TropicalFruitGirl26

This particular round up on the Bolts is very spot on.

Everything from the perceived non-contender status during the pre-season, to the establishment of Bishop and Hedman, the competitive nature of the team throughout the year, and the emergence of rookies Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat as solid NHL players already...with nothing but high ceiling still to go.

I'd also like to add as some high points:

Coach Jon Cooper.

I'll be honest, I thought a rookie coach (NHL rookie coach...the man has AHL coaching XP) mixed with a young team and some rookie players would be a recipe for serious growing pains, but as it turns out, Coach Cooper had the team's ear all year long, they buy into what he is selling, and he doesn't get too high or too low after wins and losses, and is quite aware of the capabilities of his players and uses them in appropriate situations.

Of course, much of that is helped by the fact that he coached many of those same players when they played in the AHL, but still, he did just as fine a job dealing with vets such as Filppula, St. Louis, Brewer, Carle..etc.

Enough for a Jack Adams? Not too sure, but there is no question that Jon Cooper was the RIGHT coach for this team at this point in time, and looks to be the right guy heading forward.

Another high point I would say is the organization as a whole, starting from the last two seasons and continuing on through this season, has seemed to have established a pretty good development system where players can come up from the minors and fit right into the big club (i.e. they seem much better prepared), much better than in the past.

I can remember years ago, when TB Lightning farmhands, both young players and journeymen, would come up to the NHL club and then have to re-learn an entirely different 'system' and approach to the game....a hodge podge of skill sets, mental approaches, and player types if you will...and it made it much more difficult to have these guys play as a cohesive unit.

No longer.

Now, for the most part, what players do at AHL Syracuse is pretty much what they can expect to do at the NHL level Lightning. Players are being developed properly (finally!) and they are HUGE helps to the NHL team upon arrival...that goes from rookies like Johnson to journeymen like JP Cote and everyone in between.

Kudos this season to the Bolts for finally establishing that type of system that other contending teams have established long ago.

As for low points, I would agree, @yave1964 with the points you made, but I'd also like to add, perhaps not so much a 'low point', but rather a couple of disappointments.

One has to be Richard Panik.

He has shown flashes of being the type of player that brings a good combination of offense, defensive play, a good checking game, and even the ability to play with an edge without really crossing the line.

Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be able to do it consistently, and on many occasions, has looked like a totally different player from game to game when he has played.  Sometimes aggressive, sometimes overly so...sometimes not aggressive enough...sometimes has an offensive awareness, other times looking like he is lost out there.

That has led to him being a healthy scratch on many occasions and even got him sent back down to the AHL.

I know Panik is still a young player, but when guys he came up through the ranks with have gone on or at least started to establish themselves, he begins to look woefully behind the curve.

He is a guy who has produced so much at the AHL level but has yet to fully adjust, for whatever reason, to the NHL level of play.

Here is hoping by next season, he finally "gets it" and is a much bigger part of the TB Lightning and play a heavy minutes role, as what he has shown on the ice when he DOES put things all together, is quite impressive.

One other 'disappointment' IMO, is one Brett Connolly.

Here is a player who was talked about for a couple seasons as a guy who could play a pretty good power forward game, with a good offensive skillset AND even a bit of snarly type play,  and was expected to be a top six forward for the Lightning sooner than later.

After performing so well in Major Junior hockey, the AHL, and the World Juniors a couple years ago, he has thus far, been quite below average when he has gotten his chance to show what he can do at the NHL level.

He too is young (about 21), so there is time, but he, like Panik, have looked so 'out of sorts' at the NHL level that it has lead some fans (myself included) to wonder if those guys would make better trade chips to teams that would want to put in the time to figure them out and the Bolts get nice returns for them.

Connolly and Panik are 1st and 2nd round draft picks respectively, so no surprise that alot has been expected from them....and they could very well still pan out.

But for the here and now, I'd label them disappointing.

Not too sure what direction the Bolts want to go in the off season.

Keeping Ryan Callahan would be nice, however, I also understand his contract would be quite hefty, he DOES have a bit of injury history, due to the intense style he plays, and although he is a good skater, there has to be some concern going forward whether he can maintain the speed needed to play the up-tempo style that this mostly young, fast TB Lightning team plays.

Also, bigger paydays are coming up for some of those young players and the Bolts, I am sure, want to keep as much cap room flexibility in order to pay and keep their players.

It was, after all, one of the reasons the Bolts bought out Vinnie Lecavalier...to clear cap room for upcoming contracts of good young players and possibly sign a significant vet free agent along the way as well.

Examples of expiring entry level contracts on young players, making them RFA's (according to capgeek):

Tyler Johnson

Alex Killorn

Ondrej Palat

Andrej Sustr

and yes, Richard Panik

Other RFA's include Mark Barberio and Keith Aulie on defense, JT Brown on the forward lines, and Anders Lindback in goal.

Throw in star players like Steve Stamkos (two years left), Victor Hedman (three years left) and Ben Bishop (two years left), and one can see why the Bolts would like to maintain as much cap space and flexibility as possible in order to be able to keep as many of those players as they can.

This means making smart signings and/or re-signings THIS offseason.

Does Callahan fit into that mix without anchoring down the Bolts financially going forward?

That is what the FO will need to figure out.

Again, nice capsule on the Bolts yave, and I too believe the Lightning will return for another run at the playoffs next year....hopefully having learned some hard lessons from the heartbreaking sweep they suffered this season.

Well, if Zach Parise has any kind of influence and leadership abilities within the Minnesota locker room (and I suspect he does), the Wild, mentally have moved past the Matt Cooke situation.

