Is anyone else's picture ****ing up big time right now? Super annoying.

Nah, it's not your TV. Islanders just that bad.

Would be against all-odds as they are probably the worst team left in the playoffs still. Getting Stamkos back probably hurts them more than helps. Getting him back would just simply re-allocate Kucherov and Hedman's production again, while weakening them defensively. Stralman would be a boon, but I would only move them on-par with Dallas probably, and behind everyone else still with a healthy Stralman.

lol

Tampa legit.

Stamkos overrated.

Stralman back would be huge though.

Yep Stralman back is what they need. Don´t exactly think getting Stamkos back would hurt, but not as crucial. Stl and SJ I think are playing the best, but would would guess series against tampa would be around 62-38.

So they snap let Stammer walk if they make the finals (regardless of the outcome), right? I mean if they make it without him in the lineup.

^ seems legit imo

I'm implying they'll also beat the Pens or Caps too based on the wording of my post. They could do a lot on the back end with that $, and I'd think Drouin maybe staying and developing also factors in. I'm Also thinking expansion would matter with their roster being so deep. If they want to protect Andrei Vasilevskiy too (and I think they would), then it's gonna get tight at forward come expansion. Obviously it's all predicated on how big a number Stamkos wants.

uh huh, make a 7-8 year decision on a star player based on the outcome of 4-7 games

let him walk and pass ~80% of the savings on to Andew Ladd or some ****!

gjge

Do the cap math on giving TJ, Palat, Killorn, Kucherov and Hedman for their big boy deals. Obviously something is going to have to give. What I'm saying is they may not be able to give him the keys to the kingdom with what's coming contract wise for them. Obviously, Toronto can. So when I say let him walk, I mean you can't or won't match the beastly offer coming from Toronto.

yeah letting an asset like Stamkos just walk for nothing definitely seems like the best course of action

Yzerman sure did make it hard on himself for no reason though

think they're ok for next season if they can dump 1 of those guys, which shouldn't be impossible

yes at some point they have to make some tough decisions, but i think losing Stamkos for nothing would be an extremely horrible choice

But you word it like they have a choice now that it's gotten this far. It's either give him the max$/max years/NMC or he walks. I just don't see what other outcome is left once you've gotten this close to July 1. if the cap contracts from the CDN dollar it's even tougher for them to comply with his demands.

I'm with rafiki here, if Stamkos is going to demand a max/long term deal (and let's face it why wouldn't he) I think you have to explore the option of having him walk. Obviously though that is not the best course of action since guys who score 60 goals a year in this era of the NHL aren't exactly common place. However, I think guys like Hedman/Kucherov/Palat are going to more valuable to the Lightning long term.

If I'm Yzerman, I probably try and trade him in the off-season if you can the right return.

Interesting problem is that the Lightning are in a situation where they are built to win now so losing a guy like Stamkos for nothing could be problematic. However, they also have a lot of super young guys (although Stamkos isn't exactly ancient either).

you guys realize the max is like $14-15m/year right? he ain't gettin' that from anyone

watch him re-sign with Tampa for like $72m/8

I agree with rafiki that if Toronto, or anybody, offers Stamkos a mega-contract, they could easily decide to let him walk. Every player has a price.

However, I think that decision is completely unrelated to the result of the ECF.

Contracts aside, I'd put Stamkos = Drouin right now and I'd lay money it would be Drouin >> Stamkos all day in 2 years. I'm being conservative because I think Drouin might be better right now in a lot of peoples eyes.

Cwice going big time in the Washington Post. How about that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...e-a-masochist/

Yeah pretty fair. I think it just softens up the fans, softens up the owners etc... if you have some success without him before he walks out the door.

Btw 72o, in terms of someone offering him the max, man at this point no number would surprise me. Toronto has a lot of incentive to overpay.

Don't think Toronto has much incentive to overpay at all. Their managment hasn't been there that long and they seem quite patient

blowing $15m/year on 1 player doesn't really strike me as a Lou move.

i mean Stamkos will probably have a choice to make, take $8-10m/year from Tampa and play the rest of your prime on a perennial contender with Kucherov/Johnson/Palat/Drouin/Hedman/etc, or go to the highest bidder.

Stamkos is worth it short term but the back end of his deal is gonna suck for whoever acquires him

if someone signs him away from Tampa, he'll be 33 when a max term deal expires, and ready for his final contract.

he's basically positioned to be the GOAT OAT UFA.

Not that I'm superstitious, but wearing exact same outfit as game 6 win over Ducks (I found my Blue Hat!), parked on same block of same street, drinking same beer in same cheap Mexican restaurant.


Better seat tho. Hope that doesn't **** us.