Phil_314

Protect Tank Commander Myers at all costs!!! Oh and re: OP, I could see us win like 12, seeing how fresh Demko must be coming back from injury.

Lol he is only 29... what injury did he have that prompted him to retire? (Wonder if he might still be a safer option than Myers...)

I'd hate to trade down in a supposedly stacked draft like this, seeing how the best players in loaded drafts are typically in the first half of the 1st round. Then again, this team's drafting has been hit and miss (not sold on the likes of Lekkerimaki) so if there's another Boeser that they've wanted and another guy in the early 2nd round who's available, then sure why not. This draft is forward heavy up to so I'd be open if there's a Weber and a Suter in the late 1st/ early 2nd.

3rd line... in the AHL?? Sure, I'd bring him back for Abbotsford's bottom-6.

Nicholas Roy, Stephenson, Kotkaniemi (step up JT Miller, have fun in Raleigh)... then again, I'll also be that guy and say Dries

If he joins us and becomes another Nick Perbix (average 15 minutes but with 19 points in 52 games, +13; stands 6'2", 191 lb.; occasional 3rd pair OR top pair RD) for us, I would be over the moon. Not great but solid defense is what we need and any player added above Myers' caliber is a win in my books.

If I'm him though, I'd try my darnedest to re-sign with them since they have so many pieces to put together a contender, as they have this season. We might be able to offer them some money but we're "retooling", so I'm not sure a defender like him would want to come here and not have other options.

Or just try Hughes on the right side, he's mobile enough to walk the line on the PP anyways, so he could probably manage patrolling the right side instead.

I like that; if the Miller trade goes through and we free that $8 million, I'd hope that we call Vegas who's pretty much cap strapped and poised to lose a whole bunch of UFA's (Barbashev, Quick, Hill, Blueger, Brossoit... with Stone and Lehner likely returning from LTIR by next season accounting for $14.5 million). I'd try for some combo of Nic Roy/ Stephenson/ Whitecloud in exchange for a pick (can swap out Vegas for another cap strapped team with good depth pieces); Roy would probably be a good two-way 3rd C, whereas Stephenson could be a Swiss Army knife player capable of playing throughout the lineup. Whitecloud would be a strong, no-frills RHD who could really solidify the back end.

I think we'll have to trade Beauvillier (and they're probably trying to find him a new home by this offseason if he finishes the year well). Boeser/ Garland will likely be necessary moves too, seeing how we've already got multiple wings (Kuzmenko/ Mikheyev/ Kravtsov/ Hoglander/ Podkolzin, perhaps even Lekkerimaki or Klimovich) either with draft pedigree, or who we bought low on. Myers will probably be next TDL. I could see us try to dump either Bear or Dermott for a pick as well, seeing as they're both pending RFAs and we likely can't retain both. That being said, I hope we could somehow package Beauvillier and Myers with retention for next year to some team like Anaheim (or if the Red Wings realize they need an all-round guy like Myers at a discount after trading Hronek away).

I forgot about Faber but I could definitely see them try to insert either him or Lambos into the lineup next to Brodin (or they could bump Goligoski to the right side). Lambos is viewed as having an "interesting combination of speed, strength and skill on the blueline. He punishes opponents physically but also has the speed and edge work to escape pressure. He can stay with speedy attackers, as well. He is not flashy on offense but can make a good first pass". If not him though, I think the Wild won't be short on candidates to take on the roles that Dumba and Klingberg would vacate should they walk as UFAs (they have Faber, Lambos, Addison, Goligoski all capable and signed to compete for two spots behind captain Spurgeon on the 2nd and 3rd RD spots) so I don't think they would want Myers either, especially if it costs them their 2nd from VGK. Also, @OP, Bear as a low-event 2nd pair RHD would be good enough for me, and I don't see the need to trade two more futures to upgrade on him when we could presumably have Hronek take the tough minutes already. Just play the next 1/2 season with Hronek - Bear - Myers, then trade Myers with no retention at next TDL and use the freed up cap space to upgrade RD then instead of trading for another one at a hefty price.

Another start/ bench/ cut: Down by 3, need one of these guys to take a 3-pointer to tie the game. Who do you trust? Lakers "Don't Shoot!" Russ, "Atlanta Hawks series dump-off" Ben Simmons, or a traditional big (e.g. Rudy Gobert)?

Good for him, he needs to do what's needed for his maturity, level-headedness and overall wellbeing off the court.

I think you can add Hronek to that list, otherwise I'm not sure why management would give away so many assets for him. Thankfully management (hopefully) realizes that Miller isn't in that leadership group, and now we'd be a couple overpriced contract (Boeser/ Garland/ Myers/ JT) moves away from optimizing the cap situation by a lot, so hopefully we can add that young C to be the #2 behind Petey (no I'm not into moving OEL).

I think for both him and Rose it would've benefited them to put on some more muscle during leg day; not that they don't have hops but rather to cushion those ankles when they're already so lanky. Of course not everyone can be athletic and stocky but every ounce counts when you're playing such an explosive, physically demanding style. I think it's between Rose and Ja for me. As injury prone as they were/ are, they still maximized their gifts in their explosive plays and posters and went all out all game. Russ can hardly be counted on that level of effort when he doesn't have the ball and when he's not pissed (and even though he did "average" a triple-double in his MVP seasons, I still don't consider it that highly. It's not like he outjumped his center to get the board like Ja does when he two-hand blocks people, but instead he demanded that they let him take it.)

Was watching Ja highlights lately and he's pretty explosive. That being said, for those who've watched for a long time, if you were gonna start/ bench/ cut, who do you take for (each of them in their prime, and based on athleticism) Ja/ D-Rose/ Russ Westbrook?

He's our "Future", and I know that cuz it's literally his first name!!

Hronek has been labelled as a two-way D-man this year, so I wonder if he and Hughes could be a pair where they can take turns rushing the puck up ice. If that works out (and the other successfully cleans things up in their zone) we could have a strong 1st pairing.

Hope that changes if Mikael gets a shot with either Sid or Geno.

Exactly why I have mixed feelings about this; sure he's young and having a strong season so we could argue we got him at a bargain on paper, and RHD was our position of need and we get one who's only 25, but it really begs the question of whether he's the right fit (Myers/ OEL/ Hughes all focus on moving the puck too).

Evan so, does it make these jokes not worth telling?

I'm sure he was blown away by how this transpired.

I like it. Restock by adding another young C (hopefully Hallander and Raty can play middle 6 C roles in the near future), and Petterson as Myers' defensive partner could lead to an improvement (even though we'd probably have to push OEL down to 3rd line [really hope we don't buy him out]). The 1st would likely be a late one but getting 3 assets and getting out from under Miller's pending contract is a win.

Probably, and they'll likely put a blue jacket on it