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

[Unsustainable]

While I'm not thrilled about having Gardiner as an X-factor, it's worth considering that he may be a blessing in disguise. We are coming off losing TDA and Hamilton in consecutive years. Even if Gards is the #6 guy, at least he offers something that we're missing.

Someone here longer?

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

All that I will say is that I will laugh my butt off if both Bear and Gardiner have rebound seasons and we have the exact same regular season record as this past season. There's a reason that I have decided to consciously take a relaxed approach to offseasons since the infamous Ned/Dougie offseason. Canes seem very much like the kind of group that likes occasional turnover until they find their long-term cornerstones. This past season, we unearthed Kotkaniemi and Jarvis. Hopefully, one of them eventually becomes Scott Morrow and then we can relax about that RHD for a decade or so.

 

[tarheelhockey]

All that I will say is that I will laugh my butt off if both Bear and Gardiner have rebound seasons and we have the exact same regular season record as this past season. There's a reason that I have decided to consciously take a relaxed approach to offseasons since the infamous Ned/Dougie offseason. Canes seem very much like the kind of group that likes occasional turnover until they find their long-term cornerstones. This past season, we unearthed Kotkaniemi and Jarvis. Hopefully, one of them eventually becomes Scott Morrow and then we can relax about that RHD for a decade or so.

Depending on what the next week looks like, I think we just need to accept that this team isn't going to be the regular season powerhouse that we've gotten used to. We don't have the D group for that, we might be hurting for forward depth, and a hell of a lot is riding on two goalies who can't stay healthy.

The good news is, we don't have to be a regular season powerhouse to make a deep run.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Depending on what the next week looks like, I think we just need to accept that this team isn't going to be the regular season powerhouse that we've gotten used to. We don't have the D group for that, we might be hurting for forward depth, and a hell of a lot is riding on two goalies who can't stay healthy.

The good news is, we don't have to be a regular season powerhouse to make a deep run.

My thought was that the FO may compensate for the defensive hit with a bunch of forward additions. That IMO is a distinct possibility.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Depending on what the next week looks like, I think we just need to accept that this team isn't going to be the regular season powerhouse that we've gotten used to. We don't have the D group for that, we might be hurting for forward depth, and a hell of a lot is riding on two goalies who can't stay healthy.

The good news is, we don't have to be a regular season powerhouse to make a deep run.

Second half LY’s swoon is more worrisome and now we have lost productive players. However, it’s early yet and the roster is not set in stone. Will be interesting next few days.

 

[A Star is Burns]

 

[Lempo]

No Cotton?
No Warm?
No Lafontaine?

 

[A Star is Burns]

No Cotton?

No Warm Cotton Laf

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

So Cotton/LaFontaine/Warm were the only non-tenders. Basically two Francis draft picks and a UDFA. Pretty non-eventful RFA QO period LOL

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

The LaFontaine saga is so weird. What a bizarre mess.

So Cotton/LaFontaine/Warm were the only non-tenders. Basically two Francis draft picks and a UDFA. Pretty non-eventful RFA QO period LOL

I mean I know they were bad but I’d still say they were tenders at the end of the day. Better than an empty net.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

No Cotton?
No Warm?
No Lafontaine?

A year ago, many were worried that LaFontaine would go UFA at the end of his season. Well, they were right.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

The LaFontaine thing is so weird. What a bizarre mess.



I mean I know they were bad but I’d still say they were tenders at the end of the day. Better than an empty net.

LOL I meant non-tenders as in the MLB definition of a non-tender, aka. not tendered a contract. Also, the Laf situation wasn't a mess at all. Wolves still won a Calder Cup after all of it.

A year ago, many were worried that LaFontaine would go UFA at the end of his season. Well, they were right.

Well, worried is the wrong word, at least for me. I was simply interested in seeing as many goalies tested out as possible. Most were going to be duds, but it's nice to see that Makiniemi and Kochetkov both look like good farm hands.

 

[Lempo]

A year ago, many were worried that LaFontaine would go UFA at the end of his season. Well, they were right.

Same deal for College UFAs and no QO UFAs btw: if they now sign with someone, and don't qualify for UFA status at the end of that contract (=aren't 27), they will become RFAs to that team (if they get QOed). This is not a permanent change for UFA status for them, but only for the time being until and if they sign again.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Bear and Gardiner as the #4 and #5 or as 3rd pair at least at a $6.45 mil combined hit is not ideal.

