[GDT/PGT] Vancouver Canucks @ Calgary Lames | February 17, 2021 | 7 p.m. PT | SN1, SNP

[Silky mitts]

We would be parading down the streets if Seattle took Myers 

[Smashian Kassian]

24 minutes ago, ilduce39 said:

Myers leads the team in ice time right now... so while he’s paired with Juolevi, it’s fair to say he’s not your typical 3rd pairing guy. 
 

I can still see us exposing him if we can find a cheaper replacement maybe as teams make trades to avoid losing guys to the expansion draft... but I think if he keeps it up Seattle takes him in a heartbeat.

 

Fair point. Big part of the PK too.

 

I didn't mean to say he was a 3rd pair guy, I'd have him #4 on our depth chart. Maybe you could argue 3 above Edler, but I think Edler is a better matchup player than Myers.

 

Again my thing isn't hating on Myers, right now hes a big part of the defense, it's more about considering cap flexibility as we have to pay our young players. 

[Smashian Kassian]

2 minutes ago, Silky mitts said:

Petry is so much better than Myers 

 

Not a sexy name but probably a Norris contender with his start.

 

In hindsight it's amazing EDM gave him up for a 2nd.

[Smashian Kassian]

1 hour ago, IBatch said:

Yes maybe we could start the BB for Dumba threads up again- plus JV and a first i think was the drill a year ago ...

 

Not Boeser for Dumba 

 

We need to lock Boeser up. Virtanen on the otherhand should've been dealt years ago imo

 

[Coconuts]

5 hours ago, IBatch said:

Myers pay translates to the 4 plus million MG was paying Ballard, Hamhuis etc ... it's not an overpayment for a UFA with his pedigree.   So far this season he's played a large portion of the toughest minutes.   And he's a RHD, there are 50% less of them in the league ... question, when was the last time a RHD like Myers was available?   Last year he was fine and didn't get his offense going, this year it's back.   

 

When Chatfield is the option ... ugh.   Don't be confused with second contract money compared to a guy who's put his time in.   Petry just got paid, Brodin too, Schmidt makes about the same buying a couple UFA years ... Hamilton is going to cash in big.   Myers is a solid top four D, and so far this season just might be our best D. 

 

Personally, if we lose Myers - a core player in our D, we won't replace that easily and could take two years to fill - at the same price.   Would you rather save 1.5 million and have Gudbranson?

 

Edit: Trouba, Pesce, Slavin are not on UFA deals....if they keep it up, don't worry, they will get paid more then Myers when it's their turn.   Trouba maybe not actually, keeps getting injured and hasn't really done well in  NY, Myers has outplayed him the last year and a half.    

Higher end RHD always get paid, hell even the middle of the road guys tend to get paid. There's always going to be a demand for them, and they'll always be sought via ufa. My concern is leaving Myers exposed, him being taken, and our having to scramble to try and find a replacement. The reality is we don't have someone internally who can step up and adequately play the minutes Myers plays. 

 

If he vanishes off our roster and we've gotta grab one via ufa that gives whoever makes it to ufa leverage when we inquire. I'm not sure the flat cap will factor in and bring prices down the way people think they might, teams aren't going to be caught flat footed the same way they were this past offseason going forward. Top end D will always get paid, and we won't be the only team chasing the guys who make it to ufa. Sometimes you're better off with the devil you know. 

3 hours ago, Devron44 said:

Myers has been our best all around defencemen this year. Be crazy to expose him at this point. He’s not perfect but I think we are significantly worse without him 

I don't think Myers is as easily replaceable as some folks seem to think he is, particularly as a RHD. If he's overpaid I don't think it's by much tbh, you're almost always going to pay via ufa one way or another. He has his gaffes, and his play can be frustrating at times, but I can say the same thing of every D we've got out there right now with maybe the exception of Juolevi (so far). 

 

22 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

Don't know what this has to do with anything. Myers being erased from our roster saves 6 million. And it's not like he's a top 3 defenseman on our team ATM.

 

Upcoming UFAs include: Hamilton, Savard, Martinez,  Larsson, Demers, Montour, Barrie.

 

Following year: Parayko, Letang, Rielly, Klingberg, Subban, Pulock, Nurse, Ristolanien, Schultz, Manson, exc.

 

Now alot of these guys - especially 2022 - could still sign. But with the flat cap there should be more opportunities, and having cap flexibility is never a bad thing. Things can change fast, look at where our defense was 2 years ago.

 

It's like gurn said, if hes taken we free up alot of space, if not we still have him which is good too. 

 

 

On the flip side, one could argue that if the cap is flat the guys you've mentioned may be more inclined to sign with the teams they play for or the teams they're traded to if their teams don't think they'll re-sign. Going to ufa offers players the possibility of having more control over where they play, or getting better deals, but it also leaves them without a team and competing with other players for jobs. Are the higher end players usually the first dominoes to fall? Certainly, but there's something to be said for stability too. 

 

Of the guys you've mentioned these are the guys I'll be surprised to see make ufa: Nurse, Klingberg, Letang, Parayko, Rielly, Hamilton, Montour, Pulock. Letang likely retires a Penguin. Of the guys the guys you've mentioned these are players I don't see as an upgrade on Myers: Barrie. Absolutely don't want Barrie, he's redundant here and we don't need to replace Myers with someone who's weak in his own end. The following guys I haven't mentioned are currently older than Myers and will still be if the reach ufa: Martinez (will be 34 in July), Demers (will be 33 in June). As short-term options they might work, but you kick the ball further down the road (which isn't necessarily a bad thing if flex is what JB decides he wants). 

