All Purpose Trade/Roster Building Thread XII - The UFA frenzy aftermath

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

if this is true. we should do either of those. especially if its Philly's 2nd rounder (which will almost be a first) and then a B prospect for 50% retained McCabe.

I think that McCabe makes more sense for Toronto than Carolina. Toronto's far more cap-strapped (aka. are more willing to give up 1sts for cheap assets) and are more defense-needy than we are. Canes can get by with a much smaller add on the left side.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

if this is true. we should do either of those. especially if its Philly's 2nd rounder (which will almost be a first) and then a B prospect for 50% retained McCabe.

I give our 1st for McCabe at 50% in a damn heartbeat. 100%

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I think that McCabe makes more sense for Toronto than Carolina. Toronto's far more cap-strapped (aka. are more willing to give up 1sts for cheap assets) and are more defense-needy than we are. Canes can get by with a much smaller add on the left side.

I understand and asset management wise, its smarter to sign 3LDs. If we truly believe Nikishin is the guy and in all reality Skjei isn’t staying, McCabe isn’t a bad stop gap to make that transition happen. Pretty good skater, contributes on both ends.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I understand and asset management wise, its smarter to sign 3LDs. If we truly believe Nikishin is the guy and in all reality Skjei isn’t staying, McCabe isn’t a bad stop gap to make that transition happen. Pretty good skater, contributes on both ends.

I think that after Skjei (likely) gets a massive UFA contract in 2024, there should be plenty of ways to acquire a player that offseason with 1-2 years remaining on their contract as a Nikishin bridge. You don't need to spend a 1st for McCabe in order to make that transition. I would rather use that first as part of a goal-scorer's package.

 

[Sigurd]

If we actually DO get a big top 6 forward (Horvat, Meier, etc.), then there's a good chance we wouldn't even have a 1st round pick available in this year's draft anymore. So, it'd be harder to get the top tier LHD available for the 3rd pairing (Gavrikov, McCabe, etc.) and especially with so many teams having an interest in them, and likely having a 1st and a prospect, etc. they would offer in a potential bidding war. So, I'm thinking if we actually get a skilled top 6 forward, we'd have to set our sights a little lower for the 3rd pairing's LHD.

I just saw this top 30 trade target list that has a couple of defensemen of note in the context that I mentioned:

NHL Rumors: Timo Meier and the top NHL trade targets - NHL Rumors

Niko Mikkola (St. Louis). Pending UFA, $1.9 million AAV. Ranked 17 on the list FWIW.

Jaycob Megna (San Jose) one year left at a $762,500 AAV. Ranked 23 on the list.

With Megna, I remember someone in this topic saying before that we're more likely to get someone like him. Mikkola is a few years younger at 26 versus Megna at 30, and Mikkola is also Finnish (yet another possible Finn on our team). Right now, my concern looking at the two is Mikkola looks more likely to take penalty minutes, and we don't need that particularly in the playoffs. Not surprisingly, I am not familiar with them from viewing experience, etc. so I'm not sure which would be better for the "eye test" and if either are actually an improvement over CDH; maybe it'd be a wash. Regardless of whether there's an actual improvement over CDH or not, come playoff time, having that extra defensive depth for a possible injury would be huge to have someone not look like they're outmatched/out of place when plugged in.

*Edit* I forgot to mention that both Mikkola and Megna are big players at 6'4 and 6'6 respectively. That's a big plus for the playoffs even if they're not particularly physical (idk if they are) simply because they wouldn't be able to get pushed around easily.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I don’t see Mikkola as a good option for us. He is more of a Hakanpää add instead of getting a guy who can play up if needed.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

If we actually DO get a big top 6 forward (Horvat, Meier, etc.), then there's a good chance we wouldn't even have a 1st round pick available in this year's draft anymore. So, it'd be harder to get the top tier LHD available for the 3rd pairing (Gavrikov, McCabe, etc.) and especially with so many teams having an interest in them, and likely having a 1st and a prospect, etc. they would offer in a potential bidding war. So, I'm thinking if we actually get a skilled top 6 forward, we'd have to set our sights a little lower for the 3rd pairing's LHD.

I just saw this top 30 trade target list that has a couple of defensemen of note in the context that I mentioned:

NHL Rumors: Timo Meier and the top NHL trade targets - NHL Rumors

Niko Mikkola (St. Louis). Pending UFA, $1.9 million AAV. Ranked 17 on the list FWIW.

Jaycob Megna (San Jose) one year left at a $762,500 AAV. Ranked 23 on the list.

