Tampa Bay Lightning and Steven Stamkos deserve reputation as chokers
After Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning got swept in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they deserve to be known as nothing more than chokers.
It’s official. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the biggest chokers in NHL history. Every President’s Trophy team before this season had at least won one playoff game. The Lightning and team captain Steven Stamkos have set the dubious record of being the first to be swept.
But honestly, should anyone be that surprised? Throughout the last few seasons, whenever the Lightning have undergone adversity, it hasn’t ended well. This is how you make three out of four Eastern Conference Finals without winning any Stanley Cups.
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Stamkos was at the front and center of their sweep to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Until his goal in Game 4, Tampa’s captain had more cheapshot punches landed (one) than goals in the series (zero).
Even with that goal, Stamkos, the NHL’s second most prolific goal scorer during his career, scored as many goals as he had punches landed. But to his credit, at least he had more points (two) than punches (one).
I’ll be the first person to tell you plus-minus is a dumb stat, but it’s telling Stamkos had a -8 rating during the series. That’s unacceptable from a captain of a team who set records during the regular season. It’s becoming a reoccurring theme for Tampa. Anything short of a Stanley Cup was going to be considered a failure. That is precisely how this season should be viewed by the Lightning and Stamkos.
Now both face a summer full of looking themselves in the mirror. What changes will be made? Because let’s be real, Tampa has to make changes. You don’t get swept in the first round and not make changes. Keep in mind they just signed head coach Jon Cooper to an extension.
The way Tampa’s salary cap situation is set up, to make any substantial change, a trade will have to be made. Maybe it’s Tyler Johnson. Ryan Callahan likely gets traded. As nutty as it might sound, Stamkos could be (and maybe should be) a realistic trade option if he can net them a significant return.
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Now, reputations can change in the NHL in a flash. Remember how everyone thought Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals were chokers? And how they proved everyone wrong in 2018? Well, until the Capitals proved everyone wrong, they were chokers. Such is the case with the Lightning and Stamkos.