Sustr and Gourde re-signed

[dannyb24195]

I'm going to start of by saying I'm quite suprised both players have been re-signed. Let's start with Sustr, personally I'm not a fan of his and with Yzerman looking to add a top 4 defenseman, I thought that would of pushed Sustr out the door. With Sustr re-signing I think he will be in competition with Koekkoek for the final spot on the 3rd pairing. I think Koekkeok will beat him out and then Sustr comes the 7th defenseman who can step in when there's an injury.

I'm glad to see Gourde under contract with Tampa, I do like Yanni but my question is where is he going to play? We are deep upfront and are looking to add a winger according to Joe Smith so where does Gourde fit in? Personally for that reason I thought he'd leave and found more money and a bigger opportunity out there like Marchessault did last year. Either way i'm glad to have Gourde back i'm just interested to see what role he'll play next year.

 

[Bolt Fore]

Gourde will play anywhere on the top six and do a good job.
Sustr is getting better every year Danny .I know you dont like hin but he's got
size and wiser each year. Gillardi cant score and doesn't take penalties'
plays soft I guess.

 

[dannyb24195]

Gourde will play anywhere on the top six and do a good job.
Sustr is getting better every year Danny .I know you dont like hin but he's got
size and wiser each year. Gillardi cant score and doesn't take penalties'
plays soft I guess.

Well that's the thing bolt i imagine the below would be our forward group -

Namestinkov-Stamkos-Kuch
Palat-Johnson-FA
Killorn-Point-Erne
Brown-Paquette-Callahan

I think the bolts are looking at adding Justin Williams as that 2nd line RW. I think Gourde will be a depth player who can fill in with an event of injury.

In regards to Sustr I thought he was our most improved player a couple years back but he's steadily regressed. He has size but provides no physicality, doesn't offer any offence and is a below average skater.

 

[Bolt Fore]

Gourde a depth player? He's better than Erne, Namesnikov ,Brown
,Paquette, Callahan right now.

 

[dannyb24195]

Gourde a depth player? He's better than Erne, Namesnikov ,Brown
,Paquette, Callahan right now.

Let's not get carried away bolt, sure he played well in the 20 games he played but it's only 20 games. For me he needs to go into camp and earn a regular spot in the lineup. He's not getting in the top 6, Namestinkov is the weak link but him, Stammer & Kuch had great chemistry last year before Stammer went down. Your 2nd line is set if you get an FA which they will. Your 4th line is your physical, gritty, meat and potatoes line. I think his best chance is to beat out Erne.

 

[Todd1a]

Hated sustr being resigned I think it was time we moved on from him and gave sergachev a chance this year! I loved that we resigned gourde Great for our bottom six. I still am hoping we sign Justin Williams! Word is also we have strong interest in dan girardi?

 

[dannyb24195]

I'm hoping we are able to sign Justin Williams to be our 2nd line winger. Girardi looks like it's a done deal, he'll come in and do job and will be rather cheap in comparison to what the likes of Shattenkirk and Alzner will get paid

 

[I_Shall_Return]

I'm happy they both got the invitation to come back to the Lightning, especially Sustr. Guys we need D-men. The Village idiot sign a prospect and now our defense woes vanish? WTF??? Now the village idiot is looking for more offense and you 2 guys buy right into that! WTF??? What was wrong with our offense last season? I'll tell you, they are underachievers with a shitty coach. Get them a Torts or other hard nosed coach and I bet the son of a bitches play better and use their talent, even when Stamkos gets hurt yet again!

 

[I_Shall_Return]

Furthermore, and I know all of you will agree with my first statement, previous ownership/management messed up on keeping Vinny way past his time of departure by that crappy contract they signed him to. But now my new statement guys. This ownership/management is repeating what the previous did but with Stamkos this time! It seems they fall in love with a players "heart" and don't look at things such as injuries and what they actually do for the Lightning. It should have been Drouin instead of Stamkos, I am sorry to say since I've never been a fan of Drouin. But an apple is an apple and talent is talent. His young talent vs Stamkos injury prone sniper abilities. Drouin wins hands down. We still need a top line D-men but will not see one here. Thumbs down to the village idiot, period. So disappointing.

 

[dannyb24195]

Furthermore, and I know all of you will agree with my first statement, previous ownership/management messed up on keeping Vinny way past his time of departure by that crappy contract they signed him to. But now my new statement guys. This ownership/management is repeating what the previous did but with Stamkos this time! It seems they fall in love with a players "heart" and don't look at things such as injuries and what they actually do for the Lightning. It should have been Drouin instead of Stamkos, I am sorry to say since I've never been a fan of Drouin. But an apple is an apple and talent is talent. His young talent vs Stamkos injury prone sniper abilities. Drouin wins hands down. We still need a top line D-men but will not see one here. Thumbs down to the village idiot, period. So disappointing.

