[Discussion] Going from playoff hopeful to legitimate contender. What do we need?

[J.I.A.H.N]

Suggested trades...…….I am throwing some things on the wall to see if they stick with you...………...any interest and are of them fair?...…..

 

Carolina...………….Pesce, Priskie and Mrazek             for          Markstrom, Virtanen and Tanev

 

NJ...………………..Severson            for            Tanev and Lind

 

NYR...……………...Fox                     for            Tanev and Madden

 

NYR...……………...DeAngelo           for            Tanev and Madden

 

Phil...……………….Myers                 for             Virtanen

 

If any peek your interest, but are shy in payment or are over payments...……...I am all for suggestions...…..the question is could we get one?

 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by janisahockeynut

[Drakrami]

Package Boeser + 1st + Tyler Madden trade for Patrick Kane. 

Pettersson + Kane to drive 2 scoring lines

 

I can see us being a contender with that core. 

[6string]

We need parts but in the meantime we need to know at the end of the season where Virtanen is in his "development".

 

Sutter, Pearson, Leivo, Motte, Stecher, Fatenburg and others in the systems are either placeholders or parts for future deals possibly. Maybe two from this group stays or is moved up from Utica?

 

I like our team VERY much when it's healthy, I believe we WILL make the playoffs and make some noise too!

[the grinder]

 we need another  top 2 d man and  a big and skilled number 1 center  , ya ya we have petey but he cant match up with a getzlaf or a malkin  . In the playoffs  we definitely need that big and skilled center  for match ups  not saying petey cant do it  , just saying we would be more successful with that type of player  that's why jim wanted pierre luc dublois  fits the bill perfectly .

  As for d men  can never have enough skilled dmen  , big and mobile  like  nikita  trymakin   and add another  edler type d man,  good all around . can throw a hit .. move the puck and chip in some points  ( maybe joulevi  , he gets injured like edler )   and another d man that can run pp 2  

[kenhodgejr]

The good playoff teams have a core thats been together for a  few years and is in their mid 20's. Our core and top players are still young. Guys like Pettersson and Hughes will likely be 24 years old when we have our contender team. 

 

As far as the right defence man position is concerned I would have been ok if we drafted Victor Soderstrom. We didn't we choose the Podkolzin the bull. I see him as a complimentary 2nd line winger who has team leading ability. We made our choice and I say we stick with it. No trading Podkolzin. He could form a dangerous line with Bo Horvat. Add a guy like Hoglander on the wing for skill and watch out. 

Hoglander has a good chance of making the team next season. Podkolzin likely needs another year in the KHL before he is ready. 

Our LD looks to have prospects that can step in but the RD is completely bare. I would like to see  a draft where all we take is right shot defence man and hope that some pan out. We still need a superstar RD and a top 4 RD with IQ, grit, skating, playmaking, and canon shots to be a contender. Players of this caliber have to be drafted because once a team knows they have one they won't trade them unless its a huge overpayment. 

 

Hughes __________

Rathbone ________

Juolevi  Rafferty? 

Last years draft we decided to add two more top 6 caliber prospects. Add Madden into that group and I think we are fine for top 6 forwards in our prospect group. Our attention needs to be on right shot defence man. 

I think we will make the playoffs this season so we will loose our first round pick which I am ok with because Miller was a great addition for this team.  But we need to keep all remaining picks. There should be a decent defence man available in the 2nd round. 

 

 

I would like to see us be patient at this point and focus on money management, trimming off bad contracts (Eriksson etc.) and players that are coasting, possibly trading some aging role players for long shot prospects, and signing our star players (Hughes, Pettersson, etc.) 

 

Being in good management shape is important. Its a marathon not a race. But when we feel we are really close we go all in to bring in that final piece needed to compete for our first Stanley Cup. It will be major bragging rights after that. 

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by kenhodgejr

[48MPHSlapShot]

2 hours ago, Jimmy McGill said:

I think we do. The question is does it align with the current "window"? Pretty good chance it might, I'm very excited about Rathbone in particular, we might have a McAvoy-ish player on our hands there. Tryamkin round out the group nicely. And IF Juolevi can stay healthy I think we're in very good shape, and Woo hasn't even come into it yet. 

