Rumor: 2023-2024 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Off-season is in full swing

[the_fan]

I saw Gary Coleman get out of a limo and go into the one in Culver City. Magical.

That doesn’t sound right

 

[Foppa2118]

Let’s just say I don’t work very hard at my job and I’ve been messing around on CapFriendly for the 25/26 season, and uh. We’re in for a crunch. I set the cap at what it’s believed to be then (92M). I have a hard time filling out a full roster. I dumped Manson back to Anaheim as I’m assuming he’d accept a trade back there, and I dumped Girard on Chicago before his M-NTC kicks in this next summer. I re-signed Toews and Rantanen to fair market deals, Toews def a little less. Let’s say I went cheaper AAV but I gave him 7 years. Even then, Georgiev needs to be re-signed. Guess we gotta hope for some guys to be still around contributing on cheap deals (JLF, Pavel, LOC, Malinski), or some guys are on ELC’s (Gulyayev, Ritchie, Behrens). The upcoming summers will get more interesting

If there's one thing I've noticed over the years, it's that it's very difficult, if not impossible to accurately project what the lineup, and cap will be like in more than a year. Even a year is hard.

I used to run an annual cap thread here before CapFriendly and even before CapGeek, and pretty much all of us ended up being wrong constantly. There's just so many changing variables, and the cap being $500k-1M plus or minus in one direction can change everything. As can being off $100-300k on 2-3 players. As can prospects on ELC's making the team or not.

Whether or not Landy comes back or retires, and how well he plays, can change everything as well with his $7M. So will Mikko's asking price and whether Drouin plays well and sticks around. In which case maybe they trade Val or Lehky to free up room.

If past is prologue, they may look to bump Colton up into the 2C spot, and people that have followed him think he has that potential. If they can get a prospect like Olausson to play 3RW ($863k) they'll have even more space, and may be able to afford Toews instead of Girard, or upgrade somewhere else in the lineup.

All that said, here's one pathway to $92M with a decent regular season roster that can be upgraded at the deadline for the playoffs, perhaps with a defenseman and a 3RW or 3C.

- Sign Mikko to Nate's deal
- Landy comes back and plays well
- Let Toews walk and keep Girard
- Sign Byram to $7.5M
- Move Manson back to Anaheim and replace him with a $2.5M big body defensive D
- Malinski gets a $3.5M bridge
- They find another JJ like $1M 6D
- Calum Ritchie develops well and holds down 3C on an ELC similar to Newhook
- Kovalenko or someone else plays 3RW for $2.5M
- They continue to go with a 4th line of guys making around $1M
- They continue to find a stop gap bargain 1G
- Continue to make paper transactions and go with a 21 man roster and league min 7D/13F
- $400k in cap cushion for callups and to bank for deadline moves to fill holes

 

[Gumballhead]

That doesn’t sound right

100% true and I think it was the year the Avs won their first Cup.

 

[the_fan]

100% true and I think it was the year the Avs won their first Cup.

Well yeah, there was Toys r us in 96. I thought you were talking about recently

 

[Foppa2118]

That said we'd have to maximize our assets and that means trading Rants for a huge haul next summer. Trading Toews would have been helpful too but that's not happening.

Or we can keep Toews, keep Rants and watch Makar piss away the 2nd half of his prime on a team fighting for a playoff spot, Pens style.

They don't have to trade Mikko. The Pens window started in Crosby's sophomore season and Malkin and Letang's rookie season in 07-08 when they lost to the Wings in the finals.

In that time they've kept the same core intact, won 3 Stanley Cups, made the Cup finals against the Wings, and the conference finals one other time. And their 3rd Stanley Cup was 9 years into their window in 16-17.

They've had a great run with the same core, and even at the end of their run with Crosby and Malkin soon to be 36 and 37, and Letang 36, they're still in the mix with a chance.

Even just two years ago with Malkin 34, and Crosby and Letang 33, they finished 1st in their division and 5th overall, but lost to the Islanders who took the Cup champ Lightning to 7 games in the conference finals.

