An Analysis of Cooper's Simple Stamkos Math

Perhaps the most interesting Tampa Bay Lightning-related story this year has been the sluggish start to the season from Steven Stamkos.  Of course, only when talking about a world-class goal scorer like Stamkos is clicking along at a 30-plus goal pace considered "sluggish," but the fact remains that he hasn't been his usual dominant self for much of the year.

There might be an easy solution to that "problem."  One of the things my dad said to me as a kid has stuck with me to this day: "Don't bring me the problem.  Bring me the solution," he used to say.  Being the well-educated and intelligent man that he is, that's exactly what Lightning head coach Jon Cooper did after Sunday night's win over the Ottawa Senators:

Stamkos w/ 7 shots tonight (two goals), after 5 Fri. Cooper: "Stammer 5 shots last game, score. 7 shots tonight and scores 2. Simple math"

— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) December 21, 2015

A good chunk of it might just be that simple.

POLL: Would you give Stamkos the Kopitar Contract?

The two big UFA-to-be forwards in this year's "Class of '16" are Anze Kopitar and Steven Stamkos.  The hockey world has been eagerly awaiting for at least one of those two shoes to drop, and it sounds like that might be happening in short order.  It may not be the news Tampa Bay Lightning fans were hoping to find under their Christmas tree this year, but Kopitar is reportedly close to signing a long-term extension with the Los Angeles Kings.

To be clear, Kopitar hasn't *officially* signed his extension with the Kings as of this moment.  He is expected to do so very soon, though.  From a few days ago:

Report: Anze Kopitar 'very close' to massive 8-year extension with Kings. https://t.co/XJ8Gk8pMU9 pic.twitter.com/dXTPlecWoi

— theScore (@theScore) December 18, 2015

So, how does this impact the Lightning?  All summer long people were pointing at the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane deals as benchmarks for the Stamkos negotiations, so I think the Kopitar contract can serve the same purpose.  The Kopitar extension, according to that piece from The Score, is expected to be in the neighborhood of $9.75-million per season; Toews and Kane, for their part, signed identical deals that pay them an average of $10.5-million each per year.

Executing Order 91 is a Complicated Proposition

Star Wars is in the news right now, in case you hadn't heard.

Remember in the prequel trilogy when ol' Chancellor Palpatine decided that it was time to get rid of his little 'Jedi problem' so that he could have "peace" in the galaxy?  He executed Order 66, and just like that the Jedi were out of his way.  It was that simple.  Problem solved!

Back here in reality, I'm at the point now where I'm hoping that Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman will execute an 'order' and get rid of what is quickly becoming a Steven Stamkos circus.  I often catch myself daydreaming about Yzerman in a dark cloak, looking a little something like this:

As a disclaimer, I should mention that I'm not saying I want Yzerman to send some Clone Army to wipe Stamkos off the face of the planet.  I'm not suggesting that I think Yzerman is some evil mastermind like our friend the Emperor.  I'm not even suggesting that "executing Order 91" would be the worst thing in the world, as Order 66 clearly was.  That would all be just a *tad* silly.  

Rather, I'm suggesting that I believe "Executing Order 91" (i.e. trading Steven Stamkos) might be the best thing to do right now.  Because, really, Stammergeddon 2.0 isn't getting any better.  But, just because something might be the best thing to do doesn't mean that it's an easy thing to do.  As the title says, it's complicated.

Quick Thoughts on the Stamkos Saga

When word came out that Steven Stamkos' agent and the Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to touch base re: a contract extension for the team's captain, the hockey world exploded.  People seemed to make a gigantic leap in logic by assuming that "the sides haven't spoken yet" equals "Stamkos actively ignoring Yzerman's calls so he can sign in Toronto."

(Search 'Stamkos' on Twitter.  I dare you.)

That's right!  The 'Stamkos to Toronto' takes are back in fashion.  It's really a great thing, to be honest.  If you're bored and not overly excited by the NHL on this July 9th, why not stir up a story linking one of hockey's brightest stars to the center of the hockey universe?  Tweet it.  Blog it.  Write up an article.  It's a genius ploy, one that generates oodles of clicks and retweets.  And the best part?  Rinse.  Repeat.  Do it all over again next week.  All of a sudden you're the most popular kid on the playground at recess.

Negotiating Contracts with Young Players is Risky Business

I wrote over at HockeyBuzz yesterday that the Tampa Bay Lightning are likely going to learn that salary cap casualties are a reality in today's National Hockey League.  That's the nature of the beast when a team has so much young talent on affordable, cost-controlled contracts.  Those contracts expire, and costs skyrocket.  Players like Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn, and Steven Stamkos will all need new deals within the next year or two.

Unlike in the real world, where some frown upon the idea of firing senior employees and replacing them with junior (read: cheap) workers simply for the cost savings, NHL teams rely on a revolving door of talent.  A dynamite core simply can't stick together forever in a hard-cap world.  The Chicago Blackhawks, as mentioned in my HockeyBuzz piece, are a perfect example.  Older, expensive workers (i.e. players) are shown the door when a new crop of cost-controlled talent is ready.  The Lightning know this, as they've worked those aforementioned names into the lineup over the last few seasons at the expense of guys like Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, and Teddy Purcell, among others.

Marty St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning are Linked Forever

Martin St. Louis, the man who defined everything Lightning for 13 seasons, announced his retirement from the NHL on Thursday.

Congrats on a great career, Marty St. Louis! 1134 games, 391 goals, 642 assists, 1033 points. http://t.co/4jmvjJ4LKO pic.twitter.com/wm4wxU3aXS

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 2, 2015

Lightning Find Value by Signing Erik Condra to Three-Year Contract

The Tampa Bay Lightning signed former Ottawa Senators forward Erik Condra to a three-year contract worth $1.25MM per season this morning:

#tblightning deal with Erik Condra three years, $1.25 million annual average

— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) July 1, 2015

The 28-year-old forward spent the first five years of his NHL career in Canada's capital, after being drafted by the Senators in the 7th round of the 2006 draft. Playing largely in a bottom-six (fourth line) role over the last few seasons, Condra performed admirably for an Ottawa team that consistently surpassed expectations.