 

The big question in my mind is getting Bo at least one legit winger. Podkolzin looks to be a future stud, but thats 3-4 seasons away, Bo needs a guy well before then. 

 

 

I'm not so sure about our defensive prospects. We have a handful of solid ones, but it's difficult to put too much stock into them. In order to get what we'd need, one of them would have to greatly exceed expectations. Funnily enough, I actually have more faith in our offensive prospect depth. One of Podkolzin/Hoglander/Madden/Lind is pretty much guaranteed to become a top six forward, and I don't think it would be too terribly difficult to find someone via trade or free agency. 

[Western Red]

Lind and Gadjovich aren't out of the question at all either IMO.

[Canuck Surfer]

6 hours ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:

My thoughts...

Quinton Byfield

[J.I.A.H.N]

So, again LW and RHD

 

I think we can trade for a RHD

and

I think we draft a young LW

 

And yes, I think there are teams that can afford trading a RHD

 

But the point is, Young forwards are usually NHL ready 2 or 3 years after being drafted

if taken in the top 20

 

Young Dmen are usually 3 to 4  years if drafted outside the top 10

 

Which is why I say trade for a young Dman (RHD), and draft a Forward (LW)

 

*Note, just remember if you miss on your Dman development...it just compounds the problem

 

and postpones your climb into the top 10 teams in the NHL. There are a lot more UFA

 

wingers than cheap #1/2 ELC RHD

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by janisahockeynut

[JM_]

3 hours ago, 48MPHSlapShot said:

I'm not so sure about our defensive prospects. We have a handful of solid ones, but it's difficult to put too much stock into them. In order to get what we'd need, one of them would have to greatly exceed expectations. Funnily enough, I actually have more faith in our offensive prospect depth. One of Podkolzin/Hoglander/Madden/Lind is pretty much guaranteed to become a top six forward, and I don't think it would be too terribly difficult to find someone via trade or free agency. 

interesting, Im kind of the opposite, I see more potential in the d depth  I think Rathebone is going to be a beast. 

[the grinder]

1 hour ago, Canuck Surfer said:

Quinton Byfield

this is the center we are looking for lol

[DADDYROCK]

The more centers the better,but what this team is desparate for is a big mean fast talented defenseman.

Time to start shutting thing down when you have a lead.

Recently this has been a very glaring hole in their game.

[Pears]

9 hours ago, RetroCanuck said:

Time.

 

Let our young core grow and gain experience while integrating in other rookies such as Podkolzin, Madden, Rathbone, Rafferty etc.

I agree. Podkolzin and Höglander coming over in a coupe years will make our top six even better. If we can find a true top pair RD that would really push us over the top. 

[RetroCanuck]

10 minutes ago, Pears said:

I agree. Podkolzin and Höglander coming over in a coupe years will make our top six even better. If we can find a true top pair RD that would really push us over the top. 

Barron would be a great fit with our young core if we were lucky enough to get him in the first round. Barely miss the playoffs and get a top 4 RD in the draft would be ideal

[JeremyCuddles]

I'd feel a lot better about the future of the defense if we could add a couple more d-men with upside. Henri Jokiharju would have been a nice add. That was a good pickup by Buffalo. Still super young and got decent upside and is playing decent minutes right now. Not very often guys like that go on the block. 

 

I like the group of forwards we have in the prospect pool. Hoglander and Podkolzin being the standouts. Lind still looks really solid. I like how he is coming along. I am still pretty high on Gadjovich as a bottom 6 grinder/PF type.

 

And of course we are pretty solid in net imo. When the time comes, slightly before the expansion draft, if we can move one of our goalies for a top 4 d-man, preferably right shot, we'll be looking really good going forward. Barrie would be a neat add in the offseason if he comes at a friendly deal, IE Myers level deal. Which I doubt but would be neat. With Tryamkin maybe coming back that could be a solid D-pair.

 

All in all I don't really think we need to make trades right now, unless for D prospects or a replacement 1st rounder. Forward group as of right now is solid all around. When healthy it's tough to play against. And they should only get better from within the system and over time. Goalies is an area of relative strength to the point we could probably trade a goalie out for an area of need, down the line not right this moment.

