Rumor: 2022-2023 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Let’s Run it Back!

[lionsDen]

What do we think Meyers floor and ceiling is? Is he our future 4C? Or better as a bottom 6 wing? Or maybe AHL tweener

I wasn’t overly impressed with him, got some wheels not much else. JMO

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

What do we think Meyers floor and ceiling is? Is he our future 4C? Or better as a bottom 6 wing? Or maybe AHL tweener

I think his floor is a good 4C that can kill penalties and basically provide all that you want from a 4C. No doubt to me from his stint with us this year and what he did at the World Championships that he's an NHLer. In terms of ceiling, that's always tricky for guys like him. You never expect to see much more then maybe a decent 3rd liner, but sometimes guys surprise you and just continue to take steps forward year after year. Realistically I think a good two-way #3C that can be your top penalty killer, and chip in ~30 points a season is what he tops out as. But you just never know.


I would bet he starts next year as the 4C, but wouldn't be shocked at all to see his minutes get elevated as the season goes on and possibly end up being the 3C by April.

LOC - Meyers - Cogliano

That's the 4th line I'm hoping/expecting for opening night next year. I would also bring back Helm if he wants to go another year but to be honest I think he ends up retiring. I also think Lucas Sedlak will make the team as the 13th forward, cheap league minimum contract that helps with cap space.

 

[Metallo]

he looked like ass for half the playoffs lol due to whatever that was he caught at the end of the reg. He only started to play well in the Edmonton and Tampa series. If he showed up against the Blues they would have swept them again.


Thought for sure he was a goner.

I agree Mikko switched it on at just the right time.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

One thought on Kuemper. Every Avs goalie since Varly has had rough points in their first season on the team.

If Kuemper returns do folks think he can find some consistency?

Honestly, probably not. Outside of the very best goalies in the league.... Every other goalie fights consistency issues over the course of an 82 game season. Its what separates the elite 5-6 guys in the league from the rest of the pack.

Darcy fought consistency issues for sure but he also ultimately finished with a pretty damn good .921 sv% and was among the Top 10 for GSAA as well. I dont really see how he improves on those numbers next year. They're already very good. Now you hope that if they bring him back, he shows a lot better in the playoffs then he did, but I dont see him getting any better in the regular season.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Sakic should be all over Georgiev. Shouldn't cost too many assets, give them Kadri's rights or something and then sign him for ~2.5m then platoon him with Frankie. We already proved we can win the cup with a sieve in net, why not double down

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Really like that Paul deal for a Lehkonen comp.

If the Avs could get Lehkonen for a similar deal, that would be amazing. Big fan of just going if term like Tampa did to keep the AAV down.

I kind of agree.

Lehky has better offensive numbers, but not hugely better. Both guys broke out with new teams after the deadline and both guys were great in the playoffs. But again Lehky was a little better.

Honestly that Paul contract is insane though. Fantastic value for Tampa Bay. If the Avs could approach Lehky with the same idea that would be huge. 4-5 years, Lehky probably gets 4.5M.... But if you can give him 7 years of security to get the aav down to like 3.75M or something, that would be great.

The Goodrow and Coleman contracts are good comparables from last summer as well. Goodrow got 6x3.6M and Coleman got 6x4.9M. Lehkonen falls somewhere in between those two IMO. Better offensive numbers then Goodrow but not quite as good as Coleman.



If you can get Lehky on a 6-7 year deal for ~4M you do it. Otherwise 2 years at ~$3.5M is where I'd go with him honestly. I dont think we can afford 4.5M+ on a 4-5 year deal.

 

[mackinnon29]

Agree with most of that.

One thing I wonder about with the 35+ vets in depth role is how hungry they're gonna be to put their bodies on the line as much again, considering that they've now won and their additional earnings won't be hugely impactful to their lifestyle with regards to how much they've already earned. It could be good to get some hungry guys in those roles who the team can rally around to win a cup for, just like Cogliano this year.

As for possible Nichuskin replacements if he walks, along with Mikheyev, Marchment would also probably be another guy to take a look at, though I'd be a bit wary of him being a one-hit wonder on an offensive powerhouse last year if he's asking for too much.

Don’t see Sakic letting Nuke walk. I do wonder what you think on Gauthier wanting out in New York? Seems like a guy who would fit this team with his speed and size, could be another Nuke in the making?

