GDT: 2025 Trade Deadline | Y’all Got Anymore of Them Trades?

[Cousin Eddie]

I agree with you all on the Mikko PP thing. Dude was such a play killer. Everyone else snaps it around with their feet moving but every time he got it he would have to dust it off and try to create some ridiculous cross ice play that wasn’t there.

I’ll say this though. That dudes finishing ability from that right wall was something else. Beyond elite. It would be tough for me to name many better left shot finishers from that right hash in my entire life of hockey watching.

 

[LOFIN]

Coaching was part of the issue to be fair but yes, Mikko turning into a Mario Tanooki statue on the power play this year played a big part in those struggles.

And that's on coaching, understand what I'm getting at?

Powerplay is the single most easily coachable tacticle thing in hockey. The rest of the game is very free flowing, power play and penalty kill is all about set plays, understanding the opposition systems etc.

If Rantanen is not moving his feet on the PP, it's because he wasn't told to do it. And if you suggest he was, but refused to listen to coaching, why wasn't he taken off that unit and benched?

If you only are going to blame the players here, we might as well get rid of our coaching staff and save a bit of money there. Our PP looks good right now, but what if it goes to another funk? Clearly, the coaches have no idea to fix it. That's a f***ing issue. Are we just going to cycle players through the different units then, so that it naturally changes because the players are different? That's what this change was about.

Oh wait, that doesn't happen because Bednar doesn't mix up the units. So our PP goes into another funk, the only way to fix it is for CMac to trade away another piece from that unit?

What I'm trying to say here, Rantanen was a symptom, not a cause. With different medication (Necas), we've fixed that symptom for now. But what if it comes back, or some other symptoms? Maybe we should look at actually curing the disease.

Regards, Dr. LOFIN

 

[Tommy Shelby]

I can't remember a deadline where so many teams stood pat

 

[HugeMetalFan]

Just wait when Bednar rolls Nelson - MacKinnon - Coyle line to screw with all our mock lineups...

 

[dahrougem2]

And that's on coaching, understand what I'm getting at?

Powerplay is the single most easily coachable tacticle thing in hockey. The rest of the game is very free flowing, power play and penalty kill is all about set plays, understanding the opposition systems etc.

If Rantanen is not moving his feet on the PP, it's because he wasn't told to do it. And if you suggest he was, but refused to listen to coaching, why wasn't he taken off that unit and benched?

If you only are going to blame the players here, we might as well get rid of our coaching staff and save a bit of money there. Our PP looks good right now, but what if it goes to another funk? Clearly, the coaches have no idea to fix it. That's a f***ing issue. Are we just going to cycle players through the different units then, so that it naturally changes because the players are different? That's what this change was about.

Oh wait, that doesn't happen because Bednar doesn't mix up the units. So our PP goes into another funk, the only way to fix it is for CMac to trade away another piece from that unit?

What I'm trying to say here, Rantanen was a symptom, not a cause. With different medication (Necas), we've fixed that symptom for now. But what if it comes back, or some other symptoms? Maybe we should look at actually curing the disease.

Regards, Dr. LOFIN

Oh god lol.

So why has Jonathan Drouin moved around so much from that half-wall whenever MacKinnon/Necas start moving around? Did Ray Bennett have an epiphany and become a magical PP coach?

Players aren't robots. They don't do what the coach tells them to do every single shift, every single game. We know Rantanen is a prideful guy. If it worked before, what reason does he have to change things? He can simply say to Bennett "ah it'll come, just gotta get more looks" and you have reason enough to stand in that corner.

Mikko wasn't the only problem, but he was the biggest problem.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Oh god lol.

So why has Jonathan Drouin moved around so much from that half-wall whenever MacKinnon/Necas start moving around? Did Ray Bennett have an epiphany and become a magical PP coach?

Players aren't robots. They don't do what the coach tells them to do every single shift, every single game. We know Rantanen is a prideful guy. If it worked before, what reason does he have to change things? He can simply say to Bennett "ah it'll come, just gotta get more looks" and you have reason enough to stand in that corner.

