Watching Sergachev go down at The Garden last night was painful. I’d expect him to go on LTIR, which opens $8.5 million in cap space. One name that has been rumored to be on BriseBois’ radar is right-handed defender Sean Walker from Philadelphia (Walker can play RD and LD). The asking price is a first-round pick, which seems high. Do you guys think Walker would be worth a trade? Maybe look at Tanev instead?
I wrote an article this morning discussing the idea of a Walker trade further, I don’t know if it makes sense for the Lightning:
[https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2024/02/08/tampa-bay-lightning-trade-deadline-flyers-right-handed-defender/](https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2024/02/08/tampa-bay-lightning-trade-deadline-flyers-right-handed-defender/)
by jpal_62
21 Comments
I don’t think JBB does. We have no immediate draft stock to capture someone like that, and the players we’d have to get rid of, don’t make sense either. I think Sergachev being LTIR for probably the year (that injury looked BAD) opens us to look, but unless a great deal pops into our lap, I don’t see it.
Maybe if a team is looking to get rid of a higher paid defenseman on the last year of his contract, and make some return rather than lose to free agency, we could make a move, but I doubt it.
I don’t think trading the 2026 or 2027 first+ for Walker or Tanev is going to win the cup. I think if Sergachev is shut down for the year, this team is more than 1 decent piece away from a championship and maybe it’s better to not trade away every good asset left when those assets could be utilized towards a less temporary piece of the puzzle.
Tampa is firmly a tier below the top teams without a healthy core and already doesn’t have their first for this or next year.
This is a double edged sword. If we have to WIN NOW or face years of crappy times the. You have to get one. Knowing you’re going to have a LOT of pieces fall away.
If you are set up and won’t lose much this off season and could sneak into the playoffs without him then I would not make a “big splash”
No one out there is better than he would have been so it still leaves a massive hole. It’s hard to see the team competing at the level it would need to make any kind of run.
Honestly, a month ago I would had said maybe. Now I woukd think they don’t. The team doesn’t have much leverage besides picks and youth. I think we’d all prefer to see the team compete long term.
No
Not paying a first round pick just for Walker. He plays the right side anyway. Now if there’s a scoring winger/depth defenseman combination out there and the asking price involved a pick, I’m listening
Best I can do is Sheary and Blashill for Makar. Maybe throw a fourth in so that Colorado will retain some salary.
If we trade for a defenseman it needs to be someone with term/definitely resignable. Flyers want a first for Sean Walker, which is rich, and he’s a pending UFA rumored to be looking for around 4 mil, which we just cannot afford.
Also, as much as it sucks to say, I don’t think this is our year to go all in.
I don’t think adding one defenseman would be enough to make us anymore competitive in the playoffs than we already are. We need the draft capital for the future or we’ll just go further into the hole in the future. I think we need to see how the next couple weeks play out and if we don’t continue playing how we were right before the All Star Break, then we may be sellers at the TDL.
Hard truth for every fan base is that sometimes, you’re not going to be good. Injuries happen, bad contracts that hamstring you for years (Matt Carle??), off years.. these all happen. We have been playing better in the last few weeks, which has given me the hope of a playoff appearance. I know people trot out the “it’s a whole new season in the playoffs, anything can happen” and that’s true to a point. I can’t see us going on a deep cup run without getting our D in order, but I also cant see this team winning the cup this year. Do we mortgage the future on a potential deep cup run, also forgetting the “anything can happen” can happen against us as well? No moves made, lets get stammer signed, lets get the young guys more ice time at the NHL level, to aid in development, and then focus on next year.
Seeing how some of the young guys and De Haan stepped up in Serg’s absence I dont think it makes a ton of sense targeting a d man with little capital we have.
However, I personally believe there is a chance Serg is out for more than just this year, depending the degree of his injury. A year plus of rehab is not out of the question for a compound fracture (which judging the way his ankle bent seems likely). If that is the case, which I pray it isnt, we are better off using the extra cap space to add some depth scoring.
This is all easier said than done because we literally have no draft capital with the exception of a first two years down the road.
The only D that I would want is McD and we can’t have him back.
I think we hold tight unless Pitt wants to off load EK for some stupid reason and sell him cheap, we hold where we are.
Vasy is not playing 100%, Heddy is still rumored to be nursing a bad hip, Stammer is getting aged
This is not our year for a 4th cup final in last 5 years, imo; let’s go for it next year with everyone healthy, Stammer in a lower role, etc.
I really think we need to consider bringing up Max Crozier as a fulltime D partner to Lilleberg. He’s the kind of guy I’d want to play for us. We have tons of reserves in Syracuse, we should use them.
We need to worry about getting Sheary off the roster first. He’s invisible and I don’t think anyone is going to argue that.
Fact is, the defense has been just fine without Sergy or Cerny, and I’ll miss Sergy, but I think we keep our young guns in the fold for now.
I vote we pick up 3 time Stanley cup champion Phili Kessel!
I hope the space is used on expiring cap dumps that net us picks. Facilitate a trade for a team tight on space. Rinse and repeat.
They are better off hoping one of these young defenseman step up than trading for a middling to bottom tier defenseman
Need some depth at D. With Vasil healthy and Stammer and Hedman getting older, many strange things happen in the playoffs so I’d think it’d be good to look for some cheap depth.
I’d take a Noah Hannifan but we ain’t got nothing to give.
ITT: a lot of people forgetting we just won 13 of 18 with Sergy out. We’re still a very dangerous team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs. People here overvalue draft picks(especially late first rounders), if JBB can make the team better this season, then he should do it.