2014 CBJ Offseason Thread III (All proposals, "blog" rumors, speculation in here)
- Thread starter CBJWerenski8
- Start date
Here's a link to an interesting article on the depth and top prospects:
http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726826
http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=726826
cslebn
80 forever
- Feb 15, 2012
- 2,802
- 1,366
is it bad my first take away was how many times we've picked sixth overall?
ah the dregs of summer - camp can't come soon enough.
Double-Shift Lasse
Just post better
Can't wait til Mixer wins his Pulitzer for his great piece on Dubinsky living in Columbus and wanting to buy a house. Which was literally just taken from what Dubie said at his press conference.
DEF
Registered User
So we only get one regular season game on the Sidney Crosby Network this year? Guess who it's against.
WannabeFinn
Beloved One
WannabeFinn
Beloved One
The guys at The Power Play (SiriusXM NHL Network Radio) gave Jarmo a B today for his off-season performance. Stan Bowman also got a B. The Avs front office got a B+.
I think that's a fair grade. Although I would have given him a B+. Only real knock: Joey deal is still not done. I'm still not a fan of not re-signing MacKenzie, but if the only complaint I have is not signing a 33 year-old fourth liner, that's not bad.
I think that's a fair grade. Although I would have given him a B+. Only real knock: Joey deal is still not done. I'm still not a fan of not re-signing MacKenzie, but if the only complaint I have is not signing a 33 year-old fourth liner, that's not bad.
That is pathetic. So much to thinking we've made it to the bigtime.
To quote Lou Brown: I guess there is only one thing to do....Win the whole f'ing thing
Double-Shift Lasse
Just post better
This is the offseason roster stuff thread. Please get back on topic (and yes, gui8lty as charged). Thank you.
Iron Balls McGinty
Registered User
- Aug 5, 2005
- 9,163
- 7,244
Would that even fix it? The Hurricanes have been in the finals twice, winning the cup once. Do they ever get any national games? Without checking my facts, my perception is they get the same treatment as columbus.
The networks don't care about teams, they care about media markets and star players.
Fro
Cheatin on CBJ w TBL
this is such the interesting look at Arbitration from the Coach...
http://www.theunionblue.com/2014/07/24/salary-project-introduction-atkinson-calvert-dubinsky/
looks at Dubi, Cam, Calvert and how you would gauge their value if they went to arbitration
http://www.theunionblue.com/2014/07/24/salary-project-introduction-atkinson-calvert-dubinsky/
looks at Dubi, Cam, Calvert and how you would gauge their value if they went to arbitration
Sore Loser
Sorest of them all
Rating Jarmo's Offseason
A little bit of a rant of my own, since I haven't shared much into this thread. Too much back and forth for my liking... Anyhow, here are my thoughts on Jarmo's moves this offseason:
First, the re-signs: Dalton Prout, David Savard, Curtis McElhinney, Frederic St. Denis, Corey Tropp, Cody Goloubef, Tim Erixon, Will Weber, Sean Collins
I'll weed out the guys who obviously aren't huge returnees ... St. Denis and Weber provide depth for Springfield, while Collins is merely a depth signing in case of injury, and to provide depth in Springfield. As for Curtis McElhinney, I've made my thoughts on him well known on these boards. For the life of me, I can't figure out how we're supposed to take the next step with this guy as our backup. I'm sure he's a great guy to have around the locker room or on the bench, but as a goalie, he's just not that good. We could have found another option by spending just a little bit more money, and I certainly think we could have upgraded this position. Bringing back Corey Tropp makes sense from a depth standpoint. He's cheap, still fairly young, and provides a nice physical spark. You won't see much skill from him, but for what he provides, he's a viable, reasonably priced fourth line option. Re-signing David Savard had to be high on Jarmo's list of priorities. The young defenseman was nothing short of steady for the Jackets all year long, and is now a very reasonably priced #5 defenseman for this team. Dalton Prout falls into a similar category (even if he regressed) because of his playstyle. Prout's physicality could come in handy big time in a 7 game series, and he's a guy who has shown the ability to play at this level. In my opinion, this was another no brainer signing. The last two guys on this list are seemingly going to get their final chances with this franchise this year. Tim Erixon should have every opportunity to be an every day player for this team, if nothing else because of his shooting from the left side. He had a strong year in Springfield, but I'm still skeptical as to whether or not he can do it full-time in the NHL. Clearly he's a talented kid, but at what point do you cut ties and open up room for younger kids? Cody Goloubef will probably be our #8 or #9 defenseman in all honesty, but like Prout, he provides some tangibles that we are running short on in the system. And, he has a big shot. It seems like ages ago that we drafted Goloubef, so like Erixon, I have to think it's go time.
