Rumor: 2023-2024 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Offseason Edition

[dahrougem2]

Kuznetsov has been on the market for 2+ years now. He's available and wouldn't require an enormous haul. Difficulty is the cap with him.

Send those f***ers Sammy G and tell them we'll play them twice a year with no goalie so Ovechkin can score 30 goals combined in two games against us to assist in the goal record chase.

 

[Pokecheque]

I don’t think it was purely Sakic, but I think Sakic was certainly the closer. He made things happen. Through one season as GM Cmac hasn’t. Both EJ and Mackinnon have spoken out on a certain something happening at the deadline that didn’t come to fruition.

It’s a small sample but year 1 was a failure.

I don't doubt that the Avs were looking for ways to upgrade their roster that ultimately fell through or just weren't pursued, but I also think they decided at the deadline not to completely go for it, which, in hindsight, might have been the prudent move. Where I think the failure happened was at the beginning of the year when they decided to go with 2C-by-committee and sell us on a false bag of goods with Newhook (I guarantee Bednar and the coaches knew he wouldn't be the answer but management forced their hand).

 

[henchman21]

Send those f***ers Sammy G and tell them we'll play them twice a year with no goalie so Ovechkin can score 30 goals combined in two games against us to assist in the goal record chase.

They've already hit their one small boi quota with Sandin.

I don't doubt that the Avs were looking for ways to upgrade their roster that ultimately fell through or just weren't pursued, but I also think they decided at the deadline not to completely go for it, which, in hindsight, might have been the prudent move. Where I think the failure happened was at the beginning of the year when they decided to go with 2C-by-committee and sell us on a false bag of goods with Newhook (I guarantee Bednar and the coaches knew he wouldn't be the answer but management forced their hand).

The old saying is your team is built in the summer... not having a 2C to start the season was the critical mistake. I know people wanted to give Newhook time, but there was zero reason to believe he had the goods. Which would have been fine in the early stages of a rebuild, but not on a contending team.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Well, that's the crux of the conversation imo. Who is that guy? The vast majority of the conversation centers on wildly unfeasible options ("go get Lindholm" or "does Nylander play C?") or wildly unrealistic options ("maybe Monahan...?").

I'd really like to see more conversation that isn't just wishful thinking on the asset front. Who actually has a legit 2C that they would part with? There is serious scarcity right now.

Hayes, Mittlestadt, Backlund, Nelson, Miller, PLD, Scheifele, Kuznetsov are all guys who are relatively available 2C’s. There’s probably other guys less publicly available as well. Tons of options this off-season.

 

[Balthazar]

Kuznetsov has been on the market for 2+ years now. He's available and wouldn't require an enormous haul. Difficulty is the cap with him.

Outside of the fact that he's Russian with past cocaine issues (and it would be pretty bad PR with the current events), I've not watched him a lot recently but according to people who did he's a shell of his former self, barely a center anymore and only cap dump territory.

He's one of those player who declined lightning fast at age 30.

 

[Mighty Makar]

Any interest in Scheifele? I know @dahrougem2 despises him. Lol.

 

[henchman21]

Outside of the fact that he's Russian with past cocaine issues (and it would be pretty bad PR with the current events), I've not watched him a lot recently but according to people who did he's a shell of his former self, barely a center anymore and only cap dump territory.

He's one of those player who declined lightning fast at age 30.

This past season he wasn't real good. 21-22 though he was spectacular... arguably one of his best seasons. Was this past year decline, effort issues, pouting from his trade request not going through, combination? Who knows. He does have a lot of results to show he's a high quality player. They are the past and there is risk of a decline. There isn't an option without risk though.

On him not playing center... that's simply not correct. Kuznetsov played center all year. The lines in Washington were a bit of a mess all season with the injuries, but he spent most of his time with either Milano or Ovi on his left and one of Mantha, Wilson, or Oshie on his right.

 

[Vaslof]

I think Kuz is out as an option, he was available at the deadline and wasn't moved. Doubt we would get someone like that when they couldn't come to deal under pressure.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I think Kuz is out as an option, he was available at the deadline and wasn't moved. Doubt we would get someone like that when they couldn't come to deal under pressure.

If anything it's more likely a deal involving Kuznetsov gets done in the summer...

 

[henchman21]

With term, it is always easier to move players in the summer. Certainly obstacles exist, but finding a team to fit Kuznetsov's cap midseason wouldn't have been easy, especially since Washington isn't keen on retaining.

 

[niwotsblessing]

I don't doubt that the Avs were looking for ways to upgrade their roster that ultimately fell through or just weren't pursued, but I also think they decided at the deadline not to completely go for it, which, in hindsight, might have been the prudent move. Where I think the failure happened was at the beginning of the year when they decided to go with 2C-by-committee and sell us on a false bag of goods with Newhook (I guarantee Bednar and the coaches knew he wouldn't be the answer but management forced their hand).

I suspect the FO looked at the injury situation with Landy and Manson and decided they could not reasonably replace what the two of them bring to the ice in the playoffs. Plus we did not have anything resembling and proper 2C (Compher sucks), so they needed to find 3 key pieces, 2 if they could get a center at the TDL who could replace Landy.

Once Nuke's situation arose then the choice to save assets was a wise one, because his loss was crucial to the team.

 

[henchman21]

I can't see how wasting the last year of MacK's cheap ass deal is prudent. A prime contention window year was just purely given up on. There are zero guarantees the window stays open and wasting one, even in imperfect circumstances is unacceptable to me.

I know people hate the window talk and comparisons... but after the Kings' 2nd Cup people talked as if they'd continue for the foreseeable future. Reality set in real quick and they haven't contended since. Only the past couple seasons have they clawed back onto the verge of that status (still a big short)... and that is really as Doughty and Kopi are too old.