[KnuckleHead16]

Ok I like your opinion on the matter! All good points! But if we’re actually looking to get any better we have to make some huge changes 100 percent! Players and management should learn from none selfish players like this beauty Nathan MacKinnon! Ok here’s who I would protect in expansion draft! Pettersson, Boeser, Horvat, Miller, Podkolzin, Gaudette and Sutter/Ferland for defence Definitely Huges, Edler, Tanev. Those guys are valuable to this team! Woo is good, Juolevi I like aswell! Just wish Olli can stay healthy! I would expose Myers 100! We don’t need him when Trymkin comes back to the big show after his contract ends this spring with half the cost myb more! I’d protect Demko! These Players/bums I feel! need to find new home and our management definitely wasted money on these Guys! This is my honest opinion! Starting off with the obvious! Lou Ericksson! So difficult to get rid of Lolol! Then Myers, Pearson, Beagle, baertchi and Benn! All over paid! wasted money! that could definitely have went to far better players! That we missed out on! That’s the honest truth! One thing I do love about Benning was his drafting:) for the most part lol! But a lot of his signings have been for the most part... just very terrible! Handcuffing us to some ridiculous contracts! Management have to learn from this! Same with our players looking for new contracts! Take some lessons! From Nate! Take paycut to win a Cup! Something ive longed to see! I love this team! But definitely don’t want to make same mistakes as previous years! many other opposition teams facing this same fate who will never see a cup because of management or players being selfish or idiotic! Just my opinion though! who cares! Right? Just a fan that loves the game! We need help so plain so simple! Our management needs to make better choices! Stop wasting money on such players as these! Money total wasted and hopefully we can retrieve some of that cap back! Praying for some leeway here! Very concerned about valuable cap space that should have went elsewhere! Benning gotta learn now! He can’t afford anymore mistakes! Otherwise it’s bye bye Benning! Maybe even Green too! 

[DownUndaCanuck]

In all honesty I think the pieces are all there, we just need to learn how to use them. This team up front is as deep as most teams in the league, with a 40-point scorer Ferland on our 4th line. The middle-6 is full of potential 20 goal, 40 point scorers. Sure it'd be nice to have some real firepower like a 30 goal scorer in the mix on Bo's line but we are as deep as they come.

 

On defence we have a lovely mix of veterans, youth, physical and puck moving  defencemen.

 

In net we've got Markstrom who is arguably a top-10 goalie in the league and Demko a future top-5 goalie.

 

I believe we just need to learn how to play properly defensively and this team will be a contender. We're up there in the league in scoring stats, powerplay and faceoffs. We can pretty much score at will and any line, defensive combo or PP can do it. The real worry is playing with a lead and defending.

 

A lot of that comes from coaching and the leadership team. Our coaches need to get these guys playing stiff defensive playoff hockey and practicing it from now. It'll be fun to watch our big bodies go to town in the playoffs if we make it, they will crash and bang with the best of them, but they need to learn how to make the smart play defensively and get the puck out of their own zone and through the neutral zone. Time and time again all of our lines get hemmed in defensively, make stupid turnovers which lead to rushes back the other way and sustained pressure against us. This is not singling out the defence, but mainly the forwards in clearing the puck. When you watch the teams in their prime in the playoffs, they can easily evade two heavy forecheckers and swiftly move the puck up and out of their own zone. This is the most important aspect of the game IMO, especially in the playoffs, and right now it is our weak-link. When we get it in the offensive zone we do serious damage but when we get hemmed in like we did against a pretty average road team like Buffalo, we make mistakes and surrender leads. Green's got to start working on that now.

 

Sure a top-6 winger would be nice but we don't need extra offence right now. We've got a couple of studs in Utica as well who can fill in in case of injury. We've also got some great defensive forwards on paper, we just need to learn how to play defensively again. I'm not saying fire Green but I wouldn't be entirely opposed to mixing up the coaching staff a bit if they don't get the message that they have to play better defensively. Surprising because we have a great leadership group.

