Would the Lightning have won the cup if they kept Gusev?

[BrendanGallagher11]

No theyre season overachievers
They have great top wingers and amazing offensive and d depth. However theyre missing the 1 , 2 center punch that gets team the cup

Point/stamkos johnson aint gonna cut it imo
Unless im missin someone
Help****

 

[nobody]

Connor McDavid can't carry a team to a playoff berth but Nikita Gusev would have been the difference maker when the competition is at its highest?

I would agree.

McDavid >>> Gusev. Can't argue about the intangibles.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Would they have won? Thats too easy of a question.

Would they have lost? Now thats a better question.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Impossible to know. But if I had to guess, I'm going to say no.

 

[JoVel]

Maybe if we also had Kucherov, Point, Stamkos, Vasi and Hedman playing as well.

 

[82Ninety42011]

Um ya maybe try winning a game let alone thinking one player could make it 16 instead?

 

[3074326]

I don't think they would have gotten out of the first round. Was Gusev the difference between a CBJ sweep and TB winning the series outright? I don't think so.

 

[Binister]

If Gusev had been able to play all positions 60 minutes a night at elite level - sure.

 

[BruinLVGA]

simple question, would he have been the difference?

^serious candidate for laughable question of the year.

 

[1865]

I think the Lightnings issues were/are a lot deeper than just Gusev.

The Lightning don't really have any issues. They just went cold at the wrong time and played a team in incredible form. It happens.

They will win at least one cup in the next 2 years if they don't panic.

 

[TheBloodyNine]

The Lightning don't really have any issues. They just went cold at the wrong time and played a team in incredible form. It happens.

They will win at least one cup in the next 2 years if they don't panic.

When you have one of the greatest regular seasons of all time and then get swept by the lowest seed in the tourney, then yes you do have issues. There was a lot more to that than just "going cold."

 

[Harvey Birdman]

My team got swept also, but the addition or subtraction of a single player does not change 4 straight losses to completing every round and lifting Lord Stanley. That is too wide of a gradient of outcomes for any single player to ever effect. If you wanted to argue they would not have been swept, I’d want some situations described where you thought on specific plays or chances he’d be the best player out there. But sure I’d listen to that. If you wanted to argue they would’ve gotten out of the first round. An eyebrow would be going up, and you’d have to have a very compelling and detailed argument. Otherwise I’m brushing you off. After that, entering the second round? You’ve entered waters of extrapolation and happen stances so broad you could never argue any single player could change from what did happen to going any further.

 

[hangman005]

Closed

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