah, defense has always been our bread and butter, which apparently is still the best kept secret in the league. That said, I think our Defense-or-Death strategy is a double-edged sword, and becomes riskier as we lose talent year after year.

What I mean is, in 2020 and 2021, we were the TB Lightning playing like the New York Islanders, and we bulldozed our way to two cups. In 2023, we weren't as loaded up as we were in the two years prior, but by God we still had the same mindset. We have always been very content to lay back in the defensive zone and defend HARD whenever the puck gets near the slot, but with a less talented team, we had to go SO hard that I really believe it led to a lot of the injuries we saw. I mean, we were icing a human-shaped bruise as our #3D by the time the semis came around. Cirelli with no shoulders by the finals, Hagel with a broken foot.

Whether we're scoring or not in the regular season, I don't worry about our offense much. I think we play a system that is gonna keep our scoring down to "one more than the other team and that's it" no matter who we add or whatnot. And we already have arguably the best top-3 in the league, and the one that can be trusted most in the playoffs (especially now that Stamkos has had a genuinely elite playoff run). I don't think we should be planning for safety nets on that, because that's kind of a luxury mindset, which we've had in the past when #3Cs weren't making 6.5. Our salary structure is still good, but resembles the rest of the league a lot more now, so we're not gonna get back to a time where our top-6 was the best with space between us and the next guy. I honestly feel like our two cups were about as dominant as any team wins a cup these days.

Even as I type this (...while procrastinating getting to work on real stuff ...) I actually believe that TDL acquisitions are far more often a mistake than "the missing piece." I mean, there's a chance a guy will show up and be another Nick Paul, but there's a way better chance he will be Brandon Hagel, and you're not gonna really get the best out of him until he's had time to adjust. In my mind the realistic thing that we could add that would help us out the most is a defensive-minded winger. Give me a Palat who doesn't score at all and I'll be happy. And if we get really luck we can put him on a 3rd line with Cirelli and keep Matthews/Marner from eating us alive in round 1, while keeping our 1st line intact. (Last year we had to drop Point down with Cirelli to deal with MM).

Okay, off to work I go.