GDT: Non-Panthers 2021 Playoffs

[Vilam]

That said, next season we're gonna lay a smack down on em.

Give me Tampa in the playoffs again. I'm not afraid.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

At least the Marlins walked off with a HR.

 

[Panteras]

Funny, we actually peppered the shit out of Vasi. We had 17 goals on him in 6 games…more than any other team. Our problem was our D and goaltending of course.

 

[GrumpyKelly]

Finally over. Let the offseason begin.

 

[Gentle Man]

Tampa radio said panthers have them their biggest challenge.

We outplayed them multiple games and lost out on two areas.

Goaltending and PK.

And a sam bennett suspension.

 

[KW]

Congrats to the Bolts because I’m not gonna stay bitter. But it needs to be recognized that this roster they have is way over the cap. Let’s see if they pull the same trick this time too except with say Cirelli and/or Hedman. Also: will other teams now do the same?

 

[Catscountry40]

Any time thinks back to this titled people will talk about the cap.
TB fans can kick and scream, but it will never change the fact it’s tainted.

All from a guy faking being hurt a couple extra months.

 

[I am not exposed]

Any time thinks back to this titled people will talk about the cap.
TB fans can kick and scream, but it will never change the fact it’s tainted.

All from a guy faking being hurt a couple extra months.

Honestly, I don't think Tampa fans care.

If we won the cup in the same fashion, I wouldn't care.

It also happened with Chicago a few years ago when Kane was on IR for the end of the season. They won the cup, and their fans don't care.

Do I think the rules should be different? Yes. But fair play on these teams finding loopholes to give themselves the biggest advantage they can. And these teams still have to be good enough without a star player to even make the playoffs.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

It's actually quite silly how we were the only team able to get shots off against Vasy.

227 shots over 6 games.

For comparison:

CAR: 151 in 5
NYI: 182 in 7
MON: 140 in 5

 

[Gentle Man]

It's actually quite silly how we were the only team able to get shots off against Vasy.

227 shots over 6 games.

For comparison:

CAR: 151 in 5
NYI: 182 in 7
MON: 140 in 5

We produced more shots and Vasy had his lowest sv% against the Panthers as well.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

Put Bob on that team, and he probably produces as well. Not Vezina level maybe, but .915/2.75

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

Honestly, I don't think Tampa fans care.

If we won the cup in the same fashion, I wouldn't care.

It also happened with Chicago a few years ago when Kane was on IR for the end of the season. They won the cup, and their fans don't care.

Do I think the rules should be different? Yes. But fair play on these teams finding loopholes to give themselves the biggest advantage they can. And these teams still have to be good enough without a star player to even make the playoffs.

The Lightning were actually upset after what happened with the Hawks and Kane in 2015 and, during the offseason CBA talks, proposed closing the loophole regarding LTIR. Tampa was the only team that voted to close the loophole. ALL other teams were against changing the rules. So...

Next season the Bolts will have to shed cap in a big way plus lose someone good to the expansion draft. The Panthers gave them one heck of a run without their #1D in Ekblad! The Cats are definitely on their way up. Next season should be a fun ride.

 

[I am not exposed]

The Lightning were actually upset after what happened with the Hawks and Kane in 2015 and, during the offseason CBA talks, proposed closing the loophole regarding LTIR. Tampa was the only team that voted to close the loophole. ALL other teams were against changing the rules. So...

Next season the Bolts will have to shed cap in a big way plus lose someone good to the expansion draft. The Panthers gave them one heck of a run without their #1D in Ekblad! The Cats are definitely on their way up. Next season should be a fun ride.

If you can't beat them, join them. Interesting they were the only team who voted to close the loophole after 2015.

 

[AwesomePanthers]

Tampa radio said panthers have them their biggest challenge.

We outplayed them multiple games and lost out on two areas.

Goaltending and PK.

And a sam bennett suspension.

100% true. Specialteams and goaltending was the big difference. We’ll get them next season boys!

 

[Prominence Problem]

McDonough stated after the game in an interview last night that the first round of the 2021 playoffs were extremely difficult. I watched a lot of this playoffs and no other team besides the Tampa Bay Lightning stuck out to me like the Florida Panthers. Makes me very excited for next season.
I'll be popping in for the expansion Draft, the entry draft, and the start of free agency. Otherwise I'll talk to everyone next season.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

If you can't beat them, join them. Interesting they were the only team who voted to close the loophole after 2015.

