Sergachev

[Jouko-Pouko]

Sergachev played just 5:22 in last night's game against the Penguins. Did he get injured or is this a sign that he's going back to junior?

I watched one earlier Tampa game and Sergachev looked decent in that, so his low TOI in this game is making me wonder. I know they have 7 D-men in the lineup but there's no point in keeping him if he's not going to play.

Koekkoek also played just 9:44 but somehow scored 2 goals during that time... Their other D-men played over 16 minutes each.

[Axeman33]

Is he still Jr eligible or would he go to the AHL?

[Jouko-Pouko]

Is he still Jr eligible or would he go to the AHL?

Still junior eligible.

[Sulla]

Think he will be back to junior especially considering the terms of the trade...

[ericdaoust]

Think he will be back to junior especially considering the terms of the trade...

I don't believe that. The Lightning want to make their team better for playoff positioning. They won't sabotage that just to get an extra pick. If they feel Sergachev is better than their AHL alternative he'll be sticking around.

[VincentVega]

Last game he didn't look that great so his low TOI is probably a reflection on that. Koekoek looked pretty good last game, on the other hand.

[Pengwin7]

I think Sergachev goes back to junior really soon.
They are allowed 40gp from him - which is a perfect amount.
If they send him back now (using 5gp), then they can still bring him back in March, play him 15gp to get his wheels on and then 20gp into playoffs.
If they get further than 20gp into playoffs - then they are in the Cup Final, and that's the point where you ditch the 2nd rounder for a chance at a ring.

TB has serious cap issues going forwards - and nothing compliments cap issues like youngsters on ELCs.
That 2nd rounder is gold going forward and I think they'll value it as such.


re: 5min TOI / 8 shifts.
Sergachev was on for the long Sheary outlet goal. Completely blew that coverage (PIT's 2nd goal). It's possible Cooper benched him after that. Coaches hate that.

[I'm trying to find the number-based "Game Report" with every play to check the "98" shifts, but NHL.com is a wasteland for finding the technical reports I want... I abhor it.]


Backdoored myself into the shift chart for PIT/TB.

1st Period
Segachev had 4 standard shift intervals in the first ten minutes w/Stralman. [Hedman starting with Dotchin, with Koekoek tagging in as "7th" to start! - getting a shift with Hedman, then a shift with Stralman late.]
Sergachev's 5th shift was 53sec with Stralman late in first.

2nd Period
His 6th shift was a long 2min+ shift with Stralman 1:35into 2nd....
Then Stralman/Hedman shift-changed at the Sheary goal (with Sergachev & ______) coming on. (Shift Chart registers Serg with the - and 4sec of icetime pre-goal.
That was his 7th shift... and last for 18+ min.

3rd Period
He got one spot-shift with Stralman at 6min into 3rd.

And that's it.
Stralman played with Koekkoek for most of 3rd.

Visual (ShiftChart) Link:
http://www.nhl.com/stats/shiftcharts?id=2017020051


Interestingly... if you look at the shift chart, it was Dan Girardi who also hopped onto the ice with Sergachev.
A couple things might've happened.

Most likely... it was a missed assignment by Sergachev with Coburn being tired. Coburn had a penalty at 6:05, so he's in the box until 8:05 of the 2nd. When he hops out, TB is still killing so he goes straight to the ice (as 3rd D-man) to help. He joins Hedman/Stralman, Gourde, and Kunitz and is out there from 28:05-28:31 (per shift chart). When this is the case, the D-men (and coaches) usually designate the two D that will be next even-strength pair: in this case - Sergachev/Girardi.

Either way, it appears Sergachev took the brunt of doghouse-time for the Sheary goal against.

[Jouko-Pouko]

I think Sergachev goes back to junior really soon.
They are allowed 40gp from him - which is a perfect amount.
If they send him back now (using 5gp), then they can still bring him back in March, play him 15gp to get his wheels on and then 20gp into playoffs.
If they get further than 20gp into playoffs - then they are in the Cup Final, and that's the point where you ditch the 2nd rounder for a chance at a ring.

Good speculation in your post but I'd just like to add that if he's sent back to junior, they can't get him back until after his junior season (including playoffs) is over. So they couldn't get him back in March.

[Pengwin7]

Ah, I didn't know that.
Well why the eff did they put him on the start of season roster? Seems like a dumb move.

Can they have his OHL team trade him to a non-playoff team?
(A few bucks under the table - that never happens in the OHL though...)

I would be sad to see him traded from my beloved Spitfires!