 

[Gumballhead]

Well yeah, there was Toys r us in 96. I thought you were talking about recently

Gary Coleman’s been dead for over 10 years; so Toys R Us would have been the more likely part of the story if it was recent haha.

 

[BobRossColton]

Generally speaking if we manage to keep him his entire career, could Mikko move to center while on his next contract? Once he's in his 30s?

 

[the_fan]

Gary Coleman’s been dead for over 10 years; so Toys R Us would have been the more likely part of the story if it was recent haha.

I actually forgot about Gary Coleman being dead that long. I gotta keep up with my show biz

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Generally speaking if we manage to keep him his entire career, could Mikko move to center while on his next contract? Once he's in his 30s?

Were just going around in circles at this point but IMO if they really want to keep him, this is the way to do it.


It's a lot better of a situation to be paying 3 players $13M+ if they're your 1C, 2C(Who is really another 1C) and your 1D. That's the 3 most important positions on the team at least that you're spending all your money on.

 

[BobRossColton]

Were just going around in circles at this point but IMO if they really want to keep him, this is the way to do it.


It's a lot better of a situation to be paying 3 players $13M+ if they're your 1C, 2C(Who is really another 1C) and your 1D. That's the 3 most important positions on the team at least that you're spending all your money on.

Like a stipulation in the contract, we'll sign you 6/13.5 but 3 of those years we need you at center.

 

[VikingAv]

Let’s just say I don’t work very hard at my job and I’ve been messing around on CapFriendly for the 25/26 season, and uh. We’re in for a crunch. I set the cap at what it’s believed to be then (92M). I have a hard time filling out a full roster. I dumped Manson back to Anaheim as I’m assuming he’d accept a trade back there, and I dumped Girard on Chicago before his M-NTC kicks in this next summer. I re-signed Toews and Rantanen to fair market deals, Toews def a little less. Let’s say I went cheaper AAV but I gave him 7 years. Even then, Georgiev needs to be re-signed. Guess we gotta hope for some guys to be still around contributing on cheap deals (JLF, Pavel, LOC, Malinski), or some guys are on ELC’s (Gulyayev, Ritchie, Behrens). The upcoming summers will get more interesting

Imo, Georgiev is basically a shoe-in to not be re-signed. We should expext a couple of high-mid draft picks be used to acquire another youngish and cheapish goalie at that time.

What about just being a Canadian team that can't get free agents?

Screams Winnipeg

 

[Sea Eagles]

I think the roster is set. Hope we don't entertain a trade for G, he's offensively like having another forward anyways.

Drouin - Mack - Nuke
Lehks - RyJo - Rants
Wood - Colton - LOC
Cogs - Wagner - XXXXX

Toews - Makar
Byram - Manson
Girard - Johnson

Georgiev
Francouz

+ Much bigger than last season
+ Much more skill than last season
+ Much grittier than last season
+ Better off on the dots than last season
+ Deeper than last season

My GODDDDD, I'm having the worst kind of AVS withdrawals - longest off season EVER. Bring my boys BACK already !

Sorry Vegas, as Johnny Rambo once said: "I'm coming to get youuu "....('I'm" being the AVS obviously).

 

[Balthazar]

death, taxes, "Rantanen should play center"

 

[Sea Eagles]

death, taxes, "Rantanen should play center"

Who are you moving to allow Rants to play center mate? Mack, RyJo and Colton are clutch.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Nobody is really willing to discuss it, but trading Rantanen with a year left would give us some good pieces, some good picks and most importantly the cap space needed to shuffle salaries around.

That being said, trading Rants could just as easily slam that window shut because a core of MacKinnon-RyJo-Makar-Toews is not good enough. They never should have gone all in on wingers and left the center depth trash.

