Eklund: Stamkos and Kucherov Will BOTH return for Florida Series. Fair?

On the surface, sure it seems unfair. But TB did not break any rules. If they did, Id like to hear them.

Cant be upset with a gm that figured out the rules and played the game better than the rest.its manipulation of the rules,but it's still within the rules.

Eklund: Stamkos and Kucherov Will BOTH return for Florida Series. Fair?
- Eklund

how is florida staying quiet?



traded for bennett
signed gustev
traded for montour



as for what the bolts are doing

rules are rules

maybe a salary cap for playoff roster is needed

You dont play reg season you dont play playoffs. Should be as simple as that

You dont play reg season you dont play playoffs. Should be as simple as that
- Shynes57

Wholeheartedly agree. In fact, you should have to play a % (10?) of regular season games to make it more legit.

The idea behind LTIR, is a player is to be back in the lineup as soon as they are healthy enough to play.

There needs to be a rule for players who miss time from a week or two before the trade deadline, until the end of the season. They should miss first round as a minimum.

The longer you’ve been out of the lineup, the more playoff games you miss, unless you can make it back into the lineup for regular season games between the trade deadline and the end of the regular season. If you play a regular season game, in that time period, you can play in the first round.

100% needs to be looked at from the rules perspective. Under the current rules, there’s no issue.

If there’s a salary cap for the regular season there should be a cap for the playoffs. There also should be some cutoff/provision for injured players who sit out the whole season (or most of it) and return for the playoffs.

It seems really unfair that Tampa didn’t even have to get rid of Tyler Johnson when they tried so hard and then added Savard. But the rules allow it so kudos to TB.

how is florida staying quiet?



traded for bennett
signed gustev
traded for montour



as for what the bolts are doing

rules are rules

maybe a salary cap for playoff roster is needed
- homiedclown

staying quiet regarding the Tampa stuff....Zito did a killer job adding...

Don't blame the Lightning because of a league oversight, TB and others have found a loophole and until the league acts on It this Is what you get. Shut up and play!

The idea behind LTIR, is a player is to be back in the lineup as soon as they are healthy enough to play.

There needs to be a rule for players who miss time from a week or two before the trade deadline, until the end of the season. They should miss first round as a minimum.

The longer you’ve been out of the lineup, the more playoff games you miss, unless you can make it back into the lineup for regular season games between the trade deadline and the end of the regular season. If you play a regular season game, in that time period, you can play in the first round.
- currphij

I like this idea alot

staying quiet regarding the Tampa stuff....Zito did a killer job adding...
- Eklund

bro, after the Rangers public statement debacle, you think GM's/front offices are gonna call out anyone?

Vancouver played by the rules when they signed Luongo to a 12 year contract. The NHL approved the contract then years later decided it was unfair and they now have a 3 year re-capture penalty of ~3M/year. Unfortunately Luongo didn't have a career ending "mystery" injury like every other player with a similar contract...i.e. Hossa, Pronger, Seabrook, Zetterberg etc.

Tampa flaunting the rules could be "fixed" retroactively just like the NHL did against Vancouver.

On the surface, sure it seems unfair. But TB did not break any rules. If they did, Id like to hear them.
- M*A*S*H

If either of them are health at this moment and still on LTIR, then they are breaking the rules.

On the surface, sure it seems unfair. But TB did not break any rules. If they did, Id like to hear them.
- M*A*S*H

Yeah good luck. I’m still waiting to hear what rules the Devils broke when they fined them for the Kovalchuck debacle.

This is all just another example of why the league is a joke...

This all really depends on what version of Kuch they're getting. If comes back strong I don't see how Tampa loses.

Absolutely not fair. Cap should count in the playoffs too. They lied about the players still being injured obviously. Cheaters!

IMO tax implications are a bigger issue. A player in Flordia making $8m a year is equal to a player making 10.5m in Ontario.

I have a feeling if tax implications favoured Canadian teams - rather than teams in the south where the NHL wants to see more $ like Texas, Florida, and Nevada - things would be addressed right away to balance it out

I think an investigation needs to be done. Pretty sure it's not legal to have someone that isn't injured on the LTIR. If they find that Tampa did something wrong they should punish them accordingly. using this type of "tricky tactic" a team could simply put a player on the LTIR rather than buy them out.

And in more pressing news, something most of us have been missing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiTds6OOg9E

You dont play reg season you dont play playoffs. Should be as simple as that
- Shynes57

they should definitively review this rule.

Eklund: Stamkos and Kucherov Will BOTH return for Florida Series. Fair?
- Eklund

Fair? Sure, but it’s just another example of how bush-league the NHL is.

Meanwhile, Toronto over here with Freddie Amderson all hunched up, whispering, "Nothing to see here. Look away..."

The LTIR cap is a joke and should be changed in order to stop a team like the Lightning from putting $12 mil in cap space on LTIR to load up with free agents. Then magically have their injured players healthy to play in the playoffs now with a cap space of $95 mil. Come on GM's open your eyes.

This unfairly could punish legit injured players oreven push them to come back before healing. League should have an independent medical staff evaluation. If the say person good to play but team says no... they couldn’t towards the cap.