Actually, I do believe that St. Louis also voted to close the loophole. Everyone else? Nope.

 

[Catscountry40]

Honestly, I don't think Tampa fans care.

If we won the cup in the same fashion, I wouldn't care.

It also happened with Chicago a few years ago when Kane was on IR for the end of the season. They won the cup, and their fans don't care.

Do I think the rules should be different? Yes. But fair play on these teams finding loopholes to give themselves the biggest advantage they can. And these teams still have to be good enough without a star player to even make the playoffs.

They say they don’t care.

But they do. My TB buddies from college have made every argument.

They want to be seen as some all time juggernaut but in reality it’s not impressive what they did.

Anyone with 19.4 in extra players should win.

Imagine if the were able to hypothetically Panthers add a another top 6 D and Winger for the series and TB had to play on an equal surface.

We beat them hands down.

When you cheat on a test and get an A it helps your GPA, but don’t go telling people how smart you are.

 

[ProjectPanthers]

It's actually quite silly how we were the only team able to get shots off against Vasy.

227 shots over 6 games.

For comparison:

CAR: 151 in 5
NYI: 182 in 7
MON: 140 in 5

Because we were one of the best teams in the league and playing Tampa round one was a cruel joke by the hockey gods.

This should've been the "East" final.

And no I ain't congratulating Tampa, f*** 'em.

 

[SoupyFIN]

They say they don’t care.

But they do. My TB buddies from college have made every argument.

They want to be seen as some all time juggernaut but in reality it’s not impressive what they did.

Anyone with 19.4 in extra players should win.

Imagine if the were able to hypothetically Panthers add a another top 6 D and Winger for the series and TB had to play on an equal surface.

We beat them hands down.

When you cheat on a test and get an A it helps your GPA, but don’t go telling people how smart you are.

Tbh I'm getting tired of other fanbases complaining about TBL's shady cap business. Yes, they knowingly cheated within the rulebook (the league had plenty of time to adress the situation since Chicago pulled the same move in 2015 with Kane), but it's not like they brought in a bunch of new players just looking for a cup ring on cheap deals. The roster is virtually the same as last year, outside of some depth pieces and Savard (who wasn't even that good for the price they paid, someone is going to regret giving him term).

On the topic of extra money, before the salary cap some teams spent an absurd amount of money (Rangers are the obvious example) and didn't come even close to winning the cup. A financial edge helps, but it doesn't guarantee success.

 

[drktmplr12]

The Lightning were actually upset after what happened with the Hawks and Kane in 2015 and, during the offseason CBA talks, proposed closing the loophole regarding LTIR. Tampa was the only team that voted to close the loophole. ALL other teams were against changing the rules. So...

Next season the Bolts will have to shed cap in a big way plus lose someone good to the expansion draft. The Panthers gave them one heck of a run without their #1D in Ekblad! The Cats are definitely on their way up. Next season should be a fun ride.

Reading the various threads out there I understand two of Johnson Killorn and Coleman likely the odd men out. I feel like many Tampa fans think it's no big deal but TBL depth is going to suffer big. The wildcard is whether prospects are ready to fill in the gaps because I don't see how else they fill out a roster. Assuming Coleman and Johnson that's only $5m off the books, less than $2m in cap space with 10 F, 5 D, and 1 G on the roster. The best thing they have going for them is guys want to play for Tampa.

I think they will have to free up like $10m or make some hockey trades that bring down the cap and then hire within.

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

Reading the various threads out there I understand two of Johnson Killorn and Coleman likely the odd men out. I feel like many Tampa fans think it's no big deal but TBL depth is going to suffer big. The wildcard is whether prospects are ready to fill in the gaps because I don't see how else they fill out a roster. Assuming Coleman and Johnson that's only $5m off the books, less than $2m in cap space with 10 F, 5 D, and 1 G on the roster. The best thing they have going for them is guys want to play for Tampa.

I think they will have to free up like $10m or make some hockey trades that bring down the cap and then hire within.

Yeah, it's going to be challenging because the Bolts' depth is a big part of what won them the Cup. Especially during the last series when Montreal almost completely shut down the top line and the top PP unit. Now, the Bolts do have an excellent player development (and scouting) program so having to fill a bunch of roster spots from within can work. But, though they'll probably still make the playoffs, I doubt they'll end up being true contenders for a three-peat. Stamkos even said that the boys were using the fact that the team won't be the same ever again as a motivator to repeat. There's even been some scuttlebutt that McDonagh might end up unprotected since they'll need to protect Hedman (NMC) then Sergachev and Cernak as the future core and Mac has a BIG contract with a good number of years left. Seeing how great Mac's playoffs were, I think Seattle would be interested (instant legit D and possible first Captain), especially if the Bolts could move another big ticket like Johnson and/or Killorn as well.

