Bolts should upgrade their "D" for the playoffs

I would like to see them upgrade their defence. I like Boyle, Lukowi and Sarich but I would feel better if they upgraded. They should go after one of either Witt or DeVries (Rags eat 50% of salary).

Bolts: DeVries and Rucinsky
Rags: Polushin, Egener and a 2nd in 2005

or

Bolts: Witt
Caps: Pratt, Cibak, and a 2nd in 2004

New Pairings
Kubina - Sydor
DeVries / Witt - Cullimore
Luko - Boyle

Alternate Sarich, Luko and Boyle

I can understand how someone might think the Luko-Boyle pair could be upgraded, since both players tend to take a lot of chances and occasionally get burned, but how on earth could anyone with two brain cells to rub together conclude that Cory Sarich is a weak link on this team?

Don't know, but for a supposed #1 defenseman Sydor's been making some horrible plays of late. Anyone else notice? I mean, you can't skate in front of the net unharrassed and give the puck up; sort of reminded me of a Boyle-esque transition game from two years ago.

It bounced over his stick, the ice looked terrible tonight. Give the guy a break.

He made some stupid plays in Florida and against the Blackhawks as well. Too many times he is letting people skate by him with the puck. Hes seems to be smart with the puck most of the time, but then he'll take too wide of an angle or do something stupid. For instance it was 1 O vs 2 D and he let a guy skate in and get a shot on net, when he could have forced the issue from the outside and possibly a turnover. Instead Khabibulin has to make a good save and Detroit gets in deep. Its things like that that really bother me, he isn't playing very physical or aggressive; how can you not be aggressive in this system?

Maybe im the only one that notices?

I can understand how someone might think the Luko-Boyle pair could be upgraded, since both players tend to take a lot of chances and occasionally get burned, but how on earth could anyone with two brain cells to rub together conclude that Cory Sarich is a weak link on this team?

Thanks for your childish response. Maybe a counter point might be better proof that DeVries or Witt would not be an upgrade over Sarich, Luko or Boyles. I am a Bolts fan and continue to believe the defence as it stands today gets pushed around by the stronger lines in the Eastern Conf and gets bailed out by excellent goalie play. Khabi stole that game as the third pairing was torched multiple times last night and even split like the red sea for Detroits only goal. Maybe, you missed that in the game last night or even in the Devil's game on Friday (the Bolts won that game because Khabi kept the game close, the Devs had a lot of chances in front to put the game away). The playoffs will only magnify the mistakes the D makes because Offense takes a back seat to D on the playoffs. Boyles and Luko facing the #1 lines in the playoffs leads me to hope the goaltending stands on its head because I do not have a high comfort level they can withstand the pressure.

Personally, I would trade Sarich straight up for either Witt or DeVries but I do not think Cap or Rags fans would believe that is an equitable trade on their behalf.

Sarich isn't going anywhere.

Boyles and Luko facing the #1 lines in the playoffs leads me to hope the goaltending stands on its head because I do not have a high comfort level they can withstand the pressure.
They don't normally face the #1 lines as far as I know.

Personally, I would trade Sarich straight up for either Witt or DeVries but I do not think Cap or Rags fans would believe that is an equitable trade on their behalf.
Wow, never thought I'd see a Bolts fan who doesn't like Sarich. I don't think you'll get your wish though, from today's paper it doesn't sound like Feaster is going to be doing much today.

While i might be ready to trade lukowich, i would not part with sarich or boyle. neither would i trade our top two prospects for either of those defensemen. with that said, if a deal could be worked out for a draft choice and low level prospects then i would be infavor of adding one of those guys you mentioned, like keefe, willis, olvestad and pratt + a choice or two, depending on the size of the contract being taken by us and the length of the contract. Sydor has been playing well the last few weeks and seems to be finding his game, but will he make mistakes from time to time- yes- we all do, but overall he has been an excellent addition to our blueline. honestly, we do not have enough prospects that we cn afford to trade them away at this time.

Some JVers making their way over here?

Open your eyes on both Sarich and Sydor.

Geez, the team has one reg. loss and 15 wins during Sydor's "get acclimated" phase.

Again - there isn't a perfect defenseman. Even Lidstrom makes mistakes.

Bolts: DeVries and Rucinsky
Rags: Polushin, Egener and a 2nd in 2005

-or-

Bolts: Witt
Caps: Pratt, Cibak, and a 2nd in 2004



WHAT? Why would feaster trade away 2 of their top 3 prospects for 2 soft players (although Rucinsky is a very good player).

As for the Witt for pratt/cibak/2nd, None of their current roster players were going to be dealt, so that deal carried no substance. Besides, Washington is a divisional rival. They would want much more coming from Feaster for Witt.