 

[Snow Arc]

I dunno, I just... have a really strong feeling that Kadri will be our 2C next season.

I'm probably wrong, but still...

 

[Avaholic29]

Sakic should be all over Georgiev. Shouldn't cost too many assets, give them Kadri's rights or something and then sign him for ~2.5m then platoon him with Frankie. We already proved we can win the cup with a sieve in net, why not double down

Georgiev is bad, have seen some absolutely head shaking performances from him.

I dunno, I just... have a really strong feeling that Kadri will be our 2C next season.

I'm probably wrong, but still...

I think they find a way to keep him and nuke too.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Sakic should be all over Georgiev. Shouldn't cost too many assets, give them Kadri's rights or something and then sign him for ~2.5m then platoon him with Frankie. We already proved we can win the cup with a sieve in net, why not double down

Because every year, our goaltending will need to be better and better because the team is likely to degrade every season. Less cap and less depth every season.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Agree with most of that.

One thing I wonder about with the 35+ vets in depth role is how hungry they're gonna be to put their bodies on the line as much again, considering that they've now won and their additional earnings won't be hugely impactful to their lifestyle with regards to how much they've already earned. It could be good to get some hungry guys in those roles who the team can rally around to win a cup for, just like Cogliano this year.

As for possible Nichuskin replacements if he walks, along with Mikheyev, Marchment would also probably be another guy to take a look at, though I'd be a bit wary of him being a one-hit wonder on an offensive powerhouse last year if he's asking for too much.

There's a lot of substance to this. A couple of years ago (when Rutherford was still with Pittsburgh), it was reported that JR was hyper focused on replacing everyone other than Crosby, Malkin and possibly Letang(?) because the non-superstars become soft too often and he want's guys who are hungry.

I keep thinking about this as certain players are up for new deals. Do we need Manson or do we need the next Manson? If Cogliano comes back next year, does he fight through the injuries in the same way?

We can't trade for these guys anymore. Now is the time you really hope the pro-scouting steps up (as they have in the past) to deliver hidden gems because some will have to come in FA. If they do a good job, maybe we find the next Trocheck and not the actual Trocheck who's about to get paid.

 

[Muffin]

Great advanced stats, should be way more comfortable here with Rantanen and Lehkonen

Once again, Puljujarvi wants out, and Oilers are ready to accommodate with a trade

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[The Merchant]

Great advanced stats, should be way more comfortable here with Rantanen and Lehkonen

Once again, Puljujarvi wants out, and Oilers are ready to accommodate with a trade

www.sportsnet.ca

Oilers aren't gonna trade him to a team that just knocked them out of the playoffs. One that has a history of turning reclamation projects into legit NHL'ers, no less

 

[John Mandalorian]

Oilers aren't gonna trade him to a team that just knocked them out of the playoffs. One that has a history of turning reclamation projects into legit NHL'ers, no less

This means that Holland is falling on his sword and admitting the world has passed him by.

 

[avsfan9]

Tampa's C depth is a thing of beauty.

Bellemare made a poor decision

 

[Bender]

There's a lot of substance to this. A couple of years ago (when Rutherford was still with Pittsburgh), it was reported that JR was hyper focused on replacing everyone other than Crosby, Malkin and possibly Letang(?) because the non-superstars become soft too often and he want's guys who are hungry.

I keep thinking about this as certain players are up for new deals. Do we need Manson or do we need the next Manson? If Cogliano comes back next year, does he fight through the injuries in the same way?

We can't trade for these guys anymore. Now is the time you really hope the pro-scouting steps up (as they have in the past) to deliver hidden gems because some will have to come in FA. If they do a good job, maybe we find the next Trocheck and not the actual Trocheck who's about to get paid.

I think @Richard88 makes a valid point about vets who have now won the ultimate prize maybe not being as hungry as they were before this season. I don't think Cogliano is built that way though, I just think that guy is a warrior through and through.

Not sure about Helm, he might want to end his career on a high note... he was really good in the playoffs though.

 

[Muffin]

Bellemare made a poor decision

Glad he did, I’m not sure we win the cup without Helm.

 

[avsfan9]

Nuke to TB on the cheap, E5.

We need to trade for Varly! Buddy for Nuke and it helps our goalie situation plus Varly is still my favourite goalie. I’ve got his autograph jersey and some nice hockey cards.

