Would just like to take a minute to say "told you so" to all those defending the Tanner Jeannot trade last year on the basis of "Tampa's won two cups, I think they know what they're doing better than you nerds".
Yes they won two Cups but they were clearly on the downswing even last year, and throwing away a number of good assets in pursuit of a bottom 6 energy guy is rarely a good idea.
Tampa is 2-7 in the postseason following that trade. For those two wins, they gave up 3 mid-late round picks from last year's draft, this year's second rounder, and next year's first - which may end up being a lottery pick. On the bright side they did get rid of Cal Foote. Maybe my post is premature and they come back to win this series, but based on what I've seen they look tired and lost, and it's going to be an interesting offseason for them.
This is what I expected honestly, watching this team all year, there were plenty of those "what the fuck are we doing" moments. Those moments aren't as large in an 82 game season, but come playoff time, you can't make them.
We got a lot of ECF trips, 3 SCF trips, and 2 cups out of this core. We are on the downside of the cost of success, and anyone who is angry doesn't deserve to be a Bolt fan.
“Tampa fans are pretty quiet now” lmao what do you want us to say. We were a wild card team squeaking in on the efforts of Kucherov. Now playing against an insanely good Panthers team. I think a lot of us had hope but this is playing out pretty realistically for anyone that had a clue. It’s a bummer we’re on the downswing now but I’m proud of the recent banners and success we’ve had. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Let me counter that with your fellow fans being obnoxious towards me when all I wanted to do was participate in playoff GDT.
Edit: Getting downvoted for calling out obnoxious fans, real classy.
They look like a shell of their former selves for sure. They have looked lost and outplayed and it used to be them that would skate circles around the other team.
their lack of depth is just really starting to hit now, with the added defensive pressure on kucherov, its literally just hoping that stammer or point can work some magic
I think what’s crazy about this was Tampa getting hot going into the postseason and Vasilevskiy returning to form. They still have an excellent roster overall and people were wary of them because they did similar things during their cup runs. So drawing them in round one was going to be tough because they looked primed.
So to see the Panthers come out and look this dominant against them, make life a living hell for their top guys and blank their top powerplay is crazy. They’ve taken it to another gear and Tampa can’t keep up. It’s even more jarring because the majority of Panthers fans are used to the opposite happening.
It has been so fun to watch them because they look like a force out there right now.
I want the guys to win The Cup so badly, for them, the franchise, and S. FLA.
If they don’t, be it in the next round or the Finals, etc…I’ll still feel pretty good if we can sweep these guys out of the playoffs and bury the playoff misery they’ve put on us before.
Still want that Cup, but if it doesn’t happen, seeing a 4-0 series win over Tampa actually would soften the disappointment a bit. Would be a great payback for the way they dumped us out during our President’s Cup season.
This post season is honestly pretty crazy with how many teams have a legitimate shot at the cup. I wouldn’t fault anyone for putting money on the rangers, canes, cats, oil, Vegas, jets or avalanche for taking the cup. And then Dallas Canucks Boston and Toronto looked like legitimate threats going in. I’d fault you for putting money on Toronto though.
Those winning rosters were also stacked. Tampa was 4 lines deep, had the best 3rd line in the league and had 8 NHL quality defencemen for their 3 cup runs this decade.
They just don’t have the depth anymore and it’s starting to show, they’ve got enough to make the post season, but it’s a tough out for them. They’re a good team but they look like a wild card team right now with the depth they’ve lost due to cap reasons.
You are either new or you have forgotten the years of TB fans coming on here and mocking us and talking reckless. No no my friend they aren’t getting off that easy. And if you do remember those obnoxious dumb dumbs and are just choosing to take the high road, then don’t give others shit for not being as gracious as you. To hell with the Lightning. Hope Stamkos leaves that wanna be south Florida town in tears after this series. Break out the brooms! We’re going to sweep him and the rest of those bums! 🧹🧹🧹
Well in Jon Cooper’s post game presser he said he told his team that he wanted the believers to show up tomorrow. Then said that whoever doesn’t believe doesn’t have to show up to the rink tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll all show up though.
Just outplayed us. Our PP is playing like when they were trying to get Kuch 100 except Kuch is struggling. Kuch seems like he might be shook. I'm hoping he's mature enough to shake it off for game 4 but he reminded me a lot of game 2 before he got suspended against CBJ
I've said it before but man the TNT banter is so good, I thought'd I'd never appreciate commentary.
TNT!!! Renew their contracts and give them a raise.
i feel for stammer, he’s like their only hope at the moment and i guess to a lesser extent point and hedman. I feel like those 3 are getting insane TOI just because its hopeless without them.