Players who are out: Nikita Nikitin, RJ Umberger, Matt Taormina, Jack Skille, Nick Schultz, Patrick McNeill, Mike McKenna, Cody Bass, Matt Frattin, Oliver Gabriel, Anton Blomqvist, Blake Comeau, Derek MacKenzie, Paul Thompson, Jeremy Smith, Carter Camper
Clearly, some of these guys are career AHLers, so we'll look at those as minor league departures (Taormina, McNeill, McKenna, Gabriel, Blomqvist, Thompson, Smith, Camper) ... that leaves us with 8 guys that we'll notice missing, in my opinion. First up would be Nikita Nikitin, who is now vastly overpaid by the Edmonton Oilers. Now, I know he'll be a top pairing defenseman for them ... but he wasn't going to do that for us. I'm happy to see that we at least got a draft pick for him, as his future here was clearly in jeopardy due to younger, more skilled, cheaper options. RJ Umberger asked out, and Jarmo obliged. More on that later. Jack Skille looked entirely out of his element in the NHL in my opinion, and had no business skating alongside our most talented player in the playoffs. I wish him nothing but luck, but am happy he's gone. Nick Schultz is a guy that I'd hoped to have back honestly. I think we could have used another veteran presence on the blueline this year ... but perhaps it will come from elsewhere. I think the team may be banking too much on Tim Erixon's development ... but, it will either work out, or it won't. Cody Bass is a guy that I'm a huge fan of. I might be overstepping his potential, but I think he deserved more of a chance in the NHL than what he was getting. I think we'll miss his tenacity and no-nonsense play in Springfield, if nothing else. Matt Frattin was made expendable the day he was acquired. Move along, nothing to see here...
Blake Comeau and Derek MacKenzie may be the two guys from this group that we miss the most. I know Comeau got knocked around here quite a bit, but big, physical, two-way wingers like him are a little bit valuable. Personally, I'll miss him ... but, I think Corey Tropp is a viable replacement for what he brings. Derek MacKenzie was a fan favorite on these boards for a reason. I think we all knew that once he made the team, he was going to emerge as a leader for the younger guys. His two-way play, blue collar efforts, and leadership qualities are going to leave a major hole in our lineup. I'm really hopeful that someone like Michael Chaput can step in and at least fill one of those roles, but it's going to be asking a lot.
The trades: Nikita Nikitin to Edmonton in exchange for a 5th-round pick (Tyler Bird)
I mentioned this deal above, but will re-iterate ... Nikitin was going to be too expensive for us to bring back, and Edmonton was willing to try to sign him before he hit the open market. Good move for us ... Tyler Bird is a longer term project player, but ... he's an asset. The results aren't in for Edmonton. I think he got too much money and too long a term.
RJ Umberger and a 2015 4th-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Scott Hartnell
I loved this trade, and still do. Scott Hartnell is not only one of the premier net front men in the league, he's a gamer. A guy that goes to battle, is universally hated by everyone he plays against, and is a real heart and soul guy. Liken him to Brandon Dubinsky, but with a slightly different playstyle ... the guy is competitive, and hard to play against. I've always hated him, but already love him now that he's our own. Umberger forced Jarmo's hand, and I think we come out smelling like roses here ... clearly, the Flyers are concerned about long-term issues with the cap. The jury will be out for a long time on that fourth round pick, but short term, we steal this deal.
Matt Frattin to Toronto in exchange for Jerry D'Amigo
One of Toronto's favorite trade rumor assets is re-acquired by the team in exchange for ... one of Toronto's favorite trade rumor assets. Matt Frattin saw his best days in Toronto, and clearly they're hoping to re-discover something here. I see him as nothing more than a borderline 12th-13th forward. They think he's their answer to losing Nikolai Kulemin. Is there any wonder why this team hasn't won the Cup in so long? It wasn't long ago when Jerry D'Amigo was their favorite prospect ... a speedy winger with a good shot, D'Amigo could potentially find a spot on our fourth line next year, but if we don't get him signed, we can fall back on a conditional 7th-round pick. Either way, I don't think this deal makes a huge impact on our team.
