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

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Avsboy

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Dec 12, 2006
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Is there any roster better than this Avs team? I guess there's VGK, Leafs, Panthers in the conversation
 

Gumballhead

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Nov 18, 2002
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Manson's health is a question mark, Byram is Byram, Makar misses a bunch of games every year and JJ is 36 (turning 37 mid season).

MacDermid, who should never play another shift at D in the NHL, is our #7.

We need defense depth, it's not true that every team is the same. We have the high end guys but our depth is well below average while our injury history is well above average.

D depth is the only weak link left on the roster IMO. If we could find a way to trade MacDermid++ for a cheap NHL caliber right handed defenseman it would be perfect. Ideally one that can PK.
I'd rather have the high quality of our top 5 D than greater D depth. D was not our main issue last year. Playing a lot of AHL-quality forwards down there and moving guys from the bottom six who have no business playing top six on a team expecting to go deep in the playoffs was definitely an issue.

This year's forward group, no matter how it sorts out, will find us with a 4th line comprised of actual useful 4th line players in appropriate roles, not some bizarre puzzle mixture of minor leaguers and out of place lower tier NHL guys. Some of these grinders are going to also help out the D by playing heavy and responsibly. Essentially we grew a 3rd line out of nowhere and got our 4th line back -- their are many question marks but you can see how it should work out well.

Wood being on the 3rd line isn't exactly a good thing.... It isn't even the best 3rd line in our own division.
But it looks like a 3rd line, and it might kick ass and be the best. That wasn't happening at all last year.
 
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expatriatedtexan

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Aug 17, 2005
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I'd rather have the high quality of our top 5 D than greater D depth. D was not our main issue last year. Playing a lot of AHL-quality forwards down there and moving guys from the bottom six who have no business playing top six on a team expecting to go deep in the playoffs was definitely an issue.

This year's forward group, no matter how it sorts out, will find us with a 4th line comprised of actual useful 4th line players in appropriate roles, not some bizarre puzzle mixture of minor leaguers and out of place lower tier NHL guys. Some of these grinders are going to also help out the D by playing heavy and responsibly. Essentially we grew a 3rd line out of nowhere and got our 4th line back -- their are many question marks but you can see how it should work out well.


But it looks like a 3rd line, and it might kick ass and be the best. That wasn't happening at all last year.
It is nice, we will actually have a 3rd line this season. I'm still only willing to be cautiously optimistic that all the moves made this summer will pay off. There is no doubt though that this is an upgrade, last season our third line was just a cast of spare parts, all that was required was a pulse and the trainers to tell Bednar they were available. Everyone that was capable of playing in the top six was, even those that weren't capable of playing in the top six were.

Crazy if things go like folks initially think we'll have

Drouin-MacKinnon-Nichushkin
Lehkonen-Johnasen-Rantanen
Wood-Colton-Tatar
Cogliano-X-O'Connor

The competition for X will be amongst Meyers, Olofsson, Holland, Kiviranta, Maenalanen, Pavel and Tufte. That's before we get to the likes of Foudy or even Kovalenko swimming across the ocean to play for Bednar. I know Cogs and LOC are about as penciled in to the lineup as you can get, but I'm really interested in seeing what this group of miscasts do during camp.
 

Sea Eagles

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Feb 7, 2012
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Significant improvements in the forward group.

Last year:

Lekhonen - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Rodrigues - Compher - Rantanen
Malgin - Newhook - LOC
Hunt - Meyers - Cogliano

This season:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Johansen - Rantanen
Tatar - Colton - Wood
Cogs - Meyers - OC/Kovalenko

Out: Rodrigues, Compher, Newhook

In: Johansen, Colton, Wood, Drouin, Tatar, (Kovalenko)

Last year, the stars on this team didn’t have any support. This season they’ve got a squad with them. Excited for the season.
Great post, and exactly mate. Also don't forget that competition for spots is also a very healthy place and space to be, because it lifts everyone's effort (even in training).

There's so much to look forward to. I'm betting everyone is absolutely pumped for the season to begin.:thumbu:

A big question though; who's jersey to buy
 

Colorado Avalanche

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Significant improvements in the forward group.

Last year:

Lekhonen - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Rodrigues - Compher - Rantanen
Malgin - Newhook - LOC
Hunt - Meyers - Cogliano

This season:

Drouin - MacKinnon - Nichushkin
Lehkonen - Johansen - Rantanen
Tatar - Colton - Wood
Cogs - Meyers - OC/Kovalenko

Out: Rodrigues, Compher, Newhook

In: Johansen, Colton, Wood, Drouin, Tatar, (Kovalenko)

Last year, the stars on this team didn’t have any support. This season they’ve got a squad with them. Excited for the season.

Well, last off-season just left us frustrated and hoping for more improvements.. now we have a complete team from the beginning.

Let's goooo
 
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LOFIN

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Sep 16, 2011
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I'm kinda glad we spent the money now instead of at the deadline. We got a player that can help during the whole season for 0 asset.