With Megna, I remember someone in this topic saying before that we're more likely to get someone like him. Mikkola is a few years younger at 26 versus Megna at 30, and Mikkola is also Finnish (yet another possible Finn on our team). Right now, my concern looking at the two is Mikkola looks more likely to take penalty minutes, and we don't need that particularly in the playoffs. Not surprisingly, I am not familiar with them from viewing experience, etc. so I'm not sure which would be better for the "eye test" and if either are actually an improvement over CDH; maybe it'd be a wash. Regardless of whether there's an actual improvement over CDH or not, come playoff time, having that extra defensive depth for a possible injury would be huge to have someone not look like they're outmatched/out of place when plugged in.

Megna would be my personal choice to acquire for the bottom pair. He can not only play an unusually large amount of minutes in a bottom-pair role (similar to Ian Cole), but he is massive at 6'6"/220 lbs. A 3rd pair of Megna-Chatfield would vault that 3rd pair to best-in-the-NHL status and would make for ideal injury replacements, on top of that. One nice thing about Megna, too, is that he's relatively physical and yet also doesn't take a lot of penalties (only 21 PIM so far this year).

 

[Sigurd]

I don’t see Mikkola as a good option for us. He is more of a Hakanpää add instead of getting a guy who can play up if needed.

Megna would be my personal choice to acquire for the bottom pair. He can not only play an unusually large amount of minutes in a bottom-pair role (similar to Ian Cole), but he is massive at 6'6"/220 lbs. A 3rd pair of Megna-Chatfield would vault that 3rd pair to best-in-the-NHL status and would make for ideal injury replacements, on top of that.

Based on both of your comments, sounds like Megna would be the much more preferred pick of the two. One clear positive with him is how cheap his contract is at $762,500 AAV compared to Mikkola's almost 2 million, or compared to some other defensemen that have been discussed as trade deadline targets.

Also, at his age, IF he does well for us, it probably wouldn't be as tough getting rid of him or re-signing him to a short contract and thus we'd have room for one of our top tier defensive prospects to break into/warm up to the league on the bottom pairing (more so Nishikin since he's a LHD iirc). His slightly older age and contract expectations means there's probably gonna be room by the time one of our D prospects make the lineup, and plus Megna could be a healthy scratch if we keep him with quite a few games in a season like Stepan, etc. as a vet guy.

I do like having a huge defenseman on the 3rd pairing though. One that is solid defensively and doesn't take many penalties preferably, but isn't afraid to step up to be a physical presence. Hopefully he's all that.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Based on both of your comments, sounds like Megna would be the much more preferred pick of the two. One clear positive with him is how cheap his contract is at $762,500 AAV compared to Mikkola's almost 2 million, or compared to some other defensemen that have been discussed as trade deadline targets.

Also, at his age, IF he does well for us, it probably wouldn't be as tough getting rid of him or re-signing him to a short contract and thus we'd have room for one of our top tier defensive prospects to break into/warm up to the league on the bottom pairing (more so Nishikin since he's a LHD iirc). His slightly older age and contract expectations means there's probably gonna be room by the time one of our D prospects make the lineup, and plus Megna could be a healthy scratch if we keep him with quite a few games in a season like Stepan, etc. as a vet guy.

I do like having a huge defenseman on the 3rd pairing though. One that is solid defensively and doesn't take many penalties preferably, but isn't afraid to step up to be a physical presence. Hopefully he's all that.

I don’t like Megna either. Huge guy but another Hakanpaa that I don’t think will fit with us. His numbers seem to be well propped up by Karlsson. Sj’s left side of the defense is soooo bad Megna has to play alongside Karlsson. His value will be higher than it should be.

I think we should be chasing a top 4 capable guy to make our defense 2 top pairs and a 2nd pair (if Chatfield can keep up his current play). But im usually wrong. None of my preferred defenders have either worked or happened.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I don’t like Megna either. Huge guy but another Hakanpaa that I don’t think will fit with us. His numbers seem to be well propped up by Karlsson. Sj’s left side of the defense is soooo bad Megna has to play alongside Karlsson. His value will be higher than it should be.

Being a Hakanpaa isn't a bad thing. He was only here for a few months but I genuinely thought that he gave the sort of physical edge that we lacked at the time. I think that Hakanpaa has proven since then during his time in Dallas that he is an NHL-quality defenseman when given more minutes.

Again, you're not acquiring Megna expecting him to play the role that he's playing in San Jose, but rather to be more like what Ian Cole was last year, AKA. a bottom-pair player that's capable of playing far more minutes than typically expected for such a player.

