The Lightning Blog

[Bolts_26]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pink Mist

You could say the same about the Leafs, yet they still were still winning in the last stretch of the season. Twice, it could be a coincidence, Three times, it should be looked at.

Absolutely not.
The Leafs cannot even compare there situation to the lightnings..

[Pink Mist]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bolts_26

Absolutely not. The Leafs cannot even compare there situation to the lightnings..

How many top 6 forwards to the Leafs have?
Who were the Leafs goaltenders for the last ten games?

[Bolts_26]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pink Mist

How many top 6 forwards to the Leafs have? Who were the Leafs goaltenders for the last ten games?

Still they had a few good players and a good D.

[rdnk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bolts_26

Still they had a few good players and a good D.

Yes they had Gerber, but he is meh. As for the D, Kaberle and Kubina do not play well together, so it makes it worse. They also got hosed in the Van Ryn-McCabe deal, so their defense is not great (Schenn is still coming along). And Toronto might as well have no 1st line and 2 third lines (coincidentally like Florida) forward-wise.
As for St. Louis, I would deal him for Zherdev, Stall and a 2nd+4th round draft pick. I dunno if that's unreasonable, but St. Louis was an 100 point guy at one point...
Yea, the Lightning got hosed with injuries, but so did Colorado and NYI.
And even without Rafalski, Osgood and Lidstrom, we still wave enough scoring (and Conklin) to get us to the playoffs. (Osgood and Rafalski were out for a time anyway).
Edit: nice videos!

[Bolts_26]

Quote: Originally Posted by rdnk

Yes they had Gerber, but he is meh. As for the D, Kaberle and Kubina do not play well together, so it makes it worse. They also got hosed in the Van Ryn-McCabe deal, so their defense is not great (Schenn is still coming along). And Toronto might as well have no 1st line and 2 third lines (coincidentally like Florida) forward-wise. As for St. Louis, I would deal him for Zherdev, Stall and a 2nd+4th round draft pick. I dunno if that's unreasonable, but St. Louis was an 100 point guy at one point... Yea, the Lightning got hosed with injuries, but so did Colorado and NYI. And even without Rafalski, Osgood and Lidstrom, we still wave enough scoring (and Conklin) to get us to the playoffs. (Osgood and Rafalski were out for a time anyway). Edit: nice videos!

Nice post.
Although St.louis is my favorite I would in no way mind the trade you put up there. Sure, marty maybe hitting the prim of his career, but there is no need to trade him..

[Bolts_26]

Just wanted to update you guys, but there is not much to update on.

It has been quiet in Tampa since the Leafs trade talk and the acquiring of Mitch Fadden.

The Bolts are expected to host a beyond the Blue Line soon which is for season ticket holders or anybody thinking of getting season tickets, to spend a great day at the Forum.

And that is why I enjoy being a fan of a smaller market team. In the "Beyond The Blue Line" you get to chill with Tocchet and the owners and ask them question while touring the locker room and meeting some guys on the team. Most big teams don't get an opportunity to do something so cool like that, and that is why too many people take these events for granted.

I will be here to update you on any kind of news that happens. Thanks guys.

[Bolts_26]

My next topic will be on what the Bolts need to do to be a successful team this year:

The Lightning, if injury free, look to be pretty dominant for this upcoming season. I'm not saying that we are going to win the Cup, but playoffs look like they can be reached.

The most impotent thing that must be done has nothing to do with the players, but for the owners. I know the passion and dedication these guys have, but they cannot get carried away like last year. Sure, a good FA signing won't hurt us, but signing half of the free agent list will.

They must draft well, too. If the Isles take Hedmen, they need to ask themselves "Should we take Tavares and deal with a HUGE contract within the next three years, or should we go with a defensemen and not worry about salary, too much, while adding some deapth.

Speaking of Defensemen, we need to get two or three good ones this coming season. Don't get me wrong, Meszaros,Ranger,Smaby, Lashoff, and Welch are all pretty good "D-men" but you need to be more solid there. I think a trade giving away some line 3/ line 4 guys for a solid defensemen would be prtty reasonable.

Offence does not have too many holes, but the holes are big. It is great to see that Stammer and St.louis were playing wonderful, but they still need a solid winge with them. Same goes for Lecavalier and Malone. Prospal is good, but look up his stats, he is so unpredictible. I think we have a pretty good 3rd and 4th line, but some tweaks wouldnt hurt.

Goaltending, in my mind could become a big issue. Smith is graet, but I have seen so many goalies come back from an injury and never be the same (John Grahme, Marc Denis, Darren Pupa,ect). If Smith is not playing well, it's time to trade him,although I hope that does not happen. Ramo has proven that he can handle the pressure of being a starting goalie, and he IS good, but not good enough, or old enough to carry a team far.

The Lightning offseason will be a tough and interesting one, but we will see what happens.

[rdnk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bolts_26

My next topic will be on what the Bolts need to do to be a successful team this year: The Lightning, if injury free, look to be pretty dominant for this upcoming season. I'm not saying that we are going to win the Cup, but playoffs look like they can be reached. The most impotent thing that must be done has nothing to do with the players, but for the owners. I know the passion and dedication these guys have, but they cannot get carried away like last year. Sure, a good FA signing won't hurt us, but signing half of the free agent list will. They must draft well, too. If the Isles take Hedmen, they need to ask themselves "Should we take Tavares and deal with a HUGE contract within the next three years, or should we go with a defensemen and not worry about salary, too much, while adding some depth. Speaking of Defensemen, we need to get two or three good ones this coming season. Don't get me wrong, Meszaros,Ranger,Smaby, Lashoff, and Welch are all pretty good "D-men" but you need to be more solid there. I think a trade giving away some line 3/ line 4 guys for a solid defensemen would be pretty reasonable. Offence does not have too many holes, but the holes are big. It is great to see that Stammer and St.louis were playing wonderful, but they still need a solid winger with them. Same goes for Lecavalier and Malone. Prospal is good, but look up his stats, he is so unpredictable. I think we have a pretty good 3rd and 4th line, but some tweaks wouldnt hurt. Goaltending, in my mind could become a big issue. Smith is great, but I have seen so many goalies come back from an injury and never be the same (John Grahme, Marc Denis, Darren Pupa,ect). If Smith is not playing well, it's time to trade him,although I hope that does not happen. Ramo has proven that he can handle the pressure of being a starting goalie, and he IS good, but not good enough, or old enough to carry a team far. The Lightning offseason will be a tough and interesting one, but we will see what happens.

The lightning need to do a few things to become good, IMO:
1. Stay healthy.
2. Get some better defensemen (Meszaros is good, but the other guys are not gonna cut it a #1 guys. Even big pluggers are fine). This even true moreso because Smith is good, but he's no Lundqvist, and due to the fact that you guys don't backcheck well.
3. Get a new GM. Okay maybe not, but don't do dumb stuff. Many teams have been ruined by dumb moves. They don't need to go out and get every free agent, just 1 or 2 to help.
4. Don't screw up the draft. Obviously, they'll take Hedman if the Islanders don't, because they need him. The thing is, what is Tavares good for on the Lightning? He's gonna want a ton of dough, and you guys already have great centers. And the offer of Tavares for a 1st, Schenn and Kaberle is ridiculous. Tavares is really good, but he's not worth that much... Make a reasonable deal.