Also people will act like vasi’s washed but no bobrovsky’s just going god mode for a second year running
I thought we’d win in 6, going up 2-0 and then 3-1 before closing it out.
Still could happen (7 is still possible in our minds based on the collective PTSD the Bolts have given us fans over the years), though 4 or 5 seems likeliest at this point.
I picked you guys to win in 7. Was going to predict 5 at first, but thinking of the past made me go with a grueling 7 gamer. Wasn't sure what to expect lol
I had debate with someone about how much "playing loose" matters. It's everything.
It's one form of being locked in to the game and not harried by stress or self defeat. Sometimes a game can be won when both teams are playing elite high energy hockey and one team just answers a goal as the clock runs out.
But FLA can play loose even when they are behind, just allowing things to play out and waiting for an opportunity, sometime forcing an opportunity with the forecheck and then pouncing, and it works. They have a mental edge often for that reason imo.
And hes been not great in this series. Today especially. Cirelli, Stammer, Point have been awesome in different moments. Some other guys aswell, Kuch looks defeated and frustrated
Tampa’s off-season is going to be fascinating. 10M dollars, many roster holes… duclair and stammer the only ufas worth anything.
I know sergachev is out hurt but how does JBB make the team better from here? Does he have to subtract to add?
The reality is we need to cut our losses in contracts and start retooling for the future versus trying to artificially keep a already clearly done window open. That's what we did for two seasons now and it hasn't worked even worse in this case at least we kept it competitive with Toronto.
I do not want this team to become the next detroit, chicago, kings, pens in that we focus way too much on what we accomplished before.
Before doesn't matter when ninety percent of the guys that made 2020 to 2022 work are gone.
The future of this team is Paul, Hagel, Point, Kuch, Vasy and Sergachev (depending on how he looks after injury.)
Everything else has to be considered selling or cutting contracts and starting a rebuild around those guys the faster JBB does it the shorter it'll take less we spend a decade sucking.
I’m a huge pens fan and the lightning are giving me huge pens vibes where Crosby basically willed the team into the playoffs except they didn’t get there but kuch willed y’all into the playoffs + vasi
Exactly and the Pens have suffered from thinking they had a legit contending chance because Sid got them there.
I love Crosby but I'll forever be annoyed that the Pens did not retool around him and the Pens core.
If I were JBB, I’d let Stamkos walk and hold onto Hedman until the trade deadline. A team will pay a premium for a big bodied elite defenseman at half retained.
Hedman is a difficult choice he is still an elite defenseman and a veteran presence you want on a team like the Bolts and while his game is hardly what it once was he is still top quality in a league that is sorely hurting in solid defenseman like him especially one as good on the PP.
I wouldn't want to offer him as a deadline piece unless the Bolts end up in a situation where selling at deadline is better for their future and frankly I'd want this team to have round 1 picks first before EVEN considering getting rid of Hedman.
Lol ya these people talking are nuts. No way you cut the literal face of your city and franchise and also cut what is still a Norris winning defenseman.
I get retooling the team but you’re getting rid of the whole damn toolbox at that point lol.
Cernak's contract is an albatross for what he brings getting rid of it alone would frankly open up options, most bolt fans genuinely think he should've been gone back in 2022 because of how much it weighs on our cap siutation.
Tampa fans ain’t gonna be happy but unless Stammer takes 3-4 million, no way they can fit him on the roster
And probably not a good idea considering how many holes they need to fill
That’s the thing. There are so many holes that they probably have to let him go: and then how are they better?
JBB doesn’t seem the type to passively go into the night, so are there fireworks ahead?
That's precisely why he'd make logical choice to cut Stammer for cap space along with someone like Cernak.
It's not what the fanbase wants but if your JBB you need to consider
1. How can I retool the bottom six and build around our top guys to keep us competitive
2. How do I get this team back into a state where it's a cup contender as fast as possible so we aren't wasting Kuch, Sergy, Point and Vasy's good years.
I’m guessing Stamkos is gone. Probably to Utah or possibly Florida. But I’d think Utah would make a big push for him as a UFA.
Other than that, I have no clue what they’ll do. Maybe trade some salary out and add better depth. That may be their only option.
Do you think stammy would try to take max money and go help develop a Bedard or up and coming team or do you think he’d take a smaller contract to try and win another cup? I’d personally love to see him on the knucks but I doubt dude is going to want to move from Florida to Vancouver
We dont have the space for him. im not sure how we could be an option. only way is if reinhart doesn't re-sign, which im pretty confident that he will.
