Quick Strikes: The on again off again Erik Karlsson to the Lightning rumors are back on again

The Bolts

Are you ready to do this again? We did it last year at the trade deadline. We did it again over the summer. And now, before the San Jose Sharks’ season is even over, we’re apparently going to start again. Yesterday, on the radio, Chris Johnston said that Tampa is still one of Erik Karlsson’s preferred destinations and further, the best blue liner in the game would be willing to take a discount because of the state tax situation and the appeal of playing with his buddy Victor Hedman.

As far fetched as it may seem, landing Karlsson is feasible for the Lightning. They would have to move a few players but they have the flexibility to do it. Ryan Callahan and J.T. Miller would be the first options. It would probably also require running less depth and relying on a player like Cal Foote to be ready to make the roster out of camp. It would accelerate their timeline for winning a Cup but at this point, why not? Just go all in and worry about the future in the future.

In lighter news, Andrei Vasilevskiy did a Bauer commercial. And it’s pretty good!

Anthony Cirelli and Mathieu Joseph are in love maybe?

Scott Burnside at The Athletic wrote about potential free agent targets for all 31 teams. Here’s what he wrote for the Lightning:

Potential Free-Agent Targets: Patrik Nemeth, Ben Lovejoy, Micheal Ferland, Wayne Simmonds

Best Fit: Ben Lovejoy will be a nice fit if Anton Stralman and Brayden Coburn depart. A winner with a personality that would be a seamless fit for the Lightning room.

Listen, I know it’s hard to cover the whole league. But if all you have to suggest is a few grinders and Dan Girardi Lite, maybe spare us all the words. Also, ERIK KARLSSON.

The Prospects

The news on the prospect front today was...thin. But it does look like Troy Bourke is heading over to Germany after playing most of last season in Orlando with the Solar Bears.

The Game

Last night, the Bruins closed out the Hurricanes in a sweep in the Eastern Conference Final. They await the winner of the Sharks and Blues series in the West. The Sharks currently lead that series 2-1 and resume play tonight.

Tuukka Rask saved all 24 shots he faced en route to his seventh career playoff shutout. The first line dominated again; Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron all scored in the contest. In the second period, Pastrnak and Bergeron capitalized on power play opportunities to give the team the lead entering the final frame. Bergeron scored again in the third, while Marchand added the empty net dagger.

In international play, Anthony Cirelli scored a goal on a nice pass from perennially underrated Flyers’ center Sean Couturier.

Greg Wyshinski wrote a good article at ESPN about the idea of teams copying those that do well in the playoffs.

But copying from the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs is like copying from the dumbest kid in your math class (aka “me”). It’s an incongruity. It’s a glitch. It will be remembered the same way we remember the 2006 postseason, which is to say for its eccentricity rather than its trendsetting.

He makes the point that this would be a particularly bad year to copy the teams who’ve advanced given how wild the upsets have been. But I would go even further. Copying the teams that succeed in the playoffs is always a bad idea. The playoffs are a crapshoot and chasing success this time of year will lead to nothing but failure and despair.

The New York Rangers continue to have turnover in their front office. Glen Sather’s departure has been followed by one of the long term members of his team, Assistant General Manager Jim Schoenfield.