Parise, while being interviewed during a morning warm-up today, said all the pc things one would expect "Cooke is big part of our lineup.......unfortunate that things came down this way.... " etc, etc, etc....

But the BIG thing he said which gave me some relief was that "...we don't have time to worry about that situation, we have guys who are focused and are playing for a win"...I did paraphrase some of that, but that was basically the gist.

Coach Mike Yeo, interviewed during that same morning warm up, pretty much echoed those sentiments.

It's all talk of course, and the real proof will be in the playing tonight.

I'd still like to see an aggressive Wild team take it to the 'Lanche like they had in Game 1 and in Game 3.....again, no apologies on the ice for their hard play....and leave the Matt Cooke situation where it belongs: behind the scenes and in the league offices.

That still doesn't erase the fact that certain other players on the Avs may seek retribution, and when asked about that possibility, both Coach Yeo and Zach Parise basically said the same thing: that they will deal with that when and if it comes to pass. And that, again, they are more concerned about skating away with a win and they hope Coach Roy and his Avs are thinking the same.

We will see.

Word out of that same warm up is that Nino Niederreiter may be moved onto Cooke's spot on the 3rd line and Kyle Brodziak, who did not play in Game 3, will man the 4th line center position along with Cody McCormick on wing (who may be needed should a guy like McCleod or Bordeleaux on the Avs decide to go body hunting), with Dany Heatley being on that 4th line wing as well.

Also, FWIW, there is this from Matt Cooke himself:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=28783&navid=nhl:topheads

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=716017&navid=nhl:topheads

 

7 games is enough.  -  but maybe too much based upon these prior hits.

 

Ovechkin got 2 games.  Bickel none,  Dustin Brown for knee on knee to Hertl - none.

7 games indeed.

Problem with Cooke is, compared to those guys, he is in a special category...Rodent, to be exact...and even before the ruling came down, we all had to know that given equal actions between he and some other players, he would get hammered just a bit harder.

It's like that one kid who keeps showing up in the principal's office:

You just EXPECT the worse from him and treat him as such because of his history...even though he may have been 'good' for some time prior.

Either way, it is what it is, and I gotta say, I can't shed a tear for Cooke, nor do I feel the Wild will be "missing out" on some major factor in order for them to win this series.

Would I have liked Cooke to remain, play on the edge, get under the skin of those young Avs players? Sure..as long as he didn't cross the line.

Well, he did, and I still feel Minnesota has PLENTY on their team without Cooke to beat the Avlanche.

If nothing else, as bad as this may sound, that despicable act of his gave Minnesota an advantage in the sense that a very good defenseman for the Avs will not be available to them.

Obviously, it is a terrible thing for Barrie,his team, and the NHL, but the Wild CANNOT play apologetically. Again, Matt Cooke does NOT represent Wild hockey, and Minny needs to play just as hard as before the incident.

I just hope that the Avs and Wild can play a heated yet clean series the rest of the way and that we won't see any 'payback' type plays that will result in MORE serious injuries for either side.

I said Cooke gave the Wild a tainted advantage by taking out Barrie...well, it could also serve to light a fire under the Avs and lead to the Wild having to "defend" Cooke's actions on the ice via dealing with angry Avs players.

Let's hope that is not the case....

Someone on a Minneapolis sports talk show had suggested that Barrie's knee started to buckle right before Matt Cooke hit him.

He claimed to have looked at the replay from several angles and that Tyson Barrie, indeed, seemed to have moved in an odd way as to suggest that something was wrong with his leg/knee....right before Cooke made contact.

Granted, the guy wasn't trying to defend Cooke, but merely putting that out there.

Thought I would post this simply because if something over the next few days comes of it, I wonder how much it will change Matt Cooke's presumed punishment.

Personally, after looking at the replay myself over and over, I didn't see anything to suggest Barrie had hurt himself prior to Cooke's knee hitting him....and make no mistake, Cooke DID knee the guy.

There did seem to be a slight change in posture, even direction from Barrie...but I attributed that to him catching a glimpse of an incoming Matt Cooke at the very last second, and perhaps trying, unsuccessfully, to decide what he was going to do.

Thing is, if somehow, someway, it comes out that Barrie did injure himself prior to Cooke landing the knee, it DOES NOT change the fact that Cooke's hit was a bad one.

Further complicating things for 'Cookie'...is the fact that he has that well earned reputation.

If it were a first time offender or someone who is not viewed as a dirty or rat player, and it came out that Barrie did injure himself prior to contact, MAYBE they get the benefit of the doubt....though the actual act of knee on knee is still there in plain sight for all to see.

Matt Cooke? He used up his supply of canned Doubt Benefits long ago. He will most likely get NO such consideration.

Bottom line though:

The hit was terrible and it does take away not only from the Avalanche, but from the NHL, one of its up n comers, for the rest of this season.

Matt Cooke is in deep doo-doo, as well he should be.

I never did like Matt Cooke.

Didn't like him on the Canucks, didn't like him on the Penguins, and honestly, was surprised Minnesota signed him to a contract given his reputation and the fact that they have many young guys looking to still "learn the game the right way" on their roster and in the minors, and just wondered what kind of influence  a guy like Cooke would have on them.

That all said, Cooke HAD kept his nose clean throughout his time with the Wild...sometimes, I thought, a bit TOO clean.

I am all for guys agitating, pushing the envelope...though NOT, of course, on board with incidents such as this one.

I always thought that if Cooke really did clean his act up, he could still be valuable to the Wild as just that: Agitator Extraordinaire.

