D-Money

That’s simply not true. For instance, when Buffalo signed Jeff Skinner to that monstrous contract, many including myself thought it was ridiculous. Guess what? We were absolutely right. From day 1 that contract has been a natural disaster. And when Benning signed multiple free agents to seemingly large contracts, many (including numerous industry insiders) said it was a bad idea, as it could affect our ability to retain more talented players down the road. Guess what? We all watched that play out exactly as predicted last free agency, when we had to let Toffoli walk for only $1M more than we just gave Pearson. And for only $1.25M more than we previously gave Roussel and Beagle. Toffoli is significantly more talented than those 3, but Benning shot himself in the foot, as predicted. And what exactly has the team gained from signing all of these players? With the exception of a few weeks in the bubble, we have been a bad team, period. Even last season, we were one of the worst teams in the league in the weeks leading up to COVID, and seemed destined to miss the playoffs yet again. The brief success we had was the outlier. The collective opinion of the vast majority on the Pearson signing, from simple fans to analytic observers to industry insiders, is: “Decent player, but why?” Are they all wrong? Or are you suggesting that the front office with a history of making similar decisions that have all gone poorly must be right, simply because they must be?

Chicago just got two solid young players for taking Brett Connolly’s $3.5M salary for 2 more years. Although he has struggled this season, his numbers in the previous 2 compare favourably to Pearson’s.

Face it guys, we just can't have nice things this year.

Sounds like he won’t be able to handle a top starter’s workload though. He almost always misses practice the day after a game. But for a tandem he seems like the real deal. And they have him signed for another season at only $1.65M.

For what it’s worth, Canucks are at 48/50 contracts. Claiming another player might cause a problem with flexibility in case they want to sign other guys before the season ends (such as Podkolzin). I think they claimed both Vesey and Boyd in preparation for the deadline. But with the COVID situation happening now, it is unlikely that we’ll be able to trade anyone. So they might already be stuck with more contracts than they wanted.

Better Call Saul is excellent. The Bodyguard (Netflix) is also an outstanding single series. If you like Sci-Fi, The Expanse (Prime) is in a league of its own. First half of season 1 is a slog though, but by the end of season 1 it’s awesome.

I could totally see Calgary claiming Merkley. Hometown boy, and their prospect depth sucks. Plus they’re likely sellers at the deadline, so he could plug a hole, and at least be a positive footnote in this wreck of a season.

Thanks to @kj29 for the negotiations. Mikheyev was having a down year, so swapping him for Stastny is a big boost up front. It also gives the team rep from all 4 Canadian playoff teams, to guarantee 2nd and 3rd round depth. It is a pure rental though, so not having Mikheyev or Pajuniemi going forward hurts a bit. Wish them all the best in the West.

Carolina activates Jeremy Lauzon from I/R. Also, send down Marc Michaelis to the minors (no waivers). @Nail

This trade was done for the playoffs, but it’s already paying dividends. Martinez with 15 points last night. And Price was injured last night, so looks like Allen may get more games as well. Carolina is in talks with a few GMs about smaller deals to add some forward depth. But overall, am quite happy with the team, especially in net and on the blueline (when a couple injured guys return).

Canucks traded Chaput for Kero in June 2018, but didn’t retain him. https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/vancouver-canucks-acquire-tanner-kero/c-299256256

Wallmark looked very impressive when he was with Carolina. But since the Trocheck trade last year he’s been ‘meh’. Maybe just playing with good wingers and D made him look better than he was.

I don’t know how yet, but there’s got to be a way to blame this on Benning.

Carolina thanks the mod formerly known as Monty for the negotiations. We have talked a lot over the years, but rarely have we ever been able to come to terms on a deal. But this one worked out well for both sides. I wanted to add another Vegas and Toronto player, and this was a way to do it and stay under the cap. I also didn't intend to trade Ekholm, as I suspected he would almost certainly be traded to a contender at the deadline...but Nashville's recent winning streak and rumours around him lead me to believe that they may wait until next year to do that. This trade ensures I have the playoff players this year to defend the Cup. Also, swapping Koskinen for Allen frees up a retention spot, which should allow me to make another move by the deadline.

My kids absolutely LOVE the Dogman books.

I haven’t watched enough of Boyd to know him well. But he’s always had fantastic point production considering his TOI and usage. Doesn’t take many penalties, not many giveaways... On paper I’ve always expected him to get more opportunity, but for whatever reason it never happened. Maybe now will be the time? Or at least, I’ll be able to see first-hand why he’s remained a fringe player.

Right now nobody on the team makes more than $6M. That’s going to change, but why make it worse? If you trade for Eichel, and Petey outplays him, that pretty much guarantees that EP gets $10M+.

“Major deal”, huh? Interesting... Flyers have the trade chips to pull of almost anything.

FTFY

Moneypuck has Canucks’ playoff odds at 3.3%. http://moneypuck.com/predictions.htm

@Mike Vanderhoek was GM up until 2018-19.

I was LA GM for the 2016-2018 drafts. As for my current team, after the 2019 draft the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders switched. So the 2016-2019 picks for each team should all switch. Then Monty should GM for all of the NYI ones.

I traded Florida both Gaudreau and Kane (when I was LA GM). He really wanted those Americans!

My handle is from Donnie... ”Daniel ‘D-Money’ Sedin” Big fan of Halford and Brough. Their humour is right up my alley. But they also have a good grasp on the league as a whole.

Yeah, I was shocked when Tampa paid that for Goodrow. But like Motte, he was a quality bottom-6 player signed for cheap for an additional year. So as much as I like him - yeah, take it and run. Pearson’s injury may actually open the door to new trade possibilities. He’s supposed to be out until the playoffs, so teams that would not normally have room for his cap hit may be able to juggle it on I/R.