Rumor: 2023-24 Trade Rumors and Free Agency: Season Thread

[Foppa2118]

With Francouz on LTIR they have ~$2.5m to play with, enough for Tanev at 50% ($2.25m).

Alternatively Tanev double retained at $1.125m) would be easy to fit.

Only if they have no injuries the rest of the year. Which won't happen.

We're seeing right now, as soon as they have a couple callups they have $450k in LTIR space. And this is just the first ones this year. Every time they have to call someone up, they'll have less to work with than the last time.

I'm a broken record on this, but they spent more than $3M on injury callups last year. That $2.5M is gonna get eaten up.

We'll have more LTIR room by the TDL. There's always a player that could use the extra recovery time instead of playing through an injury that will open up space to make a move if needed.

Only if they're not able to play the rest of the regular season. That's not that common and this team has shown they won't to take advantage of the LTIR loophole unless it's legit.

 

[ABasin]

Ah yes this tired old refrain comes out once again.

Yeah, that “if you disagree with me, you’ve never played competitive hockey” thing used to be much more prevalent in here. Hope it doesn’t make a comeback.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Yeah, that “if you disagree with me, you’ve never played competitive hockey” thing used to be much more prevalent in here. Hope it doesn’t make a comeback.

There was that one guy who kept saying "I'd love to see you on the ODR, I'm 6'3" and 265lbs!!!!"...because you know you're a tough guy when your threatening to assault people on an outdoor rink.

 

[Rumplesnipeskin]

There was that one guy who kept saying "I'd love to see you on the ODR, I'm 6'3" and 265lbs!!!!"...because you know you're a tough guy when your threatening to assault people on an outdoor rink.

That’s incredible, I bet he was in fighting shape, too, at a BMI of 30+.

 

[CobraAcesS]

Your desire to be right about Drouin, seems to outweigh your beliefs on sample size, and I told you so posts.

I really don't feel like Drouin has been bad. Heck he's more aggressive and consistent than I thought he'd be. Seems like the stats back that up.

This might sound crazy, but with how north/south Colton & Wood play I wonder how that line would look if Drouin was at center.

With LOC it just looked like another 4th line, lots of good pressure, but you just didn't feel like they were about to score. Well until 4x4 snipes one on a breakaway, but that wasn't created through zone pressure.

I like both Colton and Wood a lot, but a seasoned 3C might end up being a good add.

Are we sure Staz doesn't want one more go at a cup? Lol

 

[CobraAcesS]

I know it is only one game but I am curious if LOC worked on his stamina this offseason. His effort didn't seem to dip in the 3rd period last night like it did last season when being played quite a bit more than usual. He played almost 18 minutes last night. That would be a big plus for the Avs if that is the case.

We seen him able to play 3rd line minutes last year early if I remember, but by the end of the season he looked drunk any time he was asked to move up later in the year.

Injuries, a few games here and there sure, but he's just not Lehky lol.

Maybe if he trained with Mack all off season he'd have some chance.

 

[PAZ]

Only if they have no injuries the rest of the year. Which won't happen.

We're seeing right now, as soon as they have a couple callups they have $450k in LTIR space. And this is just the first ones this year. Every time they have to call someone up, they'll have less to work with than the last time.

I'm a broken record on this, but they spent more than $3M on injury callups last year. That $2.5M is gonna get eaten up.



Only if they're not able to play the rest of the regular season. That's not that common and this team has shown they won't to take advantage of the LTIR loophole unless it's legit.

We’ve seen plenty of things where it’s not the team’s MO… until it is. Previously it was bargain bin hunting at the TDL.

I don’t think they’ll rest a player if they legitimately don’t need the time, but I have no doubt someone like Makar could use extra recovery from a lingering injury in between the TDL and playoffs.

 

[JH21]

Yeah, that “if you disagree with me, you’ve never played competitive hockey” thing used to be much more prevalent in here. Hope it doesn’t make a comeback.

Well it's kinda true.

People who have played at a high level know more than someone who hasn't. It's not rocket science.

And I'm telling you, playing against a team that had guys who were physically imposing changed the way you played against them.

The guys who would normally run around suddenly didn't run around as much if there was even the chance they would get smacked in the mouth.

I've played against teams that didn't have nearly the amount of skill we had but they were massive farm boys and tough as nails. They were extremely hard to play against.

 

[Foppa2118]

I really don't feel like Drouin has been bad. Heck he's more aggressive and consistent than I thought he'd be. Seems like the stats back that up.