He had been checking reasonably well, killing off penalties really well...then come playoff time, and he seemed to be doing this thing out there, getting under the skin of the other team...and I start thinking that Minnesota may indeed have struck gold with this guy because he is throwing off the games of opposing players.......then I see this.

And coming on the heels of the nasty Mike Rupp incident against TJ Oshie as well.

If the Wild aren't careful, they may start gaining a reputation (undeservedly at this point) of being a "goon" team.

That is NOT what the Wild are. They have lots of skill and talent, and many a young player looking to make themselves a good name in the NHL.

Hopefully guys like Rupp and Cooke won't define the perception of the Wild as a team.

Cooke will deserve whatever the league gives him. 18 months clean? Ok. That's nice.

But NO amount of wording and/or policies can cover up the fact that the 35 yr old Cooke always has played this way.

Guys on the Minnesota Wild team who play with a bit of an edge and a touch of sandpaper:

Nate Prosser, Clayton Stoner, Stephane Veillieux, even Nino Niederrater at times....but NONE of those guys would be caught pulling the kinds of shenanigans guys like Cooke, Marchand, and Burrows are known for.

As a fan, I am looking past Cooke now.

I do feel badly for Tyson Barrie personally, but this should in NO WAY change the way the Minnesota Wild play the Colorado Avalanche.

The Wild still have the ability to bring a tough, gritty, hard, yet clean style of playoff hockey to the Avs without resorting to BS plays.

Matt Cooke does NOT define Minnesota Wild hockey.

The front office best look at future signings and try to keep players like that off the roster in the near future.

1. In the Rangers/Flyers series, will more fans fall asleep in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or OT of each game? And shot blocks per game, over or under 45 for the Rangers?

 

2. 1st dive of playoffs...Sidney Crosby or Dustin Brown?

 

3. Game and period of 1st "Ole" chant in Habs/Bolts series and which fan base? .

 

4. How will Oshies amazing shootout skills affect the Blues/Hawks series?

 

5. Is THIS the year the Sharks finally get the monkey off their back and make the finals?

 

6. Has Jim Nill posted a guard outside of Tyler Seguins room yet?

 

7. Can Minnesota knock Patrick Roy off his high horse. Please.

 

8. Who does James Neal headshot first - Johanson, Bob or Dubinsky?

 

9. Will Detroit play so squeaky clean they lull the Bruins into a totally passive game?

 

10. What does Vader watch on his 52 foot plasma at this time of year?

 

Feel free to add

In the spirit of the 'flavor' of these questions, here we go....

1-- None. All fans will show up with a plentiful supply of caffeine pills, the drug companies will make a killing (both for the caffeine pills bought AND for the medication needed for those who took too many during the series). OT? What OTs? Emery will ensure his games end in regulation...take that for what you will.. 

2-- Easy. Dustin Brown. Being a former LA player, he ALWAYS has his swimming gear handy....so by the time Mr. Crosby goes and gets his speedos on, Brown will have dived, splashed, and the judges will have tallied the scorecard...

3--Hmm...well, if an "Ole" chant goes off, irregardless of game and period, I'd be on the lookout for some escaped male bovine-like creatures and thinking about where I can hide.

4--TJ Oshie is a skilled player in just about all facets of the game. Since the league brought in shoot outs, none have exemplified the importance of being a skillful sniper in a skills competiti...err, SO scenario more than Oshie. No question his next big contract will be based on his ability to put his team over the top (maybe steal a game or two in the series) with his outstanding SO prowess.....huh? What's that? Shoot outs aren't used in the post season!? 

Well now, that CERTAINLY changes things doesn't it? As the old Saturday Night Live's Emily Litella would say, "Never mind..."  ^_^

5--Well now see, if the Sharks had EATEN that monkey years ago (as any Shark worth his dental bill would have) they wouldn't have this problem, now would they? Moving on....

6--Are you kidding? Dallas gets to the SC Finals fueled by a "Win it for Tyler" campaign.....and no one will show up at the games in Dallas to notice......

7--Minnesota can ABSOLUTELY knock Mr. Roy off his high horse. Of course, Roy won't hear a thing because his ears will be plugged up with Stanley Cup rings, but that's ok, he can lay on the floor in silence all the same....

8--Ridiculous. Neal wouldn't be caught dead head-shotting anyone in the playoffs. He is smarter than that. He knows teams and officials will be looking for that sort of nonsense.....sooo, I say  he goes slew footing or kneeing....hah....the Jackets won't see THAT one coming......

9--Detroit will play the finesse game, razzle the B's with their pinpoint passing and Lady Byng-like style of play and will be successful........till the meathead Bruins realize they are being had and proceed to plaster red winged wheels all over TD Gardens and The Joe......

10-Vader is a hockey fan of course, so he will be glued to his set watching the action of the NHL at its best...which is unfortunate for people like Mike Milbury, Pierre LeBrun, and possibly Doc Emerick,.

Why? Well, since NBC will be carrying the bulk of the playoff series, there is a distinct possibility one of those guys will say something so inane that Vader will use the Force with extreme prejudice. And if any of those clowns think that Vader being in a galaxy far, far, away will help them, they got another thing coming....

I actually like this matchup for the Wild.

Not taking the Avalanche lightly at all, but they have lots of guys who simply are not used to being in the bright spotlight of the playoffs and Semyon Varlamov will find out real quick that the playoffs are a completely different animal than the regular season.

Minnesota, meanwhile, has a bit more vet experience (including many guys who were on last year's playoff team) to rely on..and yes, that includes playoff experience from Ilya Bryzgalov...and all the good n bad that go with him.