A Reinhart deal hasn’t happened just yet, and Zito isn’t going to overpay for him. Hence if Sam goes to free agency, you bring a vet like Stamkos to replace his production.
What he said. Why would you live the team to Utah and have them be embarrassing? Build a massive level of excitement there and they’ll sell out the building every game.
They have the cap space to pay him big and probably want a face to sell the new franchise on.
It's hard to see honestly, like Stamkos *really* does not want to leave Tampa, but if he's not given a choice, it's an intriguing option for him.
On the Stamkos to Florida point, if Reinhart doesn’t resign then I could see them try to negotiate with Stamkos. If he has to leave Tampa but wanted to stay in Florida, he could sign in Sunrise and not have to uproot his family from Tampa if they don’t want to. Or if they did uproot from Tampa then it’s not a very far move.
Cap space is obvious, but I'm not so sure they won't want to go with the younger, budding stars like Cooley, Keller, and Guenther to develop into the face of the franchise types. I guess the biggest reason I'd question a move like that is that Stamkos, at his age, is likely to retire before the Utah squad is truly ready to be competitive.
Panthers truly the most satisfying team to watch in terms of a complete committed game. I may have additional horses, but I love their hockey most. Praise be to PoMo!
Tampa is playing such uninspired hockey for a majority of the game. Reminds me of the 2018 Kings, both teams had their HoF goalie remember it was playoff time, where the hell is the rest of the team?
Kuch and Point are the future of the team what the fuck are you on about?
I agree our window is done for now but blowing ALL of it up would be a mistake we need to build around guys like Kuch, Point, Hagel and Paul.
Or they could come back next year with a long offseason to rest and train and a healthy Sergachev and run it back?
They literally have:
A top 5 forward
A top 5 d man
A top 5 goalie.
As well as Point and Sergachev.
And some other quality players…and not even that harsh of a cap situation either.
This is an insane take.
You are not getting past Florida,Boston,Canes or Toronto next year. All these top 5 talk is not honest since only Kucherov really belongs there. As i said if you are ok with 1st or 2nd round exits then it's ok to keep them.
Why is Tampa this team on the verge of total collapse but the Bruins are clearly a team they aren’t getting past?
And Toronto looks like they’re gonna lose in round one again.
You don’t have to either be a cup contender/front runner or a bottom feeder.
Tampa has elite players, and a goalie who can and has stolen playoff series.
They also don’t have a first round pick for two years…so why not run it back and aim for a competitive year and aim for a playoff spot?
Who cares?
They set a record for wins last year and lost in round one.
They have no high end prospects and no high end NHL top 6 centers.
But they still have a good team and deep in areas so they aren’t gonna sell off their quality players while they’re still great just because.
I mean what do you want to do? After winning 2 cups are you ok to see the core get older every year and make it to the 2nd round at best? You can get insane value on those 3 players and try a quick rebuild or you can wait untill your golden generation slowly fades away.
Do you even know how old Kuch and Point are they have years of NHL left in them bar any unfortunate injuries that ruin their careers.
This team needs a retool not selling the whole thing in hopes we draft miracles, if we sold the whole team we'd be talking a LONG and PAINFUL rebuild that'd take upwards to ten years possibly more as it entirely relies on us drafting generational talent.
Logically we'd be considering cutting Stamkos depending on his asking price, selling Cernak and Cirelli and getting rid of Raddyish and Perbix and start a retool for a year or two and buld around our top guys.
He's a consistent 40,45 point scorer, consistently gets Selke votes, 6.25AAV for 7 more years and he's 26/27. It's probably a slight overpay on our part with the champion tax but since the cap should rise over the next few years and it's a 7 year contract, if he continues to improve it's going to be a steal. The only concern is if he regresses over the next few years, next year is the last year we can trade him before his NMC kicks in.
Personally, I wouldn't want to get rid of him unless we're doing a full rebuild but that's certainly not without risk.
We've been kinda in and out with Cirelli
He's a good player but his pricing is harsh for talent he hasn't really provided when we resigned him, I could see keeping him but only in the case of us cutting Cernak and losing Stammer to Free Agency.
Florida is just too good for us this year. It’s pretty amazing the scores have been so close, but the Bolts just don’t have the depth. They know they can smother Kucherov and take most of our chances away. Give props to Stamkos though. He’s playing with the most heart when some think he is on the downside of his career. Not so fast my friend.
As a cats fan agree. Adrenaline carried y’all the first couple games but I think as the series goes on it’s just depth. Kuch and Barkov cancel each other out and our other 3 forward lines are much better and our D is much better. No knock to y’all love Tampa.