I'm happy they both got the invitation to come back to the Lightning, especially Sustr. Guys we need D-men. The Village idiot sign a prospect and now our defense woes vanish? WTF??? Now the village idiot is looking for more offense and you 2 guys buy right into that! WTF??? What was wrong with our offense last season? I'll tell you, they are underachievers with a shitty coach. Get them a Torts or other hard nosed coach and I bet the son of a bitches play better and use their talent, even when Stamkos gets hurt yet again!

Yes ISR we need defenseman but Sustr is no good! He's 6"7 220 lbs but is probably the softest player on the team. He's offers nothing, he's not physical, he can't skate, he can't pass, he can't provide offense, he's a below average defenseman and the bolts should be looking for better. I'm pretty annoyed the fact we close to signing Girardi who is marginely better than Sustr, probably adds a bit more phyiscality and experience but is on the downside of his career. The issue this offseason is that there isn't a lot of quality of defenseman to be had via trade or FA so your are going to have to overpay. Rather than signing worthless defenseman or overpaying for one on the otherhand i'd be content with the D core being Hedman, Dotchin, Koekkoek, Stralman, Coburn and Sergachev next year.

In regards to offense they need to add some as with Drouin gone they need to add someone who can play on the 2nd line with Johnson and Palat.

I'm sorry ISR but let's trade one of the best goalscorers in the league instead of someone who was had 1 good full season, who can't play away from the puck and has an attitue issue? Don't get me wrong I loved Drouin and he'll most likely be a consistent performer in Montreal but is he really all-around better than Stamkos? Sure Drouin is a elite playmaker but Stammer is an elite goal scorer but Drouin has a team worst -14 last year because he can't play away from the puck and would you ever consider Drouin a leader nevermind a captain with his character issues. Yes Stamkos has been injuried the past few seasons but define injury prone how you want but my definition would be a consistent injury that affects the players game. Injuries can happen to anyone at any time, the ones that continue to repeat themselves are the issue. Whilst you brought up Vinny I will use him as an example, he had wrist issues ever since Matt Cooke slashed him and broke his wrist, he was never the same player. Tyler Johnson broke his wrist the 2015 cup final with the Hawks, personally I don't think he's been the same player. I don't see that with Stamkos, the guy was playing his best hockey of his career before he went down last year and with having an unrelated ligament injury to his previous injuries (broken leg & blood clot).

 

[I_Shall_Return]

With a Real coach, Drouin will be fine. He has a Real coach up there, can be a bit hard nosed, very disciplined, demands a lot from his team. Just doesn't chomp on gum. Case closed.

 

[dannyb24195]

I'm interested to see how that relationship between Drouin and Julien develops. As you say ISR, Julien is hard nosed, very diciplined and a coach who demands defense something that Drouin isn't very good at. Drouin also has a massive ego and I do think he's matured somewhat but when the going gets tough in terms of his play away from the puck not being up to scratch, how does the Julien/Drouin relationship unfold.

 

[I_Shall_Return]

I am pretty sure Drouin is even maturing this off-season. I am sure that whilst it may be difficult for Drouin at first, he will succeed. Some players really need to be pushed hard and they expect to be pushed hard. I believe Drouin is one of these players. I don't think he was very happy with chomp chomp giggle giggle mediocre. Most of your elite players, I would think, want to be pushed hard. I know I would because what challenge would I have if I wasn't pushed hard? I'm already better than most.

 

[Bolt Fore]

Tee Hee

 

[dannyb24195]

I am pretty sure Drouin is even maturing this off-season. I am sure that whilst it may be difficult for Drouin at first, he will succeed. Some players really need to be pushed hard and they expect to be pushed hard. I believe Drouin is one of these players. I don't think he was very happy with chomp chomp giggle giggle mediocre. Most of your elite players, I would think, want to be pushed hard. I know I would because what challenge would I have if I wasn't pushed hard? I'm already better than most.

The reason why Drouin wanted out was becuase of Cooper. The reason why was due to his ice time. Cooper didn't trust him in his own zone and therefore his role changed and his minutes decreased. He was sent to the minors to improve his game specifically on his play away from the puck and he spat his dummy out and didn't report to Syracuse. When he finally reported due to his play in Syracuse and the fact the bolts had injuries upfront they recalled him for the strech run in the 15-16 season and the bridge was mended. The bolts kept hold of him and he played well last year but despite being 3rd on the team in points he posted a team worst -13. His play away from the puck still hasn't improved. You could make the case well that defense and goaltending wasn't great last year but look at Palat's numbers, he finished a point shy in of Drouin for total points and posted a +8. Montreal need offense hence why they acquired Drouin and no doubt he'll upgrade their offense but I depsite all the points he could put up which could reach 70 this year, it wouldn't suprise me if he's still a minus player and that's not going to sit well with a defense orientated coach.

 

[I_Shall_Return]

I'm sorry ISR... <yada yada yada>...Yes Stamkos has been injuried the past few seasons but define injury prone how you want but my definition would be a consistent injury that affects the players game.