I would rather have had the Wild play the Avs over even the beat up Blues (black n blues? lol) or having to go over to the Pacific bracket and try to make their way through the West Coast teams.

I would say overall Colorado still is the favorite here, given their top to bottom skill (hey, you don't beat out teams like St. Louis and Chicago without being good after all), but I am going to call upset and have Minnesota take this in 6. Yep, I said 6!

If the Wild can limit Colorado's time on the PP (very lethal!) and offset the Av's speed with a good forechecking and puck possession game, then it is entirely possible for Minnesota to take this series.

Avs may  have won the season series by what appears to be a landslide (4-0-1) but those games were pretty competitive overall.

All Minny's lines are executing right now, the defense is there, and even Bryz is playing like he is taking goaltending seriously again.

Now, of course, if Bryz has a cosmo flashback of any sort, then all that can go straight to Hades...but we will see.

Go Wild!!

@yave1964

Olli Jokinen is most certainly one of the few things that did go right offensively for this team, but he alone cannot change the course of the team's fortunes on the scoreboard.

I think Jokinen will be a pretty good add to any other team who has a solid core of forwards in place already, but unless Winnipeg magically transforms in the off season, I don't see how keeping the aging Jokinen helps matters in Winnipeg.

If I am the Jets FO, I will look past Jokinen at this point and look and see, as you mentioned, who needs to replace him at center...along with someone else as an addition also.

But again, unless the organization finally figures out how they want to go about their business on the ice, I think no matter who they put in there, the results may be the same.

As for Big Buff, the Jets need to make a decision on the guy already. Enough of this 'sometimes a D-man, sometimes a winger' stuff.

While rugged, he is a subpar defender and IMO, probably better suited to a third line winger role....maybe even 2nd line if he can be matched with two other guys who can make plays while he creates room with his body.

And of course, his large frame makes him the perfect guy to eclipse goalies in front of the net while daring defensemen to move him.

He has good enough straight line speed to keep up with just about any other forwards, save for a select few, but his overall dexterity can be questioned as I have seen speedy skaters treat him like a traffic cone at times.

If the Jets don't want to deal with having to fully 'convert' Big Buff, then they may want to look at trading him as his cap hit is relatively friendly, he still has a couple years on the contract, and I am sure there is a pretty good market for a guy like him....really, despite his flaws, who WOULDN'T want a large, aggressive, fast skating, power forward with an intimidating presence about him playing for them?

Was Malone even playing anymore?

 

 edit- ok he was.

Yea....he has been relegated to 4th line duty when he has played.  I had wanted the Bolts to trade him last season, but his injury proneness and his dipping skills probably made that impossible.

I backed off wanting him gone a bit this year as I thought, "Hey, he found himself a good role on the 4th line with Thompson and Crombeen", because he does a bring a toughness to the lines that not many on the Bolts outside of Gudas brings, but after this debacle now, I clearly see he is more hindrance than help to the team....and yea, his skillset will only continue to get worse from the looks of it

This will probably stamp  "The End" to his deteriorated NHL career.  According to Tampa Times since last June Malone had 7 traffic violations and was driving on a suspended license.  I can't imagine the Lightining organization will allow Malone to spend any further time with the team.

This.

Even though, as I mentioned, he does bring a certain element to the team (a combo of skills and toughness) that isn't prevalent, the skills ARE going down the drain, he is very slow of foot these days, and well, the Bolts do have some guys in the minors who may not have the skills of a Malone in his prime, but can certainly bring the attitude (Paquette, LaBrie, and Angelidis come to mind right away)...plus, if guys already on the team like Alex Killorn and Richard Panik can play that gritty style while still maintaining their skill play, it will all but make a Ryan Malone completely unnecessary on the team.

These charges are serious, along with whatever else has gone on with the guy, and I too suspect Stevie Y and the TB organization will soon say "enough already".

Wouldn't surprise me if TB ate the remaining $5mil owed on his contract and just moved on.

Cedric Paquette made his NHL debut yesterday, and although only 20, seems to be able to do what Ryan Malone was doing....without the drugs and other baggage.

Pretty good round up.....sounds about right for the most part.

A couple things I will add though:

The natives, I believe, are indeed getting restless in Winnipeg.

That 'honeymoon' phase with the team is clearly over...the fans want a winner now...it's not enough for the team to just "be back in Winnipeg".

Team is in a much tougher division than they were last year and they are still running around without a true team identity.

Are they a speed team, a checking team, defense first, all out offense? Something in between?

Do they look to stir the pot, are they disciplined?

See, those things are important, as what philosophy they choose to follow will dictate what types of players they keep on the team and how they develop new ones going forward.

Quite frankly, when I did watch some Jets games, they were kinda all over the map as far as how they approached games.

This wreaks havoc with the players, I believe, and it may also be telling on the coaching staff as far as what kind of directions the players are getting from the bench.

Perhaps if the Jets can figure out exactly who they are, or at least, who they want to be, then maybe the offense picks up, the defense picks up....you know, somethjng positive...because then at that point, players will know what roles are expected from them, and for those that don't fit, you show them the door, or trade them off for ones that will.

That team DOES have talent...but right now, it is being under utilized in a big way.

Pavelec wasn't outstanding by any stretch, but I also believe he isn't as bad as it appears. His defense leaves him out to dry more often than not, and just like the rest of the team, he may not be sure whom he can count on to do what defensively in front of him, and thus it may mess with his mindset in goal.

Not defending Pavelec as being a 'good goalie in a bad situation' mind you, but I think if the team figures out a philosophy, sticks with it, and molds players around it, I think one will see Pavelec do much better.

