Speculation: 2022-23 Sharks Roster Discussion Part II

[stator]

The only way I see advantage for Grier with this rumor is to get salary off the books sooner. Maybe in time to go after someone like McDavid. If this trade goes through, these trade pieces, plus Vlasic and Burns are off the books when (if) McDavid hits the free market. Grier would have the room to go after McDavid. Would Grier do that? And, would McDavid come to SJ?

 

[stator]

If they attach a future asset of note like a first as part of it, I’d take him, play him for the year, then buy him out. Couture is a modest producer but not someone I want the team to view as a leader. He’s a secondary guy that maybe you can rely on come playoff time but not much of a rebuild leader.

Couture's stats are better than those two in the caps-sharks trade rumor. Plus, Couture is probably a better player on another team. This team and average coaching in the last few years probably holds him down.

 

[stator]

Couture going to Washington for Kuznetsov does not help them get back to the playoffs, especially if they also had to give up Mantha.

Mantha's stats are not impressive. I would swap Mantha for Couture any day of the week if I was a Caps fan. Perhaps Mantha has other contributions that don't show up in stats well?

 

[weastern bias]

would McDavid come to SJ?

Lol, good one

 

[Barrie22]

Couture's stats are better than those two in the caps-sharks trade rumor. Plus, Couture is probably a better player on another team. This team and average coaching in the last few years probably holds him down.

For 1 of the past like 10 years. Kuznetsov's down year is Couture's good years.

 

[OffSydes]

Lol, good one

I need their plugs number

 

[Hodge]

We really can't afford to retain salary in a Couture trade since we're pretty much guaranteed to be locked in to retention on Burns and Karlsson for the next 3 seasons

We need to keep that 3rd and final retention slot open to maximize the value we can squeeze out of trade deadline firesale moves

If we manage to move Couture before his contract ends I think the offset of cap will have to be achieved by taking back bad contracts in return rather than through salary retention

I can't think of a higher leverage use of our 3 retention slots than utilizing them to trade three players whose contracts seemed utterly immovable when Grier was first hired. I would not lose any sleep over missing out on the opportunity to retain 50% on Labanc at the deadline for a 6th round pick. Or act as a third party broker for a 5th. The cap space we are freeing up by moving those three players is exponentially more valuable.

The cap will also increase in the coming seasons which will make retention less of a prerequisite for in-season trades. Fewer and fewer teams will be operating in LTIR all year and will therefore bank enough space to easily absorb high cap hit players at the trade deadline. Burns' retention will come off the books in 2025 too.

 

[weastern bias]

I can't think of a higher leverage use of our 3 retention slots than utilizing them to trade three players whose contracts seemed utterly immovable when Grier was first hired. I would not lose any sleep over missing out on the opportunity to retain 50% on Labanc at the deadline for a 6th round pick. Or act as a third party broker for a 5th. The cap space we are freeing up by moving those three players is exponentially more valuable.

The cap will also increase in the coming seasons which will make retention less of a prerequisite for in-season trades. Fewer and fewer teams will be operating in LTIR all year and will therefore bank enough space to easily absorb high cap hit players at the trade deadline. Burns' retention will come off the books in 2025 too.

There's definitely a logic to this, but I do worry about the opportunity cost of not being able to make those decisions, who knows what expiring piece we'll have on our roster who has inflated their value around TDL time in the next 3 years, it would be beneficial to at least have the option to flip them at max value and extract extra picks from a desperate buyer at the deadline

You might be right that getting something real for Couture could be the best use of that slot, but we barely got anything of real value in the Burns trade outside of capspace so who knows what kind of market Couture really has around the league even at $6M or less, teams seem pretty scared to commit term to aging players right now, and given the cap situation we've had in San Jose for the last 4 years it's hard to blame them

 

[Grinner]

Couture going to Washington for Kuznetsov does not help them get back to the playoffs, especially if they also had to give up Mantha.

Those are cap dumps coming back our way

 

[Grinner]

Leonard isn’t happening but maybe something like Couture with 15% retained and Lindblom for Kuznetsov, Mantha and a 2025 2nd would work? Might be off on value there but Mantha is certainly considered a cap dump and they’ve been trying to move Kuznetsov for years.

I think Couture would waive for the Capitals. He has a much better chance of making the playoffs during his current contract in Washington than San Jose. Also who wouldn’t want to be on the ice or maybe even getting the primary assist when Ovechkin passes Gretzky?

That's not worth it for a 2nd
We're not in dire need of cap room

 

[jMoneyBrah]

It absolutely helps the Caps. We take on 5 mil and take two guys that to them are addition by subtraction at this stage. If they fork over a 1st or 2nd as part of that, I’d consider it a robbery for the Sharks. I doubt the Caps have any such interest nor do I think Cooch wants to go there.

