Vasi is money in elimination games.

Vasi is money in elimination games.
- GalacticStone

Vasi's just too good

That Point goal was filthy.
- GalacticStone

And it was setup by a tremendous Vasy save. I really think other teams fans are seeing how much Vasy means to this team and how they play is because of him in net.

He is not as good as he is because of the team he plays on, the team is as good as it is because of him.

Vasi is our MVP every season.

If this keeps up, he deserves serious Conn Smythe consideration.

Vasi is our MVP every season.

If this keeps up, he deserves serious Conn Smythe consideration.
- GalacticStone

Well I would’ve honestly hoped that someone else beat you so we didn’t have to play you but here we are

I don't think any team is knocking Tampa off. It's like I said before the playoffs started. Tampa can be beaten. But who's beating them 4 times? No one.
- gergeswillems

I agree!

Vasi is our MVP every season.

If this keeps up, he deserves serious Conn Smythe consideration.
- GalacticStone

I mean, if he doesn’t get it, there’s a fair chance another Bolt will.

Lightning for a 2 peat Maroon for his 3rd in a row!!!!!

Lightning for a 2 peat Maroon for his 3rd in a row!!!!!
- BluesDroogie

A bit premature

Lightning for a 2 peat Maroon for his 3rd in a row!!!!!
- BluesDroogie

Maroon sucks. His greatest achievement will always be getting chirped by Doughty. “Buddy you suck at hockey”

Yeah it really is no secret what this team did.
He was immediately ready to go game 1. He was ready probably 1 month prior to playoffs beginning.
NHL needs to fix this. They absolutely found a loophole and should be considered an act of bad faith of the CBA.
- KINGS67

Agreed, people can debate the technicalities all they want, but at the end of the day it's a pretty clear-cut example of bad faith. The Parise/Suter contracts were once considered "fine" as well, but they did away with them because they weren't in keeping with the fairness of the salary cap. It's possible that if it's just some random player, that it doesn't cause the same stink as a former league-MVP, playing for the defending Cup-champions, making over $9M/yr, who played literally not even a single game in the regular season, coming back just in time to lead the playoffs in scoring. However, the absurdity of the Kucherov scenario is precisely why it can't be allowed to become a precedent.

Two possible solutions:
- have a minimum GP in the regular season to be eligible for the playoff roster (maybe 9GP, to ensure there's at least a 10% inclusion against the regular season salary cap)
- apply the salary cap limit to each playoff game's roster (i.e. you can't ice more than $82M worth of players in a single playoff game)

The latter would mean Tampa Bay would have to bench roughly $7M worth of players/game, as the current optimal roster appears to make ~$89M. They still get the advantage of roster depth, but at least they wouldn't be able to play all of it concurrently within a single game.

Agreed, people can debate the technicalities all they want, but at the end of the day it's a pretty clear-cut example of bad faith. The Parise/Suter contracts were once considered "fine" as well, but they did away with them because they weren't in keeping with the fairness of the salary cap. It's possible that if it's just some random player, that it doesn't cause the same stink as a former league-MVP, playing for the defending Cup-champions, making over $9M/yr, who played literally not even a single game in the regular season, coming back just in time to lead the playoffs in scoring. However, the absurdity of the Kucherov scenario is precisely why it can't be allowed to become a precedent.

Two possible solutions:
- have a minimum GP in the regular season to be eligible for the playoff roster (maybe 9GP, to ensure there's at least a 10% inclusion against the regular season salary cap)
- apply the salary cap limit to each playoff game's roster (i.e. you can't ice more than $82M worth of players in a single playoff game)

The latter would mean Tampa Bay would have to bench roughly $7M worth of players/game, as the current optimal roster appears to make ~$89M. They still get the advantage of roster depth, but at least they wouldn't be able to play all of it concurrently within a single game.
- khawk

The Bolts aren't the first team to take advantage of the loophole.

The Bolts aren't the first team to take advantage of the loophole.

- daBolts

Yes, but it is easily the most egregious to the point that it is a farce

Yeah it really is no secret what this team did.

He was immediately ready to go game 1. He was ready probably 1 month prior to playoffs beginning.

NHL needs to fix this. They absolutely found a loophole and should be considered an act of bad faith of the CBA.
- KINGS67

It's not even that they got a couple of extra guys for the playoffs

Last offseson they were desperate to move both Johnson and another player (Killorn? Palat? Gourde?)

This would have cost them picks and prospects to unload salary. Johnson would have been a 1st and a high prospect at minimum, Probably the 1st they used to trade for Savard

So, not only do they get Kucherov back for the playoffs, they got to keep Johnson plus one other player, acquired Savard and still have the prospect they likely would have needed to trade to move Johnson

It's all too convenient to not have been wink wink nudge nudge planned out, even in unspoken terms

I mean if I was Kucherov I would probably be telling the docs the "hips still a little stiff" knowing full well what it meant to the team, the teams playoff run and my teammmates getting to stay and have it work out for the cap

I wonder how many Lightening players received a +1 on that second goal? all 7 players on the ice? 6 and just not the guy near the bench? Or do they just try to assume which guy was supposed to come off the ice at that point?

I wonder how many Lightening players received a +1 on that second goal? all 7 players on the ice? 6 and just not the guy near the bench? Or do they just try to assume which guy was supposed to come off the ice at that point?
- niteislander

Lightning get to play 15 Million over the cap and with 7 players on the ice

I guess it's not cheating if you don't get caught, so since they didn't get caught "It was perfectly within the rules of the game"

Isn't that the tagline for the Bolts these days?

Lightning get to play 15 Million over the cap and with 7 players on the ice

I guess it's not cheating if you don't get caught, so since they didn't get caught "It was perfectly within the rules of the game"

Isn't that the tagline for the Bolts these days?
- TheGame316

I guess our Bolts blogger has better things to do than write. Nothing since May 6th but not much is going on with the Lightning nowadays

Oh, wait...

I guess our Bolts blogger has better things to do than write. Nothing since May 6th but not much is going on with the Lightning nowadays

Oh, wait...
- daBolts

Amber alert Michael Stuart!!!

Are you sore in the backend today ?

Will you be able to work at the Amusement Park ?

holy poop this thread is barely getting any action, even with the bolts now in the finals. I guess HB hasn't reached anyone in the Tampa Bay region yet lol

I guess our Bolts blogger has better things to do than write. Nothing since May 6th but not much is going on with the Lightning nowadays

Oh, wait...
- daBolts

yeah...

Going up 2-0 in the series and still nothing here?

Going up 2-0 in the series and still nothing here?
- JimmyP

Yeah most of the regular Lightning fans who are on this board have been in Montreal's threads like we were in the Islander's threads the series before.

Not sure what happened to Michael, he is a normally a very good blogger for the Lightning on Hockeybuzz over the years.

Ross Colton

Hopefully JBB can make space for him. Don't want to let another Marchessault/Verhaeghe go if we can help it.