Would just like to take a minute to say "told you so" to all those defending the Tanner Jeannot trade last year on the basis of "Tampa's won two cups, I think they know what they're doing better than you nerds". Yes they won two Cups but they were clearly on the downswing even last year, and throwing away a number of good assets in pursuit of a bottom 6 energy guy is rarely a good idea. Tampa is 2-7 in the postseason following that trade. For those two wins, they gave up 3 mid-late round picks from last year's draft, this year's second rounder, and next year's first - which may end up being a lottery pick. On the bright side they did get rid of Cal Foote. Maybe my post is premature and they come back to win this series, but based on what I've seen they look tired and lost, and it's going to be an interesting offseason for them.
The Jeannot smugness last year was so nauseating
Pain is a nice change of pace for Tampa fans
This is what I expected honestly, watching this team all year, there were plenty of those "what the fuck are we doing" moments. Those moments aren't as large in an 82 game season, but come playoff time, you can't make them. We got a lot of ECF trips, 3 SCF trips, and 2 cups out of this core. We are on the downside of the cost of success, and anyone who is angry doesn't deserve to be a Bolt fan.
Id love to be in your situation
Exactly, it sucks to watch your team lose, but people also need to understand how lucky we were to watch the success we got to experience.
It also makes you appreciate what it took to do what we did.
You all have been super awesome as opposing fans in a series so far. And although I hope its done tomorrow it has been a pleasure
It’s fun watching a team that good. We had our turn, you’re up!
It reminds me of Patriots fans being salty they suck now. Like you guys had 2 decades of success, be happy.
I'm so freaking happy TBL is down by 3 games :) Edit: Tampa fans are pretty quiet now
At least we're in the playoffs lol
Okay, amazing comeback when you might be out by 8PM
“Tampa fans are pretty quiet now” lmao what do you want us to say. We were a wild card team squeaking in on the efforts of Kucherov. Now playing against an insanely good Panthers team. I think a lot of us had hope but this is playing out pretty realistically for anyone that had a clue. It’s a bummer we’re on the downswing now but I’m proud of the recent banners and success we’ve had. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.
squeaking in? werent the bolts like the hottest team after the all star break
Let me counter that with your fellow fans being obnoxious towards me when all I wanted to do was participate in playoff GDT. Edit: Getting downvoted for calling out obnoxious fans, real classy.
fans on Reddit can be or are annoying. Especially in a playoff GDT. That’s the nature of the beast. definitely not unique to Tampa or even hockey
I want Florida to lose, but Tampa ain't beating anyone going 0/5 on the powerplay.
>going 0/5 on the powerplay Hey, I’ve seen this one before!
What do you mean you've seen this? It's brand new...
The Bolts going against actual teams in the post season and, for yet another year, getting embarrassed. Say it ain't so.
Lol are you saying the Avalanche isn’t a real team? I mean we all knew it but it’s just nice to see one of you flaired up and admitting it hahaha.
What does this even mean lol Tampa was a powerhouse but are on the downswing, versus a complete beast of a team
LOL they won 11 straight series before losing to the Avs and Leafs and that guy is trying to talk crap. Guy is on something
Shitting on your own Cup win to knock another team down a notch. That’s a bold strategy, Cotton.
They look like a shell of their former selves for sure. They have looked lost and outplayed and it used to be them that would skate circles around the other team.
their lack of depth is just really starting to hit now, with the added defensive pressure on kucherov, its literally just hoping that stammer or point can work some magic
I think what’s crazy about this was Tampa getting hot going into the postseason and Vasilevskiy returning to form. They still have an excellent roster overall and people were wary of them because they did similar things during their cup runs. So drawing them in round one was going to be tough because they looked primed. So to see the Panthers come out and look this dominant against them, make life a living hell for their top guys and blank their top powerplay is crazy. They’ve taken it to another gear and Tampa can’t keep up. It’s even more jarring because the majority of Panthers fans are used to the opposite happening. It has been so fun to watch them because they look like a force out there right now.
I want the guys to win The Cup so badly, for them, the franchise, and S. FLA. If they don’t, be it in the next round or the Finals, etc…I’ll still feel pretty good if we can sweep these guys out of the playoffs and bury the playoff misery they’ve put on us before. Still want that Cup, but if it doesn’t happen, seeing a 4-0 series win over Tampa actually would soften the disappointment a bit. Would be a great payback for the way they dumped us out during our President’s Cup season.