 

[Pokecheque]

I can't see how wasting the last year of MacK's cheap ass deal is prudent. A prime contention window year was just purely given up on. There are zero guarantees the window stays open and wasting one, even in imperfect circumstances is unacceptable to me.

I know people hate the window talk and comparisons... but after the Kings' 2nd Cup people talked as if they'd continue for the foreseeable future. Reality set in real quick and they haven't contended since. Only the past couple seasons have they clawed back onto the verge of that status (still a big short)... and that is really as Doughty and Kopi are too old.

Well as I said, they f***ed up royally the moment they decide 2C was not an urgent matter and went with some bullshit three-pronged approach. By the time the deadline loomed, they were so beat to shit they up and said it just wasn't worth spending what few assets they had left for a futile playoff run. I can understand the latter, what I cannot understand was the mentality of thinking this was 2017 again and just going with a half-assed approach to the 2nd line center position.

 

[The Moops]

Well as I said, they f***ed up royally the moment they decide 2C was not an urgent matter and went with some bullshit three-pronged approach. By the time the deadline loomed, they were so beat to shit they up and said it just wasn't worth spending what few assets they had left for a futile playoff run. I can understand the latter, what I cannot understand was the mentality of thinking this was 2017 again and just going with a half-assed approach to the 2nd line center position.

I dunno, it's not like Seattle or Dallas are gang beaters this year. And you never know, Vegas might have crumbled at the sight of JTC (). Flushing this year down the toilet was just as dumb when they didn't get a 2C last summer as it was at the deadline.

Can't predict the future so might as well have gone for it. Domi was cheap AF, and there were certainly others that could have been aquired if they had put more some effort in.

 

[Balthazar]

By the time the deadline loomed, they were so beat to shit they up and said it just wasn't worth spending what few assets they had left for a futile playoff run.

A 2nd rounder isn't nothing, they should have kept it then.

 

[henchman21]

I dunno, it's not like Seattle or Dallas are gang beaters this year. And you never know, Vegas might have crumbled at the sight of JTC (). Flushing this year down the toilet was just as dumb when they didn't get a 2C last summer as it was at the deadline.

Can't predict the future so might as well have gone for it. Domi was cheap AF, and there were certainly others that could have been aquired if they had put more some effort in.

Yeah there are always guys you can get... and who knows what would happen on a deep run. Maybe the team decides Nuke is allowed hookers for another 6 weeks.

ROR, Domi, Horvat, and Granlund all moved... all would be an upgrade on what the Avs had. Maybe not huge, but upgrades. Then on wing Bert, MoJo, Engvall, Greenway, and Meier all moved. You could pick one of each group and have a much better forward group that would have had a better chance to get through. The mistake was certainly made in the summer... but more could have been done this year too.

My hope is this is CMac's mistake year like JBB's first year in Tampa. Just too conservative, but he learned his lesson and fixed his team's issues.

A 2nd rounder isn't nothing, they should have kept it then.

The Eller trade was a waste given they did nothing else. If they had added more, then it might have turned out good.

 

[The Merchant]

 

[Ararana]

He also said on today's show that a Toronto insider compared the front office right now to Game of Thrones.

 

[The Moops]

The Eller trade was a waste given they did nothing else. If they had added more, then it might have turned out good.

Given our track record with drafting, I'm not sure they would have found someone in the 2nd round that could suit up for 20 games and score 3 goals for us

 

[JLo217]

He played a major part in the Duchene trade, what makes you think he didn’t play a part in other key trades? You think that was purely Sakic?

That took years... lots of luck too.

 

[Balthazar]

Given our track record with drafting, I'm not sure they would have found someone in the 2nd round that could suit up for 20 games and score 3 goals for us

Doesn't matter, a 2nd pick is a good trading chip. Now we lost it for nothing.

 

[henchman21]

Given our track record with drafting, I'm not sure they would have found someone in the 2nd round that could suit up for 20 games and score 3 goals for us

Sure... you can think that way (the recent drafting is looking up though), but more or less it was lost for a 4C that had to eventually play as the 2C in the playoffs. There were better uses... and if you were going to use it, make sure it is worthwhile. Just seemed like a half measure, well we did something token sort of move. That may not have been the plan, but it certainly feels that way now.

 

[The Moops]

Doesn't matter, a 2nd pick is a good trading chip. Now we lost it for nothing.

Sure... you can think that way (the recent drafting is looking up though), but more or less it was lost for a 4C that had to eventually play as the 2C in the playoffs. There were better uses... and if you were going to use it, make sure it is worthwhile. Just seemed like a half measure, well we did something token sort of move. That may not have been the plan, but it certainly feels that way now.

I agree with you both 100% lmao. I was just taking a shot at our awful drafting

 

[SirLoinOfCloth]

Fun HFAvs fact. Dubas who was GM for 5 years and achieved basically nothing except signing Tavares to a handcuffing contract is a solid GM. Meanwhile, CMac who has been GM for one season is f***ing shit because he didn't make any significant moves. Weird how other guys get the benefit of the doubt while some want CMac fired after one season, despite everything he did to help win us a cup before becoming GM. I like this place.

 

[henchman21]

Fun HFAvs fact. Dubas who was GM for 5 years and achieved basically nothing except signing Tavares to a handcuffing contract is a solid GM. Meanwhile, CMac who has been GM for one season is f***ing shit because he didn't make any significant moves. Weird how other guys get the benefit of the doubt while some want CMac fired after one season, despite everything he did to help win us a cup before becoming GM. I like this place.

Insert Roy gif