Sort loose to TB IN 6

Assuming that Tampa Bay is fully healthy in the playoffs, they’re absolutely the probable champions and the best team in the league on paper.

You can’t assume injuries are all teams going to be beat up when the playoffs come around yup they are but Tampa Bay is going to have the advantage of having its best player completely rested

Assuming TB makes the Playoffs. I don't see them as the lock they were before Kuch was LTIR and they traded away Paquette/Coburn. The margin for error for things going sideways in the regular season is much smaller now.

Tampa will make it but how far they will go no idea. The main reason Goodrow-Gourde-Coleman was one of the best 2-way lines during the playoffs and was the driving factor for why they won next to point deciding to go god mode.

50 to the charity of the winners choice they make the playoffs ?

This team has to play with a lot of speed and needs to stay healthy. I already placed my bet on them to win it. I think a shortened season might give them an advantage, but who knows.

Good bet

Another issue is Stamkos is he healthy to start the season or is he on LTIR as well? If both Kutch and Stammer are out they may be too far Behind quickly to make up ground in a shortened season.

The Playoffs are different than the regular season. I still think TB is a good team, but they aren't a great team like they iced last year. CAR, CBJ, DAL, and NSH are also good but not great teams. FLA could play spoiler. CHI is a dumpster fire without Dach and Toews.

This is the Canada or West Divisions where they would be a lock.

Tampa is still a great team even without Kucherov. They may be top 4 or 5 without him instead of 1 or 2 with him, but they are still easily the best team in their division. Losing Coburn and Paquette are minimal losses, as Coburn was at best a #7 and Paquette was a 4th line C(albeit a solid one). With Kucherov back for the playoffs Tampa would have a pretty good chance at a repeat, at least as much as any team's % of winning, which isn't that high even for the best teams.

Barring any further major injuries to Tampa they will very likely win their division. Maybe Dallas edges them out if things go poorly but Tampa is not finishing behind 4 teams in that division, even without Kucherov.

I’ll take JBB at his word Stamkos is healthy and ready to go

I had not heard anything on Stammer since he left in the playoffs.

At the press conference that he announced kuch was going for surgery he said that his time was fine and he be ready for opening day

Made the most of the 2:47 he played in the playoffs

Have you seen their division? If everything goes wrong they could finish behind Carolina, but they won’t be behind Nashville, Columbus, Dallas, Florida, Detroit, or Chicago.

Even without Kucherov the team is among the best in the league.

I keep hearing this a lot but I don’t think a healthy kucherov is guaranteed to be the case for the playoffs. Just because he hasn’t been ruled out for the playoffs doesn’t mean he will be healthy and ready to go for game 1. Also I would rather have have regular kucherov than “haven’t played in 9 months” kucherov.

He’ll be fine this is The same surgery performed by the same surgeon that did that both Gourde and point had .,, for the first series maybe your right but remember what Kane did in the 15 playoffs and yes I’m comparing Kuch to Kane

Ya it’s a possibility. Kane did play 60 games that year, he missed 20 games not the whole season and a part of the offseason. Different injury, different player. Kane missed like 2 months, kucherov wouldn’t have played hockey in like 9.

Hahaha you corrected it but still say that they will loose to tampa