This might sound crazy, but with how north/south Colton & Wood play I wonder how that line would look if Drouin was at center.

With LOC it just looked like another 4th line, lots of good pressure, but you just didn't feel like they were about to score. Well until 4x4 snipes one on a breakaway, but that wasn't created through zone pressure.

I like both Colton and Wood a lot, but a seasoned 3C might end up being a good add.

Are we sure Staz doesn't want one more go at a cup? Lol

Drouin can be better, but outside the system issues I agree, he's been getting a ton of chances, and made lots of nice passing plays, including a beauty one on a goal that was called back.

I said this the other day, that Bednar isn't overly concerned with his production. The scratch was more about how he forechecks and plays his system, and it was more about sending a message to the team after not playing to their capability while they were winning, and then getting shutout two games in a row. He just wanted to nip it in the bud early. His comments since then back that up.

"Obviously there's disappointment whenever you....players want to play right? I tried to ensure them that it's more an overall team view for me. It's not just that I'm super disappointed in their play or something. I feel like both those guys have been ok. We've talked about both of them. Drouin's a little snake bit, but he's creating some chances. Tatar has been good in stretches, not so good in others, a little bit of inconsistency there. But both guys are working hard, I love their attitudes and all that, but I touched on it....Tufte, MacDermid, they're part of our team too, so I have to take a big picture approach, and in order to do that, someone's got to come out."

"I don't want them feeling like they're not contributing, because they're not on the score sheet every night. And I feel like some of them do. So we'll work though that. Help them as much as we can and they'll help each other as much as they can. And I think it's just a matter of time before you see things with our new guys start to gel a little bit."

 

[CobraAcesS]

Drouin can be better, but outside the system issues I agree, he's been getting a ton of chances, and made lots of nice passing plays, including a beauty one on a goal that was called back.

I said this the other day, that Bednar isn't overly concerned with his production. The scratch was more about how he forechecks and plays his system, and it was more about sending a message to the team after not playing to their capability while they were winning, and then getting shutout two games in a row. He just wanted to nip it in the bud early. His comments since then back that up.

"Obviously there's disappointment whenever you....players want to play right? I tried to ensure them that it's more an overall team view for me. It's not just that I'm super disappointed in their play or something. I feel like both those guys have been ok. We've talked about both of them. Drouin's a little snake bit, but he's creating some chances. Tatar has been good in stretches, not so good in others, a little bit of inconsistency there. But both guys are working hard, I love their attitudes and all that, but I touched on it....Tufte, MacDermid, they're part of our team too, so I have to take a big picture approach, and inn order to do that, someone's got to come out."

"I don't want them feeling like they're not contributing, because they're not on the score sheet every night. And I feel like some of them do. So we'll work though that. Help them as much as we can and they'll help each other as much as they can. And I think it's just a matter of time before you see things with our new guys start to gel a little bit."

Did you get any of that from the NHL app? I don't know if it was just the road games, but they basically seem to stop posting anything lol. So I stopped checking it.

 

[Foppa2118]

Did you get any of that from the NHL app? I don't know if it was just the road games, but they basically seem to stop posting anything lol. So I stopped checking it.

Oh I was about to post about it again in the media thread. It's borderline infuriating me. The video is just terrible on the Avs site this year. They deleted a bunch of content that went back to prior seasons and they just don't upload anything now.

They haven't uploaded three Bednar press conferences in a row. I had to track them down through Guerrilla Sports. It's becoming a good resource, but I think they could up their production a bit. For one, they could use better lighting for their in arena hits. But they're putting in the work and providing a lot of content and interviews.

https://twitter.com/guerillasports_

 

[CobraAcesS]

Oh I was about to post about it again in the media thread. It's borderline infuriating me. The video is just terrible on the Avs site this year. They deleted a bunch of content that went back to prior seasons and they just don't upload anything now.

They haven't uploaded three Bednar press conferences in a row. I had to track them down through Guerrilla Sports. It's becoming a good resource, but I think they could up their production a bit. For one, they could use better lighting for their in arena hits. But they're putting in the work and providing a lot of interviews.

https://twitter.com/guerillasports_

It seemed like all of the sudden you could hear everything, and the quality got better. That Cup money must have ran out when Mack's extension kicked in and they cut the media department first.

One step forward two steps back. Quality gets better, then worse and they stop even trying.

f***in National broadcasts don't even attempt to do anything but get a player to pop out for a minute or so post game.

