Hockeywiztalks Hockey Blog

 The Tampa Bay Lightning are the defending Stanley Cup Champions but they haven't exactly had the best start to the season. While Tampa has a good 11-4-3 record; they currently sit in 3rd in the Atlantic Division. What's are some of the Issues with the Tampa Bay Lightning and how should they be fixed? Issues w/ Tampa Bay Lightning 1. Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point's Injuries 2. Not enough Scoring Depth 3. Defense Has Not been good at all 4. Young players have not developed well It's not a stretch to say that Nikita Kucherov is the focal point of the Lightning' offense, and his absence in the lineup is very noticeable especially on the powerplay since his presence requires other teams to pay special attention to him. Kucherov underwent surgery back in late October and was given a timeline of 8 to 10 weeks. The Lightning was able to play well enough without Nikita Kucherov because they still had Stamkos, Point, and Vasilevkiy, however, unfortunately, Brayden Point ...

After Zach Parise left in Free Agency, the New Jersey Devils were a mess and then after Ilya Kovalchuk decided to "Retire" and return to play in Russia, the Devils were left witha mediocre roster that couldn't contend for the playoffs anymore. The Rebuild starts in 2012 Draft Instead of waiting on Zach Parise, the Devils trade his rights to the Minnesota Wild for Jason Zucker. Zach Parise was going to sign with the Wild anyways, so it makes sense to get something for him. Jason Zucker was buried in the depth chart of Wild for years, he would have found success much sooner with the Devils. Martin Brodeur is Traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Nick Leddy, 2nd round pick 2013. If Chicago Wins the Stanley Cup, the 2nd round pick becomes a 1st round pick. Martin Broduer gives the Chicago Blackhawks a veteran goalie they can lean on in the playoffs, while the Devils get a young defenseman in Nick Leddy who was always in Joel Queneville's doghouse. New Jer...