Rumor: 2024-2025 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Talk | The Slow Crawl to the Season

[sethro109]

Would have been nice if he chose team over money

He got a cup and it was his last payday in the NHL. Can't really blame the guy.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Girard and Makar have been tried a fair amount together and it never really worked until briefly this season. That's why they stopped trying. That's not a big enough sample size for me to think it would work well consistently though.

When Sammy is paired with another puck mover, he doesn't change his game much, and has a tendency to make aggressive pinches when he shouldn't. He needs a stay at home partner to prevent this IMO.

Personally I don't think he's a good consistent fit with Makar. It would negate Girard's biggest contribution to the team with his transition game, in a way that Girard limited Byram's transition game, because he carried the puck so much.

That's just the regular season too. In the playoffs, I'd have big concerns with a Girard-Makar pairing. It think it would get abused down low and in front of the net. Cale needs help there as it is, though Toews has been better at it recently.

Sammy gets a lot of shifts with the top line too. He's never really been exclusive to non top pair shifts.

I also think a Toews-Manson second pairing would be outstanding. A very solid two way pairing, that would work well in the playoffs. Problem has been Bednar and Pratt haven't trusted Girard-Makar enough to pair them regularly, so Toews gets stapled to Cale. I'd like to see them try to transition Toews into a 2nd pair D man as he gets older, but I'm not sure they will be able to.

I’ve been a proponent of acquiring a Oleksiak. Yes, it’s head in the clouds but that’s this thread in general. Manson has his strengths but I don’t think he’s particuoarly good around the net often enough. He also makes bone headed passes. I think Oleksiak would help them around the net. I wasn’t necessarily envisioning a partner for Makar. But he fits what you describe. I’d be willing to trade the NYR 2nd for him. I’d do it if keeping Girard and certainly if they were to trade him.

 

[Foppa2118]

I’ve been a proponent of acquiring a Oleksiak. Yes, it’s head in the clouds but that’s this thread in general. Manson has his strengths but I don’t think he’s particuoarly good around the net often enough. He also makes bone headed passes. I think Oleksiak would help them around the net. I wasn’t necessarily envisioning a partner for Makar. But he fits what you describe. I’d be willing to trade the NYR 2nd for him. I’d do it if keeping Girard and certainly if they were to trade him.

Yeah I've been interested in the idea of Oleksiak for a while now too. I think he could play on all three pairings and be a good utility guy, letting them switch things up as they like to do throughout the game.

I like Manson probably a bit more than you do, though I agree his occasional passing miscues are an issue for him. He just tries to do too much at times. I think that's coaching influenced though, so Oleksiak may have the same problem. I think they need two guys like Manson though, so I don't think Oleksiak would really be replacing Manson or Girard's role.

Not sure how well he'd fit with Makar on the top pair full time, because I haven't watched him enough recently, but at one point I thought he'd be a great fit. He doesn't have Toews puck skills, but I think Cale can handle more of this, and get more help in front of the net.

This would also allow Toews to drop down to the second pair more often with Manson, where I think he'd be a great fit. This is way to upgrade the defense IMO. Find someone else with some size, who can play with Cale, at least part time.

 

[Peter Peckerwood]

Maybe we can pry that Jost kid out of Carolina?

 

[The Abusement Park]

He's been good, he hasn't been unreal. He's played fairly well defensively. Some good plays, some bad. He's chipped in a few points, his usual 35ish point pace. That's not unreal.

It's his puck transition game that's his main contirbution. That by itself is unreal, because he's elite at this, but I don't think that makes his entire game unreal. There are many other parts of a defenseman's job.

He's played at a similar level as Toews while he was struggling, or Manson while he was healthy (different role obv). He's played like a good #3D. Which is commendable.

Toews recent play has been better than G's good games, and I'm not sure I'd say that's been unreal. Just very good. Put Girard consistently in a top pair role like Toews and you see a different Girard IMO.

When I mean unreal, I mean relative to his role and level. I think he’s been playing fantastic for a 3D and his production has been quite good considering he only has 1 PP point this year.

 

[Foppa2118]

I don't think G is going anywhere until they know what they have in either Behrens or Guly and they probably still are one or two years away from knowing that.

The other way could be by including G+ for an upgrade or somebody equivalent but younger and cheaper.

The bolded is the most likely scenario IMO, but probably not this season.

Even if they lose some puck mobility with the replacement, they may also rationalize it by thinking Guly or Behrens may be able to lock down a third pair role, to supplement that area.

I think G gets moved for cap reasons before Manson does. I think the Avs can replace G's role easier. Historically they can find the mobile puck movers that fit the team well, much easier than the big defensive guys.

I think they really need to find a way to spread out the money on the D core, so they can pay the third pair more than league min. That's not going to get easier with Mikko's raise and Blackwood's new contract. Overplaying the top guys may work for a year or two without much problem, but it's not a long term solution. Every year you're taking a big risk of injury or burn out affecting your playoff run.

