Long post upcoming...
I said in a post last week that the market for non-elite goaltenders is weak. Bernier only ended up getting a 3rd liner, a back up goalie and a 2nd. That's a trade you have to make 10/10 times. Good for Toronto for being ballsy and doing something about improving their goaltending situation. I'm not sold on Reimer as a sustainable starter in the NHL. I think he's inconsistent and that last year could have been a flash in the pan. Giving up Frattin, Scrivens and a 2nd is like us giving Zuccarello, Talbot, and a 2nd. I'd do it.
Eklund has the Rangers and Flames talking a deal. Unless Glencross waives his NMC, I'd probably hate whatever deal these teams would make unless it involves Del Zotto and the #6 as centerpieces.
Giordano? Nice player but too expensive and makes Del Zotto even more redundant than he actually is.
Tanguay? Too old and on the decline. Big time pass.
Cammalleri is a nice player but makes $6 million and is a UFA next summer. Ouch. Solves our LW depth problem but the issue of money comes into play.
Stempniak I'd maybe take for a B level prospect. He's more of a 2nd/3rd line tweener than top 6 forward though, not sure I'd be on board with counting on him to be on the 2nd line and sustain his numbers from last season.
I feel like the only one here that doesn't mind Asham as a full time 4th liner on this team. The guy was hurt all season and came into the playoffs and was one of our better players. I don't understand why people want to ship him off. He's here for one more year at a one million dollar cap hit, worth it IMO.
Pyatt is fine as a 4th liner or 13th forward, but to count on him to play top 9 minutes is a huge mistake. Keep him around for the playoffs, but that 1.55 million cap number hurts.
Powe is really the only guy I'd look to ship out. Offensive black hole. Decent speed and PK ability, but brings literally nothing else.
Nick Palmieri was the best player in the Rupp/Powe trade. I don't fault Sather for doing the deal. Trading Rupp was addition by subtraction. He was very pro-PA during the lockout to the point where his tweets got nauseating to read. I wanted him gone after seeing how slow he looked out there, good trade any way you slice it.
Nystrom and Gordon are good 4th line additions, but where are these guys going to play? I can see one cracking the line up if Pyatt is reduced to 13th forward duties, but how much will they cost to sign as free agents? 1.5 million at least? Maybe Powe can be traded off for one of their UFA rights.
To be honest I'd rather allocate that money to a top 6 forward so Hagelin and/or Callahan can be knocked down to our 3rd line "defensive start" line and get them away from the top 6 so the more offensive guys can get the offensive zone starts. They'll still get significant ice time between defensive zone starts and the PK.
I'd almost certainly say get ready to see Max Lapierre as our 4th line center next season. He's a chicken****, but AV loved him and Vancouver and fits the 4th line "energy" role to a T. Not bad on the shootout either if I remember right. Could mean Boyle gets dealt, keep an eye on that situation.
Too many 4th liners, no spots to put them in unless you put 4th liners on the "shutdown" line, which I don't see. I see a rotation of Pyatt, Asham, Dorsett, and Lapierre making up our 4th line "energy" line. I think Boyle gets a crack at 3rd line shutdown center duties. I can just as easily see him being dealt this offseason. Rangers management got a lot of calls about him at the trade deadline, and that was when he was playing poorly and before the good playoffs he had. Time will tell.
