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Leafs fans would be shocked at how little trade value Marner would have at this point. It’s not even half as much as they suspect. Likely not even a third as much as they expect.
Speculation: 2024 Off-season Team Discussion
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Dead Coyote
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For the record the CBA does absolutely state that you have to stay at 5 star hotels and there's a list of ones that are partnered with the NHL.
Dead Coyote
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Kesselring has played great at worlds in limited minutes. He looks confident and has probably been one of the best defensive defenseman on the team and has shown some cool, slick moves too.
Necas specifically wants to play center and has played it before, Carolina doesn't want to put him there and doesn't want to give him the money he wants. Not really a problem for Utah considering he would easily be our top center.
Apparently I'm the only person who thinks this deal would be amazing for Utah, but even more so than 6 for Mercer, this is just moving down 4 spots for upgrading Hayton to Mercer, if I were Utah I would take that deal every day and twice on Sunday. Hayton has had one good stretch of 20 games where he put up a PPG and been riding off that since. At best he should get a 1yr contract to prove himself and then move on. Mercer would also be the perfect center for Keller and Schmaltz/Maccelli because of his ability to forecheck, cycle pucks, and be a net front presence, and him being a much better goal scorer than Hayton too.
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Clean Hits on Substack
cslebn
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DustyDangler
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Strongly opposed. Skills with no grit get you to the playoffs, they do not get you through the playoffs. Not worth the cost.
"By BVM Sportsdesk"
Is that a source with actual intel? It sounds like a bot pumping out content.
Is that a source with actual intel? It sounds like a bot pumping out content.
Never heard of it?
As for the rumour, the 1st is off the table. Not sure why the Canes would want Vejmelka?
DustyDangler
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Mosby
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That reads like AI wrote it, "...requiring Utah to strategize a compelling trade offer".
DustyDangler
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I'm assuming you oppose Marner and not Necas right? I think Necas is a perfect fit for the team. Only probably is where is that extra spot in the top 6 for him?
Unless Schmaltz or Crouse is shipped. I suspect Schmaltz is less keen on living in Utah than the rest of the "old" core (Crouse, Keller, Durzi, Moser). Replacing Schmaltz with Necas is so wildly ideal for a BA team haha. Get assets for Schmaltz, move assets for Necas. Win-win
DustyDangler
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Replacing Schmaltz with Necas would be an upgrade in skill and age but I don't really like Schmaltz/Necas/Marner type of players. I want guys that are hard on the puck that can gain and keep possession, strong on the boards, hit etc. I don't want to make the playoffs, I want to win in the playoffs, those 3 might get you there but they fade playoff time when the stronger players take over. It's why I am high on LIndstrom ('6"4 216lbs) and Geekie (6'4" 196lbs) types. We have enough high skill, light forwards and Necas would be redundant but if the choice was Schmaltz vs Necas sure I'll take Necas.
Rather sign free agent Elias Lindholm than trade for Necas.
DustyDangler
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I want a two way center who can win faceoffs. Lindholm fits this bill nicely.
I hope they can trade for at least 2 NHL Ds during the draft weekend...
Mangosteen
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Dead Coyote
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He isn't switching to center. It's not like he's never played center. Last year he took 417 faceoffs, which is good second line center numbers. Carolina literally has like 8 full time centers. Staal is one of the best defensive centers in the game and Aho is also a pure center. Stastny and Stepan were great guys in the dot. Drury and Kusnetsov have both stepped up and been better than him. Before then they had Trochek. There's literally just been no good opportunity for him in Carolina as a center.
And yeah, his faceoff skills aren't particularly good. But he still hasn't been given the opportunity to succeed and he still would be by far the best center option (comparing to what we have right now within the org) at the current moment. Remember everyone who wants Schmaltz to be the #1C or thinks he already is? Schmaltz has never come particularly close to Necas's numbers even when he was given a ton of opportunity like this season.
Yeah, it would be great to get a better center than Necas. Which would be...who? Stamkos? Lindholm? I will believe that when they sign. Cooley needs to vastly improve his faceoff skills and defensive awareness before anyone starts considering him a C at all, let alone a #1C. 38% faceoff percentage is unacceptable. Bjugstad was OKAY at best but he shouldn't be in the top 6 on a good playoff team. The best centers Utah last had were Jay f***ing Beagle and Christian Dvorak. Hayton has never proven himself anything but inconsistent.
