Sam Hitchcock: The Lightning Should Trade Stralman

yes

So in order to make cap room for players who contracts are up in 2019, we should trade a player whose contract is up in 2019????

You know the Lightning are trying to win a cup in 2018-19, right? Trading Stralman for picks or prospects would make this team worse and would be a major step back. Where are you going to find another top pairing right handed defensemen for $4.5 million?

And the Kucherov, Point contract issue isn't hard to figure out. Buyout Callahan after this season and say goodbye to Gourde or JT Miller.

byebye johnson. gtfo

So in order to make cap room for players who contracts are up in 2019, we should trade a player whose contract is up in 2019????

You know the Lightning are trying to win a cup in 2018-19, right? Trading Stralman for picks or prospects would make this team worse and would be a major step back. Where are you going to find another top paring right handed defensemen for $4.5 million?

And the Kucherov, Point contract issue isn't hard to figure out. Buyout Callahan after this season and say goodbye to Gourde or JT Miller.
- LightningMcKing

the rock and hard place issue.

let him walk for nothing or miss him for your cup run this year.

seems like him or johnson should be moved at some point.

leafs could have interest in stralman if he was on the block.

stralman for Barberio

Tough but fair for cap relief.

the rock and hard place issue.

let him walk for nothing or miss him for your cup run this year.

seems like him or johnson should be moved at some point.

leafs could have interest in stralman if he was on the block.
- Tumbleweed

I don't see it as a rock and hard place. YOU PLAY TO WIN THE CUP!!

EVERYONE would be interested in Stralman. That's why it would be stupid to trade him!

I don't see it as a rock and hard place. YOU PLAY TO WIN THE CUP!!

EVERYONE would be interested in Stralman. That's why it would be stupid to trade him!
- LightningMcKing

fair point. with hedman and stamkos in their primes, i think you hold on to him and go for it.

but he is aging and starting to decline. stralman is not a hedman/stamkos type that will be good well into his mid-thirties. his usefulness is close to expiring.

no mention of the trade huh?

fair point. with hedman and stamkos in their primes, i think you hold on to him and go for it.

but he is aging and starting to decline. stralman is not a hedman/stamkos type that will be good well into his mid-thirties. his usefulness is close to expiring.
- Tumbleweed

He is declining but still a solid #3 defensemen. All the more reason to harness the rest of the usefulness in an attempt at winning the cup!

100% against trading him if the trade results is the team taking a step back for the upcoming year.

LOL delete this

Dont really get the logic to trade a contributing player on a reasonable contract with 1 year left for assets to help us get cap relief in a year. Just writing that sentence gave me cancer.

So a contending team should have Hedman, McD, Serg (a sophmore), some old pylons and freaking Chris Wideman as their defense?

The pool and team is already stacked with assets to trade with. Dont get this at all.

Trade Killorn if you can and need cap relief, although I doubt many teams would want him. It'll be interesting to see if Yzerman will make any moves at the draft.

There is no need to make a cap related trade unless Yzerman wants to make a play for Karlsson, Carlson, Tavares, Kovalchuk, etc.

Stralman under contract, with a reasonable hit, for one more season.

The guy has been a fine middle-pairing dude for a reasonable price for years.

He seems to love playing in Tampa... resign him for a cheaper deal than he currently has. We still need a vet or two on the back end, and Stralman is perfectly reliable in a #4/5 position going forward, even adjusting for decline.

If he wants to get paid, let him walk ... sure. But, why give up on a consistent and decently stabilizing middle pair D-man?

how has nobody mentioned that he said point and kucherov are arguably their two best forwards.

Is there any argument that anyone could make that would position point as a better fwd than stamkos?

stralman for Barberio

Tough but fair for cap relief.
- DDM-Coga

delete your account

Gotta agree with the comments here, cap will be an issue, but trading a guy who's contract is expiring is not the solution. Most likely it will be trading a pick or asset to get rid of Killorn, or this season making a logical trade with Johnson for a young guy

delete your account
- deadpoulet

fight me

my take on summer moves.

Coburn Braydon - bought out/traded
Johnson, Tyler - Traded
Sustr, Andrej - Traded

Are Dotchin and Koekkoek not in the long-term plans? Ride out Stralman for a cup run next year and let him walk to be replaced by one of the young guys?

how has nobody mentioned that he said point and kucherov are arguably their two best forwards.

Is there any argument that anyone could make that would position point as a better fwd than stamkos?
- Joel_Eh

Yep.

Point has shown a fantastic ability to play tough shutdown minutes and still be a productive player. His speed is great and makes the high percentage plays; he's safe but very, very effective.

He's also still very young, doesn't have injury issues a-la Stammer nor does he have the weight of playoff no-shows that haunt him. Kid has an awful game vs Boston? Take control of that series almost single-handily at times.

I have never see that from Stammer. I don't dislike Stammer... I'm not even luke-warm on him. I think he's a great player, a wonderful 1st line offensive-minded center and a pretty good representative for the team. That said, Point is just out-and-out that rare breed of offensive brilliance, defensive grit and big game acumen.

Are Dotchin and Koekkoek not in the long-term plans? Ride out Stralman for a cup run next year and let him walk to be replaced by one of the young guys?
- JohnnySoze

For some reason Cooper doesn't seem to trust Koekkoek... not sure if I agree with the coach on that. I've like the kid when I've gotten the rare chance to watch him.

Dotchin is fine. Real good depth guy, and was serviceable as a partner for Hedman 2 seasons ago when everything went to pot. That said, he's best as a limited minutes guy.

Foote could be interesting. Not sure what happened with Masin (someone else google it, lazy).

As for the offseason:
Coburn: Meh. He has what... 1 year left? Sure. Unless it messes with next season, keep him around. Fine as a #5/6.

Johnson: Trade him. His value is still high, but Point has become the new #2 centerman on this club, and is only going to get better.

Callahan: Is it worth the buyout? Do we need the cap space right now, or can we wait until next offseason before the buyout to bring the cost down a tad? (I think that would be how many years the hit would get us... not necessarily the cap hit... correct me if I'm wrong here).

Sustr: BYE!

Miller: Make it a reasonable contract and we'll talk...

Paquette: ... unsure. I like him as the 4th line center... kinda. But do we have confidence in one of our SyraKids coming in and taking his place and maybe being better?

Girardi: He was... better than many thought, but still not good. Like Coburn, I don't mind him as a depth guy... but not playing with Hedman. That just hurts.

McD: Never felt like he fully fit the Bolts' mold to the level he could. Lets see how the first 1/3 of the season goes before deciding on him... and what he may be asking contract wise.

my take on summer moves.

Coburn Braydon - bought out/traded
Johnson, Tyler - Traded
Sustr, Andrej - Traded
- damo_waterloo

Johnson is also one of the teams best assets. If not this year, I could see him getting traded next year. It's also very possible that they keep him though, and trade other players when cap relief is needed.

my take on summer moves.

Coburn Braydon - bought out/traded
Johnson, Tyler - Traded
Sustr, Andrej - Traded
- damo_waterloo

I think only one of those could happen, Johnson being traded in the next two weeks.

Sustr is a free agent July 1 so why would anyone trade for him? Coburn has a modified NTC and only one year left on his deal, again I think they keep him for a bottom 6 pair guy for next year.