I have absolutely no issue talking about it. A GM needs to look at all options and Rants is one of them. I have said it many times in the past...to me it is all about the return. If the return is worth it then go for it. If it means the window will re-open shortly after trading him then you certainly think about it. I am not saying we should trade him but CMac should absolutely have a look at it. I agree though that the return should be players already drafted and a high first. I would be very leery of a mid to late 1st, 2nd rounder, etc.

PIT was brought up as an example of keeping your best players to go for it as long as you can. The difference with PIT is that Crosby and Malkin are Cs. Mikko is a W and his next contract will be a LOT of money to be taken by a winger.

 

[Sea Eagles]

I have absolutely no issue talking about. A GM needs to look at all options and Rants is one of them. I have said it many times in the past...to me it is all about the return. If the return is worth it then go for it. If it means the window will re-open shortly after trading him then you certainly think about it. I am not saying we should trade him but CMac should absolutely have a look at it. I agree though that the return should be players already drafted and a high first. I would be very leery of a mid to late 1st, 2nd rounder, etc.

PIT was brought up as an example of keeping your best players to go for it as long as you can. The difference with PIT is that Crosby and Malkin are Cs. Mikko is a W and his next contract will be a LOT of money to be taken by a winger.

No. Sorry.

 

[Balthazar]

Who are you moving to allow Rants to play center mate? Mack, RyJo and Colton are clutch.

Nobody, Rantanen will never play center.

 

[AvsFan2123]

I have absolutely no issue talking about it. A GM needs to look at all options and Rants is one of them. I have said it many times in the past...to me it is all about the return. If the return is worth it then go for it. If it means the window will re-open shortly after trading him then you certainly think about it. I am not saying we should trade him but CMac should absolutely have a look at it. I agree though that the return should be players already drafted and a high first. I would be very leery of a mid to late 1st, 2nd rounder, etc.

PIT was brought up as an example of keeping your best players to go for it as long as you can. The difference with PIT is that Crosby and Malkin are Cs. Mikko is a W and his next contract will be a LOT of money to be taken by a winger.

They should absolutely look at options to keep the window open as long as possible. I feel like they can’t go through any form of rebuilding if MacKinnon and Makar are signed and playing. Just like you said, PIT style staying relevant while you have future legends playing. So if moving Mikko gets them a couple younger pieces to allow that window to stay open, go for it. I’m trying to think of a piece right now that could fit this bill next year. Like a McTavish, Mercer, or Hayton type centered package. Not saying them specifically but those names came to mind as young forwards to center a deal around. And preferably a center.

 

[BobRossColton]

Who are you moving to allow Rants to play center mate? Mack, RyJo and Colton are clutch.

This might be regarding my comment if we keep him around, and when he's like 32-35 years old have him playing C.

 

[Sea Eagles]

Nobody, Rantanen will never play center.

One thing I WILL say, in this upcoming season, I'm much less worried about (heaven forbid this actually happens) possibly say Mack getting injured , because the quality under him could easily step up.

We have so much skill, diversity and quality, the next man up mentality Jared Bednar employs will hold us in such fine stead, regardless of potential player absences.

I think we are in for an absolute cracker season, and I'll be bitterly disappointed if we don't come top 1-2 in the entire NHL !

I want and expect a cup this year. We'll be like LA those few years ago.

 

[BobRossColton]

Rantanen for McTavish+Pastujov..
Rantanen for Kent Johnson+Kirill Marchenko

 

[Sea Eagles]

Rantanen for McTavish+Pastujov..

 

[Avaholic29]

Rantanen isn’t getting traded. Might be fun to fantasize but he’s not going anywhere and itd be foolish to entertain the idea. One of the best RW in the game. Pay your best players and find ways to build around them with cheaper filler, that’s where good pro scouts make their money.

 

[Freaky Styley]

too bad he's on the Kings because Arvidsson @50% would fit this team like a glove.

 

[the_fan]

Just trade everyone who’s contract is expiring.

Toews next year
Mikko in two years
Makar in 4 years

Trade em all!!!