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IBatch

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Everything posted by IBatch

  1. Yes it's ugly. And yes the owners would be eating 2/3 of the salary owed. It's a difficult situation because even if he becomes the 4th best LHD on the team, we can't bury him in Abby. Like I said, a month ago wasn't at all a fan of even the idea of buying him out. This year he's been bad. No edge at all to his game, last year he played with an edge. Doesn't block shots, isn't great infront of the net and board battles. And has lost a step. Maybe Tochett can fix some of that. Unless injuries are a factor, there really is no reason for such a regression. He's actually at an age where blue chip D's often play at a high level. Edler did, same with Bieksa and Hamhuis. Wasn't expecting a regression until he was at least 33... His deal is up when he's 35. IF cap goes up 4.5, and we trade a winger, that's enough cap relief to add a UFA D. Sure hope we don't waste it on another declining D, or as in Schmidt's case, a bad fit.
  2. Reality is Allvin made most of his moves aside from any minor bottom six stuff, already and the team we have now could be the same one we ice next season. Cap could go up 1-4.5. Both the NHL and NHLPA are considering raising the cap even if they don't make the owners whole from covid (Bettman - NHL.com yesterday). One won't do much, but 4.5 sure will. And after next season Myers is done. Sure would like to see us put some away in the piggy bank for once. After next season Myers goes to Hronek and EP.
  3. Kuzmenko has to be added as a big move as well. It's allowing the club to trade a winger - even it's a low return, that's ok we win just in helping in cap allocation. To me a big part of the elephant left is that job, of which OEL could be their biggest challenge. They've gotten a lot younger, Abby is playing great too. Playoffs seem to be their goal next season. Don't really have issues with this IF they can achieve that goal. Players will continue to get traded alone the way...Beau maybe. Kuzmenko is core right now, as is Miller. Making these moves and playing well, absolutely will affect EPs willingness to sign a long term deal. To me it will be a successful off-season if we can trade a winger, sign EP to an 8 year deal, and figure out what to do with OEL. Edit: This team needs playoff reps very soon.
  4. A month ago, no freaking way. Now it's tough to ignore, the teams played better with him out and AHL level defender's in. Brisbois, it's also nice to see him finally get a serious look, as well as a contract. Maybe his fall from grace has everything to do with his ankle. That's not an easy thing to come back from either. OEL is trade proof as well. Holds all the cards and no way he says ok to a team that's just starting their rebuild anyways. It's really too bad, his first year he played decent enough given his assignments. Now with the team playing much better without him ... has to be tempting to buy him out. 2/3 of his salary over twice the length ... that's not as bad as Luongo's cap penalty, but it's self induced 100% this time. Looking like one of the worst trades we've ever made right now, and likely will be if we have to buy him out this early on. Maybe this is a career ending injury. Or we get an amnesty buyout. That would be easier on the cap.
  5. Same here. Had it last off season too. So hope it's not just gas instead of vibes.
  6. If we are being completely accurate, we have that spot filled for one season. A lot will depend on his play, and what his next deal looks like. For me it's given the club a lot of flexibility.
  7. The thing that gives me the most hope is Tochett already addressing the clubs off-season. I hope we keep winning games. And this time it sticks.
  8. Average height 6'1"....just like most NHL teams. Average weight 195lbs. One of the lightest in the league. Once Myers is gone ... we could be the shortest and lightest. Wouldn't be going there. This team is still within a couple pounds of being mid-range. But it certainly isn't big or heavy.
  9. NYR has been lucky at this for decades, arguably the only big name club that never needs to worry about drawing high end UFAs. That said this last one for sure had a lot of luck involved - and funny enough that luck hasn't even made an impact (Kakko and Laffy) ... they sure didn't draft anyone, despite having some capital trading what they had to trade from Lundqvist last core aside from Krieder who they kept. Zib for a second ... Fox ... man they sure did it. Trouba and Panarin. We've got JT from their last team. It's definitely a quick one. OTT also traded away their old core before free agency, taking the more traditional route around the same time. NYR for sure is an interesting case study, but definitely not something available to most clubs, and also not something most clubs/fans should expect either.
  10. We are not ARI, ANA or CHI though are we. ARI ... Keller is still there. Player of the week last week too. OTT added. St. Louis is breaking the band up while they can. Smart. We collected younger players. It's not so simple as just acquiring picks, that is unless you want to see Demko, QHs and EP traded before they even get an honest chance?