The playoffs will only magnify the mistakes the D makes because Offense takes a back seat to D on the playoffs. Boyles and Luko facing the #1 lines in the playoffs leads me to hope the goaltending stands on its head because I do not have a high comfort level they can withstand the pressure.

Personally, I would trade Sarich straight up for either Witt or DeVries but I do not think Cap or Rags fans would believe that is an equitable trade on their behalf.

The only way Bolye and Lukowich will face a #1 line is if there is a bad line change by Torterella or a good line change by the opposing coach to get his #1 line out there. I wouldnt mind Luko being sat for a guy like Witt but it aint going to happen and it didnt happen.

Whats the beef with Sarich? Hes done a great job this year being paired with Cullimore to shut down top lines. He is not pushed around very often and I believe put the hit on Lang last night at center ice in the 1st period which knocked Lang out for 3-4 weeks. Witt is an upgrade but an upgrade that is not needed IMO. Sarich for Devries would be a retarded trade. Devries is not as good in his own end as Sarich and we already have guys that can work the PP in Boyle, Kubina, and Sydor. Sarich would be a great trade for the Rangers because he is a hard-hitting defensive defenseman they need. It would be equitable value for the Rangers instead of a prospect. The team is doing good right now and I'm not really understadning why you think Sarich is a liability out there when he is out against the top lines every night and based on the winning streak it hasnt hurt them at all.

Some JVers making their way over here?

Open your eyes on both Sarich and Sydor.

Geez, the team has one reg. loss and 15 wins during Sydor's "get acclimated" phase.

Again - there isn't a perfect defenseman. Even Lidstrom makes mistakes.


O39, don't let the post total fool you, I have been on this board since Rivals closed up shop. I did not suggest there is a perfect defenceman but I still would have preferred bringing in Witt, DeVries or D. Morris (first choice) for the first / second pairing, moving Sarich to the 3rd pair and sitting either Luko or Boyle. If DeVries is a top 4 Dman on the Sens, he sure as hell is a top 4 Dman on the Bolts. I like Sarich and he does make some big hits but I like him better as a 5th rather then a 3rd Dman. As for the mismatch, when the Bolts are on the road the home team use the last line change to get the match ups they desire.

If for one moment we can get behind the win streak, which is a GREAT accomplishment, and look at the last couple of games against playoff teams the only reason the Bolts stayed in and won the game was because of the goaltending. The "D" has been breaking down more often against the playoff teams that play a cycling style like the Devs and the Wings.

In the end, I hope you all are right and I am wrong!!

Geez, the team has one reg. loss and 15 wins during Sydor's "get acclimated" phase.

he, how about that for JV statement. Maybe thats just part of the jan 3rd 3 reg. loss record?

Im just saying hes making some bad mistakes lately; don't take that for more than what it is.

Well now that we have Neckar, Sarich is expendable :joker:

he, how about that for JV statement. Maybe thats just part of the jan 3rd 3 reg. loss record?

Im just saying hes making some bad mistakes lately; don't take that for more than what it is.

I don't get it. Explain.

Me pointing to our one reg. loss in 20 games since Sydor's been here is a JV statement?

Personally, I would trade Sarich straight up for either Witt or DeVries but I do not think Cap or Rags fans would believe that is an equitable trade on their behalf.

Maybe not Caps or Rags fans, but those teams' GMs would jump at the trade.

Cory Sarich is one of the most underrated young D-men in hockey. Keep in mind most D-men don't fully mature until they've reached the age of 26-27 and/or gotten about 400 NHL games under their belts. (For instance, de Vries blossomed at age 28 with just under 400 games.) At 25, Sarich is still at least a full season away from hitting that range, and he's already holding his own against the top lines in hockey. Aside from being one of the more physical players on the Bolts blueline, Sarich is also beginning to show signs that he's ready to round out his game by developing his untapped offensive upside (2 goals and 6 points in his last 14 games). There have been several stretches (especially early) this season where Sarich carried Cullimore, rather than the other way around.

That being said, I do think Sarich needs to focus on playing within himself before the playoffs begin. He has struggled a bit recently from trying to do too much, but if he can approach the post-season the same way Pavel Kubina approached last year's playoffs -- i.e. getting back to meat-and-potatoes defense -- he's capable of being a monster.

In any case, considering Sarich has yet to hit his developmental ceiling, you don't turn around and trade him for an older, more one-dimensonal D-man in Brendan Witt, nor do you deal him off for an older, similar player in de Vries who might be a minor short-term upgrade at four times the price!

It just doesn't make sense ... especially when you consider that this team has much bigger issues to deal with (i.e. inexperienced and/or arguably inept lower-line forwards).