Cale won't be able to benefit from the healing and recovery powers of youth for much longer either. He'll be 27 at the start of next season, and he expels a tremendous amount of energy placing importance on defending as hard as he plays offensively.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Maybe we can pry that Jost kid out of Carolina?

 

[Pokecheque]

I don't think they move G during this season, but I also think it's a mistake to view him as untouchable.

If he's the piece needed to close a big deal you have to consider it.

They can replace his 5 goals and 35 points fairly easily. They can replace his defensive ability fairly easily.

The question is how close can they get to replacing his transition game skating the puck out of the D zone? That's his main contribution. They can get close and it might still be worth it. Especially if it's for less than $5M. One of the best things this team is good at is identifying mobile defenseman.

I agree with everything but this.

Would have been nice if he chose team over money

You would have done the same in his shoes, and if you say otherwise, you're a liar.

 

[John Mandalorian]

This feels post apocalyptic. It's Mad Max.

 

[dahrougem2]

So what are we looking at potentially another lost season? Jonathan Drouin can't seem to stay healthy for more than a day, Casey Mittelstadt looks like an AHL player, Sam Malinski has regressed hard, CDH still stinks, the Avs bottom six can't score again, nobody knows if Landeskog ever returns and Nichushkin is currently hurt and who knows if/when he comes back.

Things are looking mighty grim after the Blackwood/Wedgewood trades gave this team a huge bump.

 

[Vaslof]

I agree with everything but this.


You would have done the same in his shoes, and if you say otherwise, you're a liar.

Nope I wouldn't simply take the most money. The difference between being rich and slightly less rich is not that big. But I don't fault him for taking the money, I just want to point out that we offered him a good contract and he chose the one that offered more money, so it's time for the fans to get over him.

 

[Chiarelli]

So what are we looking at potentially another lost season? Jonathan Drouin can't seem to stay healthy for more than a day, Casey Mittelstadt looks like an AHL player, Sam Malinski has regressed hard, CDH still stinks, the Avs bottom six can't score again, nobody knows if Landeskog ever returns and Nichushkin is currently hurt and who knows if/when he comes back.

Things are looking mighty grim after the Blackwood/Wedgewood trades gave this team a huge bump.

It was one game my guy. Mitts does need to figure it out tho.

 

[Pokecheque]

Nope I wouldn't simply take the most money. The difference between being rich and slightly less rich is not that big. But I don't fault him for taking the money, I just want to point out that we offered him a good contract and he chose the one that offered more money, so it's time for the fans to get over him.

Oh yes you would. The problem you have is that you're looking through the eyes of a fan. You didn't grow up with the NHL as a realistic dream. You didn't bust you ass from childhood through adolescence going to early morning practices, hitting the gym, and making hockey your entire existence.

For the record, neither did I. But I tell you what, if I had, I'd be looking at my last chance to cash in, I'd take it. And so would you. And so would everyone else. Don't give me that "Five million a year would be enough" because I don't believe you. Sure, five million from where your standing is MORE than enough, but not from where they're sitting. Isn't it funny how the vast, vast majority of these players don't do that? There's a reason.

And it's funny you just conveniently forget he came in on a ridiculously cheap deal in the first place, which would further incentivize anyone in that position to grab the damn bag that summer.

This whole notion of "I'm going to take less so that the owner has more money to spend" is just one of many things us fans do that's plain silly. Their job is to be good at hockey and maximize their earnings. It's up to management to accommodate them and make adjustments accordingly. In the end that's their failure, not his.

 

[Foppberg]

So what are we looking at potentially another lost season? Jonathan Drouin can't seem to stay healthy for more than a day, Casey Mittelstadt looks like an AHL player, Sam Malinski has regressed hard, CDH still stinks, the Avs bottom six can't score again, nobody knows if Landeskog ever returns and Nichushkin is currently hurt and who knows if/when he comes back.

Things are looking mighty grim after the Blackwood/Wedgewood trades gave this team a huge bump.

 

[dahrougem2]

It was one game my guy. Mitts does need to figure it out tho.

No I get that, but it hasn't been just one game for what I mentioned. Drouin has been a full year thing and will continue to be unless he magically heals. Mittelstadt has been a nearly three month thing. Malinski has been several weeks. Bottom six scoring issues all season.

It's beginning to get very worrisome.

 

[MacKaRtin]

No I get that, but it hasn't been just one game for what I mentioned. Drouin has been a full year thing and will continue to be unless he magically heals. Mittelstadt has been a nearly three month thing. Malinski has been several weeks. Bottom six scoring issues all season.

It's beginning to get very worrisome.