[EdgarM]

4 hours ago, DownUndaCanuck said:

In all honesty I think the pieces are all there, we just need to learn how to use them. This team up front is as deep as most teams in the league, with a 40-point scorer Ferland on our 4th line. The middle-6 is full of potential 20 goal, 40 point scorers. Sure it'd be nice to have some real firepower like a 30 goal scorer in the mix on Bo's line but we are as deep as they come.

 

On defence we have a lovely mix of veterans, youth, physical and puck moving  defencemen.

 

In net we've got Markstrom who is arguably a top-10 goalie in the league and Demko a future top-5 goalie.

 

I believe we just need to learn how to play properly defensively and this team will be a contender. We're up there in the league in scoring stats, powerplay and faceoffs. We can pretty much score at will and any line, defensive combo or PP can do it. The real worry is playing with a lead and defending.

 

A lot of that comes from coaching and the leadership team. Our coaches need to get these guys playing stiff defensive playoff hockey and practicing it from now. It'll be fun to watch our big bodies go to town in the playoffs if we make it, they will crash and bang with the best of them, but they need to learn how to make the smart play defensively and get the puck out of their own zone and through the neutral zone. Time and time again all of our lines get hemmed in defensively, make stupid turnovers which lead to rushes back the other way and sustained pressure against us. This is not singling out the defence, but mainly the forwards in clearing the puck. When you watch the teams in their prime in the playoffs, they can easily evade two heavy forecheckers and swiftly move the puck up and out of their own zone. This is the most important aspect of the game IMO, especially in the playoffs, and right now it is our weak-link. When we get it in the offensive zone we do serious damage but when we get hemmed in like we did against a pretty average road team like Buffalo, we make mistakes and surrender leads. Green's got to start working on that now.

 

Sure a top-6 winger would be nice but we don't need extra offence right now. We've got a couple of studs in Utica as well who can fill in in case of injury. We've also got some great defensive forwards on paper, we just need to learn how to play defensively again. I'm not saying fire Green but I wouldn't be entirely opposed to mixing up the coaching staff a bit if they don't get the message that they have to play better defensively. Surprising because we have a great leadership group.

Very well said this is bang on. Our early season success had a lot to do with us making 1 or 2 passes out of our zone and back on the attack. We are now getting hemmed in like you said and that's where we make mistakes and stand around while the opposition gets great chances. Bo has trouble clearing the zone as well as Petey and Boes.

I think that is why Leivo and Pearson see so much top 6  time because they can retrieve the puck along the boards and get it out. 

As a young team, this will hopefully get worked out and having players such as Ferlund, Beagle and Sutter back, this should improve.

As the young players get better, so will our chances at being a contender.

Just imagine Petey, Boes, Bo, Virt, Gaudette, Demko and Hughes in their prime, we will be pretty tough to beat. Not to mention having Miller and some of the others in the pipeline to boot. We'll be OK.

[Chris12345]

We need:

1) Another top 6 forward

2) Another bottom 6 forward - and not a plug 

3) Top 4 dman

4) More time

 

Ideally:

Podkolzin develops into a top 6

Virt is a legitimate top 9

Woo/OJ can slide into a top 4 role 

 

Trade chips:

Marky, Tanev, Stetcher and Sutter. Need to continue to draft well.

 

 

 

 

[Kanukfanatic]

On 12/7/2019 at 11:16 AM, Drakrami said:

Package Boeser + 1st + Tyler Madden trade for Patrick Kane. 

Pettersson + Kane to drive 2 scoring lines

 

I can see us being a contender with that core. 

Gross  

 

Kane has 35 points and Boeser has  28 points.

Kane gets paid 10.5 million per year and Boeser gets paid 5.8 million per year.

 

 

7 point difference is NOT worth a 1st round pick and Madden (who is turning out to be a high end prospect himself).

 

Sorry, but that trade suggestion is absolutely gross. Thank God JB would never do it on this still rebuilding team (getting close to the end of the rebuild though).

 

Edit: not to mention Kane is already 31 - that does not fit AT ALL with our young core players when they will be in their prime.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Kanukfanatic