Lindstrom is probably the best bet to be a #1C in the draft but that's by no means guaranteed and he will need a decent amount of work to transition to the NHL, be a center, and still be productive. Other than the pick this year Utah has nobody who projects as a #1 or even #2C in the whole org outside of *maybe* Cooley.
Necas wouldn't be my first choice if I was Utah, but he would be a great value add at a low cost. He's an RFA and Carolina can take him to arbitration but he's already said he won't sign long term, Carolina has no leverage. I'd much rather have him than Schmaltz. He's fine defensively and while his skillset wouldn't be the ideal center for Maccelli/Keller/Cooley he'd still be far better than anyone else on the roster currently.
Yes, I agree that he probably wouldn't be the ideal center on a perennial cup contender dynasty team, but well, what are the chances of Utah turning into that? You still need to make the playoffs to have a chance, and last I checked they have yet to do that consistently. *Somebody* needs to be able to shelter Cooley and give him a chance to grow into the 1C he can be, while also providing the much needed skillset for Keller + Schmaltz/Maccelli. Bjugstad and Kerfoot as your top centers aren't going to cut it in the NHL playoffs or regular season either. Neither will Hayton and Cooley (currently).
Something has to be done at some point, and I'd prefer to not just have Cooley thrown to the wolves every year because of the desperate need for a center. I think it would be great if GMBA just continues to draft and develop but somehow I doubt that the new owner will just willingly continue rebuilding and be fine with "we might be good in another 3+ years".
How is replacing Schmaltz with Necas an upgrade in skill? Necas will also want a big contract, although he is younger. I find it a lateral move.
He will want a big contract and at his age I doubt BA wants him. His best days could be behind him.
How is Necas going to be a "low cost" add? Not only will Carolina want a quality return as Necas was tied for third in playoffs points and regular season for Carolina, he will want to be paid big bucks with his new contract. I would love to add him, but it would all depend on the cost to acquire him. Necas only took 138 FO's last year at a 36.8%. Schmaltz took 400 at 43%
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DustyDangler
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I have no big issue with calling it a lateral.
Last two seasons:
Necas - 124pts
Schmaltz - 119pts
Necas plays more games as Schmaltz is oft injured and you gain 3 years of age with Necas. I believe there is a perception that Necas has not yet peeked whereas you pretty much know what you have with Schmaltz.
DustyDangler
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Good stuff save for the Necas being low cost. He will cost assets and $$,
Dead Coyote
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He's an RFA. If Carolina wants to sign him for cheaper than his contract demands, their only option is through an arbitration hearing. Necas's camp will, like you said, point out that he had 70 pts last year and 60ish this year, and was a great playoff performer this year and decent last year.
Necas will point to guys like Meier, Debrincat, and Terry who all filed for arbitration and had similar stats to him at time of signing. Those contracts run between 5-8m in terms of salary which is what Arbitration cares about (although Suzuki, another similar player, just got 10m). Carolina has 27m with Jarvis, TT, Guentzel, Drury, Pesce and Skjei needing contracts.
Jarvis will rightfully want more than Necas. If Carolina wants to stay competitive (seems likely) they need to at least keep Pesce and Drury too. Or at least according to their fans they want to keep Pesce really badly. Drury probably won't get much but he's been good in the playoffs. Could see that going to Arbitration too.
They need at least 5 players signed with that 27m. Jarvis I can't see taking any less than 7 and will probably get more than that, but lets assume 7. That's 20m for 4 players now.
And these guys aren't the 3rd and 4th liners for Carolina. These are 4 players in the top 6 who need to be signed or replaced. Even if Drury only gets like 2m, there is just no way Necas will be happy getting 5 or 6. I believe it was reported he wants 8 something. Carolina just can't afford that.
So they have two options. They can either go to arbitration, which will probably be 1-2 years given that Necas has already said he wants to play center and doesn't intend on signing long term with Carolina, and hope that Arbitration awards him a 5m contract and they can give him a bunch of performance bonuses to keep him happy that won't impact the cap...or they can trade him.
Dead Coyote
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Necas also actually plays defense, isn't particularly inconsistent, and isn't really a perimeter player as much as Schmaltz is. Note that also while Schmaltz has more of a body of work than Necas, he has never reached the same peak that Necas has, and Necas's most recent seasons are still pretty much better than Schmaltz's peak. Plus Necas is a better center. The only real thing Schmaltz has going for him is his contract, but Utah has 40m in cap space with pretty much only their D to sign.
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