That said, I said it in another thread, but Al Montoya is very underrated, and the Jets may do well to keep him on and give him a legit shot at a starter's job next season.....this may push Pavelec to be better (if that is possible given the current conditions in Wpg), or push him completely out.

Would have to agree that the Blues seem the most vulnerable at this point in time, but that said, injuries have bitten the Hawks as well, so that may be a wash.

If I am a Hawks fan, frankly, I am looking at it from the standpoint that it won't matter.

Either deal with the youth, enthusiasm, speed, and talent of the Avalanche, or the tough, gritty, defensive, and also talented team the Blues still field even with their hurting players.

Hawks are still the Champs till someone knocks them off, and like was already mentioned, if they plan on repeating, they are going to have to likely go through both Colorado AND St. Louis (unless there is a stunning 1st round upset pulled off by either Minnesota or Dallas)....just a  matter of when they play them.

I'd say Blues first though, while they are still hurting.

And the Hawks can take a page out of  the speedier teams in the league and keep the pace up-temp against them.....seems to be an area where the Blues have trouble coping: teams that use pure, unadulterated speed against their defense, not giving them time to plug up the lanes.

Hmm...Stephane Quintal, eh?

I dunno....Quintal-Ban doesn't have the same ring to it as Shana-Ban for suspensions...

NHL should REALLY think this through and get someone who goes better with the word "Ban".

Nevermind...this was the same organization that came up with "Metropolitan" division, while renaming another one Atlantic, when they had a perfectly good Atlantic in the 1st place... 

All seriousness though, let's see how Mr. Quintal (Mike Rupp has been Quintalled for 4 games...howz that?), does the job.

Shanny did an ok job, but also made some questionable judgements...ahh well, we will see.

Honestly, I don't see much wrong with trading for Miller.

Was he an upgrade? That can be debated all day and all night. Why?

Well, because even though Miller is probably a better overall goaltender than Elliot or Halak (though, Halak when healthy, can be put up there with just about anyone), really, if you plug in any halfway decent goaltender in the Blues playstyle, they should do very well.

The Blues just plug up the scoring lanes with their big bodies, and when at their best, are spending most of their time on the offensive end with a vicious forecheck, so their goalie isn't seeing non-stop pucks going his way.

The Blues scoring IS up this year...whether that will stay that way in the playoffs will remain to be seen....so really, through the season, getting pucks past goalies wasn't that big a problem.

From the way I see it, and it's been kinda a trend all year long, is that, as good as the Blues are in playing a tough, forechecking, and defensive style, teams with exceptional skaters and great overall team speed give the Blues trouble.

Washington fits that mold. The Caps defensive play and overall consistency can be questioned, and rightly so, but the team has speed to burn, not only in the north-south manner, but seems, east-west as well...and that just gives the Blues trouble.

Whenever teams try to play a 'Blues style' game against the Blues, they get crushed....and if they try to play a speed game, but don't quite have the burner speed necessary to avoid or skate around those talented big bodies, they also get crushed...hence why the Blues have won so many regular season games.

But if a team like the Caps, Ducks, Hawks, Lightning, Stars, etc, with very, VERY good overall team speed is on their game, making their plays at a speed that they are comfortable with, they can and many times do, make a bigger, bruising team like St. Louis look like a bunch of pylons standing around.

Then, when the Blues meet up with a team like, say, the Kings, who have big bodies AND very good team speed, they are hard pressed to come up with a game plan to stop them.

Not so sure the Blues issues stem from a physical standpoint (the whole size vs. speed, or hitting vs. skating), but it may be more an approach to their game.

I know Ken Hitchcock has some very successful playstyles for his teams, but he may want to think about making adjustments based on who his team is playing..

I believe the personnel the Blues have is good enough, but if they automatically think, "Hit, maul, destroy, plug lanes, then score", then they can be taken advantage of by speedy teams with a good gameplan.

Perhaps if the Blues take a more 'finesse' approach to their game (which, I actually have seen them do), then THEY could be team that is hard to play against for anyone because they already have the good defensive style, along with great goaltending (and Miller being a world class type, just makes things that much more difficult for other teams), AND then they go on use their still-better-than average team speed, to not only ensure they are successful in the regular season, but in the post season as well.

We all know that goaltending and defense are the main keys to success in the post season...and the Blues have that part down. 

But they may want to perhaps adjust to 'finesse and skating' mode a little more often to make up for their sometimes plodding mindset....thus giving them a better shot in the post season.

Adding a Vanek or Moulson, IMO, would NOT have helped them any better if the MINDSET of 'hit, maul, plug up' is primary.

This team has damned good depth with some skilled players, I don't see why they can't make adjustments from the coach on down in order to cope with faster teams, or in the case of teams like LA and SJ, teams with size AND speed.

As long as they continue to play the same type of almost one dimensional style, they will win games, but it probably won't be 'good enough' to win it all.

Miller is fine in net, as is the bulk of their squad...I think it's just the approach that needs a bit of an upgrade.

Agree 100% on Stamkos.  Especially if he does it next year without St. Louis.

Hey, it'll be a chance for Stammer to elevate his game yet again.

Up until now, Stammer has always had a 'support system' of sorts playing with guys who could help him raise his own game...Vinnie Lecavalier, Slava Prospal (yes, he helped Stammer along as he broke into the league by being a speedy winger who could get him the puck), and of course Marty St. Louis.

Now, Stamkos not only has to maintain what is expected of him, but now it is HE who must help elevate the play of those around him...whether that is a guy like Teddy Purcell, maybe a Tyler Johnson playing center while Stammer plays a wing position, or a Richard Panik or Alex Killorn.