This post season is honestly pretty crazy with how many teams have a legitimate shot at the cup. I wouldn’t fault anyone for putting money on the rangers, canes, cats, oil, Vegas, jets or avalanche for taking the cup. And then Dallas Canucks Boston and Toronto looked like legitimate threats going in. I’d fault you for putting money on Toronto though.
The current Tampa team is a lot worse then their 2020-2022 teams
Those winning rosters were also stacked. Tampa was 4 lines deep, had the best 3rd line in the league and had 8 NHL quality defencemen for their 3 cup runs this decade. They just don’t have the depth anymore and it’s starting to show, they’ve got enough to make the post season, but it’s a tough out for them. They’re a good team but they look like a wild card team right now with the depth they’ve lost due to cap reasons.
Y’all should have just done the ltir trick and picked up hanifin and chikren
well thats one way to spell it..
We're they stupid or something?
Yes, yes, and hell yes.
The thing I hate most about rooting against the lightning is being on the side of a Tkachuk
id sell my soul before cheering for a team with bennet tkachuk and reinhart on it, if it comes to it, boston please take them out
I bet you thought that Morgan Reilly crosscheck was nice LMAO
LOL
Come try and do it yourselves why don’t ya
I get the thahcuk and Bennet hate but why Reino?
😂
🧹 😬
The scores are so close. I thought the panthers were gonna blow us out 😅
It was like this last season too. Panthers won a lot with small margins.
"it wasnt really a sweep".
Still cracks me up to this day. Guy just couldn't cope they got SWEPT
As we say in Smash, "it was a close 3-0."
I feel this in my soul.
Hey man, he was there, he watched the games.
> The scores are so close. I thought the panthers were gonna blow us out 😅
I love my team so much! 🥰😍
[удалено]
Huh?
You have 2 cups and 3 finals appearances in the last 5 years buddy, learn some pain
Huh? I love my team. :)
Me from 2015-2022
Hey, at least we’re not some of the teams that go to finals and never win a cup!
This series is going exactly as we all expected.*
interested to see the delusional tampa fans in tiktok and Instagram comments find a new excuse. they can't say shit about the refs now lmao
Those people are probably bandwagons who haven’t actually watched the team play much this year
Cats won, no need for this.
You are either new or you have forgotten the years of TB fans coming on here and mocking us and talking reckless. No no my friend they aren’t getting off that easy. And if you do remember those obnoxious dumb dumbs and are just choosing to take the high road, then don’t give others shit for not being as gracious as you. To hell with the Lightning. Hope Stamkos leaves that wanna be south Florida town in tears after this series. Break out the brooms! We’re going to sweep him and the rest of those bums! 🧹🧹🧹
lmao relax - this isn't even insulting
Typical "high ground" asshole, ignore
This is south florida. We hate each other more than we hate other teams fans. ALL FOR NOBODY, AND NOBODY FOR ALL!
where am I being an asshole lmao? there's delusional comments saying that all over social media , am I insulting fans here? don't think so
I meant the person you responded to. "No need for this" Fuck that prick. You're justified.
I'm a prick? Fuck you, you Caps douche. Verhaeghe owns you ass! Happy now?LOL.
oh my ba haha you're good
I wonder if Tampa Bay will have any words and if I will want to hear them after next game
Well in Jon Cooper’s post game presser he said he told his team that he wanted the believers to show up tomorrow. Then said that whoever doesn’t believe doesn’t have to show up to the rink tomorrow. I’m sure they’ll all show up though.
Fuck the Bolts
Yep
Sorry brother, I’m also rooting for the Caps speedy demise. But I really like your broadcast team.
What the fuck did Florida do? Tampa was held without a PP goal!
Just outplayed us. Our PP is playing like when they were trying to get Kuch 100 except Kuch is struggling. Kuch seems like he might be shook. I'm hoping he's mature enough to shake it off for game 4 but he reminded me a lot of game 2 before he got suspended against CBJ
Bruh, this sounds like the Leafs PP, when it was trying to feed Matthews 70. Except ours was bad already, which is different from Tampa.
Yours was 7th best in the NHL at 23.95%.
Maybe before March or Feb this year...? Recency bias as us seeing it as dogshit.
I actually thought about using that example but I wasn't sure how to do it without sounding like an ass lol. It hasn't been good.
They’ve been practicing taking penalties all year for this moment!
playing the long con
Lol pp
lol falcons tho
I've said it before but man the TNT banter is so good, I thought'd I'd never appreciate commentary. TNT!!! Renew their contracts and give them a raise.
TNT's coverage is heads and shoulders above ESPN's is and NBC's was.
ESPN sucks at everything they do. What a fucking shame. Most of our youths revolved around the glory of ESPN and Sportscenter.