The signees: Simon Hjalmarsson, Brian Gibbons
I think we got two sleepers here personally. Brian Gibbons may have been the best forward the Penguins had in the playoffs when he was healthy. Lightning fast and good in all three zones, for the life of me I cannot figure out why they would have let him walk for nothing. This guy should be good to step right in and contribute for us, which may make the loss of Derek MacKenzie not hurt so much. Simon Hjalmarsson has been one of the top players in Sweden for the last couple of years, and in my mind could be a potential 20 goal scorer in the NHL. I like the signing - low risk, high reward ... this isn't another Ilari Melart; I think this guy can play for us and fit right in.
Still on the docket, clearly, is getting Ryan Johansen signed. A bridge deal seems to make the most sense, but bringing him back should make us good to go for the season.
Which leads me to... my lineup projection:
Jenner-Johansen-Horton
Calvert-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Foligno-Anisimov-Hartnell
Gibbons-Letestu-Tropp
Hjalmarsson/Boll/Chaput
Murray-Wisniewski
Johnson-Prout
Tyutin-Savard
Erixon-Goloubef
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
A case could be made for Erixon playing in Prout's spot, but a healthy Prout alongside Jack Johnson gave us a very viable pairing. Might make mention of Rychel or Wennberg making the team, but other than Cam Atkinson, I don't see anyone getting displaced from our top-9 to make room for them. And, I think Simon Hjalmarsson pushes for a spot. I think they both start the year in the AHL.
The verdit: I think it was coy management to stay out of the major players in this year's UFA class. We all wanted Ryan Callahan or one of the other big names, but would they have really made us that much better? Getting Scott Hartnell for RJ Umberger is an immediate upgrade, and I think a healthy Nathan Horton will be our biggest free agent add this year - one we signed last summer. We have ample cap space to lock up some younger players over the next couple of years, which should build up the core of our team nicely. The teams who compete and win every year are the teams who have been able to build from within and sustain via their own assets. Even though the Kings acquired guys like Richards, Gaborik, and ******, they gave up guys like Johnson and Simmonds to get them ... so, obviously, the youth movement is key. The teams who are going out and signing the big name free agents always seem to have struggles at some point. I like the way we're building, really think this team is primed for the next step.
I give it a very hopeful B+ ... which will turn into an A- if we get Johansen at a reasonable rate and term.
A little bit of a rant of my own, since I haven't shared much into this thread. Too much back and forth for my liking... Anyhow, here are my thoughts on Jarmo's moves this offseason:
First, the re-signs: Dalton Prout, David Savard, Curtis McElhinney, Frederic St. Denis, Corey Tropp, Cody Goloubef, Tim Erixon, Will Weber, Sean Collins
I'll weed out the guys who obviously aren't huge returnees ... St. Denis and Weber provide depth for Springfield, while Collins is merely a depth signing in case of injury, and to provide depth in Springfield. As for Curtis McElhinney, I've made my thoughts on him well known on these boards. For the life of me, I can't figure out how we're supposed to take the next step with this guy as our backup. I'm sure he's a great guy to have around the locker room or on the bench, but as a goalie, he's just not that good. We could have found another option by spending just a little bit more money, and I certainly think we could have upgraded this position. Bringing back Corey Tropp makes sense from a depth standpoint. He's cheap, still fairly young, and provides a nice physical spark. You won't see much skill from him, but for what he provides, he's a viable, reasonably priced fourth line option. Re-signing David Savard had to be high on Jarmo's list of priorities. The young defenseman was nothing short of steady for the Jackets all year long, and is now a very reasonably priced #5 defenseman for this team. Dalton Prout falls into a similar category (even if he regressed) because of his playstyle. Prout's physicality could come in handy big time in a 7 game series, and he's a guy who has shown the ability to play at this level. In my opinion, this was another no brainer signing. The last two guys on this list are seemingly going to get their final chances with this franchise this year. Tim Erixon should have every opportunity to be an every day player for this team, if nothing else because of his shooting from the left side. He had a strong year in Springfield, but I'm still skeptical as to whether or not he can do it full-time in the NHL. Clearly he's a talented kid, but at what point do you cut ties and open up room for younger kids? Cody Goloubef will probably be our #8 or #9 defenseman in all honesty, but like Prout, he provides some tangibles that we are running short on in the system. And, he has a big shot. It seems like ages ago that we drafted Goloubef, so like Erixon, I have to think it's go time.
