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IBatch

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Everything posted by IBatch

  1. To do this you have to trade a big name ...unless you count the Sedin thing but one of those picks actually came from the Linden deal in a way... JB only chance at that was the Kesler deal...which although Sutter is still playing didn’t moves the needle much .. Linden deal maybe best all-time given its long lasting right to today ramifications (Markstrom). Butcher deal was also a big one (Quin) and all those players worked out great for us .. Bertuzzi for Luongo was a fleecing. Erhoff trade was rather meh comparatively but I guess that’s the point, - don’t forget we’ve had some foolish ones too, Neely getting the top prize, and the best trade of all Stajanov for Naslund...who had more first place all-star berths then Stajanov had goals... edit: to get one of these deals JB would have to trade a core guy in his prime still
  2. Just saw this, fair comment given the usual juvenile but entertaining fare after a left field or unpopular thread proposal. I send a reply above, the two biggest concerns would be usually you load up your two lines and make it hard for a coach to defend against both. We still lack the talent to run with elite three line deep clubs like TB. Made a case in point with Millers stats on the third line 5 x 5 is about what we’ve come to expect from LE, Sutter in the past and JV. 25-30 points taking 30% ozone shifts etc. The other points would be balanced toughness and considerations for top line (Ferland might be better suited their as a post enforcer well enforcer), chemistry (big one) and that Pearson should stay for an extended look with Horvat before dropping him down..
  3. Last year Miller scored around 25 points on the third line 5 x 5 ...the rest on the PP and he’s our best option to add scoring punch to our top line because he’s done it in the past in NY. Playing 14 mins a night with minimal PP time 25-30 points is decent third line production and right around where we can expect LE, Sutter and JV to contribute taking 30% Ozone starts. We are better off with this crew to first not separate Pearson from Horvat, they had chemistry, was on a 35 goal pace, leave him there. After years of mostly leftovers to play with would love to see Bo to have a chance with two decent players. Ferland is intriguing as is adding Bear if he or Pearson can play the off wing, not sure he’s suited for third line (Bear) duties but you never know. Ferland is almost a perfect third liner but doubt he will get more then LE or Sutter without PP time as well. Same with Pearson actually. In the end chemistry will decide the line combinations, same with some need for balanced toughness for EPs line. Doubt we won’t see Miller, Ferland and Pearson to not start there. But who knows... Bear is the guy that might also start there, I think partially because he’s got some chemistry with Horvat in the past and that he might be used as trade bait to alleviate cap issues. Rousell is much better suited for the third line then him too. Rousell, Sutter and JV isn’t the worst third line in the world either. Rousell in fact scored at a higher 5 x 5 per 60 then Boeser last year FYI, PP time and primo minutes means a lot, we could send almost anyone from our top six down to the third line and see a drastic cut in production just on reducing ice time.
  4. Personally I can stomach the next three years of LE for what it is...but if before the last season or even worse a season from now Benning decides he has to buy him out my head might explode. Hate to get that close and then have him go for 3 million in cap savings spread out for 2-4 more years after his current contract is up..don’t want us handcuffed at all past the Luongo re-capture. Agree we should just play him until he’s the 13th forward, if it gets to that then Utica it is.
  5. Add Okposo, Foligno and Ryan to the list of underachievers. Like these guys they have a varying degree of cap hit and term left...am sure some recent UFAs will also disappoint, maybe Hayes...
  6. It would have to be in a different league. He won’t be allowed to sign another contract in the NHL until this one’s up. I agree he’s worth that much here, maybe he can go back to Sweden and wait it out but doubt he’d get that much, in the KHL it’s possible I suppose. Personally I think this thing is blown way out of proportion, Hull and Roenick said silly things about the game and sometimes about their teams all the time that we’re way more serious then answering a question honestly in a different country. I know none of us are happy with his play, based on the cap hit at least, but really think we will be stuck with him for the duration. Going to Utica could push him to leave, especially after a while, the Wedden rule keeps teams from burying bad contracts. I’m not fond of guys retiring from the league still counting against the cap hit like Luongo. But get that too. Buying him out would be the worse possible scenario for the teams fortunes when everyone is in their prime and hate option the most. Three more years. Just use him and hope for the best.
  7. Agreed ... wasting EP with Goldobin and Ferland ... yikes
  8. It depends on actual minutes played per game. That said 80% ozone starts for any line is a bit ridiculous and doesn’t provide balanced scoring. EP 70% is more then plenty ... Horvat 50% is fine then let the rest check it out.
  9. Punch them in the throat instead. Ok maybe not.... but maybe go up to them and throw them to the ground and then fall down with him and roll his legs under him...and yell in his face NO he is NOT better then EP. If it’s the internet then I guess this is a fun way to get it out of your system, pretty sure we all know EPs in a class of his own, as a unique a player as Bure was just in different ways. HHOF...will call on him when he retires.
  10. Goalies can play great hockey right until and some past 40. So you never know what’s going to happen with Bob... don’t judge based on one year ... same with Markstrom. Florida is much improved, goaltending had been a weak spot for them. He could get 40 wins next year...
