Quoting: BOLTLOVER1
If you threw in a few #1s .. Tampa should do the deal.
Mc David is best in NHL. PERIOD. Kuch is great but Stamkos is mow a 2nd liner and is injury prone and has a NEGATIVE Plus Minus this year for Tampa which given he plays power play and Tampa is best team in NHL is almost impossible .. again cant do trade you propose but throw in few more pieces and picks .. pull the trigger particularly if Tampa does not win Stanley Cup; Cooper or Stamkos is gone.
Stamkos is a 2nd liner? He is a point per game, tied with John Tavares (and others) for 31st in the league. He also only has 2 season in which he's missed more than 5 games. The narrative of "Stamkos is injury prone" isn't accurate. The man has had two seasons of fluke injuries. This isn't a Bobby Ryan situation with recurring injuries, they are isolated events and extreme situations (two plays where he fell awkwardly and a blood clot).
On a side note, I don't understand the hate Stamkos gets from our fan base. He returned from injury and adapted his game to better suit the team. He's worked on his passing (10th overall for assists last year), his defensive game (especially his faceoffs, which he is the best on the team for).
Also, +/- is a horrible stat, especially in this case as Stamkos is:
1- a powerplay specialist, where points don't affect +/-
2- constantly played in high risk situations, like faceoffs in our end, because he is our best faceoff guy.
Another noteworthy part of the +/- stat is that we have played the majority of the season without our Vezina caliber starting goalie. We've been using Louis who has posted a 2.95GAA and a .905 sv%. You'll notice that the team with a +40 goal only has 3 players who have a +/- above 10.
He's 2nd on Tampa for goals, 4th for assists, and 3rd for points. He's also our leader in shots with a maintainable shooting percentage. He is also our team's captain.
So BOLTSLOVER1, in regards to Stamkos being a 2nd liner, I implore you to name 31 centers better than him. I'll be happy to admit I'm wrong if you can.