There’s no sense in wasting time and space with a lengthy introduction to this blog. Here are my answers to your questions:
Q – HonkyTonkMan asks: How much will Shanahan pay Stamkos on his next contract?
A – He won’t get a chance to pay him.
Q – Chris asks: What kind of dollar figure do you think Stamkos is looking for? I saw last night that the Triplet line had 200 points combined last season. What do you see as their potential for next season?
A – My guess is that Stamkos and his agent will be using the Toews/Kane contracts as the benchmark for their negotiation with Tampa Bay. There’s no reason he shouldn’t be looking for a big number like that.
As for the Triplets, I think they have the potential to hit the same mark again next year. With that said, a lot went right for them in 14-15. Maybe Johnson isn’t a 70-plus-point player, but I don’t think 60 is an unrealistic target. The same goes for Kucherov and Palat. Each of them has the potential to hit that mark.
Q – House Arrest 117 asks: Is Stamkos worth $11.5MM per season?
A – Yes.
Q – Dave asks: What are the chances of adding a veteran D-man to aid in Hedman’s development?
A – Zero. He doesn’t need help. He’s a Norris-caliber defenseman and he already has a great partner in Anton Stralman.
Q – Andrew Smith asks: If a team offer sheets Stamkos at $10MM per season would Tampa match?
A – Unrestricted free agents aren’t subject to offer sheets, so that won't be an issue next summer.
Q – jvar17 asks: Do you think Koekkoek and Erne will jump to the big club next season or will they end up in Syracuse?
A – I can’t see how they don’t end up with the Crunch. Koekkoek needs to play, and there aren’t enough minutes available with the Lightning. Erne is still so young and raw. He’ll develop in the AHL just like the young players who are now making a difference in Tampa.
Q – Who is not back? Barberio? Morrow? Drouin? Change is inevitable.
A – If Morrow is back, I’ll just logoff. He will likely be gone. And it wouldn’t totally surprise me to see Barberio gone, either. Other than that I don’t see a whole lot changing.
Q – Stuart Katz asks: When do you expect the Leafs to finally deal Kessel? Will it be before the draft, and what kind of return can they expect? Any rumors floating around?
A – I’m not a rumor guy, so I really can’t comment. I would expect that they’ll probably deal him at or before the draft, though. It makes sense that they would be looking for a first round pick in a deep draft, so I don’t see why they would wait until after the draft is over to make the deal. My guess is that the return will include a pick, prospect, and young NHLer. Or something like that.
Q – CJL asks: What will it take in term and dollars to sign Stamkos? When do you think a deal will be signed?
A – I’ll completely guess here and say that a deal gets done around the end of July. It’ll probably take eight years and $10-12MM per season.
Q – jvar17 asks: I know last season you and many others expected the Bruins to be the best team in the Atlantic Division. That did not happen. In fact, the Bruins failed to make the playoffs. Do you think the Bruins will bounce back or will they be a wildcard team/non-playoff team again? A – I thought this past season would be that core’s last kick at the can as a top seed, so I’m really not expecting much from them coming up in 2015-16. My guess is that they’ll be a bubble team again.
Q – MyMorher’smysister asks: What do you think our chances of moving Carle are? And what (if any) salary would TB be comfortable retaining?
A – I honestly don’t think that he’ll be dealt. I’d love to see it happen, but what team has room to take on a $5.5MM D-man who isn’t a top-two or three guy? That’s the first problem. Then you have to find a team for which he’ll waive his limited NTC. Good luck.
Q – Matt asks: With Bishop having a small sample size and the history of injuries, how long before the Lightning turn to the kid in the crease? Next year, two years, five years, etc.?
Also where does Ottawa goalie Anderson end up? If the Wild can’t sign their guy I feel they are a perfect fit. Or the Sharks..
A – Bishop signed a two-year extension, so I would expect that he’ll play out that contract with Tampa Bay. I think Steve Yzerman strategically signed that deal as a means of phasing Vasilevskiy in. When Bishop’s deal expires, Vasilevskiy will hopefully be ready to take over as a cost-controlled number-one goaltender. That’s the plan, anyways.
As for Anderson… If they choose to deal him over Lehner, my gut tells me that he’ll end up in San Jose. I see a fit there.
Q – OzBolts asks: Is it worth the risk to trade Filppula now and give Namestnikov a spot as 3C and Drouin the spot on Stamkos’ wing?
A – Nope. I think we all saw how valuable Filppula can be for this team during the playoffs. My guess is that he has at least another season with the team.
Q – Todd asks: Do you see a Brad Richards return to Tampa Bay?
A – Not really. I thought it might have made sense last year, but I’m not sure it does now. Some team will probably offer him a multi-year deal, which Tampa can’t and shouldn’t match. That’s if he doesn’t stay in Chicago.
Q – Todd asks: Last year Kucherov was the breakout player! Who is going to be our breakout player next season?
A – I’m going with Drouin.
Q – Geoff asks: How deeply saddened are you now that we are in the final year of Ohlund’s contract?
A – I’ve been crying myself to sleep.
Q – Harvey asks: Is Stamkos worth it at $11MM per year if it means losing one of the Triplets in the next few years? If so, which one would go?
A – This is a really interesting question. If signing Stamkos at that dollar value ABSOLUTELY means one of the Triplets has to go (I’m not sure it would), Yzerman is going to have a difficult decision to make. I think you probably sign the guaranteed 40-plus-goal guy (i.e. Stamkos) and make a decision with one of the Triplets, but I don’t know which one would or should go. This question has me stumped.
Q – Ryan asks: I don’t think the Bolts can afford to keep Matt Carle’s contract on the books going forward, for both cap and roster space issues. Is there any way he is traded soon?