  11. Spook did a great job of providing a little more context. Get your frustration. Thing is the key metric was always going to be around EP and QHs. Absolutely get the ideas around rebuilding behind them as the key focus. Problem with that is - in this universe anyways, not something that's going to happen yet anyways. QHs interview shifting my perspective on this, otherwise i'd be saying almost the same things you did. They don't want to stick around for a rebuild. And he's excited to have another player who can take a huge part of the slack off (and for Quin especially ... Tochett is playing him like Al Mac, Pronger, Lidstrom, EK, Doughty, Chara and Weber - as in 28 plus minutes a game. And he didn't even show excitement - but his words were clear - a rebuild is not at all in his wheelhouse in Vancouver right now. Owners get brought up too. Can't speak for them, but as for QHs and even EP (at the all-star game he said we needed better defenseman, in a carefully worded way) they've said it. If they are saying it they mean it too. Would you want a full rebuild with QHs and EP traded at the deadline and this years draft? That's what we'd be looking at. The idea of a rebuild behind EP and QHs evaporated. It could come back like a sneaky overhand right and knock the team into smitherings in a couple seasons if it doesn't work. Believe management did a good job overall given the circumstances. Get wounds were made (which are already quickly healing) by trading Horvat and not Miller etc. And we have forward depth not many teams do even after trading Horvat. NYI has an old core. Depth? Not sure about that. Vegas too now, Eichel kind of evaporated that for them...They are in their competing stage for sure. We are a very young team. Been built for 3-4 years down the road even as a re-fool. A rebuild would have been fine too. I'm not sure which direction was best. At least this way they've mitigated and kept that option on the table for later. QHs and Demko. EP, i bet he signs this summer - or at least best the organization will try hard to sign him.
  12. Brock had his best year playing with Bear and Bo ... that said he was also feasting on the PP. Last season Horvat played just as much 5 x 5 time with EP as Miller did. It's not like he had chumps the last couple seasons to play with ... and like Brocks first year, Horvat started feasting on the PP shortly after Bruce arrived. Before Bruce, he was pretty bad, on the way for career lows aside from the first few seasons. Horvat was just the best we had after the Sedins at that moment, for a short period of time. Obviously he has leadership, and personally I believe he's got an extra gear that he saves for the playoffs which he's only had two of so far. NYI is banking on that.
  13. Good read. Miller without context, was a great trade. Amazing really, he's core, has been since he came. Sure he's the old guy on the team, most cup winners have a couple, sometimes even loaded with 30 plus year old core guys. We didn't consider Bieksa, Kesler, Luongo, Sedins not core when they did their best work 29-33 did we. Miller should remain a core player for us until he's a third liner. Just like Landeskog although his injury might be tough to recover from - it's ok to have guys five years older than your best players entering their primes. The cost was excellent, Miller has more than earned his pay, underpaid really, and his next deal was on the low side given comps and how close things are now for cap going up. 11 years ... If JT plays it all out, that would be something. Have zero issue with him, or having him on the team. If it wasn't him it would be someone else, and LE yuck. Rather go with the devil we know, and glad he plays with some mean/emotion. As for the timing for sure that's up to debate. Felt JB was one year off on a lot of his deals, and his timing. This is one of the youngest teams in the league now. Management has done a fabulous job of that - went from 9th 3rd. A big bite of the elephant. Where their remaining elephant lies, is whom do they trade to fix their cap issues, while thinking 3-4 years down the road. Have an excess of mid pay/range wingers. One of them needs to go. Garland, AB or Brock. Think Mikheyev is safe, same with Kuzmenko (for now). Who are they going to keep for those years and whom are they going to eventually trade. Team needs playoff reps. Ideally next year.
  14. For sure it's worrisome and risky. What in hoping is that culture change (new coaching staff sure has that experience in spades given their careers - PIT and COL 90's teams were two top ten all-time teams) can translate into a summer that's full of preparation. Sure r and r and golf is important, family time too - but you can bet Tochett, Foote and Gonchar, plus we know the Sedins had killer summer routines. Bieksa has talked about this too, how the culture in Vancouver was the pinnacle for him as a player. It seems like every year, someone comes in and lets himself and his teammates down. Miller this year. Previous one Brock and EP. Brock a lot really, to the point of fair criticism. QHs sophomore year getting roasted for his D game. Bruce seemed to loosen the team up which was good for their offense. Greens lessons didn't just disappear either - did attempt to install a system around the guys he had. Had some success too (those teams were not very good). Maybe we've already seen this story before. The roster does look good upfront, and somehow Tochett is doing some magic with mostly an AHL defense. Abby is doing well, which helps a lot, Tochett has made a point in commending the coaching (and maybe the Sedins are helping them too). Culture can go a very long way. Take a mediocre roster and move it into a good roster. Kuzmenko is core for the next two years anyways. Great addition. Fabulous really. Let's hope this summer, it sticks. And everyone comes into camp even better, and Hronek becomes a core guy.