[ross10019]

I think Sergachev goes back to junior really soon.
They are allowed 40gp from him - which is a perfect amount.
If they send him back now (using 5gp), then they can still bring him back in March, play him 15gp to get his wheels on and then 20gp into playoffs.
If they get further than 20gp into playoffs - then they are in the Cup Final, and that's the point where you ditch the 2nd rounder for a chance at a ring.

TB has serious cap issues going forwards - and nothing compliments cap issues like youngsters on ELCs.
That 2nd rounder is gold going forward and I think they'll value it as such.


re: 5min TOI / 8 shifts.
Sergachev was on for the long Sheary outlet goal. Completely blew that coverage (PIT's 2nd goal). It's possible Cooper benched him after that. Coaches hate that.

[I'm trying to find the number-based "Game Report" with every play to check the "98" shifts, but NHL.com is a wasteland for finding the technical reports I want... I abhor it.]


Backdoored myself into the shift chart for PIT/TB.

1st Period
Segachev had 4 standard shift intervals in the first ten minutes w/Stralman. [Hedman starting with Dotchin, with Koekoek tagging in as "7th" to start! - getting a shift with Hedman, then a shift with Stralman late.]
Sergachev's 5th shift was 53sec with Stralman late in first.

2nd Period
His 6th shift was a long 2min+ shift with Stralman 1:35into 2nd....
Then Stralman/Hedman shift-changed at the Sheary goal (with Sergachev & ______) coming on. (Shift Chart registers Serg with the - and 4sec of icetime pre-goal.
That was his 7th shift... and last for 18+ min.

3rd Period
He got one spot-shift with Stralman at 6min into 3rd.

And that's it.
Stralman played with Koekkoek for most of 3rd.

Visual (ShiftChart) Link:
http://www.nhl.com/stats/shiftcharts?id=2017020051


Interestingly... if you look at the shift chart, it was Dan Girardi who also hopped onto the ice with Sergachev.
A couple things might've happened.

Most likely... it was a missed assignment by Sergachev with Coburn being tired. Coburn had a penalty at 6:05, so he's in the box until 8:05 of the 2nd. When he hops out, TB is still killing so he goes straight to the ice (as 3rd D-man) to help. He joins Hedman/Stralman, Gourde, and Kunitz and is out there from 28:05-28:31 (per shift chart). When this is the case, the D-men (and coaches) usually designate the two D that will be next even-strength pair: in this case - Sergachev/Girardi.

Either way, it appears Sergachev took the brunt of doghouse-time for the Sheary goal against.

Peng, your analysis is logical regarding whether Sergachev goes down and when. I do believe though that getting the Caps' 2nd is going to be far down the list of considerations - for example, if they believe Sergachev's development is going to be best served playing 3rd pairing minutes in Tampa, that will rule. My take is that it will be better for him to play all season in a semi-sheltered role, rather than going back to junior where, lets face it, he's got nothing left to learn. It's not like he'd be going to the AHL, that would be a different story. Going to junior for almost the whole season and then coming back with only 15 games left doesn't seem as clean a plan as it sounds - I think he'll be more valuable for the playoff run playing all season in Tampa, getting to play lots against the teams they'll be facing in the playoffs, and learning from watching Hedman and playing with vets like Stralman for 15 minutes a night.

[Pengwin7]

I do believe though that getting the Caps' 2nd is going to be far down the list of considerations

D'oh. I didn't know it was the Caps pick. That'll be like 60.
Thought it was going to be 40-50 range. (MTL's)

[Jouko-Pouko]

Ah, I didn't know that.
Well why the eff did they put him on the start of season roster? Seems like a dumb move.

Can they have his OHL team trade him to a non-playoff team?
(A few bucks under the table - that never happens in the OHL though...)

I would be sad to see him traded from my beloved Spitfires!

It doesn't matter if he's there to start the season or not. If he's sent back to junior either before the season or during the season, he can't be recalled to NHL roster until after his junior season is over.

They could possibly do what Vancouver did with Juolevi and send him to Europe where the seasons end sooner, so they could get him back before the NHL playoffs.

EDIT: Although that's obviously not the reason why Vancouver sent Juolevi to Europe.

[Pengwin7]

Well... I learned a lot about NHL/JR movement in this thread.
I'll be honest, I've changed my feeling on this a bit... might just be worth it to keep him with TB for season.
REP to you both.

[ericdaoust]

Yeah, whether or not he stays or goes will depend on his play and what they feel is best for his development, not the bonus pick.

[VincentVega]

Yeah, whether or not he stays or goes will depend on his play and what they feel is best for his development, not the bonus pick.

Exactly and I don't think he stays because his play has not been great.