  11. Goaltending is the most inconsistent position on the team by a long shot year in, year out. Guys like Broduer, Roy, Hasek, Dryden, Parent etc were so good because they were so consistent... Luongo and Cujo and Beflour and Osgood should also be on that list. However you could look at any of those goalies and find a year that is sub-par by their standards, and Bobrovsky despite his two Vezinas (lack of quality competition has something to do with that, what happened to Price?) is arguably the most consistent in the game right now. Markstrom had a couple good-great months, and so did Bobrovsky last year, but he’s in a different league entirely. For perspective Markstrom didn’t rank in the top 30 last year ... back-ups kept him out when the season started. Will be interesting where he ranks now ... Bobs at or near the top, why he’s getting paid the big bucks...IF Markstrom wants half of that he’s going to have to have a great season.
  12. The guy who compares stats only, see that Sutter misses a lot of games, was a minus magnet last year, terrible possession stats (unless you factor in ozone starts and then things take a different slant, except his only full season, well almost full) etc...the eye test, well that’s always from the eye of the beholder. Last year wasn’t a good one for Sutter regardless...you have to play and that might have factored into it. Sutter obviously had one good year for us, but even then he was -20, but we were awful so that’s understandable ... I voted for Sutter, twice actually the second time by accident because I was trying to see who voted for LE too...it could be trolling or it could be a god honest viewpoint ... but I understand why one would, they are closer then the poll suggest especially if you factor in you have to play to have value
  13. Thanks 189. Being burned a little about my thoughts on LE, nobody is happy about it but think both his comment (really an honest reflection given the question) and his abilities have been catrasphozied to a certain degree. He’s much better at the PK per 60 minutes then Sutter was last year, only Beagle was better on the squad. If that’s his skill set at this time then why not use it? TG started him on EPs line and ended him on Horvats, because he knows he’s a bit of a Swiss Army knife even though his skills have eroded. Of course he’s not EP or Horvat and is as soft as butter. But that’s his game and it’s why he doesn’t get injured ... three hits last year ha ha...if played like he did in his prime he’d be a candidate for the Lady Byng. He was plus 19 in giveaways/takeaways (One of the best , third for forwards overall PK time, ok advanced statiscally and spent most of his time starting in the D zone, against decent competition. Sure he’s not worth 6 million, that is ridiculous but it’s also a fairly common UFA issue. Okposo, Ladd, Foligno, Ryan, Neal (think he’s in the cat bird seat now, rebound candidate of the year) Lucic and on and on. Hes untradeable and buyout proof. But he’s also not useless either as some seem to think. He’s better then Granlund (gone), Schaller, Leivo, Goldobin and Motte for sure..maybe Sutter too given he doesn’t play much...and despite what’s happened since he got here still a world class athlete as is every other NHL roster player ... I think the fan hate on him is a bit much. Just my opinion and sure some won’t like it but I really couldn’t care less as long as he’s wearing our uniform he’s one of us, if he’s going to be here three more years that’s longer then most guys. The only guy that ever really pulled my chain was Messier, and even him I liked before 94.
  14. Pretty much how I see it. Think the team needs to showcase Bear and Sutter this year ... doubt there is much of anything that can be done with LE that horse is beaten to a pulpy mat. Think he stays too, no need to send a message like with Gagne and he’s good enough to be out 11-12 forward so might as well use him and who knows, maybe he will have fire under his ass to try and get himself tradeable later. AG is definitely in Utica, same with a Schaller and like you said likely Goldobin if he clears waivers.
  15. I was thinking even Miller centering Bear and JV but that could work too. Yes it would be embarrassing, but it would also be arguably the best in the league, would hold up with most third shutdown lines ... TG must be giddy with all the options he has now...think things will take a few months to gain some traction, depending on how patient he is with his original line combos, injuries and chemistry. I might start with Miller on the top line...Pearson Horvat Ferland would be a handful... but then again so would swapping Miller and Ferland. Bear and Goldobin are kind of mysteries as to where they go...one or both could be pumped up just to trade, same with Leivo.
  16. His injuries worry me more than anything about his play or his development curve which so far has been ok, he’s not producing relative to his draft position, but he has improved from start to finish both the last two years although he didn’t have enough games in the AHL to know absolutely (without any doubt). He hasn’t played a full season since and including the year he was drafted in any league he’s played in, and the most he’s managed isn’t encouraging. His cocky draft talk about his obvious aversion to the gym I hope is something he’s taking seriously now, not many NHLers can get away without a gym regimen, it helps create a more resilient body which is just as important as adding strength. Quite a lot of this teams fortunes ride on him working out. Your correct in suggesting Hughes isn’t enough and that the none of the rest are slam dunks. I’d agree wholeheartedly that our forward group is in much better shape then the back end, add to that defenseman take years longer to establish themselves and we could be in quite a pickle if none of them work out. It’s easy to slot OJ in as Edlers eventual replacement, well Tanevs actually because that’s more his game but on the L side. Best case for the team is OJ steps in, remains healthy and earns a job this year, and Benn impresses too (the latter is very likely IMO), so we can let Edler go in two years (and keep Benn). Worst case OJ’s career goes nowhere. That would set us back quite a bit in cap space and in defenseman the same age as our core guys. Woo id say has about the same odds as Madden working out, which is at least a definite possibility. Past that it’s fringe NHL stuff, nothing impactful, with Brisbois leading the charge at the moment. We have decent 7th defenseman depth, even good depth, but top four material two players maybe three and Hughes the only sure thing. If I had to bet I’d say two is all we are going to get, at least for now with whom we have, and would be all for trading to add to that list even if it meant giving up on something we want to keep. Despite this JB has done a great job redoing our defense...we are much, much better then last year. It’s going to make a big difference for the goalies and for the forwards having a PMD and Myers for an entire season, plus Benn is a great PKer (Edler can take a break which will help keep him healthy) and also hits and also tilts the ice the other way...a complete steal.