Mikko wasn't the only problem, but he was the biggest problem.

I honestly think complacency became a big issue, seemed like everyone just started standing still, Rants may have been the biggest culprit, but Makar and MacK were doing a lot of standing around as well. I think if Rantanen had re-signed it would’ve just been more complacency

 

[LOFIN]

Oh god lol.

So why has Jonathan Drouin moved around so much from that half-wall whenever MacKinnon/Necas start moving around? Did Ray Bennett have an epiphany and become a magical PP coach?

Players aren't robots. They don't do what the coach tells them to do every single shift, every single game. We know Rantanen is a prideful guy. If it worked before, what reason does he have to change things? He can simply say to Bennett "ah it'll come, just gotta get more looks" and you have reason enough to stand in that corner.

Mikko wasn't the only problem, but he was the biggest problem.

Look, when it comes to 5v5 play, I agree. You can't coach everything to the players.

Powerplay is different. You can actually coach players to almost anything, to the best of their abilities of course. It's clear that we don't.

So no, Ray Bennett didn't become a magical PP coach, because he does f*** all. The players simply run it the way they want, and changing the personnel made it work better.

 

[dahrougem2]

I honestly think complacency became a big issue, seemed like everyone just started standing still, Rants may have been the biggest culprit, but Makar and MacK were doing a lot of standing around as well. I think if Rantanen had re-signed it would’ve just been more complacency

Absolutely. Makar would go (and still goes) stretches refusing to shoot pucks from the point despite that being the best weapon on the PP whenever Nichushkin/Lehkonen are in front.

MacKinnon would be given no time or space to do anything because teams knew you have to overload him and force the puck out of his hands. Now, if that happens they have to deal with Necas wheeling in open space.

The PP is better off now.

 

[Chibby]

Listening to 32 Thoughts, fascinating timeline of the whole Rantanen situation. Carolina was given permission to talk with Rantanen ahead of the trade. Rantanen and his team thought it was a negotiating tactic by Colorado and told Carolina they would be open to resigning with Carolina if a trade happened. Shocked when the trade actually occurred. Blindsided? No. Rantanen lied about that. If he had conversations with Carolina he knew it was a possibility.

Then with the 4 Nations and Carolina having no home stands Rantanen never felt settled or had the opportunity to really “live” in Carolina. Also maybe Brindamour didn’t love his play style.

So came the trade with Dallas. At one point Dallas was frustrated with him too and was gonna walk away. Ended up getting the deal done bc Rantanen wanted to play there.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Listening to 32 Thoughts, fascinating timeline of the whole Rantanen situation. Carolina was given permission to talk with Rantanen ahead of the trade. Rantanen and his team thought it was a negotiating tactic by Colorado and told Carolina they would be open to resigning with Carolina if a trade happened. Shocked when the trade actually occurred. Blindsided? No. Rantanen lied about that. If he had conversations with Carolina he knew it was a possibility.

Then with the 4 Nations and Carolina having no home stands Rantanen never felt settled or had the opportunity to really “live” in Carolina. Also maybe Brindamour didn’t love his play style.

So came the trade with Dallas. At one point Dallas was frustrated with him too and was gonna walk away. Ended up getting the deal done bc Rantanen wanted to play there.

You mean he wanted to play in a no tax state, with Finnish friends, and at a place where he could kick the Avs in the balls multiple times a year?

Guarantee he gets 4 points in that game a week from Sunday, and then both he and Duchene nut kick the Avs repeatedly in the 1st round.

 

[The Merchant]

You mean he wanted to play in a no tax state, with Finnish friends, and at a place where he could kick the Avs in the balls multiple times a year?

Guarantee he gets 4 points in that game a week from Sunday, and then both he and Duchene nut kick the Avs repeatedly in the 1st round.

