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Stop the Stamkos Silliness

September 15, 2020, 12:15 AM ET [38 Comments]
Michael Stuart
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Tampa Bay Lightning have played remarkably well for a team missing a perennial point-per-game player, captain, and face of the franchise. Even without Steven Stamkos, the Bolts find themselves one win away from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final and a date with the Dallas Stars. It’s a testament to the roster depth that Julien BriseBois has built, and the way numerous players – looking at you, Ondrej Palat – have stepped up during this return-to-play postseason.

Given the team success to date, and all the mystery surrounding Stamkos’ health status, it’s not really shocking to see some suggest that the Lightning are better off without him and his $8.5M cap hit moving forward. Social media has been ablaze with takes that look something like these:

“If the team looks this good without him, do they really need him?”

“He’s made of glass. Find someone who can stay healthy and actually help the team.”

“Trade him.”

Let’s dissect these points one at a time.

First, it’s abundantly clear and fair to say that the Lightning do look good without Stamkos right now. So, in some respects, it might also be fair to say that the Lightning don’t *need* him. With that being said, it would be foolish to suggest that the Bolts wouldn’t be better off with a point-per-game player added to their lineup. Any team gets better by replacing a Tyler Johnson, or a Cedric Paquette, or a Pat Maroon with a Steven Stamkos, even if there may not a “need” by definition. Also, have you seen the Tampa power play at points during these playoffs? There’s a need.

On the health front, recency bias seems to be coloring some of the commentary floating around. Thankfully, Lightning Insider’s Erik Erlendsson has done a good job of dispelling much of the concern:

A broken leg? A blood clot? These are one-off injuries, not recurring issues that will keep him out of the lineup. The stats above show that Stamkos has not only been generally healthy over the last handful of years, but also that he’s produced at an elite rate during that time.

At a granular level, the aforementioned points provide reasons that the “trade him” narrative is, quite frankly, ridiculous. More broadly, though, what’s the endgame in a potential Stamkos trade? What are you going to get back on the trade market that will match or exceed his value, on and off the ice? Before anyone says “cap space,” ask yourself if finding Stamkos-level value is all that easy for $8.5M under the cap. Outside of entry-level steals, it’s almost impossible. Stamkos took a discount to stay, and it’s paid dividends for the team since.

The positive news for those who have forgotten about the impact that Stamkos makes on this Lightning team is that he is now skating with the group, as he attempts to return from his undisclosed injury. While there’s no guarantee that he will be able to get back into game action before the Lightning’s postseason run ends, it’s a step in the right direction. Regardless of how you feel about what Stamkos brings, the fact that this team would be better off with him in the lineup is undeniable.

As always, thanks for reading.
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