However, people need to relax and pump the brakes in terms of their overreaction after the season ended unexpectedly.
In the two-and-a-half days since the Bolts’ season came to a screeching halt, some of the instant reaction on social media has been absolutely absurd. Some fans insisted head coach Jon Cooper be relieved of his duties. Others started yearning for Steven Stamkos to have his captaincy stripped or Nikita Kucherov to be traded, while some seem to think that goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy choked.
All of these suggestions are not going to happen. In the five-plus seasons he’s been behind the Lightning’s bench, Cooper has won more games (243) than any other head coach in team history. He’s led this team to three ECF appearances and one Cup Final appearance in his tenure. Yes, he hasn’t won the Cup yet. However, there’s no doubt he’s earned a long leash. Now if the Lightning stumble to a terrible start next year or fall short in the 2019 playoffs, then you consider that discussion about finding a different voice.
As for Stamkos and Kucherov, there were times when they passed the puck too much this season and got away from a shoot-first mentality. However, the 28-year-old Stamkos is still one of the top 10-12 centers in the entire league. When he missed most of 2016-17 due to injury, it was pretty clear this team missed not only his on-ice ability, but his leadership in the room. Taking the “C” away from his jersey would be a rash move.
What’s even more ludicrous to me are some of the cries for Kucherov to be traded.
Last time I checked, he’s easily a top-10 winger in this league. In an era when scoring 100 points is exceedingly rare, Kucherov was one of three players to accomplish that feat this season. Since the start of 2010-11, he’s one of only seven players to hit the century mark. Admittedly, there were times when he was invisible in the playoffs. While his impact in the final few games of the Eastern Conference Final was minimal, he had 17 points in 17 playoff games. Can you guess who has scored the most playoff goals in the NHL since 2014? If you guessed Nikita Kucherov, you would be correct. He’s tallied 29 postseason goals since 2014. That’s despite the fact the Lightning missed the playoffs in 2017. Unless John Tavares or Connor McDavid is coming the other way in a trade, you don’t deal away Nikita Kucherov. Enough with the overreaction.
For now and many years going forward, this is Andrei Vasilevskiy’s crease.
In his first full season as a starter, Vasilevskiy earned his first ever Vezina Trophy nomination, helping the Lightning win some games in which they were thoroughly outplayed. He did hit a rough patch late in the season, although that was due in part to the poor defensive play in front of him over the final month-and-a-half of the regular season. During the playoffs, he was a rock for this team in the crease, and he is the reason the Eastern Conference Final even got to seven games. The best part is that he doesn’t turn 24 until July. Vasilevskiy is not even close to entering his prime as a goaltender yet and he should only get better.
