2024-25 Roster…too soon?

Malaka

you know, **** it, let’s just not think so much
Mar 3, 2020
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Signing Marner would be like Toronto signing Tavares. NO.

Adding to this, I’m pretty sure Hossa was the only if not one of very few free agent stories where they signed and lived up to the contract/level of play. There’s a lot of variables in what makes a player successful, including systems and how they integrate with fellow players the team they move to is built around.

Can anyone name a 4 UFA’s outside of Hossa that put a team over the edge and into cup contention?
 
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CallMeShaft

34 Counts
Apr 14, 2014
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I will say, I'd be shocked if we turned into the next Maple Leafs, even if we signed someone like Marner.

Toronto's problem is a lack of D on the team. They might be allocating a ton to that forward group, but the best defender they managed to draft and developed turned out to be Morgan Reilly, who is a gigantic let down if he's your best defenseman. After that, what do they really have on defense? Our old buddy McCabe, who I think most here would agree is a solid middle pairing guy and a past his prime OEL.

Hawks have a number of defensive prospects who should turn out better than the trash the Leafs are icing on their back end every night. And I'd argue that Vlasic, right now, is better than any of their defenders.
 

Clownish

Registered User
Jan 1, 2014
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Adding to this, I’m pretty sure Hossa was the only if not one of very few free agent stories where they signed and lived up to the contract/level of play. There’s a lot of variables in what makes a player successful, including systems and how they integrate with fellow players the team they move to is built around.

Can anyone name a 4 UFA’s outside of Hossa that put a team over the edge and into cup contention?

There's a few, but it's not common in recent years.
 

Muffinalt

Registered User
Mar 1, 2016
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Hungary
I will say, I'd be shocked if we turned into the next Maple Leafs, even if we signed someone like Marner.

Toronto's problem is a lack of D on the team. They might be allocating a ton to that forward group, but the best defender they managed to draft and developed turned out to be Morgan Reilly, who is a gigantic let down if he's your best defenseman. After that, what do they really have on defense? Our old buddy McCabe, who I think most here would agree is a solid middle pairing guy and a past his prime OEL.

Hawks have a number of defensive prospects who should turn out better than the trash the Leafs are icing on their back end every night. And I'd argue that Vlasic, right now, is better than any of their defenders.

Very much agree with this, but the worry is that if we sign those high dollar FA forwards we won't be able to afford our own defensemen when they're up for the big raises.

Then we could turn into Toronto. But luckily I think the FO is showing very proactive cap management planning so far, so we should be fine.
 

Chuck Testa

Registered User
Mar 27, 2017
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Very much agree with this, but the worry is that if we sign those high dollar FA forwards we won't be able to afford our own defensemen when they're up for the big raises.

Then we could turn into Toronto. But luckily I think the FO is showing very proactive cap management planning so far, so we should be fine.

Also, I think teams around the league (if they're in any way sensible) can look at how things have turned out for the Maple Leafs after dishing out big money to 4 guys. If any team was to look at that scenario and look to replicate it for some asinine reason, then I would say that they would reap what they sowed.

The Hawks have to be looking ahead to the upcoming years and trying to foresee how they'll be able to construct a perennial contender much like the contending teams they had during the glory years. You look at a team like Boston and it seems as though they've been in the mix year after year and I think that's in part to the fact that they don't dish out monster contracts to players which allows them to have the money to fill out the depth on their roster.

Now, it's not like I'm saying "We gotta be like Boston" but I'd rather have an approach more like Boston than like the Maple Leafs.

I really don't think KD is stupid enough to fall in to the Maple Leafs trap.
 

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