It really confuses me as to why as this board trends very negative, I'm starting to trend very positive regarding next season.
It will take Dubas Acing the offseason with zero wasted acquisitions like Graves or Nieto... but if he does his job correctly, this team could get real interesting real quick
As others have said, it's about the coach (and the GM picking up players the HC likes, who are really not good). This always sets us back. It has since 2018, really.
Yeah, there is potential here for a quick turnaround and even for the core to experience playoff hockey again.
Just not unless there is a coaching change, which is unlikely at best.
I think I'm convincing myself we don't need to add at F at all next season, and this is a path to compete plan, not a tank plan. Competing is going to require a lot of luck. No way around it. Washington has like 7 guys redefining their careers this season. We need that kind of luck to line up to do the same, so be it.
Were going to get a Center in the top ten, and hopefully we win the lottery for a top two player. That's a player who slots into Geno's spot in two seasons time when he retires.
Assuming we are lucky and our prospects pan out, that gives us this:
Rakell Sid Rust
McGroarty Geno/Draft Koivunen
Ponomarev Novak Tomasino
Dewar Lizotte Acciari/anyone
That's not bad. Top end talent isn't what you want but it can be three scoring lines deep if guys pan out.
In goal, same deal. We need luck that one of our young goalies make it. We have two lotto tickets in Blom and Murashov. Fine.
Defense is a car wreck. Trade Karlsson if you want, but no matter what, pay up to 10M to Chychrun, Gavrikov, Provorov in that order. If that doesn't work send the NYR pick for a guy. That's where the biggest impact can be made and where our system, while deep, will not be able. To help much until after Sid hangs it up.
The problem is Mike Sullivan will never ever, EVER go for a lineup like that. Koivunen will never get a legit shot with this team as long as Sullivan is coaching, and McGroarty is going to have to spend time (and lots of it) on the fourth line. Ponomarev is going to get fed up with this organization and head back to the KHL. And that fourth line you listed will play second-line minutes next season.
Goaltending and defense are both a mess. I don't know if we can find a taker for Jarry, but we definitely need one of the kids to step up. This team will surely re-sign Grz because of who is running the team, thereby letting Pickering marinate more in the AHL. Which is a big mistake, but an unsurprising one. Graves is someone they won't be able to move, so he is a very expensive 7-8 D-man. And they re-signed Shea, so he is going to play a ton under this regime. It looks bleak.
What are we hoping for with the Rangers pick? For them to hopefully end up 14th/15th?
Or a roll of the dice and hope they keep losing and let it ride on them potentially sucking or being good next year and taking the pick where it lands.
Would assume the latter and pray they fall off completely next year in a better overall draft.
I desperately want their 2026 first. It does not happen too often that a division rival holds another's first pick. And when it happens, it is usually a bottom-of-the-barrel team holding a top Cup contender's pick. In this case, the two teams are very close in the standings and on paper. Teams sometimes do desperate things when a rival holds the upcoming pick. That is what I want. But as long as we make the pick in either year, I am good.
Going to be interesting to see where the pens fall in the draft (definitely top 10 I would think) and if NYR keep their pick or send it to 2026
Either way, I think you need to find a way to get rid of Heinen, Acciari, and Nedjelkovic (frees up $6.75 mil). There is just no need for them on the team. Guys like Hayes and Lizotte are replaceable but with Ponomarev coming up next year either full time or call ups, you need to give him a chance to succeed. Have they said if he plans to be a 3rd or 4th line center? This puts you at 23 max roster spots. With contracts and retained salaries coming off the books, this gives you about 71.7ish million on the roster with about 23.8 million in cap space with 95.5 million for the cap. I gave raises to Tomasino, Dewar, and Timmins. For a that amount of cap space with 3 roster spots open, you can either try to make a run or continue the re-tool. Unfortunately I cant see Sullivan keeping young guys over Hayes but all it takes is for Jarry to have a good run and this team is playoff hockey accessible.
Trade: Heinen (2.25), Acciari (2), and Nedjelkovic (2.5)
Let walk: Nieto, Grzelcyk, and Joseph
Buyout: Johnson (.917)
Rakell (5) - Crosby (8.7) - Rust (5.125)
??? (???) - Malkin (6.1) - Tomasino (3?)
McGroarty (.950) - Novak (3.5) - Koivunen (.806)
Dewar (1.25?) - Lizotte (1.85) - ??? (???)
Extras: Hayes (3.58)
Call Ups: Ponomarev (.950?), Broz (.925), Poulin (.775)
??? (???) - Letang (6.1)
Pickering (.887) - Karlsson (10)
Graves (4.5) - Timmins (1.5?)
Extras: Shea (.900) and Kolyachonok (.775)
Call Ups: St. Ivany (.775)
Jarry (5.375)
Blomqvist (.887)
Call Ups: Larsson (.775)
As much as I want that third line to be a thing next season, it will never happen under Sullivan so we might as well accept it and move on. Next year's third line will be Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari and they will play more minutes than the Malkin line many nights.
I also think we can pencil in Shea and Grz...the Boston boys will all be back. We may be spared a Nieto, but a replacement will be found surely.
Our only hope is for Dubas to add veterans that are actually good players, because we cannot rely on Koivunen, Pickering, McGroarty, Ponomarev et al to make the team. Dubas will sign some innocuous AHL players as afterthoughts and fillers, and of course one of them will end up on Malkin's wing. This is what Mike Sullivan will always do. We need to be resigned to this fact.