Rumor: 23-24 Trade Rumors and Free Agency Part Trois: The Road to the Deadline

[EdAVSfan]

It shouldn't make a difference, neither is capable of playing 2C.

Not too mention the fact that if you are reactionary and not proactive as a GM you are most likely going to fail. Got to attack problems not react to them.

Unfortunately CMac has proven to be very reactionary so we get the bottom of barrel choices and have a roster that is poorly constructed.

That’s not what I meant.

I meant it in the sense that in addition to a 2C, if they get bad news on Landy, they also have the added need to get an additional forward.

They obviously need to know how many pieces they need to acquire beforehand, so that they can properly allocate what to spend on which pieces.

 

[the_fan]

I think it’s bit too early to say CMac has been good or bad so far as the Avs GM. Last year his hands were tied not knowing if Landy was coming back or not, then his only bad move was RyJo in the off season. Wood and Colton have been good moves.

We just have to wait and see what he does in this trade deadline. He now knows that Landy isn’t coming back in the regular season, so that can’t be an excuse. If he makes more bad moves like Eller or something like that, then I’d say he needs to go

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I wouldn´t even call it a gamble.

RyJo was never going to work, especially on a Bednar team. Either they didn´t scout the player, just completely forgot what brand of hockey the coach plays or were cheap as usual and said f*** it.

I am still convinced they talked to Bednar and he understood where the team stood cap-wise and he thought he could get more out of him having coached him before. It didn't work. Too bad. Move on.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

I am still convinced they talked to Bednar and he understood where the team stood cap-wise and he thought he could get more out of him having coached him before. It didn't work. Too bad. Move on.

Maybe they did, but it was a terrible fit and easily predictable. A major oopsie from the scouts/GM.

 

[hockeyfish]

My take is the Avs most likely have an idea when Nuke is coming back. They most likely have a pretty good idea as well if Landy is coming back for the playoffs having him now here in Denver. He is looking pretty good on the ice in the past few days. With those guys coming back my question is:

How can anybody think this team is poorly constructed:
Drouin - Mack- Mikko
Landy - 2C - Nuke
Wood - Rosco - Lehky
Parise/Cogs - Parise/Cogs - LOC
Kovalenko - Wagner - Olofsson - Kiviranta

Toews - Makar
Girard - Mason
Johnson - Byram
Malinski - Jones

All that this team needs is one move. We all know what that move is: 2C. IMO they are one move away from being a stronger team on paper than the '22 team that won a SC. I say on paper because it depends on which Landy is coming back.

Pretty sure Bednar said they won't know anything about Nuke until he comes back.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Maybe they did, but it was a terrible fit and easily predictable. A major oopsie from the scouts/GM.

Yeah not a great fit for sure but IMO they were more aiming at playoffs-Ryjo than the RS-Ryjo. Unfortunately I am convinced they now know there won't be anymore playoffs-Ryjo hence why they are looking at getting a 2C.

 

[Bender]

I think it’s bit too early to say CMac has been good or bad so far as the Avs GM. Last year his hands were tied not knowing if Landy was coming back or not, then his only bad move was RyJo in the off season. Wood and Colton have been good moves.

We just have to wait and see what he does in this trade deadline. He now knows that Landy isn’t coming back in the regular season, so that can’t be an excuse. If he makes more bad moves like Eller or something like that, then I’d say he needs to go

His hands on not tied this year. We know Landeskog is going to attempt a comeback - we don't know if it will be successful or not but that doesn't have an impact on the salary cap for this season.

My belief on Nuke is that IF there's a move they need to make and they absolutely need his cap space between now and the end of the season - that he'll Mark Stone his way out of the Player's Assistance program just to be back in the nick of time for the playoffs. He put the organization in a bad spot last year, could be time to make up for it this time around.

There are only 26 games to go until the playoffs, might as well make sure his problems are behind him for good.

 

[henchman21]

I'd say it's already time for some new voices there. It's clearly gotten stale, and their ideas are garbage that isn't working.

