Sam Hitchcock: Bolts' Woes Extend Beyond Injuries

Big shakeup needed.

I'm sick of watching the Bolts not knowing how to play tough and getting rattled off their skill game real easily.

JBB - it may not be panic button time yet, but the "first month" excuse is about to end, and doesn't hold much water imo, anyways.

Johnson seems too comfortable, Kuch need a kick in the ass, Gourde is ...trying... but he's not suiting his role... Serg has been frustrating beyond a couple of real nice looking plays.

The only guys I haven't been ticked off at are Stammer, Point (doing okay coming back from surgery and missing training camp), Heddy and Cirelli. Maybe Maroon. Maybe Cernak.

Even Vasy has been... almost too busy. Economy of movement is a thing.

Imagine a team with THIS set of players missing the playoffs? Wew.

Ah, no worry, this time you play reg season a little easier and will turn the page in April - way too much talent on that roster to qualify not for playoffs.

Bolts should be fine. I think they could add a different element up front with some guys who like to do the dirty work

Tough one for you guys to endure, for sure. Losing to a team that can look really bad on any given night.
Hoping your boys figure it out and topple those accursed Bruins from their place in the Atlantic!!

Big shakeup needed.

I'm sick of watching the Bolts not knowing how to play tough and getting rattled off their skill game real easily.

JBB - it may not be panic button time yet, but the "first month" excuse is about to end, and doesn't hold much water imo, anyways.

Johnson seems too comfortable, Kuch need a kick in the ass, Gourde is ...trying... but he's not suiting his role... Serg has been frustrating beyond a couple of real nice looking plays.

The only guys I haven't been ticked off at are Stammer, Point (doing okay coming back from surgery and missing training camp), Heddy and Cirelli. Maybe Maroon. Maybe Cernak.

Even Vasy has been... almost too busy. Economy of movement is a thing.

Imagine a team with THIS set of players missing the playoffs? Wew.
- OzBolts

Agreed the issue is a big shakeup can't happen. Nobody wants Johnsons contract, it's silly for a third line center.

Kuch can't be kicked in the pants, he's a giant baby. Kuch needs to do it on his own. Cooper is stuck, can't bench a guy who has that ability and he isn't a player who cares if he is benched so it won't matter. Kuch needs to look in the mirror.

Serg needs to be moved and fast. His contract is coming up, let him try to develop somewhere else. He's going to want bigger money than he's earned here in Tampa so ship him out for what you can now, before you get nothing. He's looked lazy and is STILL a turnover machine. He has sweet hands and great skating ability but his hockey sense is the killer, if that hasn't improved I don't care how well he can skate or stickhandle, he's always going to make bad decisions.

Lazy play by stars is what is dooming this team. Kuch can be lazy, then sure why can Palat and Killorn not be lazy? It's contagious and sadly can't be fixed by a coaching change. Kuch needs to wake up and do it. Look at Ovechkin when he won the Cup. He woke up and was blocking pucks with his head if he had to to win the Cup, it was no longer about Ovechkin it was about the Capitals. It took AO plenty of years to wake up and play that style, lets hope Kuch wakes up and does it sooner rather than later.

Agreed the issue is a big shakeup can't happen. Nobody wants Johnsons contract, it's silly for a third line center.

Kuch can't be kicked in the pants, he's a giant baby. Kuch needs to do it on his own. Cooper is stuck, can't bench a guy who has that ability and he isn't a player who cares if he is benched so it won't matter. Kuch needs to look in the mirror.

Serg needs to be moved and fast. His contract is coming up, let him try to develop somewhere else. He's going to want bigger money than he's earned here in Tampa so ship him out for what you can now, before you get nothing. He's looked lazy and is STILL a turnover machine. He has sweet hands and great skating ability but his hockey sense is the killer, if that hasn't improved I don't care how well he can skate or stickhandle, he's always going to make bad decisions.

Lazy play by stars is what is dooming this team. Kuch can be lazy, then sure why can Palat and Killorn not be lazy? It's contagious and sadly can't be fixed by a coaching change. Kuch needs to wake up and do it. Look at Ovechkin when he won the Cup. He woke up and was blocking pucks with his head if he had to to win the Cup, it was no longer about Ovechkin it was about the Capitals. It took AO plenty of years to wake up and play that style, lets hope Kuch wakes up and does it sooner rather than later.
- Kucherovski

^this

An absolute embarassment. The score may as well have been 20 to 0.

Rangers were missing their #1 center and goalie. They are a tire-fire so far this season.

There is no valid excuse for the Lightning to lose that game.

Credit to the Rangers for embarassing Cooper's joke line-up.

Some observations :

Please, for the love of god, send Witowski down to Syracuse.

Joseph has great hustle but stone hands. He belongs on the 4th line and PK - nowhere else.