I've followed hockey for a long, long time so I know the life of any team goes through joyous ups and horrific down cycles. Am just happy to have been along for the ride. Now it looks like the Cats are making their way up and that's gonna be fun!

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

I don't see how the Lightning don't find a way to protect McDonagh, honestly. Unless JBB, in essence, decides to try and mini rebuild-on-the-fly approach here, avoiding perhaps a Blackhawks or Kings-like swift fall from grace. Lightning can't expect to contend for the Cup without McDonagh, and I really have no reason to think he won't be an effective player worth his cap hit for at least the remaining duration of his NTC years (his NTC expires for the final year of his contract). You can't put a price on having a shutdown pairing like McD and Cernak in the playoffs. It's a tough decision where I don't envy JBB - losing McDonagh instantly saves you $6.25M - but then you need to replace his spot, and who's going to replace him and at what cost? I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the downsides.

I realize that the alternative to this leaves you more exposed in terms of forward depth being exposed. Stamkos, Kucherov, and Point are obviously all protected and you can only choose one of Cirelli/Gourde/Palat/Killorn from there. The risks are plain to see. In the best case scenario, JBB is able to swing a deal with Seattle that will end with them taking Johnson as the Lightning's expansion sacrifice, and then assess (probable) moves involving Palat and/or Killorn from there. I suppose the hope from there is that there's a Cup-chasing veteran or two who won't cost much who can help in filling in those roles for 2021-'22. You can't just replace those kinds of players and their experience entirely with rookies, it would just be too much of a change. While guys like Point and Vasi and Sergachev still have time on their side, the same can't be said for many others in the core. Stamkos and Hedman are over 30. Kucherov is getting there (which also means so am I, though that's another story...). Odds are, they're past the halfway points of their primes, with Stamkos probably out of his entirely thanks to attrition. You kinda want to get as much out of these guys while you still can.

--

I'm also going to say that I expect the Panthers to win the division next season. I say this fully aware the Islanders took us to 7, but the Panthers were the toughest and best team we faced this postseason, at least in terms of the matchup difficulty they presented. Only in Games 4 and 6 did I feel the Lightning were clearly the better team (Game 2 was a bit of a toss-up; Florida was better in Games 1, 3, and 5). Very good chance you win with a healthy Ekblad, which I'm sure doesn't make anyone feel better. And, no matter what does happen with the Lightning roster during the offseason, the end result going into 2021-'22 is going to be a much-changed roster missing several of the key role players who pushed the team along the last two postseasons, a very short off-season, and just the general fatigue and difficulties finding motivation playing early season hockey after two Cup runs. Factor in a tough division and conference, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Lightning are fighting for 3rd place/wild card spots. And that's fine with me just as long as they get in ultimately. By now, it's very clear that all that matters is finding a way into the tournament, and going from there. Regular season success (unfortunately, if you ask me), doesn't mean a damn thing.

 

[Chaos2k7]

They should go back to traditional seeding 1-8

 

[I am not exposed]

They say they don’t care.

But they do. My TB buddies from college have made every argument.

They want to be seen as some all time juggernaut but in reality it’s not impressive what they did.

Anyone with 19.4 in extra players should win.

Imagine if the were able to hypothetically Panthers add a another top 6 D and Winger for the series and TB had to play on an equal surface.

We beat them hands down.

When you cheat on a test and get an A it helps your GPA, but don’t go telling people how smart you are.

Nope. Pre-cap days plenty of the biggest spending teams did not win.

 

[KW]

I've followed hockey for a long, long time so I know the life of any team goes through joyous ups and horrific down cycles. Am just happy to have been along for the ride. Now it looks like the Cats are making their way up and that's gonna be fun!

Ive followed hockey for a long long long time too, out of which I’ve been a panthers fan for a long long time and I’ve had no postseason joy, only bitter tears. Therefore, I’ve learned that my postseason happiness isn’t rooting for someone but against someone. My record there is piss poor as well. So, for starters, next season will be fun if we advance past the first round and Bolts live in cap hell with little chemistry and don’t even make the playoffs. Yeah, I could live with that.