Hoping this is preserving his rights in advance of a trade.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Bear and Gardiner as the #4 and #5 or as 3rd pair at least at a $6.45 mil combined hit is not ideal.

Hoping this is preserving his rights in advance of a trade.

The Bear situation is IMO insurance. Sure, they could get Klingberg, but they also probably won't and they'll still have Bear if all options fall apart.

 

[Lempo]

Bear and Gardiner as the #4 and #5 or as 3rd pair at least at a $6.45 mil combined hit is not ideal.

Hoping this is preserving his rights in advance of a trade.

I would bet that on July 13th, 12.01 pm, Bear has already signed his 1 x 2.4M and is eyeing at his next QO in summer 2023.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

The Bear situation is IMO insurance. Sure, they could get Klingberg, but they also probably won't and they'll still have Bear if all options fall apart.

Not comforting. Plans falling through is how they ended up with a $6 mil+ 4C last year.

 

[Svechhammer]

LaFontaine not getting a QO might just send that one Minnesota college hockey guy into a full blown meltdown

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Not comforting. Plans falling through is how they ended up with a $6 mil+ 4C last year.

$6M+ 4C does not tell the whole picture at all. That move was pretty clearly done as a way to both mess with Montreal and to secure their long-term Tro successor.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

The Bear situation is IMO insurance. Sure, they could get Klingberg, but they also probably won't and they'll still have Bear if all options fall apart.

So they still have a guy that couldn’t beat out Brendan Smith if all options fall apart?

I’m not worried about it. As in prior years, they will make more moves.

 

[htdoc]

Given how sweet a deal Slavin and Pesce are on compared to the teams with 9m d men... and that Skjei is right priced as top 4 dman, is not the end of the world if our 3rd pair did cost 6m+.. but I'm assuming that we aren't just going to sign bear and a top 1RD and go into the season with Gards/Bear as our everyday 3rd pairing...

So im assuming Bear doesn't hold out until a trade demand is met or assuming he doesn't sign an offer sheet for no compensation to us for not matching yet high enough in value we let him go, with those assumptions in mind,, a re-signed Bear i think means one of 3 things:

1) the plan is to use Bear as 1RD and we hope Gards can play the whole year as 3rd pairing LD... so we sign a defensive, physical d men for 3rd pair RD.... that is a bit scary for where we expect the offense to come from on the d side of things even with how much more scoring we saw from slavin/Pesce/skjei last year...

2) Bear slotted into 3rd pair RD and we are going to try really hard to trade Gards away both to clear cap space and to make room for full time defensive dman on the left side of the 3rd pair ala Cole signing last year and we still are looking for #1RD as well..

3) we plan upfront to spend a ton more on D and have a rotation /platoon of a physical defensive defenseman who can play both d sides to play full time with whomever is in there between Gards and Bear... so whomever is going gets to play with the defensive dman and the other sits between Gards and Bear...

I highly doubt we have a long term pairing of Gards/Bear for 5/6 dmam slots... just not a good combo on paper or based on previous viewings of each others playing..

I think there is a spot amongst the 7 total d on the daily roster for Chatfield as well after his extended audition last season and how he played when sent down to Chicago for the rest of the year...especially given his salary compared to the others and our cap situation... so unless we plan to have 8 d men on the roster and run a full 23 man roster all the time, I'm not sure we platoon Gards and Bear and also sign a high end physical defensive dman... not sure Chatfield can be the guy playing full time in the platoon im describing...

If we re-sign Bear, I think of the options above, I think it more likely that we try to find a way to trade Gards given the rest of the makeup of the d corps...

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Can’t wait for Free Agency, we’re getting Parise and Suter, aren’t we?

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Sonny Milano could be an interesting 3LW candidate - not qualified by Anaheim.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Sonny Milano could be an interesting 3LW candidate - not qualified by Anaheim.

He moved towards the top of my list immediately after I saw the news as the secondary addition to the forward group.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I don’t get it. Milano has never impressed me. Why should we try to acquire him? I didn’t watch as much of him in ANH, but was alway unimpressed.