A – I think it’s more likely that he’s dealt next year. I just don’t see it right now.
Q – The Consiglierre asks: Mike, what do you think about trading Carle for a pick then turning around and signing Sekera?
A – I don’t think it’s a terrible idea, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Which team is going to trade a pick to take on a $5.5MM bottom-pairing defenseman? Would he waive to go there? Carle was fine when he wasn’t paired with Sustr this year. Hopefully the coaching staff learns to shelter him like they did for long stretches during the regular season.
Q – Sean L asks: Is it me or is it a strange feeling that we don’t have to worry about goaltending going into the offseason?
A – Maybe a little bit, but did we really have to worry last year?
Q – Ted asks: Would the Bolts have done better (win it all) if Yzerman took Seth Jones instead of Drouin? The one miss Yzerman has is passing on Jones. In my opinion that was a big miss.
A – Doubt it. Defending wasn’t an issue in the Final. Scoring goals was.
Q – What veteran, currently a UFA, would you not mind joining the Bolts this season if Yzerman decides to go that route?
A – There isn’t really a name out there that intrigues me.
Q – stammerman asks: How would you rate the core players in order of importance for the Lightning going forward? Say the top 8 or 10?
A – 1. Hedman 2. Stamkos 3. Johnson 4. Palat 5. Stralman 6. Kucherov 7. Killorn 8. Drouin 9. Vasilevskiy 10. HockeyBuzz Blogger Mike Stuart
Q – Eganator asks: Assuming the roster is similar next year it looks like the Bolts will have a fairly pricey bottom six. Who in your mind would be likely to be traded away to address this, if anyone? A – I don’t think we’ll see a deal of that sort, but I could be wrong. Callahan makes it pricey, but there’s no way they deal him. Boyle costs money, but he was great for most of the year. And the young guys aren’t overly expensive.
Q – jvar17 asks: Some time in the future the Lightning will have some real cap issues with five extremely skilled forwards in Stamkos, Johnson, Kucherov, Palat, and Drouin. It will be unlikely that we will be able to keep all of them in 4-5 years, so which one do you foresee as the best one to let go?
A – Trade Filppula, trade Carle, bank on the cap going up…. I don’t think keeping them all will be impossible. It might be tough, though. Again, it’s hard to say which one should go. I don’t have an answer for you.
Q – Ken Hallman asks:
Hi Mike,
I like your blog. I follow the Bolts a lot. I confess I am a Vancouver Canucks fan. My question is what kind of role/or influence do you think Mattias Ohlud and Sami Salo had on the development of Victor Hedman? He is an absolute stud.
A – With Ohlund, it’s tough to say. His injury came while Hedman was still sort of struggling to adjust to NHL hockey. Salo, on the other hand, was around as Hedman rocketed to the top. I imagine that both of them were good for his development in different ways, but it’s tough for my to quantify the impact. They were certainly positive influences and role models off the ice.
Q – Brandon asks: What changes do you see coming to the roster next season?
A – Not a ton.
Q – Joe A: What contract do you see Stamkos signing for? I think he signs for 8 years/80 million. Thanks for your time.
A – I hope you’re right! I think an AAV of $10MM would be a great deal for Tampa. It might take a bit more, though.
Q – Bill asks: Do you think any of the bottom three defensemen (Barberio, Nesterov, Sustr) are good investments for the future? Are any defensemen in the minors better longterm?
A – Anthony DeAngelo and Slater Koekkoek are almost certainly safer and better bets for the longterm. Nesterov would probably be the best of the three at this point. Barberio doesn’t seem like he’ll work out in Tampa. Sustr is… Sustr.
Q – Jackson asks: Hey Michael. Still loving the blogs one year later. I’m just wondering what you really think about J.T. Brown. I mean people say “oh well he just has the worst puck luck.… Do you think he will ever become a 20-goal scorer? Or is he just doomed to always be that guy who can do everything but score a goal?
Thanks and keep up the good work on the blogs.
A – Thanks for the kind words, Jackson! I think at some point we have to consider and realize that J.T. Brown’s string of bad luck is more than a string of bad luck. He doesn’t seem to have much scoring touch. He’s likely going to be that bottom-six guy who can do everything but score.
Q – Sean asks: What’s your take on Stamkos’ growth as a captain this year?
A – I’m not in the room, so it’s almost impossible to say. But I have to imagine that a run like the one his team just completed will only serve to make him a better captain moving forward. All indications are that he’s doing a good job in the role. He didn't bail on his team right before the playoffs, so he's already better than the last guy who wore the 'C'!
Q – Betty White asks: Do you think the Toronto Maple Leafs will contend for the Cup in the next three years? A – No. I think they’re looking at a longer rebuild than that.
Q – Mike Milbury asks: Do you think Don Cherry is an idiot?
A – Idiot is a strong word, but his ‘best before’ date is certainly behind him.
Q – Adam French asks: Who is the best blogger on HockeyBuzz?
A – Adam French.
Q – Phil asks: Are TBL too heavy on left-handed shooters? If so, who would you trade to make room for a right-handed shooter?
A – The team’s two best offensive threats (Johnson and Stamkos) both shoot right. I don’t think it’s a huge issue.
Q – Steve asks: Hey Mike, with a fairly young group of core roster players, do you think the time is now to push for the veterans and go for it again, or wait on development for another year or two? Thanks.
A – With the run they just had, these young guys are veterans now. They don’t have to wait or sign a veteran if they want to go for it again. This team is ready to compete now.
--
Thanks to everyone who submitted questions. Some submissions were repeats or similar enough, so I left them out. And some were just plain inappropriate. HockeyBuzz is a family site, friends.
As always, thanks for reading!