Webster's Dictionary has been around for decades and is now called Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I have looked to see if they have ever been taken to court for wrongly defining a word, the search came up empty. I think it's safe to say, since their longevity and no false definition lawsuits, that they are a safe Dictionary company to use Danny. This Company defines "injury prone" as follows in my copy and paste and is exactly the way I was using that terminology.

Definition of injury-prone

1. : frequently injured

 

[I_Shall_Return]

In the past 4 seasons, Stamkos has had season ending injuries in 2 of them. This is half, 50% or .500%. Would you be happy if the Lightning was a .500 club? Now I really doubt that either injury he wanted. I know he loves the sport of hockey and it's a no-brainer that he would rather play it than go through surgery, rehab and so on. Whether he plays or not, he is still collecting his yearly salary. He has done a lot of great things with the Lightning organization! All I am saying is yes I would have kept Drouin, who has had 1 good season (so far), a very talented young man with bugs to overcome (as do most players) and challenged him to even be better. In a business mind, paying 5+ million a year to a guy that in 2 out of 4 seasons has only achieved 34 goals and 26 assists (2013 season 25g 15a; 2016 9g 11a) doesn't make much sense. The 2 other seasons, in between the injured ones, he was 79 goals and 57 assists (roughly a 40 goal a season scorer and 30 helpers each season).

 

[dannyb24195]

Webster's Dictionary has been around for decades and is now called Merriam-Webster Dictionary. I have looked to see if they have ever been taken to court for wrongly defining a word, the search came up empty. I think it's safe to say, since their longevity and no false definition lawsuits, that they are a safe Dictionary company to use Danny. This Company defines "injury prone" as follows in my copy and paste and is exactly the way I was using that terminology.

Definition of injury-prone

1. : frequently injured

Let's just say if Stamkos plays 2 full season or close to and misses a handful of games is he still cosidered injury prone? I'll give you an example Crosby played 99 games in 3 seasons from 2010-2013 due to concussion issues and everyone said he's injury prone then in the last 4 seasons he's missed a total of 16 games. So he was once considered injury prone and now he's not, how's that possible? Surely if your injury prone you remain injury prone? That's why I define it based on does it effect your play and Crosby had 4 or 5 concussions in that timeframe but after staying healthy the past few seasons he's still the best in the league. At the end of the day everyone has injuries, some more serious than others so more frequent that others but the repititive ones that effect your play are what I consider injury prone. Look at Callahan, he's been a physical player his entire career and it's starting to take a toll on his hip which he's consistently had issues. He's struggled to stay healthy and when he has, he's not the same player just look at his numbers. Same with Johnson who has had wrist issues since the cup appearance in 2015 and in that season he scored 29 goals, in the past 2 season's he's scored a combined 33, quite clearly not the same prolific goal scorer.

 

[dannyb24195]

In the past 4 seasons, Stamkos has had season ending injuries in 2 of them. This is half, 50% or .500%. Would you be happy if the Lightning was a .500 club? Now I really doubt that either injury he wanted. I know he loves the sport of hockey and it's a no-brainer that he would rather play it than go through surgery, rehab and so on. Whether he plays or not, he is still collecting his yearly salary. He has done a lot of great things with the Lightning organization! All I am saying is yes I would have kept Drouin, who has had 1 good season (so far), a very talented young man with bugs to overcome (as do most players) and challenged him to even be better. In a business mind, paying 5+ million a year to a guy that in 2 out of 4 seasons has only achieved 34 goals and 26 assists (2013 season 25g 15a; 2016 9g 11a) doesn't make much sense. The 2 other seasons, in between the injured ones, he was 79 goals and 57 assists (roughly a 40 goal a season scorer and 30 helpers each season).

At the end of the day the key for this team is Stamkos to keep healthy. If he is the Lightning a contender, if not the Lightning would likely fail to make the playoffs, just like last year, that's the difference Stamkos makes. It's not just the fact he's an elite level goal scorer, he's game is starting to round out in regards to playing all sitations and most importantly he's our leader. He was on pace to have his best year to date and it would of been interesting to see what numbers he would of put up. If Stammer stays healthy next year, I think he and Kuch will be in the top 5 in the NHL in points who will likely be line mates.

In the case of Drouin outisde of Stammer and Kuch he was the forward that was going to generate a huge return despite his defensive issues and his character. In the deal the Lightning landed a prospect who many are saying could be as good, if not better than Hedman. If you traded a Palat or Johnson which you would have to if you signed Drouin you don't land a caliber a player like Sergachev. Additionally I know Kuch signed a bridge deal and Drouin was a longer term deal but Drouin who has had 1 good year and has his issues is earning a $1 mill more per season that one of the best players in the NHL in Kucherov. So you move Drouin acquire a prospect who is conisdered elite and get a 2nd round pick in the deal as well and additionally avoid losing a forward in the expansion draft for nothing due to trade, so in my opinion I think Yzerman did just fine.