And as mentioned, the upcoming Jonathan Drouin.

It is what great players like Crosby do: help make those around him better by challenging them on the ice to be able to keep up with him and see and play the game as fast as they see it.

Really, that is where I see Stamkos next logical development stage  heading: being a guy who helps make good players great, while still continuing to put up points and be great himself.

For all intents and purposes, now that both VLC and MSL are gone, this is his team now, and he must lead the way not only by continuing to be a great scorer, but perhaps develop his playmaking ability a bit more to help make some of the other guys around him great as well.

If he can do that, not only will the goals be there for a run at an Art Ross, but so will the assists!

As a Sharks fan, I was a bit put off by his reputation defensively when we got him. I expected him and Lukowich(Also came in the trade) to be really bad from what Lightning fans told me.

 

I was surprised as hell that he was solid defensively right out the gate for the sharks. Maybe the team defensive philosophy style on the sharks just fit his game way better, but I can honestly say he was always solid so far, with a mistake here and there.

Well, to be fair, while with the Panthers then the Lightning, Boyle was still a young player learning his craft.

What you heard from some TB fans was probably an exaggeration.

Like I said, I was never a big fan of his as he WAS a defensive liability with the Bolts....though he always had a spot in the lineup due to his offense and his ability to pass and skate like a forward from the blue line.

I am pretty sure his defense improved once he went to the Sharks, and it probably helped him that he was playing with some more seasoned vets there, not to mention much better goaltending overall as compared to the Lightning at the time....but I can say I've watched a few Sharks games where Boyle mishandling the puck or pinching in at the wrong time cost his team and odd man rush the other way and sometimes a score.

Boyle is Boyle...but teams always wanted him because, for the most part, he helped more than he hindered.

I remember a couple seasons ago when Brent Burns was sent to the Sharks, you had both Boyle and Burns, defensemen who both played like forwards, and that helped the offense tremendously...however, teams could ALWAYS count on getting prime scoring chances when either of those two were on the ice for SJ..sometimes when BOTH were on.

The conversion of Burns to power forward was brilliant, as it seems he didn't improve his defensive game as much as Boyle did over the last few seasons.

Lukowich was never a star defenseman, but what he did bring was heart, soul, and a willingness to do whatever it took to disrupt a developing play.

It's what made him successful in Dallas, it's what helped the Bolts win their Cup in 2004, and while I didn't watch much of him with the Sharks, I am sure he brought that there as well..though at that point, his career was nearing its end, if I am not mistaken.

Oh, and while looking through the D-men UFA's, I see where Pit's Derek Engelland and the Avs' Cory Sarich are UFA's.

If anyone is in the market for hard hitting, stay at home types, either one of these guys could fit the bill and compliment any teams offensive type D-man real well.

Sure...

Congrats to Crosby for the Art Ross.

It's an award based on pure numbers on the season...no ifs ands or buts about it.

And Sid has the most points of anyone in the league....and yea, he is one heck of a hockey player.

However, there is a guy in Tampa Bay named Steven Stamkos who would have likely given Sid a run for the trophy, if not out and out win it himself, this year.

Before injury, Stamkos, unsurprisingly, was right up there in the race for that award.

Not taking anything away from Crosby, mind you, but still, I'd put up a healthy Steven Stamkos right up along with him on any given season for that award.

We will see next season. 

Sorry Flyer fans, but Zac Rinaldo IS an idiot.

I mean, I do like the guy's energy and he ratchets things up when his team is halfway asleep through games, but cmon...almost seems like the guy tries TOO hard sometimes.

With as much good as he does with his hard style of play, he also hurts his team with moronic plays all too often.

If he gets himself a 2-gamer, it will be well earned.

I am all for a 'sandpaper' type guy on the team, but when they come in the variety of "stupid" as this guy does, I gotta say, "no thanks" to that...and hope guys like him can be replaced in the league with others who can play just as hard a brand of hockey, yet with more control and willpower, where he is more a help than a detriment to his team.

Some comments after glancing at the list:

I agree on Miller and Hiller being top prize goalie UFA's, though I also agree Miller may stay on with the Blues....probably making Elliot expendable...though to be honest, unless Elliot is asking for the moon and he insists he is a starting goaltender, I don't see why the Blues couldn't keep him as well...

Otherwise, an underrated UFA goalie Al Montoya, could be had as he only made about 600K this season, so even with a raise, could be afforded.

Actually, I think Montoya makes sense for a few clubs who need a decent goaltender who doesn't make a ton.

Montoya has put pretty decent numbers playing for some really awful defensive teams in the NY Islanders and Winnipeg Jets, who coincidentally, have trouble consistently scoring as well.

Put this guy behind a decent defense or on a team that can score a bit better, and he may not be a bad fit at all, IMO.

As for defense, I never really was a huge Dan Boyle fan, even when he was with the Lightning, but I DO AGREE, that as he aged, his defensive play became much better (though still far from elite), he is pretty tough and durable, and yes, he most certainly can and still does, run a very good PP.

Not sold on Markov being a sound investment....especially assuming he will be looking for a big payday...even if he has been healthy the last two years. He is on the downside of his career now and those injuries could crop up all over again...especially if he ends up with a team who needs him to play a more physical style.

The Habs are happy for him to be a passer and D-line playmaker, where, unless he gets blasted by a bruising forward, he would be fine doing...but still...his injury track record burns deep in my mind.

Niskanen's overall play just may be the product of playing with so many good players, and as was pointed out, it is a career year that stands out from other decent to good years.