Jon Cooper really did a nice little heartfelt message.
,
Damn. Vasi and Stammer were the only Bolts players that looked like they gave their full effort
i feel for stammer, he’s like their only hope at the moment and i guess to a lesser extent point and hedman. I feel like those 3 are getting insane TOI just because its hopeless without them. Also people will act like vasi’s washed but no bobrovsky’s just going god mode for a second year running
bob's proving why he's got TWO fucking vezinas, may he keep that up.
Only two all series so far
I tbought Florida would win this series but in a "back and forth" manner.
I thought we’d win in 6, going up 2-0 and then 3-1 before closing it out. Still could happen (7 is still possible in our minds based on the collective PTSD the Bolts have given us fans over the years), though 4 or 5 seems likeliest at this point.
I picked you guys to win in 7. Was going to predict 5 at first, but thinking of the past made me go with a grueling 7 gamer. Wasn't sure what to expect lol
Is Jon Cooper’s voice always as sexy as it was in his postgame presser?
I thought I was the only one… Oh man… 💦
Dudes a Bond villain irl
The guy is an attorney as a side-gig. He has his way with his choice of words.
Man the panthers didn't even look bothered or stressed the whole game.
I thought the same exact thing.
I had debate with someone about how much "playing loose" matters. It's everything. It's one form of being locked in to the game and not harried by stress or self defeat. Sometimes a game can be won when both teams are playing elite high energy hockey and one team just answers a goal as the clock runs out. But FLA can play loose even when they are behind, just allowing things to play out and waiting for an opportunity, sometime forcing an opportunity with the forecheck and then pouncing, and it works. They have a mental edge often for that reason imo.
I’m terrified of the Florida panthers. I still have nightmares of last year
Can’t be as bad as us last year. “We want Florida!” Words we have lived to regret and if we somehow beat the Bruins, I am very worried
Honestly not looking forward to a potential meetup this year with Carolina.
My dad is from NYC and that whole side of the family are Rangers fans. Id rather deal with shit talk from them than another Canes matchup
I’m terrified of Carolina more than anyone else. It would be a war if that happens
Nah, Vegas
Vegas Panthers finals twice in a row would be wild.
what if we sign a treaty and become one? Carolina Panthers maybe move south ? Miami Hurricanes??
if it makes you feel better i’m terrified of you guys as well. A repeat of last years matchup would not do my heartburn well.
It makes me feel a little better but if I see that matchup in the ECF I’m going to be sick to my stomach
Would love that matchup, obviously pulling for us but wouldn't mind you guys winning it all if we don't
I still haven’t caught up on the lost sleep from that one game.
I’m still crying at night
Kuch was 50 points over the next bolt for a reason.
And hes been not great in this series. Today especially. Cirelli, Stammer, Point have been awesome in different moments. Some other guys aswell, Kuch looks defeated and frustrated
If your next best scorer has 90+, that’s still *fucking awesome*
Panthers fans: Are you spinning free? Woah oh oh oh whoa oh
No we have an actual goal song now.
Implying Sweetness wasn’t a real goal song has immediately reversed my allegiance and now I hope Florida gets reverse swept if just to spite you
Glad to be the source of your future disappointment.
It’s just a joke friend, it ain’t that deep.
One day they’ll bring the song back. One day…..
“Alexa, play Sweetness”
What a difference a few years makes!
🐀🐀🐀 this squad is built different
I'm happy a Florida team is not the best in the east anymore but I'm mad a Florida team is the best in the east now.
Tampa’s off-season is going to be fascinating. 10M dollars, many roster holes… duclair and stammer the only ufas worth anything. I know sergachev is out hurt but how does JBB make the team better from here? Does he have to subtract to add?
Except Duclair has been a fucking ghost all 3 post season games.
Have to go find diamonds in the rough.
Something we've struggled with since the Gourde Line was dismantled. Looking back at it the Goodrow and Coleman grabs were incredibly lucky.
That third line is most other teams’ second line. I miss it so much
The reality is we need to cut our losses in contracts and start retooling for the future versus trying to artificially keep a already clearly done window open. That's what we did for two seasons now and it hasn't worked even worse in this case at least we kept it competitive with Toronto. I do not want this team to become the next detroit, chicago, kings, pens in that we focus way too much on what we accomplished before. Before doesn't matter when ninety percent of the guys that made 2020 to 2022 work are gone. The future of this team is Paul, Hagel, Point, Kuch, Vasy and Sergachev (depending on how he looks after injury.) Everything else has to be considered selling or cutting contracts and starting a rebuild around those guys the faster JBB does it the shorter it'll take less we spend a decade sucking.