No, the defense isn't spectacular, it's not the late-'70s Canadiens or the late-'90s Stars or the early-'00s Devils, but it gets the job done. TB is 8th in the league in goals against and 4th in the league in shots allowed. Will the playoffs be tougher? Absolutely. Will the defense be up to the task? The same group did just fine last year, and that was with injuries to Cullimore and Lukowich.

Whatever the case, there's simply no way you put Cory Sarich in the press box.

I'm sure Pete will come along and make an equally impassioned case for Dan Boyle.

I don't get it. Explain.

Me pointing to our one reg. loss in 10 games since Sydor's been here is a JV statement?


Your stateing this as if he is THE reason for the record. I think hes just been around for the ride, considering he hithched on well after the Lightning started playing good. Comparing records and acquasitions after 10 games is a JV statement IMO.

I really wouldn't be accusing Chad of making JV statements. :shakehead

Your stateing this as if he is THE reason for the record. I think hes just been around for the ride, considering he hithched on well after the Lightning started playing good. Comparing records and acquasitions after 10 games is a JV statement IMO.

Sydor deserves at least as much credit for the Lightning's recent success as any single player on the roster. He's been playing extremely smart hockey in all zones, he was out there against the top lines during Cullimore's absence, and he has (finally!) given the Bolts a second D-man who can trigger the transition game with a quick, well-placed outlet pass. To me, that last thing has been one of the biggest differences in the team's pre-Sydor and post-Sydor play. Instead of transitioning well only for the 25 minutes that Boyle's on the ice, now the team breaks out quickly for 45-50 minutes per game. That's a huge thing for a team that plays such an up-tempo, aggressive, hard-skating style. While Sydor's not exactly Scott Stevens in the defensive zone, he's a HUGE, HUGE upgrade over Nolan Pratt, who can't skate OR play the puck well.

Between personally attacking O39, whose hockey acumen is impeccable, and going on record as a Todd Bertuzzi supporter, you're not making a lot of friends lately, TB_FAN.

I'm sure Pete will come along and make an equally impassioned case for Dan Boyle.

Do I need to? Look at his stats these last couple of seasons. I know people complain his stats are down from last season, but he still has 32 points in 66 games now this year. He's going to come in at around the 39-40 points Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski had last season at this pace. And he leads this team in IT. And he hasn't been a minus player here. And he hustles his undersized rear end off.

He's a top-level d-man. Not in the class of a Lidstrom or Pronger, but in that very good tier just below it (with Sydor). Quietly, but very productively. For what we're paying him he is still a steal, even if he's not up in the 50's in points.

-Pete Choquette

Well, I was wrong. It wasn't 10 games. I fixed my typo.

This from today's paper:

HIGH TRADE VALUE: When D Darryl Sydor made his Lightning debut Jan. 29 against Pittsburgh, his main goal was to fit in and help contribute to a winning team, something he missed playing for struggling Columbus.

Safe to say, Sydor has fit like a glove. The Lightning are 16-1-2-2 in the 21 games with Sydor in the lineup, making Sydor's trade one of the top deals of the NHL season.Said Tortorella: ``If we didn't make that trade at that time - it's a twofold thing - I don't think we get the deal done if we wait because I think other teams may offer more. Also, it allows Syd to understand our team concept going into the playoffs and have a number of games under his belt.''

Is Sydor THE reason why Tampa has only lost one time in regulation in the last 2 months (which doesn't seem good enough for some people)? No, not by himself. But where did I say that? However, he is a HUGE part of what's been happening. When he was acquired, the general thought was that he would solidfy the defense with his strong 2-way game and he would be one of the final pieces of the puzzle that would allow TB to reach its potential. All we've gotten since is a transition attack originating from the backline that has resulted in the most goals in the league since he was acquired. You don't think his passing ability has anything to do with that? He was not advertised as a Lidstrom, nor as a Stevens, but as a guy who is above average in both ends. He's proven that - and then some. As Pete (I think) pointed out - he's easily the smartest defenseman to suit up for Tampa Bay - EVER. Sure, he makes a mistake from time to time, but so does Lidstrom and Blake. He's been on the PK and on the 2nd PP unit, helping it climb up nearly 10 notches in the rankings.

So Sydor's just a passenger?

Well, I guess you can throw that on your ethos pile with "Alexeev is our Hejduk," "Afanasenkov will score 25 goals this year" and now "...I don't see how someone saying Bertuzzi's hit was vicious has a case."

Listen, Sydor doesn't stick out as an all-star on this team, but if you look closely at the little things he does and does so well, it's easy to see the profound impact he's had on this team. And that's if the record itself isn't good enough for you.

Between personally attacking O39, whose hockey acumen is impeccable, and going on record as a Todd Bertuzzi supporter, you're not making a lot of friends lately, TB_FAN.


Indeed