 

[lionsDen]

Yeah, that “if you disagree with me, you’ve never played competitive hockey” thing used to be much more prevalent in here. Hope it doesn’t make a comeback.

You just don’t like it cause you don’t do competitive hockey )

 

[lionsDen]

There was that one guy who kept saying "I'd love to see you on the ODR, I'm 6'3" and 265lbs!!!!"...because you know you're a tough guy when your threatening to assault people on an outdoor rink.

Being 265 at 6’3 is over weight. Which most likely means he’s out of shape.

Size is a detriment if you ain’t in shape

Being in shape and knowing what you’re doing means more.

 

[lionsDen]

Drouin can be better, but outside the system issues I agree, he's been getting a ton of chances, and made lots of nice passing plays, including a beauty one on a goal that was called back.

I said this the other day, that Bednar isn't overly concerned with his production. The scratch was more about how he forechecks and plays his system, and it was more about sending a message to the team after not playing to their capability while they were winning, and then getting shutout two games in a row. He just wanted to nip it in the bud early. His comments since then back that up.

"Obviously there's disappointment whenever you....players want to play right? I tried to ensure them that it's more an overall team view for me. It's not just that I'm super disappointed in their play or something. I feel like both those guys have been ok. We've talked about both of them. Drouin's a little snake bit, but he's creating some chances. Tatar has been good in stretches, not so good in others, a little bit of inconsistency there. But both guys are working hard, I love their attitudes and all that, but I touched on it....Tufte, MacDermid, they're part of our team too, so I have to take a big picture approach, and in order to do that, someone's got to come out."

"I don't want them feeling like they're not contributing, because they're not on the score sheet every night. And I feel like some of them do. So we'll work though that. Help them as much as we can and they'll help each other as much as they can. And I think it's just a matter of time before you see things with our new guys start to gel a little bit."

That’s a savvy coach.

 

[Foppa2118]

That’s a savvy coach.

I don't know if that's it. Bednar's a pretty honest coach. If he just thinks someone needs to play better, he usually says it.

But he's said often in his tenure here that a player not producing isn't a big issue for him, as long as they're doing the other things right. LOC is a perfect example. He's a prototypical Bednar type of player, so he loves him, even though he goes long stretches without producing.

It's the same reason he always talks about focusing on the process not the result. He's also talked a lot about the importance of their forecheck, including recently (I couldn't find It) about areas some of the the new guys and youngsters in camp can improve to stand out. It's also what kept Kaut out of the lineup.

He didn't like the way Drouin and Tatar were forechecking consistently, because it's integral to their system. He probably did like how Colton and Wood were forechecking. None of them were really producing, but he scratched Drouin and Tatar, and kept Colton and Wood in the lineup.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Well it's kinda true.

People who have played at a high level know more than someone who hasn't. It's not rocket science.

 

[Alienblood]

Well it's kinda true.

People who have played at a high level know more than someone who hasn't. It's not rocket science.

And I'm telling you, playing against a team that had guys who were physically imposing changed the way you played against them.

The guys who would normally run around suddenly didn't run around as much if there was even the chance they would get smacked in the mouth.

I've played against teams that didn't have nearly the amount of skill we had but they were massive farm boys and tough as nails. They were extremely hard to play against.

Like, It's definitely true. Makes you think before you do something dirty lol

 

[The Moops]

Well it's kinda true.

People who have played at a high level know more than someone who hasn't. It's not rocket science.

And I'm telling you, playing against a team that had guys who were physically imposing changed the way you played against them.

The guys who would normally run around suddenly didn't run around as much if there was even the chance they would get smacked in the mouth.

I've played against teams that didn't have nearly the amount of skill we had but they were massive farm boys and tough as nails. They were extremely hard to play against.

Like, It's definitely true. Makes you think before you do something dirty lol

Let's say you're right... MacD isn't imposing because he can't catch anyone to hit and he won't grab someone to fight. So even if your point stands, it doesn't work for MacD.

Literally the only half credible story I've heard about MacD scaring someone from hurting anyone was about Wilson and Mack. How many years ago was that? Do you actually know that Wilson let up because of MacD or just that maybe he was scared of getting another suspension?

 

[Foppa2118]

Let's say you're right... MacD isn't imposing because he can't catch anyone to hit and he won't grab someone to fight. So even if your point stands, it doesn't work for MacD.