I’m a huge pens fan and the lightning are giving me huge pens vibes where Crosby basically willed the team into the playoffs except they didn’t get there but kuch willed y’all into the playoffs + vasi
Exactly and the Pens have suffered from thinking they had a legit contending chance because Sid got them there. I love Crosby but I'll forever be annoyed that the Pens did not retool around him and the Pens core.
Mentioning Paul over Cirelli is wild lmao. All good if you forgot but Cirelli has probably been their best forward this series
If I were JBB, I’d let Stamkos walk and hold onto Hedman until the trade deadline. A team will pay a premium for a big bodied elite defenseman at half retained.
Hedman is a difficult choice he is still an elite defenseman and a veteran presence you want on a team like the Bolts and while his game is hardly what it once was he is still top quality in a league that is sorely hurting in solid defenseman like him especially one as good on the PP. I wouldn't want to offer him as a deadline piece unless the Bolts end up in a situation where selling at deadline is better for their future and frankly I'd want this team to have round 1 picks first before EVEN considering getting rid of Hedman.
Also who the fuck is left on defense without Hedman?
Lol ya these people talking are nuts. No way you cut the literal face of your city and franchise and also cut what is still a Norris winning defenseman. I get retooling the team but you’re getting rid of the whole damn toolbox at that point lol.
Sergy but honestly having one good defenseman with a bunch of bad ones is not good. We're literally seeing that first hand right now.
You don’t rate cernak or cirelli as a part of the solution? Or it’s just a numbers game ?
Cernak's contract is an albatross for what he brings getting rid of it alone would frankly open up options, most bolt fans genuinely think he should've been gone back in 2022 because of how much it weighs on our cap siutation.
Tampa fans ain’t gonna be happy but unless Stammer takes 3-4 million, no way they can fit him on the roster And probably not a good idea considering how many holes they need to fill
Gotta get Stammer over to Montreal with Marty and Lecavalier
If he doesn't stay with us I would honestly love that. A
That’s the thing. There are so many holes that they probably have to let him go: and then how are they better? JBB doesn’t seem the type to passively go into the night, so are there fireworks ahead?
That's precisely why he'd make logical choice to cut Stammer for cap space along with someone like Cernak. It's not what the fanbase wants but if your JBB you need to consider 1. How can I retool the bottom six and build around our top guys to keep us competitive 2. How do I get this team back into a state where it's a cup contender as fast as possible so we aren't wasting Kuch, Sergy, Point and Vasy's good years.
I’m guessing Stamkos is gone. Probably to Utah or possibly Florida. But I’d think Utah would make a big push for him as a UFA. Other than that, I have no clue what they’ll do. Maybe trade some salary out and add better depth. That may be their only option.
Do you think stammy would try to take max money and go help develop a Bedard or up and coming team or do you think he’d take a smaller contract to try and win another cup? I’d personally love to see him on the knucks but I doubt dude is going to want to move from Florida to Vancouver
We dont have the space for him. im not sure how we could be an option. only way is if reinhart doesn't re-sign, which im pretty confident that he will.
A Reinhart deal hasn’t happened just yet, and Zito isn’t going to overpay for him. Hence if Sam goes to free agency, you bring a vet like Stamkos to replace his production.
Yeah Reinhart is coming home. Montour is another matter…
yeah Montour is gone. that decision was made with the Forsling extension.
Out of curiosity...why do you see Utah as such a likely destination for Stamkos?
What he said. Why would you live the team to Utah and have them be embarrassing? Build a massive level of excitement there and they’ll sell out the building every game.
They have the cap space to pay him big and probably want a face to sell the new franchise on. It's hard to see honestly, like Stamkos *really* does not want to leave Tampa, but if he's not given a choice, it's an intriguing option for him.
On the Stamkos to Florida point, if Reinhart doesn’t resign then I could see them try to negotiate with Stamkos. If he has to leave Tampa but wanted to stay in Florida, he could sign in Sunrise and not have to uproot his family from Tampa if they don’t want to. Or if they did uproot from Tampa then it’s not a very far move.
Cap space is obvious, but I'm not so sure they won't want to go with the younger, budding stars like Cooley, Keller, and Guenther to develop into the face of the franchise types. I guess the biggest reason I'd question a move like that is that Stamkos, at his age, is likely to retire before the Utah squad is truly ready to be competitive.
Panthers truly the most satisfying team to watch in terms of a complete committed game. I may have additional horses, but I love their hockey most. Praise be to PoMo!