This Couture rumor seems like MG is going for almost full clean up with the locker room. Exchange veterans with something to prove and hopefully they mesh better with the new teams. You can trade both @ Trade Deadline also. Kuzy is still imo elite player and is younger than Couture. Some kind of change feels good after so many years of being bad with same players.

Where there's smoke, there's fire, but I don't see any smoke on that Couture rumor. That would be $13.5M in cap hit next season coming to the Sharks to shed $8M.

Besides Grier has shown a preference to sign vets on the backside of their salary peak for discount.

Kuznetsov is not a Grier player. Even if the value makes sense Grier isn't bringing in guys who go against his ethos

The only way I see advantage for Grier with this rumor is to get salary off the books sooner. Maybe in time to go after someone like McDavid. If this trade goes through, these trade pieces, plus Vlasic and Burns are off the books when (if) McDavid hits the free market. Grier would have the room to go after McDavid. Would Grier do that? And, would McDavid come to SJ?

Are there any other sources to this “rumor” because that site IMO has zero credibility and the entire article seems like little more than a hypothetical. The author describes himself as “just a fan that has a website about NHL rumors”. Hardly indicative of insider knowledge.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Are there any other sources to this “rumor” because that site IMO has zero credibility and the entire article seems like little more than a hypothetical. The author describes himself as “just a fan that has a website about NHL rumors”. Hardly indicative of insider knowledge.

Likely nothing credible there but it would be great lol

 

[Jargon]

According to Friedman, Sharks told Carolina it’s a no and that there’s a deal in place with the Penguins - they’re waiting to sign O’Connor after arbitration, open the buy out window and buyout Granlund, then the deal will happen. Apparently O’Connor sounds like one of the pieces which, meh.

If this is real, anyway:

 

[Sendhelplease]

According to Friedman, Sharks told Carolina it’s a no and that there’s a deal in place with the Penguins - they’re waiting to sign O’Connor after arbitration, open the buy out window and buyout Granlund, then the deal will happen. Apparently O’Connor sounds like one of the pieces which, meh.

If this is real, anyway:

Reading about Drew O'Connor he sounds like a replacement for Lorentz and the stuff of Mike Grier's dreams

 

[Jargon]

Reading about Drew O'Connor he sounds like a replacement for Lorentz and the stuff of Mike Grier's dreams

I came to the same conclusion

 

[Pavelski2112]

Reading about Drew O'Connor he sounds like a replacement for Lorentz and the stuff of Mike Grier's dreams

6'3" 190lbs

A little light but height checks out

 

[ChompChomp]

According to Friedman, Sharks told Carolina it’s a no and that there’s a deal in place with the Penguins - they’re waiting to sign O’Connor after arbitration, open the buy out window and buyout Granlund, then the deal will happen. Apparently O’Connor sounds like one of the pieces which, meh.

If this is real, anyway:

Hopefully it's true and something like that rumored deal with two firsts.

 

[Lebanezer]

According to Friedman, Sharks told Carolina it’s a no and that there’s a deal in place with the Penguins - they’re waiting to sign O’Connor after arbitration, open the buy out window and buyout Granlund, then the deal will happen. Apparently O’Connor sounds like one of the pieces which, meh.

If this is real, anyway:

That's not Elliotte Friedman speaking...

 

[Jargon]

That's not Elliotte Friedman speaking...

Yeah I’m suspicious generally of what that is, though it, and O’Connor, make a fair amount of sense.

 

[tiburon12]

Yeah I’m suspicious generally of what that is, though it, and O’Connor, make a fair amount of sense.

Yea and that video has sportsnet branding but it sounds like a yinzer talking hahha

I'm confused.

Also, I really don't think Grier would tell Carolina "no" unless he already went back and said "we have a deal with Pitt unless you add xxxx"

 

[themelkman]

Yea and that video has sportsnet branding but it sounds like a yinzer talking hahha

I'm confused.

Also, I really don't think Grier would tell Carolina "no" unless he already went back and said "we have a deal with Pitt unless you add xxxx"

The rumor was Karlsson wanted pengiuns, so it wouldnt be that shocking. We know how much he catered to Burns chosen spot

 

[gaucholoco3]

Yea and that video has sportsnet branding but it sounds like a yinzer talking hahha

I'm confused.

Also, I really don't think Grier would tell Carolina "no" unless he already went back and said "we have a deal with Pitt unless you add xxxx"

During the Meier trade talks he said a similar thing to Car before the deal with NJ went down.

 

[Jargon]

During the Meier trade talks he said a similar thing to Car before the deal with NJ went down.

Grier was so irritated by the Burns trade that he’s going to spend the rest of his GM career making sure Carolina is always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

 

[Great Makohead Shork]

During the Meier trade talks he said a similar thing to Car before the deal with NJ went down.

Maybe the real value from the Burns trade was the promise to drive up the prices for Timo and Karlsson

 

[pappaf2]

Maybe the real value from the Burns trade was the promise to drive up the prices for Timo and Karlsson