Literally the only half credible story I've heard about MacD scaring someone from hurting anyone was about Wilson and Mack. How many years ago was that? Do you actually know that Wilson let up because of MacD or just that maybe he was scared of getting another suspension?

I think the issue more is that first of all Bednar doesn't want his guys running around looking for fights, he wants them focused on winning the game.

But also, nobody wants to fight MacDermid. So if he grabs a guy and pummels him, not only is he gonna be in the dog house for not focusing on winning the game, but even more so because he took an instigator penalty.

Also, IMO Wilson definitely passed up that hit because of MacDermid. He always finishes his checks against guys with their head down. He was very timid in both games MacDermid played against them that year too. And I'm not sure if he would have got suspended anyway, if he just kept his arms down. He was skating directly at him.

That wasn't the only time Dermy's presence had an impact either. Remember when Trouba took himself out of position because he literally ran away from him and gave up a breakaway goal as a result? There's probably many other little examples as well that just didn't get caught.

 

[The Moops]

I think the issue more is that first of all Bednar don't want his guys running around looking for fights, he wants them focused on winning the game.

But also, nbody wants to fight MacDermid. So if he grabs a guy and pummels him, not only is he gonna be in the dog house for not focusing on winning the game, but even more so because he took an instigator penalty.

Also, IMO Wilson definitely passed up that hit because of MacDermid. He always finishes his checks against guys with their had down. He was very timid in both games MacDermid played against them that year too. And I'm not sure if he would have got suspended anyway, if he just kept his arms down. He was skating directly at him.

That wasn't the only time Dermy's presence had an impact either. Remember when Trouba took himself out of position because he literally ran away from him and gave up a breakaway goal as a result? There's probably many other examples as well that just didn't get caught.

So 2-3 examples in 3 years? And if he's not allowed to do what everyone thinks he's the king at then why play him 3 minutes a night for $1M a year. Surely there is someone in the system that can contribute more than that?

Or are people going to seriously argue that he is better than the median player at his cap hit? Especially if he draws in at 1/4 of the games we play. It's a waste of roster spot plain and simple.

I guess since CMac never played hockey we should assume he doesn't know what he's talking about either right?

 

[Foppa2118]

So 2-3 examples in 3 years? And if he's not allowed to do what everyone things he's the king at then why play him 3 minutes a night for $1M a year. Surely there is someone in the system that can contribute more than that?

Or are people going to seriously argue that he is better than the median player at his cap hit? Especially if he draws in at 1/4 of the games we play. It's a waste of roster spot plain and simple.

I guess since CMac never played hockey we should assume he doesn't know what he's talking about either right?

I had a feeling that would be the response, but common sense should tell us that these little examples aren't going to get caught on camera or with mics very often. These were just the ones that got gif'd.

The bigger problem, is how do you prove a negative in this scenario? If he deters 4-5 really bad hits a season for example, how do you prove that without getting in the mind of the opposing player?

People have a tough enough time catching who's at fault for miscues in the D zone. It's even harder to see things like who's intimidating who out there and what that impact is.

I'm not making any claims about whether he's a better option than someone else at the same cap hit. Or that you need to have played to know his impact.

It's up for debate how much impact he has and if it's worth it, but my point is that he's not a non factor, like some believe. He does have an impact as a deterrent, just not every game, against every player.

 

[nammerus]

I had a feeling that would be the response, but common sense should tell us that these little examples aren't going to get caught on camera or with mics very often. These were just the ones that got gif'd.

The bigger problem, is how do you prove a negative in this scenario? If he deters 4-5 really bad hits a season for example, how do you prove that without getting in the mind of the opposing player?

People have a tough enough time catching who's at fault for miscues in the D zone. It's even harder to see things like who's intimidating who out there and what that impact is.

I'm not making any claims about whether he's a better option than someone else at the same cap hit. Or that you need to have played to know his impact.

It's up for debate how much impact he has and if it's worth it, but my point is that he's not a non factor, like some believe. He does have an impact as a deterrent, just not every game, against every player.

Crazy how he's prevented all those dirty hits on Byram. That's worth it alone.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Typical answers from non-hockey players. I'm 6'12 and 457lbs, I'll beat anyone, including MacDermid's scrawny @$$ any day of the week!

 

[BrickNHL]

Typical answers from non-hockey players. I'm 6'12 and 457lbs, I'll beat anyone, including MacDermid's scrawny @$$ any day of the week!

Still shorter than Wemby