 

[bleedgreen]

Being a Hakanpaa isn't a bad thing. He was only here for a few months but I genuinely thought that he gave the sort of physical edge that we lacked at the time. I think that Hakanpaa has proven since then during his time in Dallas that he is an NHL-quality defenseman when given more minutes.

Again, you're not acquiring Megna expecting him to play the role that he's playing in San Jose, but rather to be more like what Ian Cole was last year, AKA. a bottom-pair player that's capable of playing far more minutes than typically expected for such a player.

Hakanpaa was a very good addition imo.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Being a Hakanpaa isn't a bad thing. He was only here for a few months but I genuinely thought that he gave the sort of physical edge that we lacked at the time. I think that Hakanpaa has proven since then during his time in Dallas that he is an NHL-quality defenseman when given more minutes.

Again, you're not acquiring Megna expecting him to play the role that he's playing in San Jose, but rather to be more like what Ian Cole was last year, AKA. a bottom-pair player that's capable of playing far more minutes than typically expected for such a player.

Hakanpää was a very meh addition, brought very little to the team including physicality. I was hoping for some but we got one open ice hit. Our system turned him into a pylon because he isn’t a good skater and couldn’t handle the speed. Edmundson but on the right side. At least Hakanpää didn’t cost much

 

[A Star is Burns]

I think Jani is a good player but wasn't a great fit. I guess if Megna was cheap, he's okay for depth, but count me among those that would aim higher and possibly a different style.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Hakanpää was a very meh addition, brought very little to the team including physicality. I was hoping for some but we got one open ice hit. Our system turned him into a pylon because he isn’t a good skater and couldn’t handle the speed. Edmundson but on the right side. At least Hakanpää didn’t cost much

Unless you're a unicorn like Hamilton or Burns, there's generally a trade-off between size and speed. In the postseason, where penalty calls are fewer and far between, the favorable balance tends to fall more towards size than speed.

 

[MadeUpName]

Megna would be my personal choice to acquire for the bottom pair. He can not only play an unusually large amount of minutes in a bottom-pair role (similar to Ian Cole), but he is massive at 6'6"/220 lbs. A 3rd pair of Megna-Chatfield would vault that 3rd pair to best-in-the-NHL status and would make for ideal injury replacements, on top of that. One nice thing about Megna, too, is that he's relatively physical and yet also doesn't take a lot of penalties (only 21 PIM so far this year).

At best you are minutely upgrading an above-average DeHaan-Chatfield pair. I don't see the appeal.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

At best you are minutely upgrading an above-average DeHaan-Chatfield pair. I don't see the appeal.

And significantly upgrading the injury reserve in a position that always gets injuries. I'd much rather have Megna, who's played top-4 minutes all year, move up the lineup when someone like Slavin goes down than Chatfield.

 

[MadeUpName]

And upgrading your injury reserves. I'd much rather have Megna, who's played top-4 minutes all year, move up the lineup when someone like Slavin goes down than Chatfield.

If Slavin goes down before/during the Playoffs then Carolina is completely done. Spending assets on Megna doesn't make that any rosier.

 

[Borsig]

I hate to say it but I think Boston could very well be the front-runners on a retained Horvat rental. After this year, they lose Bergeron and Krejci (most likely), leaving Coyle/Zacha as their default 1/2C. Unless they plan on blowing it up for a total rebuild, he'd give them the best chance at a last cup push, and time to evaluate resigning him as their 1C moving forward while they've still got Pasta/Bergeron.

Oh you know it
Just another reason to hate that fan base, team, and city.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Unless you're a unicorn like Hamilton or Burns, there's generally a trade-off between size and speed. In the postseason, where penalty calls are fewer and far between, the favorable balance tends to fall more towards size than speed.

So choose the speed decent size and decent speed. Trying to get one extreme that kills the fit of the player, what is the point?

 

[NotOpie]

Couple of things.....first on the Tuevo trade talk. Seems kind of silly given that he's put up 11 points in his last 15 games. Feels like he's rounding back into form.

Also, all this talk about Meier and Larkin and Horvat seems to leave out an obvious option on a team that's playing like ass right now. How about Patrik Laine. He's got 3 years left at $8.7 million after this season. Right shot blast that would immediately help the power play. While you'd likely have to pony up a significant batch of assets, the impact of adding a 24 year old sniper with term remaining would be huge.....this year and throughout this window. After looking at Columbus's roster, it doesn't appear they will be competing for a while. I'd easily move something like Two 1sts (2023 and 2025), Philly's 2023 3rd (almost a 2nd), and a very good prospect. If they wanted D, I'd feel out Morrow or Nikishin to see which is more likely to sign with us and trade the other. If they wanted O, then I'd offer up Gunler or Bokk. We'd still have one of our blue chip defense prospects.