  17. The Foote bro’s might be a thing ... who knows. That said if we could pry him out it would be a great trade for us..
  18. One thing I will say is both vets are better options then Motte, Leivo, Goldobin and AG for now at least. Thanks James B for spending the time to play the devils advocate and saying why LE might be the better option. One things for sure both vets will feel more pressure to produce for different reasons...one to stay relevant and perhaps raise his stock enough to make a trade possible, the other to stay healthy and also improve to keep ahead of AG after a dreadful season. Curiously with Miller and added depth a third scoring line is also another option, and both could end up relegated to the fourth line with Beagle....what would we call them? The McDavids maybe, because the line would cost more then him ha ha. Seriously though they are becoming redundant and much cheaper options are available. Think both guys have a lot to prove, both can be fairly effective players and still have value albeit less then their respective cap hits. If LE wants to keep playing at all in this league he has to bring it as a trade might provide the only certainty going forward. If Sutter wants to be part of this team and keep his spot for the remainder of his contract him too, at this point to save on cap space he’s low hanging fruit.
  19. Also one thing that really impressed me was the amount of PK time both Myers and Benn spent. This is gold for us, as Edler and Tanev are still our most relied upon defenders on the PK....wouldn’t doubt at all to see a much improved overall percentage next year ... we can ice two decent pairings now, and when a guy goes down it won’t effect things as much, plus it should help lower Edler and Tanevs overall minutes, Myers on the PP too... Benn in particular is impressive . Advanced stats are excellent, by far the best deal of the summer for us, and one of the best overall too.
  20. Hey I’m all for trading him, just don’t think it’s possible might as well use him. If we send him to Utica it won’t matter much I agree, plus we have a plethora of extra forwards, some of which like Leivo I’d like to see more of. TG did relegate him mostly to hard thing line assignments, loads of D zone starts with some time early with EP and late with Horvat .... and after three years what really is left to try? Bus rides is a definite option...but I do think given we have to pay him that they shouldn’t saddle the AHL team with that unless he’s honestly lost a spot. Schaller will be waived and probably clear, we could try trading him too of course first...but don’t see a spot for him and doubt he’s we’d get any takers. Line combos: Ferland EP Boeser Pearson Horvat Miller ?? Sutter JV ?? Beagle Motte press box, trade bait and Utica guys : LE Leivo, Goldobin, Bear, Schaller, AG I’d say Bear and LE of that bunch would give TG the best lineup. Plus we’d be smart to give both of them a chance to redeem themselves (one from injuries, the other to rebound)..Miller could actually play a third line center role and we’d have three decent scoring lines, move Sutter down and play LE, Sutter, Beagle as a shutdown line/ PKers...so many options.
  21. He does more then Motte and Schaller ...what else for you do with guys like that other then put them on the PK...Rousell I get has more value then LE ...
  22. That’s funny, considering he was third in total PK time for forwards on the team...not sure where your getting your information. He’s a good PKer it’s common knowledge, often brought up in articles about what to do with him, including a recent one in NHL.com. One of the best in the league? Doubt it, but has been written recently, and by guys that don’t really have any skin in it too. As an aside the leaders would be Myers and Benn ... Benn by a long shot over the next Canuck from last year.
  23. The OPs statements The cap structure isn’t bad, but it’s not great either - which leads me to quote a recent GM who said if you aren’t having salary cap issues your not as a GM trying hard enough. We will be fine this year and the year after that, it’s the third season from now things could get hairy. Yes we have a lot of guys going off the books, but we also have to replace most of them, and re-up Hughes and EP among others. Podz will help that, but we also will be relying heavily on our prospects to be make the show and replace a few players too. Only that year could be hairy, we might have to rely quite a bit on our B level prospects and OJ to step in...will be interesting for sure. After that year we are in the clear. As an aside the expansion money goes directly into the owners pockets and isn’t shared with the players, however adding a team will help continue to stimulate the cap in other ways.
  24. Maybe...but until this year he’s been a horse. Compared to the six we are paying for 55ish games for Edler he’d be in good company as far as damaged goods go ha ha. Your right though if he needs surgery it could be serious ... the same could be said of OJ and Boeser, and Myers even - it goes both ways. The fact that he’s played his entire career without a serious injury until last season should also be considered...and it’s not like he had a complete aversion of blocking pucks either like the Flamingo ha ha ...
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