Are these guys for real?

So, the best I can figure, the Lightning, even in its Cup season, never won 12 games in a 14-game stretch which is just what this bunch can do Friday in New York.

The interesting thing will be to see what general manager Jay Feaster will do at the trade deadline. If he's serious about getting a puck-moving defenseman who also has some grit, he better get in line. Making it more difficult is that there are very few teams ready to sell. The shootout has put everybody into the playoff race, so many teams are looking to buy.

I'll get into some names that seem practical to acquire in a day or so.

But remember what happened last season? Feaster decided to stand pat. Would that bother you if it happened again this season? Do you want him to get a rental that would not impact next season's cap? Or a player who is relatively cheap and can be added to next season's roster that will be squeezed by the payroll cut?

Tough calls all, mostly because a bigger name will require a bigger return to the team doing the selling, and Tampa Bay just doesn't seem that deep.

Comments

[Phantom]

Standing pat as we did last year won't cut it. Fans will start to lose a little faith in Jay's purple wizards cap, and the box office will reflect the concern. We have all the grit we need in Luke Richardson, with top shelf character as a bonus. (So, forget Cullimore.) Can't four other guys take the offense to the other end and git 'er done? Mind, the other club will have one guy with a toe cheating to our blue line, so it's essentially a four on four and a half. (Most times, I like our four.) What's so great about Janik? Whoopee, we've found no further need for Delmore's services. But #3 isn't so spiffy that we can jettison the guy who's been scratched an obscene number of games. Get a big gamer and re-shuffle the deck this summer.
Then light a fire beneath some dead weight on offense. The abundant talent on the 3rd and 4th lines hasn't produced. I know they're trying their butts off but, some of them are lucky there isn't an expansion club coming 'round this year.....
I have a jumpy gut feeling either nothing will transpire, or it will be lame as hell; a key someone will get injured and we'll look indecently thin after backing into the post season. For what it's worth, this season has been an all right Space Mountain ride thus far. Money well spent on five or six of the twenty.

[JB]

Since it is clear Feaster lacks the guts to move one of the big 3 for something called depth, a rental player is the only real alternative, especially with the budget going down next season. It's too bad we can't con someone into taking Denis. This team has so many holes, it's hard to say what we're in most need of. Get what you can while you can.

[Patricia]

I would be really pissed if he didnt make a move. I dont think moving the big 3 is a good idea, but we do need defense! Why cant we trade Denis (even though no one really wants him) for a D player. He is just taking up salary right now and doing nothing. I say bring up Ramo as a backup and trade Denis for a decent D. All I can say is he needs to do something!But stop wasting our salary on a goalie who cant even earn it!

[keith]

All the best ones are already
"working", so if a "rental" is to be had, he's probably a bench warmer for another team. How does that help?
Our guys ain't chopped liver right now. I say leave well enough alone. It's always exciting to think of a stud coming to the team, something new. But it doesn't always work. While he has been injured a lot,, Forsberg, just one guy, has not made such a difference in Philly.
We have the top two scorers in the league, firing on all cylinders, the third scoring D guy in the league and a hot goalie. If the 3rd and 4th line guys are getting by on "luck" so be it.( I think that's a crock!) Its better to be lucky than good, some say. You make your own good luck too.
You only need to "make" the play offs, then ride a hot goalie. If Holmer keeps it up, we'll be in good shape come the play offs.
TBL, as well as ATL, PITT, OTT, NYR, NJ and others could easily have a five game losing streak, then back onto a 10 game winning streak before the season is over. Wait for that fat lady to chime, and stay with these guys. There ain't no Sydors out there this year.

[SarasotaBill]

This team is begining to look like the team we saw a couple of seasons ago. Although most everyone has contributed to this incredible run, a huge key has been the play of Homer. What a difference a goalie can make. It's certainly not all him, but without that kind of goalie play we don't have this streak.

As for trades, I'm glad I don't have to make that call. It's been made clear that without a deep run into the playoffs that will generate additional revenue, the Bolts budget will be cut to 40 mil next year. Take the salaries of the trinity, toss in Boyle, Kuba, and Denis and you are at 30 mil +/-. Good luck filling out the roster with the remaining dollars. If you make a deal that helps the team make that deep run, Feaster can make a strong case for an increase in player salaries next season. Standing pat and getting tossed in the first round again would be disastrous. Not only for the teams fortune but for next years roster. If the right guy can be acquired (even a "rent a player") and that player helps the team go deep into the playoffs, Feaster will have effectively increased team success for this season and given himself more salary room for next season. Pick up the wrong guy and he will drown himself. Tough call.