I really don't care that CMac hasn't even had a 2nd trade deadline. He's shown literal nothing and shows no signs of addressing the issues.

Throwing bandaid players, 40 year basically retired players at massive holes isn't it. Never has been, never will be.

Parise for example would have been a nice signing, had we not had massive 2nd line problems. But when you have the 2nd line problem, singing Parise is a bad move/completely worthless move as it takes away money and didn't solve any issues.

I think you have to let the season play out. First year GMs on good teams have a real tendency to be conservative their first year and then adjust in the 2nd year. Just take JBB in Tampa... his long 'big' move in his first year was Rutta and he thought the team was good enough to win with what they had. They got swept. That summer, he dealt with only making cap moves... most thought he would sit on his hands again when he made the Coleman and Goodrow moves within a week of the deadline. Then the aggressiveness has continued since.

I don't think it is likely that CMac suddenly flips a switch like that, but I'm also not writing it off either. He showed aggressiveness this summer, and while it has been more bust than boom, that could be a sign. By the end of the day on March 8th... we will know.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Pretty sure Bednar said they won't know anything about Nuke until he comes back.

Of course he will say that. You are talking about the guy who always says he hasn't talked to the trainers. I am convinced they are keeping really close eye on Nuke's progress.

 

[BaconNater]

I wonder if this is another deadline where the Avs look hopeless and then come out of nowhere and win the Mikkael Boedker sweepstakes again, that was awesome!

 

[The Moops]

Pretty sure Bednar said they won't know anything about Nuke until he comes back.

He hasn't talked to the trainers at the rehab facility thuogh

 

[missionAvs]

I wonder if this is another deadline where the Avs look hopeless and then come out of nowhere and win the Mikkael Boedker sweepstakes again, that was awesome!

I was genuinely so pumped when we got Boedker. I still remember when the then Phoenix Coyotes were riding high on the Mueller-Boedker-Turris consecutive draft picks.

 

[The Abusement Park]

My take is the Avs most likely have an idea when Nuke is coming back. They most likely have a pretty good idea as well if Landy is coming back for the playoffs having him now here in Denver. He is looking pretty good on the ice in the past few days. With those guys coming back my question is:

How can anybody think this team is poorly constructed:
Drouin - Mack- Mikko
Landy - 2C - Nuke
Wood - Rosco - Lehky
Parise/Cogs - Parise/Cogs - LOC
Kovalenko - Wagner - Olofsson - Kiviranta

Toews - Makar
Girard - Mason
Johnson - Byram
Malinski - Jones

All that this team needs is one move. We all know what that move is: 2C. IMO they are one move away from being a stronger team on paper than the '22 team that won a SC. I say on paper because it depends on which Landy is coming back.

I do not think this is the case at all. Unless that 2C is Crosby. The cup team had a 90pt 2C and 65pt winger on its 3rd line. I think a legit 2C makes us out and out contenders, but I don’t think this forward core can compete with the one that won the cup.

 

[Vk1ing]

I think the avs should go for mittelstadt and zegras but I feel like we end with like Scott laughton. Cap wise zegras is a good fit becuase I don't think we can afford mittelstadt. The core only has so much time together and I would love atleast 1 more cup

 

[Balthazar]

1C vs 2C faceoff

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I do not think this is the case at all. Unless that 2C is Crosby. The cup team had a 90pt 2C and 65pt winger on its 3rd line. I think a legit 2C makes us out and out contenders, but I don’t think this forward core can compete with the one that won the cup.

I think it is the case. Nuke and Lehky have taken another step since then. Drouin is basically replacing Bura. I think the bottom 2 lines are better built as well. We wold also have better 13th-15th options for depth. Obviously 2C has to be fixed to have this group compete with the '22 team.

 

[Ararana]

1C vs 2C faceoff

Beauchemin 2.0, hopefully without the contract extension.

 

[hockeyfish]

Of course he will say that. You are talking about the guy who always says he hasn't talked to the trainers. I am convinced they are keeping really close eye on Nuke's progress.

Lol. Seriously though, I very much doubt it.