Maybe I'm just the bitter ex here, but I think it's far more likely that Mikko's work ethic and complacency with getting the contract he wanted is going to bite them. I think the perennial 90-100 point player we knew him as is a thing of the past.

 

[BaconNater]

I would bet Mikko will be very motivated for Game 1 against the Avs with everything that happened but then will realize that means he will have to keep working hard all series and will be too exhausted to be effective late in the series..

... I kid.. I just really hate Dallas

 

[a mangy Meowth]

What I'm trying to say here, Rantanen was a symptom, not a cause. With different medication (Necas), we've fixed that symptom for now. But what if it comes back, or some other symptoms? Maybe we should look at actually curing the disease.

Ray. Bennett.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

 

[BobRossColton]

Edmonton had no assets, haha

 

[flyfysher]

Unbelievable. You’d think they’d at least try and get a goalie. Like what are they thinking over there?

 

[Chibby]

Praying Rantanen is Huberdeau 2.0 (which I think is VERY possible)



Also this rocks.

 

[Andrew Wiggin]

For the Sharks game they had Kiviranta/Colton with Drury as RW. I could definitely see them doing something similar with Coyle going forward with Drury at 3RW rather than 4C.

Lehky/MacK/Necas
Drouin/Nelson/Nuke
Colton/Coyle/Drury
Kivi/Kelly/LOC
with Vesey and Wood rotating in.

 

[LOFIN]

Imagine if Rantanen had gone to Toronto or Edmonton? What a media circus it would've been.

 

[flyfysher]

Imagine if Rantanen had gone to Toronto or Edmonton? What a media circus it would've been.

Maybe that’s also a reason why he ended up in Dallas.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Love seeing the Oilers fans fuming in the comments

 

[forsbergavs32]

Interesting to see the difference from what a healthy roster would've looked like opening night compared to what we're icing tonight

Drouin - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Nuke
Wood - Colton - O'Connor
Kovalenko - Kelly - Kiviranta
Ivan

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
De Haan - Malinski
Kylington/Brannstrom

Georgiev
Annunen

vs

Lehkonen - MacKinnon - Necas
Drouin - Nelson - Nuke
Colton - Coyle - Kiviranta
Kelly - Drury - O'Connor
Wood/Vesey

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
Lindgren - Malinski
Middleton/EJ

Blackwood
Wedgewood​

 

[LOFIN]

Maybe that’s also a reason why he ended up in Dallas.

I mean, if you believe Rishaug Rantanen was ready so sign there. Toronto probably also had a hunch that Rantanen would sign there. Rantanen doesn't seem like a guy that shy's away from attention, by all accounts he was one of the most vocal guys in the locker room, and media people also thought he was very engaging.

Dallas simply gave Carolina the best package, though Kypreos argues that the Leafs package was better but there Carolina didn't want to have them in the same conference.

 

[Bill Peckerskull]

Unbelievable. You’d think they’d at least try and get a goalie. Like what are they thinking over there?

IDK. They need D and goaltending. They went out and got another guy that's not a great defending D-man, and Trent Fredric.

Why not go after Mrazek? Gibson? Binnington? Carlo? Ristolainen? Soucy? Savard? Murphy? Lindgren? Etc...

 

[ASmileyFace]

Interesting to see the difference from what a healthy roster would've looked like opening night compared to what we're icing tonight

Drouin - MacKinnon - Rantanen
Lehkonen - Mittelstadt - Nuke
Wood - Colton - O'Connor
Kovalenko - Kelly - Kiviranta
Ivan

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
De Haan - Malinski
Kylington/Brannstrom

Georgiev
Annunen

vs

Lehkonen - MacKinnon - Necas
Drouin - Nelson - Nuke
Colton - Coyle - Kiviranta
Kelly - Drury - O'Connor
Wood/Vesey

Toews - Makar
Girard - Manson
Lindgren - Malinski
Middleton/EJ

Blackwood
Wedgewood​

Am I counting right with 11 different players out of 24? Gotta be close to a record for turnover in 3/4s of a season.