Still wish we could find a way to get another reliable bottom RHD though, especially with Manson health situation and JJ being in the top 6.
This is not a problem. He has been a good bottom pairing D-man for us. I have no problem having him in our opening line up (even for playoffs). But the options are not great after that.
 

Pierce Hawthorne

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Is there any roster better than this Avs team? I guess there's VGK, Leafs, Panthers in the conversation
Quite a few still.


It's not like Tatar completely changes the roster. We still have Drouin playing 1st line LW. We still have Johansen at 2C. We still have Wood in the Top 9. JJ is still the #6D and MacDermid is still gonna play 50+ games.


Tatar makes things a lot better for sure, but there's still some clear weaknesses on the roster.


I'd say today New Jersey and Toronto are definitely ahead of us. We're about on par with teams like Carolina, Vegas, Los Angeles.
 

Richard88

John 3:16
Jun 29, 2019
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If Landeskog returns it may still be feasible to keep the team intact next summer simply by moving Manson.

The cap is projected to rise to $87.5m in 2024, so there's an additional $4m which basically covers Toews' raise. It might be on the low side but in the AGM below I used $7.5m X 8 years (the 8th year being what keeps the AAV down a bit), and that allows just enough capspace to fill out a 22 man roster by simply moving Manson off the roster (his NTC becomes a limited NTC so it is possible and may even actually be the plan by CMac).

The 4th liners, 5/6D, and backup G would all need to be $1m but that shouldn't be an issue if the Avs can continue to be an attractive destination for players (as we've already seen with ERod, Tatar, Drouin, Cogliano, Jack Johnson, and college free agents Meyers, Pavel, Malinski, etc).

 

Chiarelli

Registered User
Jan 27, 2019
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Quite a few still.


It's not like Tatar completely changes the roster. We still have Drouin playing 1st line LW. We still have Johansen at 2C. We still have Wood in the Top 9. JJ is still the #6D and MacDermid is still gonna play 50+ games.


Tatar makes things a lot better for sure, but there's still some clear weaknesses on the roster.


I'd say today New Jersey and Toronto are definitely ahead of us. We're about on par with teams like Carolina, Vegas, Los Angeles.
Why do people think LA is good?
 
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JH21

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Oct 20, 2019
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Quite a few still.


It's not like Tatar completely changes the roster. We still have Drouin playing 1st line LW. We still have Johansen at 2C. We still have Wood in the Top 9. JJ is still the #6D and MacDermid is still gonna play 50+ games.


Tatar makes things a lot better for sure, but there's still some clear weaknesses on the roster.


I'd say today New Jersey and Toronto are definitely ahead of us. We're about on par with teams like Carolina, Vegas, Los Angeles.

[MOD]Our forward group is equally as good as Toronto's and NJ. I'd argue our star power is better than theirs as well.

Toronto has a 3rd line of Knies-Kampff-Jarnkrok. TJ Brodie is a their #2 dman. Klingberg and McCabe are 3 and 4. Our 3rd line and Dmen blow that group away.

NJ has a 3rd line of Palat-Haula-Holtz. Is that better than Wood-Colton-Tatar? I don't see it. Our top 4 is also much better than Siegenthaler, Hamilton, Hughes and Marino.

What separates us is our D. There isn't one team you mentioned who has a group of Makar, Toews, Byram, Manson and Girard. I'm hard on Girard but he would be at least a #3, maybe even a top pair Dman on each of those teams. Here, he is a #5.

Not one team can match our elite top end talent. The key is to stay healthy.
 
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Bender

Registered User
Sep 25, 2002
17,768
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If Landeskog returns it may still be feasible to keep the team intact next summer simply by moving Manson.

The cap is projected to rise to $87.5m in 2024, so there's an additional $4m which basically covers Toews' raise. It might be on the low side but in the AGM below I used $7.5m X 8 years (the 8th year being what keeps the AAV down a bit), and that allows just enough capspace to fill out a 22 man roster by simply moving Manson off the roster (his NTC becomes a limited NTC so it is possible and may even actually be the plan by CMac).

The 4th liners, 5/6D, and backup G would all need to be $1m but that shouldn't be an issue if the Avs can continue to be an attractive destination for players (as we've already seen with ERod, Tatar, Drouin, Cogliano, Jack Johnson, and college free agents Meyers, Pavel, Malinski, etc).

@Richard88 ?? Did I accidentally have you on ignore for the past year and a half ??
 

JH21

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Oct 20, 2019
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Drouin- Mackinnon- Rantanen
Lehkonen- Johansen- Nichushkin
Wood- Colton- Tatar
Cogliano- Meyers- O'Connor
MacDermid

Toews - Makar
Byram - Manson
Girard - Johnson
Hunt

Georgiev
Francouz

Find me a team that has more elite talent, depth, grit and toughness. I will wait.
 

JH21

Registered User
Oct 20, 2019
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How could you possibly think they're not?


They're ridiculously deep down the middle and have a strong Defense. Only weakness is Goaltending but I expect them to solve that by the deadline.

Yes, Kopitar, Dubois and Danault is the best group of centers in the league but they still have Byfield, Kaliyev and Moore in their top 9.
 
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