 

[John Mandalorian]

I think @Richard88 makes a valid point about vets who have now won the ultimate prize maybe not being as hungry as they were before this season. I don't think Cogliano is built that way though, I just think that guy is a warrior through and through.

Not sure about Helm, he might want to end his career on a high note... he was really good in the playoffs though.

He was just an example. Either way, the wiggle room for a 4th liner and a good 4th liner is there. That's on Joe/and co. to determine that.

At any rate, I remember the SC winning goal where Bellemar held on to Manson's stick to sell a call. They saw through it. I mention this because several times this series I wondered about if I was wrong about the Avs not keeping Bellemar.

This was truly a series where the victors so supremely can point to moments like this. It was great on great. We won. For a long time, we knew it could happen. It's so great that it did happen.

By the way, sorry your trip to Denver didn't produce the results you were hoping for. I hope you had fun and I hope you have photos.

 

[niwotsblessing]

One thought on Kuemper. Every Avs goalie since Varly has had rough points in their first season on the team.

If Kuemper returns do folks think he can find some consistency?

Vic Lombardi reported that Kuemper was seeing an optometrist a few times a day after his injury to retrain his eye. I think we could all see that in the playoffs, he had trouble tracking pucks on occasion. A healthy Kuemper in the playoffs could be more like regular-season Kuemper, the one we saw before the team collectively relaxed towards the end of the season.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I think @Richard88 makes a valid point about vets who have now won the ultimate prize maybe not being as hungry as they were before this season. I don't think Cogliano is built that way though, I just think that guy is a warrior through and through.

Not sure about Helm, he might want to end his career on a high note... he was really good in the playoffs though.

I think they both might retire. Both 35.

 

[Gumballhead]

I wasn’t overly impressed with him, got some wheels not much else. JMO

Haha, I mean he didn't even play all the games he could have played in so we really haven't seen him. He looked pretty decent, scrappy on the puck for sure, but all the things I read about him and his compete level make me think he's going to be a decent bottom six guy who has the things the Avs value.

 

[Gumballhead]

Georgiev is bad, have seen some absolutely head shaking performances from him.



I think they find a way to keep him and nuke too.

I wouldn't be shocked but I sure would be surprised. Honestly, all sentimentality aside, I have no problem bringing back anyone that we had this year. Even Sturm, who looked out of sorts a lot. We don;t have Jost anymore so I am sure the board has picked it's stepchildren already, but I think Sturm probably plays better the more he's with us and NAK is an ideal plug and play guy to eat nachos a fair amount of time. I like him better than the Megna/Sherwood/Dries guys by a mile, so if we can retain him at the cost of those guys, I'm all in.

Curious about Maltsev and Seldak too. Kaut and Bowers probably on their last real chances -- could be interesting if the Avs pony up for Naz and Nuke, because I am pretty sure Lehkonen is a lock for a decent term extension and somehow some way we need a goalie. I'm almost comfortable regular season with Frankie, but playoffs not so much. If we burn up a lot of cap space with Naz, Nuke and Leks then goalie won't be a spendy position. I'm ok with MAF, he's entertaining.

I still feel like Joe is going to surprise with a hockey trade though. Should be an interesting offseason,

Great advanced stats, should be way more comfortable here with Rantanen and Lehkonen

Once again, Puljujarvi wants out, and Oilers are ready to accommodate with a trade

www.sportsnet.ca

What is he making? I am totally fine taking a chance on a big winger to play on an annoying line but if he costs very much salary wise, we're better off looking for a cheaper home run reclamation.

 

[Gumballhead]

I think they both might retire. Both 35.

I would love it if they stay. Helm seems more likely to retire in my view, but one more year where he could rest fairly often and put another mil in the bank -- why not? Cogs I think could play a few more years and some team on the cusp might pay him for two years at a decent rate. He was always an irritating player to me on other teams, but seeing him play a handful of games and hearing him speak to the media, I would love to have him around another year or two and then if he wanted to, transition to coaching. He seems like a perfect guy for that.

 

[Gruyeriev]

Really like that Paul deal for a Lehkonen comp.

If the Avs could get Lehkonen for a similar deal, that would be amazing. Big fan of just going if term like Tampa did to keep the AAV down.

Lehkonen is worth more than McPaul.

Oilers aren't gonna trade him to a team that just knocked them out of the playoffs. One that has a history of turning reclamation projects into legit NHL'ers, no less

Nice Avatar!