Eklund: Matchup Monday. Who's Better: Colorado or Tampa?

Right now Vegas, Carolina and Florida are better than both.
If the nhl cracks down on cap circumvention for the playoffs then Tampa may have trouble. NHL has said anyone added to rosters just for playoffs are going to have to prove with medical records and they may require them activated prior to season end which will mess them up big time.

When everyone is healthy, Tampa.

Currently, Colorado.

Carolina is no joke, but until they get a true #1 goalie, they will be a second-tier contender.

Vegas

Colorado or Tampa.

Vegas is not an option.

And they're not better than Tampa even if they were.

What about Carolina or Florida. Both are ahead of Tampa in the standings.

Tampa Bay has Vasilevsky. He alone, makes them better than Colorado.

Thanks Ek for leaving the Leafs out of this equation.. I'll just read and chuckle for a change.

If Colorado had not been down to their third goalie, not too sure TB wins the Cup last year.

Colorado has Vegas, TB has Carolina......both will be challenging series.

Colorado should have the hunger, they stay healthy, they win it.

Thanks Ek for leaving the Leafs out of this equation.. I'll just read and chuckle for a change.
- Leafsmart

Leafs will be lucky to not choke in round one, then they get smoked by the Peg.

Avs in a 7 game series over TB

I think Colorado healthy, that means all their D, including Erik Johnson is just so fast up front and D. Goalie no one compares to Vasy!

Would be a great finals!

Have you watched Carolina lately?

Have you watched Carolina lately?
- jsstewar

I haven’t taken my eye off them since Ek told us all to keep an eye on them a few years ago.

I haven’t taken my eye off them since Ek told us all to keep an eye on them a few years ago.
- TurdFergeson

Which Eye???

Tampa's weaknesses :

Right side defense.

Backup goalie.

That's about it.

Oh, and Stamkos is a Glass Cannon.

Cap issues - Tampa isn't breaking any rules in the CBA. Change the rules. The question fans should ask themselves is - why isn't my team doing this? Tampa isn't the only team and they won't be the last until the rules change.

Still watching that trade tracker

Still watching that trade tracker
- glove_was_stuck

Taylor Hall could be on the move from BUF

Tampa's weaknesses :

Right side defense.

Backup goalie.

That's about it.

Oh, and Stamkos is a Glass Cannon.

Cap issues - Tampa isn't breaking any rules in the CBA. Change the rules. The question fans should ask themselves is - why isn't my team doing this? Tampa isn't the only team and they won't be the last until the rules change.
- GalacticStone

The nhl already sent notice to teams that the old style of cap circumvention isn’t going to be tolerated. Many teams have complained about it. So I doubt Tampa gets away with adding Kucherov and Stamkos the day the season ends

Also they have other weaknesses. If they’d traded the waived Johnson for Skinner as Ek suggested maybe they’d be good.

Tampa's weaknesses :

Right side defense.

Backup goalie.

That's about it.

Oh, and Stamkos is a Glass Cannon.

Cap issues - Tampa isn't breaking any rules in the CBA. Change the rules. The question fans should ask themselves is - why isn't my team doing this? Tampa isn't the only team and they won't be the last until the rules change.
- GalacticStone

The Stamkos injury though: that was not necessary for any devious reasons, right? You guys still had space to add the prorated part of Savard? So we are only talking about Kucherov?

The nhl already sent notice to teams that the old style of cap circumvention isn’t going to be tolerated. Many teams have complained about it. So I doubt Tampa gets away with adding Kucherov and Stamkos the day the season ends

Also they have other weaknesses. If they’d traded the waived Johnson for Skinner as Ek suggested maybe they’d be good.
- TurdFergeson

Kuch will be added game 1 of playoffs. Unless he is not ready.
Not circumvention at all. Stammer will be added when ready. Absolutely nothing gained to wait until playoffs as trade deadline has passed.

Kuch will be added game 1 of playoffs. Unless he is not ready.
Not circumvention at all. Stammer will be added when ready. Absolutely nothing gained to wait until playoffs as trade deadline has passed.
- Justbecause

Again...the league said anyone that teams try to add for game one of the playoffs is going to need to prove to the league and show medical records that they were not ready earlier. The league isn’t allowing teams the free cap circumvention that happened in the past.

Again...the league said anyone that teams try to add for game one of the playoffs is going to need to prove to the league and show medical records that they were not ready earlier. The league isn’t allowing teams the free cap circumvention that happened in the past.
- TurdFergeson

Again the documentation will be there. The surgery was done in New York. Even if ready, league asks Kuch why didn’t you play b4 the playoffs and Kuch replies “I had a hitch in my giddy”.

It’s a hip, timeline 4-6 months, surgery December 30th...do the math, easy peasy.

Again the documentation will be there. The surgery was done in New York. Even if ready, league asks Kuch why didn’t you play b4 the playoffs and Kuch replies “I had a hitch in my giddy”.

It’s a hip, timeline 4-6 months, surgery December 30th...do the math, easy peasy.
- Justbecause

Hard salary cap is stupid anyway. You don't see a hard cap on owner profits.

They should have a luxury tax and be done with it.

How the hell is anyone supposed to keep a roster together with a hard cap? It guarantees that every team will have a turnstile at their locker room entrance.

LAST 10 GAMES: Avalanche: 9-1-0, averaging 4.1 goals, 7.4 assists, 5.8 penalties and 15.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game with a .903 save percentage.

Over the past month (before the avs had to take the current mini-shutdown) the top three point-getters in the league over that time were: 1) rantanen: 2) mackinnon; 3) landeskog. more than mcdavid, matthews, whoever else. i’m sure that’s no longer the case cuz the team hasn’t played since last week but it speaks volumes nonetheless.

great article on why the avs’ defense (and in turn the offense they receive from the backend) is so good:

https://www.mckeenshockey...wnhill-colorados-defense/


they lead the league in a lot of important categories, ones that no team has had since the stanley cup winning chicago and pitt teams of 5-10 years back.

that said, tampa bay is freakin’ tampa bay. until someone knocks them out of the playoffs, they’re the reigning champs and deservedly so. team is absolutely amazing- and what they’ve done until their recent mini-slump is incredible all things considered (dealing with the bubble and winning, then a relatively quick turnaround to begin this weird season, and they just kept killing most other teams). all this without arguably their best player in kucherov.

i would give anything to see a COL v. TBL final. but i wouldn’t sleep on the hurricanes, boston (who are coming on hard atm, and may well still grab that top spot), toronto, or vegas.

will be interesting to see how it all plays out.