My take on bottom 6 scoring issues is that if we ever have the full complement of our forwards (haha, I know), we should be three scoring lines deep with a dangerous fourth line as well

 

[Balthazar]

No I get that, but it hasn't been just one game for what I mentioned. Drouin has been a full year thing and will continue to be unless he magically heals. Mittelstadt has been a nearly three month thing. Malinski has been several weeks. Bottom six scoring issues all season.

It's beginning to get very worrisome.

Right now we basically have no 2C, no 3C and no 4C.

On top of that we can only rely on Mack and Makar to carry the team 5v5 as almost all of Rants' production these days comes from the PP and empty netters.

 

[Pokecheque]

No I get that, but it hasn't been just one game for what I mentioned. Drouin has been a full year thing and will continue to be unless he magically heals. Mittelstadt has been a nearly three month thing. Malinski has been several weeks. Bottom six scoring issues all season.

It's beginning to get very worrisome.

Yeah, there are some very concerning things happening right now. The goaltending boost took our minds off of some of the other issues for a bit, but they're still there.

The first and foremost is pretty obvious--scoring depth. Unless the Big Three (or Kiviranta) have a big night, they can't score enough to win. Last night against the Hawks was a prime example. This has been exacerbated to an insane degree by injuries and Mittelstadt's continued struggles. Doesn't help that Colton has pretty much been ice cold since coming back. Beyond the top line is a glorified third line and two barely adequate fourth lines. This team looks significantly more vulnerable than even last year's squad. And it's still relying on MacKinnon to be MVP caliber to make things work. When he has a bad night like last night, they can't even beat the worst f***ing team in the NHL.

Third pairing is a huge issue as well. I think Malinski's regression was inevitable. He can't and shouldn't be expected to carry a pairing. At the very least he needs a *good* LD to work the other side. And the mix that's been in there has been horrid. Not just bad--HORRID. The mistakes they're making defensively are Guenin-level right now.

This team will likely make the playoffs but will crash and burn hard once they get there. They need to do something to address these issues, unless just making it is the end goal.

 

[Balthazar]

They need to do something to address these issues, unless just making it is the end goal.

Team needs Mitts and Colton to play adequately, that's as simple as that. They were signed to play 2C and 3C respectively and they aren't doing it. We all know that Parker Kelly isn't a 3C in the NHL.

It's difficult for a line to have success when the center sucks ass.

Bednar is at least partially to blame for that though, when his system doesn't work with some players he needs to do his part and adjust accordingly.

 

[LOFIN]

Team needs Mitts and Colton to play adequately, that's as simple as that. They were signed to play 2C and 3C respectively and they aren't doing it. We all know that Parker Kelly isn't a 3C in the NHL.

It's difficult for a line to have success when the center sucks ass.

Bednar is at least partially to blame for that though, when his system doesn't work with some players he needs to do his part and adjust accordingly.

I would hope Bednar gives Pärssinen a legit shot at #2/#3, considering Mitts simply isn't waking up.

 

[dahrougem2]

Team needs Mitts and Colton to play adequately, that's as simple as that. They were signed to play 2C and 3C respectively and they aren't doing it. We all know that Parker Kelly isn't a 3C in the NHL.

It's difficult for a line to have success when the center sucks ass.

Bednar is at least partially to blame for that though, when his system doesn't work with some players he needs to do his part and adjust accordingly.

It's just so weird. It worked last season with Mittelstadt and the first month of the season, and now it looks like he can't even skate. It was embarrassingly pathetic watching him SO far behind Bedard on the 3-1 Hawks goal last night when CDH took Bertuzzi in the middle of the ice, and Mittelstadt looked like he was pushing as hard as he could.

He is an incredibly poor skater.

 

[Balthazar]

It's just so weird. It worked last season with Mittelstadt and the first month of the season, and now it looks like he can't even skate. It was embarrassingly pathetic watching him SO far behind Bedard on the 3-1 Hawks goal last night when CDH took Bertuzzi in the middle of the ice, and Mittelstadt looked like he was pushing as hard as he could.

He is an incredibly poor skater.

Bednar's gameplan of skating faster and working harder doesn't work for Mitts.

 

[The Merchant]

Yep. If the Avs enter the playoffs without a guy that can drive play on the 2nd line AGAIN, they're cooked before they even begin. How many times are they going to try to replace Kadri with youth and inexperience before they realize that's clearly not the play?

 

[LOFIN]

I still very much believe Mitts can pull it together at some point, we all saw how dynamic he was last year in the playoffs.

But unlike two weeks ago, I'm done with the "not the right message to demote him". Flat out, Pärssinen or Colton should play #2C tonight. It's up to Mitts to start working on the small details and figuring out his shit, and I don't have an issue if it starts from the 4th line.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

I would hope Bednar gives Pärssinen a legit shot at #2/#3, considering Mitts simply isn't waking up.

Also Makar was out there for the last 4 and 1/2 minutes