  15. Yes the hype machine started and is amped up. Was around for the Gretzky, Mario and then Lindros (most hyped player and more draft drama so far), not much longer Daigle, then Crosby, McDavid and now Beddard. Of course it would be great to draft another EP/QHs impact player. So far i've only seen us draft Linden and Bure that have done that much for us that quickly. Brock seemed to be one of those guys too his rookie year. Maybe this is the biggest draft in the past 20 years. Those early 80's and 1979 drafts are all in the top five...one is in the 2000's. They are rare. Sure hope we can get one. EK wasn't drafted in the top ten ... we've sure had some whiffs too. Stajanov turned out great though for us. There is more than one way to build a team ... was also on "team tank" after our brutal start. But accepted their path the moment QHs spoke out about things and trading our first ... Cautiously optimistic, that we can pick something good this year. As for the draft - the point I was trying to make is at the start of the year scouts - not the media, however informed, warned about the kids lost development. and called it an "above average draft based on the strength of the top of the draft". Not exceptional. Definitely not "seconds will be like firsts" and 15th's like top five, and other silly things i've read. If 1979 is the best draft all-time ... it would blow it away which isn't going to happen. ISS and THN I find the most reliable, although since the change in ownership found their focus on prospects has gone down. If you believe THN, we have the 28th best prospect pool in the league right now. Before Kravstov thought, Raty is our best prospect, Aman is third. So for sure we can use more of that. Hype is just that and this draft has media whipped itself into quite the doozy. Even guys like Button have been caught up in it a little at times but he's also warned this draft is a crapshoot past the first few guys. There is always one, almost anyways, that doesn't work out. As for five EPs, as of right now he's making a case for a HHOF career. That would be rare indeed.
  16. Who is saying this? The CDC? If you think this draft has 5 EPs I think you're buying into the hype, highly doubt it. And if there is they aren't going 1-5 anyways. And still doubt it.
  17. What started as "an above average draft " in October - scouts - "based on the quality of the top end of the draft" ... has become "second rounders are like firsts in a normal year " and "late firsts are like 10-15th overalls" on the CDC lol. So the most hyped draft since McDavids (Button recently) has really gained some steam. The top ten is all forwards - two RWs, 8 C's. We should be able to nab one of those guys. Edit: Scouts warned at the start of the season, these kids lost a lot of development time. And this draft is going to be a crapshoot outside of the top guys.... It makes sense to me at least. As for WJ's, that's always a fly in the ointment and ruins at least one teams first pick. Hope we don't go there.
  18. Allvin said one team kicked tires and weren't that serious. They haven't backed themselves into cap hell past next season (yet).
  19. Almost zero chance he's moved. They aren't rebuilding.
  20. Bingo. I'd rather we just give it a year if that's what needs to happen.
  21. Same guy that yelled to Green "we don't know what we're doing!" ... And same guy who's been the most consistent player the past four years now. I don't know what else he needs to do. Give up one of his kids? And don't care if he ends up a middle six guy at the end either. EP isn't asking for it but considering. QHs actually seems like a better choice IMO. He's better with the media and that seems to be the primary role to a fair portion of this fanbase.
  22. I'd bet if Schenn is re-signed, it could be him. Thing is, in the past, it's never been what the outside eye thinks. It's been done before several times.
  23. Bo went to NYI, and you're right, I doubt he's made Captain. Totally agree - don't just pick the next thing (Horvat) because he's got some promise. Wish the players were asked to write a name in a hat. You and I both might be surprised at who comes up.
  24. Deb he gets my vote. He's a throwback. Probably the first leader since Jovo i've watched play that shows that much emotion. Jovo was my choice during the WCE era. Picking the best for sure doesn't always work (Luongo) and a ton of amazing teams didn't do that and won cups. Orr. Espo. Bossy. JT Miller is something we need to have on this team and i'm sure his mates love having him. Have zero issue if they name him the next captain. He needs a lot more appreciation than a portion of this fanbase and the media are giving him that's for sure.
  25. Miller is totally fine - and a better choice for a captain than EP at this point. That's my two cents. Glad he called the media out this year a couple times and that we got to see someone who isn't an automaton with the media.
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