 

[The Abusement Park]

I think it is the case. Nuke and Lehky have taken another step since then. Drouin is basically replacing Bura. I think the bottom 2 lines are better built as well. We wold also have better 13th-15th options for depth. Obviously 2C has to be fixed to have this group compete with the '22 team.

I mean I think that run was Nuke taking the step he‘s shown the last two years. Lehkys the same now for the most part, which is a great thing don’t get me wrong. Landy is 100% at least a step down from the cup run. Burakovsky is a major upgrade on Drouin who would be in the top 6 not on the 3rd line. Whoever(if we get one at all) we get at 2C will be a gigantic step down from Kadri(that season alone) almost assuredly. JTC and Colton are a wash roughly.


Like I said a 2C goes a long way this year, but the forward core, especially the top end, is just way better than it can reasonably be constructed by the deadline.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

I mean I think that run was Nuke taking the step he‘s shown the last two years. Lehkys the same now for the most part, which is a great thing don’t get me wrong. Landy is 100% at least a step down from the cup run. Burakovsky is a major upgrade on Drouin who would be in the top 6 not on the 3rd line. Whoever(if we get one at all) we get at 2C will be a gigantic step down from Kadri(that season alone) almost assuredly. JTC and Colton are a wash roughly.


Like I said a 2C goes a long way this year, but the forward core, especially the top end, is just way better than it can reasonably be constructed by the deadline.

Disagree on a lot of this.

Both Nuke and Landy were playing hurt. Quite hurt in fact. Bura is not an upgrade on Drouin. Bura was a lot more streaky than the last 2-month Drouin. Since Dec 23rd Drouin has been quite consistent with 23 pts in 28 games (.82 PPG vs the 65-pts Bura at .79 PPG)
I will give you Lehky is probably like the '22 playoffs Lehky.
The 2C is the issue obviously but let's see how they address that spot. This is not a finish product yet.

 

[GoNordiquesGo]

I would LOVE to get a legit 2C, but I think the do-or-die perception about the 2C is a bit over the top. We could get a 3C and another top 6 winger and have a line-up that looks like this :

Drouin-Mack-Rant
Nichushkin-Henrique-Guentzel/Top6W
Lando-Colton-Lehk
Woods-Olauf-LOC

That is not a 1st round exit line-up...

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

1C vs 2C faceoff

CMac smells the Cup

 

[Bender]

Mads Eller Hockey Stats and Profile at hockeydb.com

Statistics of Mads Eller, a hockey player from Rodovre, Denmark born Jun 25 1995 who was active from 2011 to 2023.

www.hockeydb.com

He wouldn't even cost a 2nd round pick !!!

 

[BobRossColton]

Now eklund has us attached to Laughton..
I'd do a Byram and a small add for Laughton and York, allows Ritchie to develop 2.5 seasons, although Frost and York would be better.

 

[henchman21]

I would LOVE to get a legit 2C, but I think the do-or-die perception about the 2C is a bit over the top. We could get a 3C and another top 6 winger and have a line-up that looks like this :

Drouin-Mack-Rant
Nichushkin-Henrique-Guentzel/Top6W
Lando-Colton-Lehk
Woods-Olauf-LOC

That is not a 1st round exit line-up...

That's also not a Cup winning lineup either (and odds are high injuries happen).

I think there are some differences of expectations. My opinion is that it is pretty much Cup or bust right now. It is unrealistic to win a Cup every year, but putting the team in the best possible position should be the expectation. If a GM fails to do that, IMO it should be looked at as a failure. Even if the team fails after the moves, if the GM is doing what he can to give the best shot, that is all you can reasonably ask.

Now if people are happy with a first round win, maybe a 2nd round where the team gets boat raced in the conference finals. Henrique might be good enough for that. Unlikely in the 2nd round, but a first round win would be the expectation really. If this is okay with people, then a simple trimming around the edges and conservative deadline is probably enough.

I think that is the crux... do you expect CMac to put together the best possible roster to win a Cup, or are you okay with just a minor amount of playoff success and move on to another season?