Reaction to Fans over reaction:
Posted 3:02 PM ET | Comments 0
Quick thoughts on the Lightning, and fans reactions:
(1)I hear the suggestion of a team meeting, as if it`s the answer to all of the Lightning’s problems. We have seen it happen with various teams in recent memory with good results. The thing is, meetings are held all the time, so it's kind of silly to suggest having one, and I think Players-Only meetings are blown way out of proportion, with the belief these days being that all a team needs to do is hold a meeting and things will miraculously improve. Maybe sometimes it does, and it sounds good as a simple news story, but teams need a combination of lot of things, and if they lack in a lot of those areas, a meeting won’t solve anything.
(2) Let’s be clear: Tokarski is not ready for the NHL, and would be a disaster if they brought him up, and could really damage his confidence and set him back in his development. He is not the answer to the goaltending problem the Lightning have right now. I would rather keep the status quo and allow Roloson to play through it, in hopes of an improvement, or even a trade for Nabokov than damaging a young prospect by using short term thinking.
(3) If you want to give a young guy a chance, Ashton is clearly the guy that could get a game or two.
(4) Boucher rides Brewer and Hedman like nobody else, and there is an obvious drop off beyond them. Recently when the team faced a 5 on 3 situation for 1 1/2 minutes, those were the two players to play defence for the ENTIRE span, even taking a time out halfway through so they didn't have to line change. I don’t know how many times I have to say it: Brewer and Hedman are not the problem, it's the fact the Lightning lack depth behind him.
(5) If a trade can be done to bring in help, I think Yzerman will do it, as long as it benefits the team in the long term, not just a band-aid for this season. I think Yzerman is one to look at the big picture, which is why he was the right man for the job in the first place (as was Boucher, an excellent coach). If they can’t trade for a Dman, they need to decide whether they ride this season out and collect a very good prospect (Likely on D, since this draft is very deep with high end D prospects), or if they even give a shot to a Bryan McCabe for short term and a low salary hit, and hope that his puck moving abilities can spark the offense a bit.
(1)I hear the suggestion of a team meeting, as if it`s the answer to all of the Lightning’s problems. We have seen it happen with various teams in recent memory with good results. The thing is, meetings are held all the time, so it's kind of silly to suggest having one, and I think Players-Only meetings are blown way out of proportion, with the belief these days being that all a team needs to do is hold a meeting and things will miraculously improve. Maybe sometimes it does, and it sounds good as a simple news story, but teams need a combination of lot of things, and if they lack in a lot of those areas, a meeting won’t solve anything.
(2) Let’s be clear: Tokarski is not ready for the NHL, and would be a disaster if they brought him up, and could really damage his confidence and set him back in his development. He is not the answer to the goaltending problem the Lightning have right now. I would rather keep the status quo and allow Roloson to play through it, in hopes of an improvement, or even a trade for Nabokov than damaging a young prospect by using short term thinking.
(3) If you want to give a young guy a chance, Ashton is clearly the guy that could get a game or two.
(4) Boucher rides Brewer and Hedman like nobody else, and there is an obvious drop off beyond them. Recently when the team faced a 5 on 3 situation for 1 1/2 minutes, those were the two players to play defence for the ENTIRE span, even taking a time out halfway through so they didn't have to line change. I don’t know how many times I have to say it: Brewer and Hedman are not the problem, it's the fact the Lightning lack depth behind him.
(5) If a trade can be done to bring in help, I think Yzerman will do it, as long as it benefits the team in the long term, not just a band-aid for this season. I think Yzerman is one to look at the big picture, which is why he was the right man for the job in the first place (as was Boucher, an excellent coach). If they can’t trade for a Dman, they need to decide whether they ride this season out and collect a very good prospect (Likely on D, since this draft is very deep with high end D prospects), or if they even give a shot to a Bryan McCabe for short term and a low salary hit, and hope that his puck moving abilities can spark the offense a bit.