Players who are out: Nikita Nikitin, RJ Umberger, Matt Taormina, Jack Skille, Nick Schultz, Patrick McNeill, Mike McKenna, Cody Bass, Matt Frattin, Oliver Gabriel, Anton Blomqvist, Blake Comeau, Derek MacKenzie, Paul Thompson, Jeremy Smith, Carter Camper
Clearly, some of these guys are career AHLers, so we'll look at those as minor league departures (Taormina, McNeill, McKenna, Gabriel, Blomqvist, Thompson, Smith, Camper) ... that leaves us with 8 guys that we'll notice missing, in my opinion. First up would be Nikita Nikitin, who is now vastly overpaid by the Edmonton Oilers. Now, I know he'll be a top pairing defenseman for them ... but he wasn't going to do that for us. I'm happy to see that we at least got a draft pick for him, as his future here was clearly in jeopardy due to younger, more skilled, cheaper options. RJ Umberger asked out, and Jarmo obliged. More on that later. Jack Skille looked entirely out of his element in the NHL in my opinion, and had no business skating alongside our most talented player in the playoffs. I wish him nothing but luck, but am happy he's gone. Nick Schultz is a guy that I'd hoped to have back honestly. I think we could have used another veteran presence on the blueline this year ... but perhaps it will come from elsewhere. I think the team may be banking too much on Tim Erixon's development ... but, it will either work out, or it won't. Cody Bass is a guy that I'm a huge fan of. I might be overstepping his potential, but I think he deserved more of a chance in the NHL than what he was getting. I think we'll miss his tenacity and no-nonsense play in Springfield, if nothing else. Matt Frattin was made expendable the day he was acquired. Move along, nothing to see here...
Blake Comeau and Derek MacKenzie may be the two guys from this group that we miss the most. I know Comeau got knocked around here quite a bit, but big, physical, two-way wingers like him are a little bit valuable. Personally, I'll miss him ... but, I think Corey Tropp is a viable replacement for what he brings. Derek MacKenzie was a fan favorite on these boards for a reason. I think we all knew that once he made the team, he was going to emerge as a leader for the younger guys. His two-way play, blue collar efforts, and leadership qualities are going to leave a major hole in our lineup. I'm really hopeful that someone like Michael Chaput can step in and at least fill one of those roles, but it's going to be asking a lot.
The trades: Nikita Nikitin to Edmonton in exchange for a 5th-round pick (Tyler Bird)
I mentioned this deal above, but will re-iterate ... Nikitin was going to be too expensive for us to bring back, and Edmonton was willing to try to sign him before he hit the open market. Good move for us ... Tyler Bird is a longer term project player, but ... he's an asset. The results aren't in for Edmonton. I think he got too much money and too long a term.
RJ Umberger and a 2015 4th-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for Scott Hartnell
I loved this trade, and still do. Scott Hartnell is not only one of the premier net front men in the league, he's a gamer. A guy that goes to battle, is universally hated by everyone he plays against, and is a real heart and soul guy. Liken him to Brandon Dubinsky, but with a slightly different playstyle ... the guy is competitive, and hard to play against. I've always hated him, but already love him now that he's our own. Umberger forced Jarmo's hand, and I think we come out smelling like roses here ... clearly, the Flyers are concerned about long-term issues with the cap. The jury will be out for a long time on that fourth round pick, but short term, we steal this deal.
Matt Frattin to Toronto in exchange for Jerry D'Amigo
One of Toronto's favorite trade rumor assets is re-acquired by the team in exchange for ... one of Toronto's favorite trade rumor assets. Matt Frattin saw his best days in Toronto, and clearly they're hoping to re-discover something here. I see him as nothing more than a borderline 12th-13th forward. They think he's their answer to losing Nikolai Kulemin. Is there any wonder why this team hasn't won the Cup in so long? It wasn't long ago when Jerry D'Amigo was their favorite prospect ... a speedy winger with a good shot, D'Amigo could potentially find a spot on our fourth line next year, but if we don't get him signed, we can fall back on a conditional 7th-round pick. Either way, I don't think this deal makes a huge impact on our team.
