Todd Cordell
I'm going to say Anton Stralman.
The Lightning's defense wasn't spectacular to begin with so they leaned heavily on Stralman and Victor Hedman. With Stralman out of the lineup there will be even moe pressure on Hedman.
While Stralman isn't a household name in the NHL he is a fantastic blue liner, and is much better than most give him credit for, so his absence will be felt.
Ed Stein I'm going to say Stamkos. He is the best player on the Bolts by far and one of the top 10 (maybe top 5) players in the game. His absence from Tampa's roster is not recoverable. After Stamkos, it's McDonagh. The decline of Staal and Girardi makes the Rangers captain practically indispensable. His loss will sting.
John Jaeckel Stamkos and Stralman is a huge blow to Tampa. In some ways, losing Stralman could be the worse of the two injuries for Tampa's hopes as their defense is not incredibly deep.
If Corey Crawford is not 100% or close to it for the playoffs (concussion), the Blackhawks are pretty much not going to win the Cup this year. His actual status remains to be seen although there are reports he should be OK.
Also the recall of Bryan Bickell today could have something to do with a negative or unclear prognosis for Andrew Shaw (upper body). Although more likely, Bickell will replace the expendable Brandon Mashinter on the playoff roster.
James Tanner I think it's Stralman.
He is a legit Norris Trophy candidate and has been their best D all year. I think Stamkos is great, but they're pretty deep at forward and I believe they'll miss Stralman the most.
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