Can he do what he did this season continually moving forward if someone ponied up and paid him big? Not so sure...

To that end, I'd like to add two Minnesota Wild players who are underrated defensemen in Nate Prosser and Clayton Stoner.

I'd like Minny to keep them both, or even the TB Lightning to sign one or the other, but that probably won't happen due to vets such as Keith Ballard (Min) and Matt Carle (TB) being on the respective rosters.

Now, Prosser and Stoner won't put up eye popping numbers, but both are solid enough defensemen, both play with lots of grit and sandpaper, and both have an underrated ability to skate and keep up with some of the NHL's best forwards.

Stoner will even drop the gloves and hold his own in the fisticuffs department in defense of his teammates as well....although Stoner IS an injury risk...he almost always seems to need some games off every season to tend to injuries.

Prosser on the other hand, is a classic D-man version of an agitator. He WILL engage opposing forwards trying to make plays in front of his goaltender, he WILL push bodies, and will hit and hit  hard when given the opportunity, and usually makes pretty good passes out of his zone to relieve pressure, making him a decent add to any team's PK units.

He does try to fight at times, but isn't particularly good at it....though he is a good sized guy...but he is usually better off drawing penalties and playing a solid (if irritating to the other teams) brand of defense.

Neither of these guys should cost teams a bunch of money...Stoner is currently making $1.1M, while Prosser is only at 850K...neither are 'old men' (29 and 27 respectively), so even with raises, could provide just about any team with good value as 2nd or 3rd pair D-men...depending on who else the team has to play the blue line already.

I will leave wingers alone as I too agree there are many good ones made available, with guys that can fit just about anywhere, so long as the paying team can really afford to have them without crippling their cap space for the next few seasons.

Thomas Vanek to Minnesota seems like a foregone conclusion, but not really....that is what everyone seems to be saying, but things may turn out different..especially if the Wild decide to hang to Matt Moulson and something between he and the team could be worked out.

I'd love to have Vanek on the Wild though........

Callahan, Cammallari, Iginla...all very good choices if a team can afford them also.

Centers?

Paul Statsny is the obvious top dog there, yes.

Buuut, I also think Olli Jokinen, even at age 35, can provide some good value.

He too has played on offensively challenged teams like the Islanders and Jets, yet always seems to be able to put up decent numbers, has a knack for finding streaking players to the net, and will even camp out himself around the fronts of nets at times.

He also has just a smidge of nastiness to his game, where he will engage in the physical aspect of play (checking, not fighting), that will certainly get the attention of the other team...thus his skillset translates real well to a 2nd or 3rd line center on just about any team....and he shouldn't be that expensive either.

$4 and a half mil according to capgeek this season? Well, if someone makes him an offer around that, it wouldn't be the worst deal in the world.

By the way, since I have the Pens out in the first round, if Toronto snatches the 8th seed and Detroit the 7th,it is conceivable that Boston plays original six all the way through.

First round: Toronto

Second Round: Detroit

Third Round: Habs/NYR

Finals: Chicago

LOL...Toronto...that team seems to have forgotten what it's like to stop pucks, get in passing lanes, and cover zones...I hope they lose the rest of the way and miss the playoffs entirely...no need for them to stink up the Stanley Cup playoffs.....

Maybe we can trade? lol

 

Yeah, truthfully any sport is really about paying attention. Hockey is hard because its such a fast game. 

 

Hows TB looking v. Montreal? 

2nd period just underway and I am hoping for a better period than the first..even though only down by 1, the haphazard Bolts play has given Montreal more opportunities than they should have.

Granted, the Habs have been red hot, but still, the Bolts have the speed to match them, some size that is better than they have, and the goaltending in Bishop to easily match Price.

Thing is, to the point of this thread, the Bolts don't seem to have the killer instinct that a team like Pittsburgh, Boston, and even lately the Rangers, Flyers and the Habs themselves have shown.

They need to get that, and get it quick, as fancy passing and pretty set up plays will take them only so far.........

Will you marry me (after I divorce my wife)? 

 

Any girl that can talk hockey like you do (not to be sexist, okay, I am being sexist) puts an immediate crush in my book. 

 

No Maker jokes from the peanut gallery! :-P

Haha...well, I can check with my husband to see if he wants out before I make any plans to re-marry...  

Seriously though..nothing magical about my hockey talk...I just pay attention... 

If the Lightning were to win the Stanley Cup this year, no one on this board would be happier than myself about it...really...they have the young talent, great goaltending, good team speed, decent overall team size, and a sniper in Steven Stamkos that teams ALWAYS have to account for.

That all said, to call the Bolts a legit Cup contender THIS season, well, I don't buy that.

This Bolts team, as good as they have shown they can be, have also shown huge holes in the defense and in the areas of 'tough, consistent, gritty' play on more than one occasion...things that EVERY Cup contender (notice I said CUP, not PLAYOFF contender) HAS to have if they plan on hoisting Lord Stanley's hardware come June.

Whether it's a product of play systems or simply young guys still learning their way in the rough waters of the NHL, either way, the Lightning are still missing some key ingredients on the blue line, and outside of the 4th line usually consisting of Crombeen, Thompson, and Malone, missing on the forward lines as well.

Too many turnovers by various Bolts players, loose coverage in the defensive zone, and way too many careless and ill advised passes at critical times that lead to prime scoring chances for the opposition, also add for the need for improvement if the team wants to be called real SC contenders.

Should the Lightning be IN the playoffs? Of course. I think they would have earned that should they get in....and perhaps maybe even win a first round matchup if they draw a team, like say, Montreal or Detroit.