The signees: Simon Hjalmarsson, Brian Gibbons
I think we got two sleepers here personally. Brian Gibbons may have been the best forward the Penguins had in the playoffs when he was healthy. Lightning fast and good in all three zones, for the life of me I cannot figure out why they would have let him walk for nothing. This guy should be good to step right in and contribute for us, which may make the loss of Derek MacKenzie not hurt so much. Simon Hjalmarsson has been one of the top players in Sweden for the last couple of years, and in my mind could be a potential 20 goal scorer in the NHL. I like the signing - low risk, high reward ... this isn't another Ilari Melart; I think this guy can play for us and fit right in.
Still on the docket, clearly, is getting Ryan Johansen signed. A bridge deal seems to make the most sense, but bringing him back should make us good to go for the season.
Which leads me to... my lineup projection:
Jenner-Johansen-Horton
Calvert-Dubinsky-Atkinson
Foligno-Anisimov-Hartnell
Gibbons-Letestu-Tropp
Hjalmarsson/Boll/Chaput
Murray-Wisniewski
Johnson-Prout
Tyutin-Savard
Erixon-Goloubef
Bobrovsky
McElhinney
A case could be made for Erixon playing in Prout's spot, but a healthy Prout alongside Jack Johnson gave us a very viable pairing. Might make mention of Rychel or Wennberg making the team, but other than Cam Atkinson, I don't see anyone getting displaced from our top-9 to make room for them. And, I think Simon Hjalmarsson pushes for a spot. I think they both start the year in the AHL.
The verdit: I think it was coy management to stay out of the major players in this year's UFA class. We all wanted Ryan Callahan or one of the other big names, but would they have really made us that much better? Getting Scott Hartnell for RJ Umberger is an immediate upgrade, and I think a healthy Nathan Horton will be our biggest free agent add this year - one we signed last summer. We have ample cap space to lock up some younger players over the next couple of years, which should build up the core of our team nicely. The teams who compete and win every year are the teams who have been able to build from within and sustain via their own assets. Even though the Kings acquired guys like Richards, Gaborik, and ******, they gave up guys like Johnson and Simmonds to get them ... so, obviously, the youth movement is key. The teams who are going out and signing the big name free agents always seem to have struggles at some point. I like the way we're building, really think this team is primed for the next step.
I give it a very hopeful B+ ... which will turn into an A- if we get Johansen at a reasonable rate and term.
Good writeup as usual
the only thing I'd want to see them try is Johnson-Savard and Tyutin-Erixon. I like the idea to put Savard with a more defensive guy to give him more of a chance offensively but I actually liked those 2 together and gives Erixon a steady guy to play with who may be losing a step but shouldn't need to play 22 minutes a night anymore.The forwards are exactly what I was thinking with Hjalmarsson getting his chances based on how Gibbons and Tropp are playing. I'm not sure why some people are so quick to break up what worked last year, the only potential change up i could see is if Jenner doesn't look like he should be on the 1st line so Hartnell moves up and our 3rd line becomes Jenner-Anisimov-Foligno
Good writeup as usual
The forwards are exactly what I was thinking with Hjalmarsson getting his chances based on how Gibbons and Tropp are playing. I'm not sure why some people are so quick to break up what worked last year, the only potential change up i could see is if Jenner doesn't look like he should be on the 1st line so Hartnell moves up and our 3rd line becomes Jenner-Anisimov-Foligno
According to the with you-without you stats, Jenner-Anisimov-Horton and Foligno-Johansen were what worked the best last year. I'd like folks to at least address that when they propose something different.
Foligno and Johansen is the only one I'd break up and i was more referring to the Dubi line. Sure Foligno plays good with Johansen using whatever stats you guys use but at the end of the day he's not really a point producer. Horton is also like a trial there, Noone is saying he has to be there all year but at the same time I think we atleast have to try it. A line of Jenner(or Hartnell)-Johansen-Horton would be fairly similar to the type of line Horton played on in Boston where he was pretty successful. I also don't really pay attention to any of the stats involving Horton last year because outside of a handful of games he wasn't himself
Agreed that Horton's last year is probably an outlier due to injuries (mainly the groin injury).
But i think the Foligno-Johansen partnership was beneficial for both parties, by the eye test and the stats. I also don't think there'll be much of a gap going forward between Foligno's point production and Horton and Hartnell's. From last year's 5-on-5 per 60 minutes scoring:
Foligno 2.05 pts
Hartnell 1.84 pts
Horton 1.81 pts
Jenner 1.34 pts