 

UFA pools almost always look more promising the further you are away from them, that's just part of looking into the future. My concern is losing Myers and being left holding the bag. Will guys be available, sure. But I wouldn't be surprised to see fewer available than some fans and hockey media guys would think as of Feb 2021. Losing Myers frees up cap, absolutely, but for who? 

[xereau]

38 minutes ago, HKSR said:

You were very much alive, but likely not old enough to actually make sense of what you were watching lol

 

If you watched 90s hockey, you would know there was a thing called a 2 line pass rule.  Which meant you had to carry the puck a lot more... But the problem with that was defenders could literally grab any part of your upper body to slow you down and stop you from getting to the offensive zone.  If you were honestly old enough to watch Bure live, you would know that he would have torn the current league apart without an ability to physically grab him.

 

His shot back then, with that old equipment was over 100mph as a forward.  He regularly scored goals from the point on the PP.  

 

Unless you watched him play back then, you have no idea how explosive he was.  From a goals per game average, he is top 5 all time.  Take out the players from the 1800s and he is #3 all time behind Bossy and Lemieux. So yes, he is a generational goal scorer.

 

 

Imagine Bobby Orr in today's league. Some talent is eternal.

[Silky mitts]

Also bringing this up constantly but remember how many people wanted brock gone for dumba. 

[aGENT]

35 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

Benn's a UFA either way

 

 

The reason to expose Myers is to create cap flexibility - considering Boeser, Pettersson, Hughes, Demko all need to be paid soon. 

 

The point isn't to rag on the signing/past market value, or Myers as a player. I like Myers as a player in a 4 role, but the reality is it's a significant contract with significant term left for a 31 year old player.

 

The flat cap isn't going anywhere. Look what good players like Markstrom, Toffoli & Tanev signed for. The same will be the case next year if there's no fans this season. Plus the ED compounds things.

 

To me it's basically a win-win situation. Losing Myers frees up space long-term (at a favourable time in the market), and if Seattle doesn't take him - which I don't consider a guarantee w/ his ticket - then he's still here to fill his role & help our team.

 

Oh I agree that's the reason. Hence why I've said numerous times that I'm ok exposing him if we trade for a younger, comparable player with RFA years left. It will largely be a lateral move in player quality but will get us younger and likely save us a couple mil +/- for a year or two until that guy also needs a raise. That trade has to materialize though, which is no guarantee.

 

And again, that's only +/- a couple mil... It's not like we're clearing his entire $6m (which again is a completely fair 2nd pair, UFA aged, right side D rate). Even with Covid, guys like that aren't likely taking much/any hair cut. They're in too much demand. The squeeze always comes to the more depth guys.

 

Best case scenario, we trade for that guy, expose Myers and they take Holtby. We'd have a RIDICULOUSLY deep D (and likely could afford to trade out a guy sooner than later) in that case.

 

Might squeeze Edler out though...

 

Edited February 18, 2021 by aGENT

[4petesake]

13 minutes ago, Coconuts said:

Higher end RHD always get paid, hell even the middle of the road guys tend to get paid. There's always going to be a demand for them, and they'll always be sought via ufa. My concern is leaving Myers exposed, him being taken, and our having to scramble to try and find a replacement. The reality is we don't have someone internally who can step up and adequately play the minutes Myers plays. 

 

If he vanishes off our roster and we've gotta grab one via ufa that gives whoever makes it to ufa leverage when we inquire. I'm not sure the flat cap will factor in and bring prices down the way people think they might, teams aren't going to be caught flat footed the same way they were this past offseason going forward. Top end D will always get paid, and we won't be the only team chasing the guys who make it to ufa. Sometimes you're better off with the devil you know. 

I don't think Myers is as easily replaceable as some folks seem to think he is, particularly as a RHD. If he's overpaid I don't think it's by much tbh, you're almost always going to pay via ufa one way or another. He has his gaffes, and his play can be frustrating at times, but I can say the same thing of every D we've got out there right now with maybe the exception of Juolevi (so far). 

 

On the flip side, one could argue that if the cap is flat the guys you've mentioned may be more inclined to sign with the teams they play for or the teams they're traded to if their teams don't think they'll re-sign. Going to ufa offers players the possibility of having more control over where they play, or getting better deals, but it also leaves them without a team and competing with other players for jobs. Are the higher end players usually the first dominoes to fall? Certainly, but there's something to be said for stability too. 

 

Of the guys you've mentioned these are the guys I'll be surprised to see make ufa: Nurse, Klingberg, Letang, Parayko, Rielly, Hamilton, Montour, Pulock. Letang likely retires a Penguin. Of the guys the guys you've mentioned these are players I don't see as an upgrade on Myers: Barrie. Absolutely don't want Barrie, he's redundant here and we don't need to replace Myers with someone who's weak in his own end. The following guys I haven't mentioned are currently older than Myers and will still be if the reach ufa: Martinez (will be 34 in July), Demers (will be 33 in June). As short-term options they might work, but you kick the ball further down the road (which isn't necessarily a bad thing if flex is what JB decides he wants). 

 

UFA pools almost always look more promising the further you are away from them, that's just part of looking into the future. My concern is losing Myers and being left holding the bag. Will guys be available, sure. But I wouldn't be surprised to see fewer available than some fans and hockey media guys would think as of Feb 2021. Losing Myers frees up cap, absolutely, but for who? 

All this is quite true but remember some of us are just noodling about which defenceman gets exposed. In my opinion the team shows signs of hope right now so I don’t want Chatfield playing in place of someone else just to get his games in. If that changes by all means dress him. So my question remains, who do we want to expose?