Depending on what Feaster is willing to part with, I'd expect nothing more than a rental player to finish out the season but then again, who knows what he has up his sleeve. As much as I think I'd like to be GM for a season, I wouldn't like being in that seat right now. I'm sure he's feeling the pressure right now. Emotions can cloud vision and thought. Let's hope any decision he makes will be based on true value and not a knee jerk reaction to the heat.

Go Bolts!!!!!!!

[TIM ACOSTA]

Marty St. louis said it best. "We (including D. Boyle,Brad Richards, Vinny L. and Vinny P.) cannot be asked to play this amount of ice time consistantly through the intire season.
If the lightning are going to succeed in the play-offs they are going to need scoring depth. Vinny L., Marty. and Brad Richards are currently responsible for about 52 percent of the scoring. If one of them becomes injured or the flu bug comes around again and strikes one of them before a critical juncture in the remaining season, all could be lost.
I'm sure that the Bolts' defense can probably hold its own right now, but Nolan Pratt and Paul Ranger will have to step up their game. The bottom line is, there is not enough scoring depth and we need more production out of the second and third lines to take pressure off the 1st line. The current checking line with Roy, Tarnasky and Karlsson has done everything asked of it. One or two more scoring forwards (cap friendly of course) to go on line 2 and 3 would be sure to advance the lightning deep into the playoffs and maybe another cup for th Lightning.

[Satch]

No doubt the top guys are in danger of burning out before the end of the season with all those minutes. Torts has got to trust the 3rd and 4th lines to hold their own and save the big guns legs. Giving them an occasional day off from practice isn't the answer. As much as it may help, 25+ minutes a game will eventually take it's toll. No legs left come playoff time spells disaster. I'm holding out hope that Hard Luck Murdock - AKA Eric Perrin, Feds, Craig, Alexeev, and the rest can kick up the scoring a little so the big guys can save some legs for when we really need it.

If we are going to make a run, we will need some secondary scoring and almost perfect defensive play. I think we are a little light on defense but I think we have the potential for secondary scoring with what we have. I would expect a guy like Brewer, or Stuart (if the price is right) as a rental for the remainder of the season. That, coupled with elevated contributions from a couple of our secondary forwards, could easily lead us to the promised land.

At this point, Feaster has everything to gain, and lose, on any deal. He strikes me as a guy who would prefer to go down with guns blazing. I have no doubts he will make a move or 2!!

Could you imagine if Brad, Vinny, or Marty got injured or sick? That 52% just went down to 30%. But I believe Feds will kick it up a notch. Remembered how he shined in the playoffs. Perrin, Craig and Alexeev all have the talent they just need to start clicking a little more.

[Erin]

I don't think we need any more forwards. We have enough that aren't producing as it is. Fedotenko and Aleexev need to start producing, or they're taking up to much $$, Feds especially. Craiger's been a bit dull as well.

I hate saying this, but any of those three could go without denting us too badly.

I think Ranger's doing fine, and Sarich has been a blocking machine this year. Richardson has sat out more games than he's played it seems, so what's he doing for us?

Denis is sucking up money the club doesn't have right now. Not sure what Feaster was thinking signing a goalie with his numbers for $2.8 million.

If Holmer keeps his play up, I guarantee he'll want more than his $600,000 next season.

There's room to clear some money, if Feaster has the guts to cut those who aren't working out.

[Phantom]

Even though Luongo is luongo gone, there are still two quality guys in Broward County I really like, Jokinen and Bouwmeester. Either one would help us on either school of thought: more effective firepower/character or a defensive stud to help make our goal tenders look better. Before they fold their tired, loser tent in South Florida, how stupid can we make the Panthers look? I think of it as sort of a payback after Terry Crisp's faux pas of calling them 'Kitty cats', and Roger Nielsen pasted that note on their bulletin board. The Panthers have gone hard at us ever since, and one those two should stop through The Bay area before leaving the state. (If not this year, then next.)

[Ed N.]

The goalie situation seems to have solidified. So the difference between a four-and-out first round and another skate of the Cup is on the blue line. Someone who can chew up minutes and pass the puck could make that difference.

A cheap player would not be of much help in the playoffs. A UFA star would cost too much long term. The ideal player would be one we could afford only for this year and 'flip' during the summer. We could then get back most of the value we traded away to get him. Finding such is player is difficult but it is what puts GMs into the HOF. Jay Feaster are ya' listening?