Love their center depth and now have a full season of Hertl and Hanifin. I think they've got 3rd place in the Pacific easy. I feel like they're really only lacking in winger depth.
Rumor: 2024-2025 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Talk | The Slow Crawl to the Season
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Love their center depth and now have a full season of Hertl and Hanifin. I think they've got 3rd place in the Pacific easy. I feel like they're really only lacking in winger depth.
Bill Peckerskull
Fargin' Icehole
GoNordiquesGo
Registered User
Lets not forget that Hertl and Hannifin barely played for Vegas last year and will be there all year this year. They have their own issues, like Stone's durability and heavily relying on Eichel, but those are the same issues the Avs are facing. I think they are in.
dahrougem2
Registered User
Hanifin isn't a needle mover, and counting on Hertl in his age 31 season given his history of injuries seems like a recipe for disaster.
I just have a hard time penciling in a spot for an old, injury prone team with goaltending issues that just lost its 2nd best forward in free agency.
I guess it comes down to whether or not Spurgeon can play this year. If he can't, there's your cap space.
Next year they would have no issue, Faber's extension kicks in but the massive dead cap hits of Suter and Parise go down to less than $1 million, so it frees up a lot of money. But that's not until the summer of 2025.
- Apr 25, 2006
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Well...we know he'll go down before the deadline at some point to, uh, rest up before the playoffs.
dahrougem2
Registered User
I think you underscore just how valuable Marchessault was - and has been - to that Vegas squad.
People can cite center depth all day long, but when you are surrounded by garbage on the wings a center isn't going to magically make the line salvageable.
expatriatedtexan
Habitual Line Stepper
- Aug 17, 2005
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He does get grounded for maintenance more than a Boeing 737.
And FTR I don't think he's faking it. He very likely does have chronic back issues, but I do think, as is the case with most of these LTIR guys who magically heal in time for the playoffs, that they fudge more than a little bit as to just how hurt they really are. Could they come back earlier? Yeah, probably. But we know they won't since it would wreck their cap situation.
Dude wasn't their Conn Smythe winner for nothin'. Don't know how well he'll fare down the stretch in Nashville but yeah, I think they'll struggle to score those big goals, that was Marchessault's specialty.
dahrougem2
Registered User
Not only that, look at some of the wingers currently pegged for top-9 minutes: Olofsson, Dorofeyev, Holtz, Brisson. If the kids don't pan out here comes Kolesar, Howden, and/or Roy. We know Stone will sit out 25% of the year, too.
Just an incredibly weak group of wingers that Eichel/Hertl/Karlsson will have to prop up.
- Aug 25, 2006
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Vegas has too many question marks but they are also ruthless and they will make space, if someone is not performing. They will be good next season, just because of that.
- Jul 25, 2006
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Yup, I’d take Marchessault over Hertl and Hanifin. Hanifin is kinda overrated and we’ll see with Hertl. He didn’t look like a good fit in Vegas
SoundwaveIsCharisma
Moderator
It's not just Marchessault though, they essentially said they prefer Hertl and Hanifin over Marchessault and Stephenson, with the hope that Samsonov can cover up for them trading away Logan Thompson.
- Jul 25, 2006
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If Eichel is his usual, uninjured self and Hertl regains his form, IMO they'll be better. At least in the regular season. Playoffs might be a different story.
- Apr 25, 2006
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I’d not even go that far (and yes I know that Marchessault won the Smythe).
dahrougem2
Registered User
Pretty big "ifs" though, especially Hertl. Guy turns 31 in November and already came to Vegas hurt, not to mention his two prior major knee surgeries already.
IMO Vegas' best chances of success will come from loading up the top six. One of Hertl/Karlsson will have to play wing and Nic Roy or Brett Howden will have to play 3C.
- Apr 25, 2006
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- Jul 25, 2006
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Yeah but Thompson played a lot of games past 2 seasons when Hill was injured or shit the bed. Now they gotta rely on Samsonov who’s just bad
Vegas won a Cup with Adin freaking Hill and like four other goalies. Don't put it past those sorcerers that they'll get something out of Samsonov.
dahrougem2
Registered User
Lmao while true, that roster looks nothing like this coming season's roster.