But when matched against what I consider to be real Eastern contenders such as Boston and Pittsburgh, I think the Bolts still have a long way to go to be considered true Cup contenders over those guys.

The Pens and Bruins exhibit everything the Lightning do, but also have those other things the Bolts lack, such as tough board play, clutch scoring, and great defensive coverage....and teams like the Pens and B's DARE you to take penalties so they can capitalize on their man advantage.

And even if somehow the Bolts manage to avoid those two teams and somehow get into the Finals, getting by whomever comes out of the West in order to win it all will be a tall order...though at THAT point, I would have to say I like the Bolts chances as a team does not get into the Finals usually without facing and overcoming adversity en route.

If this group continues to progress beyond this season, some current players possibly swapped out for some grit and team toughness (and let's not forget we may see Jonathan Drouin play next year), then, perhaps, they can be called true CUP contenders and be talked about right alongside current Eastern powerhouses Pit and Bos.

Yep...I get all that, @jammer2 . 

As for @bunnyman , hey, I get the smack talk too...but um...I thought iffin yer gonna smack talk, you would expect to get something back that debunks said smack talk....

Just sayin...

I watched the Min-Dal game and while I will side with the Wild on just about anything vs another team, even I have to say that Haula COULD have possibly made some attempt at trying to avoid contact with the goalie (however slim that was), and honestly, he didn't appear all too interested in doing so.

Dirty play? Hard to tell on that as according to media, Haula isn't that type of player AND he did appear to lose his balance a bit.

But still, one would have thought that even given losing an edge or balance that you would have seen some attempt at Haula trying to twist his body somewhat away from the goalie.

That was not the case.

Looked to me like he saw contact was inevitable and decided, "oh well, I guess I am going through the goalie and the entire backstop" and just left it at that.

NOT the best decision he could have made.

I was pretty sure as that play happened that Haula would be receiving a call from The Shana-Ban on that incident.

I thought the penalties assessed in the game were about right...the five minute major for 'charging' for sure..the misconduct?

Well, that assumes the refs thought Haula was being malicious during the play...which no one really knows but Haula  himself.

But again, to all watching, he really did make it look like he made NO effort to at least try to avoid a direct (and head to head!) hit with the goaltender the way he did.

Wouldn't surprise me if Haula got a game or three suspension.

And for future reference, if the guy really didn't mean to do that, then he needs to put a better effort in at least trying to avoid it.

At least that way, if the end result is the same, ppl can look at the replay and go, "Hey, he tried to avoid the goaltender...it was just unfortunate what happened."

I am not going to fault Haula for going to the net hard...but what happened after that, I can't help but think he could have had at least a bit of control over.

The game itself? Yea, the 5 minute major was a momentum breaker for Minnesota and the Wild nearly killed it completely off (Dallas scored with 26 seconds left in the major), but even at that point, the game was tied 3-3.

The real killer was the stupid giveaway at the offensive blue line by Keith 'Veteran Knucklehead' Ballard.

That allowed the Stars to run up the ice and ultimately put themselves up 4-3 late in the game.

Tim Thomas was good, though I wouldn't call him spectacular in his relief appearance but IMO it was more Minnesota giving away the game late rather than Thomas winning it for Dallas.

House of horrors in Dallas for the Wild indeed.

With yesterday's loss, the Wild are now 1-19 in the last 20 games there........SMH...

 Seriously??  A rookie coach has his team 41-18-5 is "crap"....nobody even thought they would be a playoff team, and now they are one of the leagues better teams....just *how* is that deemed crap??  Looks like he has had a nice effect on Varlamov also, who has put up MUCH better numbers under Patrick than any other coach.

This.

Granted....the Avs jump from 'last to near the top' won't come without some growing pains or a price to pay...probably in the playoffs....but from where I sit, the Avs are DEFINITELY going in the right direction.

Much of it may have to do with Roy as head coach, but much of it was already there.

Even last season when I watched Avs games, despite their final standings, there just seemed to be something special brewing there.

Many even thought a guy like Semyon Varlamov would be replaced under Coach Roy, which I always thought was ridiculous.

Varlamov may not be the next coming of St. Patrick himself, but then, who the hell is??

Roy is a smart enough man to know talent when he sees it and it weren't for Varlamov last season, the Avs record would have looked even WORSE.

But anyways...Avs will be fine.

They will make the playoffs this year with their most likely 1st round opponent being either the Blackhawks or Blues.....and they will be underdogs facing either.

But even if they lose, which I suspect may be the case given those two opponents, let's not forget they are a very young team and will have gained much even in a playoff series loss.

A guy like Patrick Roy will be sure to use a situation like that to pump his guys up......give them a sense of "You don't want that feeling of losing like that in the playoffs...get'm next year"...that type of thing...and the team can only get even better from there.

And if they win a series against a St. Louis or Chicago? Hey...talk about an early confidence booster for the team....its a no-lose situation for the Avs and their fans IMO.

As for not being able to 'solve the Blues'...hey, the Blues are a very good, legit Stanley Cup contender...they have been for the last three seasons or so. No shame at this point in time for a young Avs team to not being able to 'solve' them. Not many teams in the NHL have been able to do it consistently either.

The Blues themselves have their own humps to get over...recently it's been the LA Kings.

Roy crap as coach? Underwhelming? Not even close.

Only time can tell that...but for the here, now, and forseeable future, he is VERY good for the organization, the PR department, but most importantly, seems to be very good for his young team.

Anyone who can't see that just doesn't watch hockey with enough of a knowledgeable eye for detail.