The PP is madness. The Lightning are a one-trick pony on PP zone entries. That stupid backwards pass that precedes every entry is soooooo predictable, yet Cooper keeps doing it.

Still, too much passing on shooting opportunities. Stop trying to make pretty plays when they aren't there. Shoot the damn puck and hope for a rebound.

Jesus Christ Cooper, show some emotion. Get riled up. Get angry. Don't just sit there like a damn attorney in a court-room. And stop being so damn glib in interviews. Either give some real answers or step aside.

EDIT : Volkov has been called up. Hopefully he replaces Wiplugski in the lineup.

Ah, no worry, this time you play reg season a little easier and will turn the page in April - way too much talent on that roster to qualify not for playoffs.
- VeryModernMan

This is the Bolts worst D in 4 or 5 years! This team is aging, Killorn, Stammer and Hedman...players are too comfy and the defense is a mess!

This is the Bolts worst D in 4 or 5 years! This team is aging, Killorn, Stammer and Hedman...players are too comfy and the defense is a mess!
- leafluver27

These are the D-men who suited up for all or parts of the 2014-2015 season.

Slater Koekkoek
Braydon Coburn
Eric Brewer
Radko Gudas
Mark Barberio
Nikita Nesterov
Andrej Sustr
Matt Carle
Jason Garrison
Victor Hedman
Anton Stralman

I'd say our D is better staffed now. I don't think the problem is with the quality of players, it's with the coaching. It's easy to forget how much of a hot mess that Lightning D used to be (and still is to some degree).

Flash foward to 2016-2017 and it wasn't any better.

Slater Koekkoek
Jason Garrison
Jake Dotchin
Nikita Nesterov
Braydon Coburn
Andrej Sustr
Anton Stralman
Victor Hedman

I would argue that our quality and depth is better on D now than at any time in the last 5 years. But yeah, they aren't getting any younger and is time is running out before a serious decline begins.

Again, the problem is systems and coaching.

A random bus station hobo could do a better job of coaching this team than Cooper.

These are the D-men who suited up for all or parts of the 2014-2015 season.

Slater Koekkoek
Braydon Coburn
Eric Brewer
Radko Gudas
Mark Barberio
Nikita Nesterov
Andrej Sustr
Matt Carle
Jason Garrison
Victor Hedman
Anton Stralman

I'd say our D is better staffed now. I don't think the problem is with the quality of players, it's with the coaching. It's easy to forget how much of a hot mess that Lightning D used to be (and still is to some degree).

Flash foward to 2016-2017 and it wasn't any better.

Slater Koekkoek
Jason Garrison
Jake Dotchin
Nikita Nesterov
Braydon Coburn
Andrej Sustr
Anton Stralman
Victor Hedman

I would argue that our quality and depth is better on D now than at any time in the last 5 years. But yeah, they aren't getting any younger and is time is running out before a serious decline begins.

Again, the problem is systems and coaching.

A random bus station hobo could do a better job of coaching this team than Cooper.
- GalacticStone

Maybe I got the year back wrong but I’m sorry. No.
Hedman soft, Washington lived off him in playoffs, they had no fear in the corners...I’m a bolts season ticket holder, I was there.
Mcdonagh has been poop 2 playoff years in a row
Sergachev has regressed. He’s a mess on D and a pp specialist.
Cernak ok this year and I love his game, but just ok
Shatty has been great offensively
...then ugh the rest...maybe this group is better than b4 but this group...woof.

Maybe I got the year back wrong but I’m sorry. No.
Hedman soft, Washington lived off him in playoffs, they had no fear in the corners...I’m a bolts season ticket holder, I was there.
Mcdonagh has been poop 2 playoff years in a row
Sergachev has regressed. He’s a mess on D and a pp specialist.
Cernak ok this year and I love his game, but just ok
Shatty has been great offensively
...then ugh the rest...maybe this group is better than b4 but this group...woof.
- leafluver27

Hedman IS soft. I really wish he would throw that big Lurch body around. But, it seems to be a trait of those Nordic defensemen. Great skaters and players, but not very physical. Lidstrom, Karlsson, etc. I guess that Viking blood has turned soft over time.

McDonagh has been disappointing, not overall really, but especially in the playoffs. He seems solid at times, munches minutes, and goes through the motions. But, he has an elite contract, so he needs to start playing at an elite level in the playoffs.

Cernak is pretty solid. He's not that noticeable on the ice, but it's a lot more noticeable when he's not there. The Bolts missed him last night.

I am starting to agree with the notion of trading Sergachev. I keep hoping he will mature up and grow better defensively, but I'm just not seeing it yet. Best case scenario, he turns into a Russian Shattenkirk - and we already have one of those who will work for cheap. If he expects a giant raise on his next contract, I think we should trade him before we sign him to an untradeable contract.