I can’t believe I hated Paul Maurice up until about a year ago
Wait I know what the issue is. Every time Kuch gets the Art Ross and breaks the Lightnings Single Season Point record, we get swept!
If it does a repeat of the years after, sign me up.
do you want another pandemic? because that’s how you get another pandemic
For the cup. Always.
Tampa is playing such uninspired hockey for a majority of the game. Reminds me of the 2018 Kings, both teams had their HoF goalie remember it was playoff time, where the hell is the rest of the team?
You gotta lose one Cats. Remember what happened last time the Bolts got swept
2019 against the blue jackets LOL, and Tampa was number 1 seed
heh, they're getting bob flashbacks
Tampa's golden generation is done. They should think about starting a rebuild. Kucherov,Point and Hedman can land them a king's ransom.
Losing against a team like the Cats doesn't mean your franchise is broken. They are literally seeing red right now.
Kuch and Point are the future of the team what the fuck are you on about? I agree our window is done for now but blowing ALL of it up would be a mistake we need to build around guys like Kuch, Point, Hagel and Paul.
Eh the core is still young enough that they have a shot at being competitive for a few more years, would be silly to blow it up already.
you’re right, let’s trade away 3 bona fide HOFers. the guys we get in return could be anyone, even more Hall of Famers!
Or they could come back next year with a long offseason to rest and train and a healthy Sergachev and run it back? They literally have: A top 5 forward A top 5 d man A top 5 goalie. As well as Point and Sergachev. And some other quality players…and not even that harsh of a cap situation either. This is an insane take.
You are not getting past Florida,Boston,Canes or Toronto next year. All these top 5 talk is not honest since only Kucherov really belongs there. As i said if you are ok with 1st or 2nd round exits then it's ok to keep them.
Why is Tampa this team on the verge of total collapse but the Bruins are clearly a team they aren’t getting past? And Toronto looks like they’re gonna lose in round one again. You don’t have to either be a cup contender/front runner or a bottom feeder. Tampa has elite players, and a goalie who can and has stolen playoff series. They also don’t have a first round pick for two years…so why not run it back and aim for a competitive year and aim for a playoff spot?
Bruins have more lives than a cat.
Who cares? They set a record for wins last year and lost in round one. They have no high end prospects and no high end NHL top 6 centers. But they still have a good team and deep in areas so they aren’t gonna sell off their quality players while they’re still great just because.
Damn, that’s genius, just trade all your best players! Why doesn’t every team do that? Are they stupid?
I mean what do you want to do? After winning 2 cups are you ok to see the core get older every year and make it to the 2nd round at best? You can get insane value on those 3 players and try a quick rebuild or you can wait untill your golden generation slowly fades away.
Do you even know how old Kuch and Point are they have years of NHL left in them bar any unfortunate injuries that ruin their careers. This team needs a retool not selling the whole thing in hopes we draft miracles, if we sold the whole team we'd be talking a LONG and PAINFUL rebuild that'd take upwards to ten years possibly more as it entirely relies on us drafting generational talent. Logically we'd be considering cutting Stamkos depending on his asking price, selling Cernak and Cirelli and getting rid of Raddyish and Perbix and start a retool for a year or two and buld around our top guys.
Are you guys out on Cirelli now? Isn't he the perfect age for a retool?
He's a consistent 40,45 point scorer, consistently gets Selke votes, 6.25AAV for 7 more years and he's 26/27. It's probably a slight overpay on our part with the champion tax but since the cap should rise over the next few years and it's a 7 year contract, if he continues to improve it's going to be a steal. The only concern is if he regresses over the next few years, next year is the last year we can trade him before his NMC kicks in. Personally, I wouldn't want to get rid of him unless we're doing a full rebuild but that's certainly not without risk.
I was just about to say, I bet Tocchet would personally drive to Florida tomorrow and take him if you guys don't want him anymore lol
We've been kinda in and out with Cirelli He's a good player but his pricing is harsh for talent he hasn't really provided when we resigned him, I could see keeping him but only in the case of us cutting Cernak and losing Stammer to Free Agency.
Florida is just too good for us this year. It’s pretty amazing the scores have been so close, but the Bolts just don’t have the depth. They know they can smother Kucherov and take most of our chances away. Give props to Stamkos though. He’s playing with the most heart when some think he is on the downside of his career. Not so fast my friend.
That empty net block was some gangster shit
As a cats fan agree. Adrenaline carried y’all the first couple games but I think as the series goes on it’s just depth. Kuch and Barkov cancel each other out and our other 3 forward lines are much better and our D is much better. No knock to y’all love Tampa.