Finally, I'm less concerned about the 2C position. I'm with @Boom Boom Apathy in that I'd move Kotkaniemi back there for a dozen games or so to see if it helped juice Svech and Necas. If not, then I'd try Tuevo Teravainen there. He's defensively responsible, has great vision and would be close to keeping up with his wingers. I seem to remember that he played some center in Liiga play and might have played a bit early in his Chicago career. I could be wrong on both counts as I'm old and often wrong. He does, however, win something like 2 out of 3 of every faceoff he takes when Aho gets booted.

Just some random thoughts from a guy who thinks we're close regardless.

 

[lakai17]

Of course we like the team. They're what, 2nd in points and leading a brutal Metro? Of course we like the team that got us those results.

But

We have $10m in cap space burning a hole in our pocket with more prospects than we have roster spots, and a current roster makeup that was forcing a $5m Teravainen to play 4th line mins as of a week ago. For a team that has been desperate to make a move for a legitimate top end scoring talent, the timing to make a move has never been better. We may like what we have, but we love the possibilities of what we could do with this opportunity.

You're right. You need depth come playoff time. Especially playoff time. It will do wonders going deep into the playoffs for the younger players. The time is now I agree.

 

[CanesFanBudMan]

What about Kuzmenko as a deadline target?

 

[Canes]

If Slavin goes down before/during the Playoffs then Carolina is completely done. Spending assets on Megna doesn't make that any rosier.

The idea that Jaycob Megna is going to make any difference in that case is laughable. Someone is just like JR, when he identifies a player he likes, he stops at nothing to pump his tires.

What about Kuzmenko as a deadline target?

Could be an interesting acquisition but he doesn't have much of a track record and will need a new contract next season. Canes probably aren't going to be his highest bidder.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Couple of things.....first on the Tuevo trade talk. Seems kind of silly given that he's put up 11 points in his last 15 games. Feels like he's rounding back into form.

Also, all this talk about Meier and Larkin and Horvat seems to leave out an obvious option on a team that's playing like ass right now. How about Patrik Laine. He's got 3 years left at $8.7 million after this season. Right shot blast that would immediately help the power play. While you'd likely have to pony up a significant batch of assets, the impact of adding a 24 year old sniper with term remaining would be huge.....this year and throughout this window. After looking at Columbus's roster, it doesn't appear they will be competing for a while. I'd easily move something like Two 1sts (2023 and 2025), Philly's 2023 3rd (almost a 2nd), and a very good prospect. If they wanted D, I'd feel out Morrow or Nikishin to see which is more likely to sign with us and trade the other. If they wanted O, then I'd offer up Gunler or Bokk. We'd still have one of our blue chip defense prospects.

Finally, I'm less concerned about the 2C position. I'm with @Boom Boom Apathy in that I'd move Kotkaniemi back there for a dozen games or so to see if it helped juice Svech and Necas. If not, then I'd try Tuevo Teravainen there. He's defensively responsible, has great vision and would be close to keeping up with his wingers. I seem to remember that he played some center in Liiga play and might have played a bit early in his Chicago career. I could be wrong on both counts as I'm old and often wrong. He does, however, win something like 2 out of 3 of every faceoff he takes when Aho gets booted.

Just some random thoughts from a guy who thinks we're close regardless.

Laine would be my #1 choice...but...Columbus JUST signed him for 4 years and they acquired Johnny Hockey, as well. I think that it's pretty clear that they see those two as part of the long-term core.

The idea that Jaycob Megna is going to make any difference in that case is laughable. Someone is just like JR, when he identifies a player he likes, he stops at nothing to pump his tires.

It's actually not a tire-pumping thing at all, at least with me. I just think that there's a specific player profile that the Canes seem to like very much in a trade acquisition, especially a relatively low-cost one, and all that I'm saying is that he checks a lot of boxes, at least in my eyes. Oesterle and Mikkola are other names that I've mentioned that also carve a similar profile for a bottom-pair lefty, but Megna IMO is the most intriguing name of the bunch for me. McCabe is IMO somewhat of an overkill for what the Canes truly need and it's far more likely that an uber-cap strapped and defensively-suspect group like Toronto will be the highest bidder.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

I don’t know about that. I get that Hagel and Middleton are fresh leaguewide, but they’ve brought in a lot of established NHL players coming off of or in close proximity to injury (Haula, Gardiner, Trocheck, Vatanen, Andersen, Pacioretty) or underperformance (Niederreiter, Dzingel, Skjei, Domi). What’s being described is more Tampa than Carolina.