Speculation: Armchair GM - 2025 Offseason Thread

[CBJWerenski8]

What Waddell has said about Severson or Olivier is not comparable to what he said about Elvis, JVR, Provorov, Fabbro or Danforth. Why are we trying so hard to invalidate his words?

"He's going to be a Blue Jacket" and "He isn't going anywhere" are pretty cut and dried to me.

Whereas comments like "He won more games for us", "He's been a good veteran for us" and "We've had talks with his agent" leave much more room for interpretation.

Of the two (Elvis and Severson) the one where he has opened up the possibility of change is definitely Elvis. That one, like you said, has some wiggle room in his own words.

However, he’s pretty cut and dry said Severson will be here. So people should probably prepare themselves for that.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I will only say that I will be disappointed if that's how it plays out. I certainly am not going to go out and say they will both be gone, but, as a fan, it just feels like that's not a step towards improvement and winning the cup. Granted the contract situation for both could dictate your statement becoming true. They may not have any market without the CBJ doing something completely painful and regrettable to move them. I'm just saying I will be disappointed and I DON'T expect both to return.

In a league where all contracts are guaranteed (unlike the NFL) its not as easy to get rid of people and the buyout penalties are crippling in many circumstances.

Severson's buyout would hurt this team for a decade+. Elvis is not as bad and better than last year where a buyout was crippling but you also have to ask yourself if there is a better option out there where we can be better next season AND not worry about the lost cap room in years 3-4.

We have over 65 million in cap space available next year before resigning anybody that needs it. We may not NEED to buy anyone out.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

With Elvis it's a little bit different because it has long been established that the player and team were trying to part ways.

And that was before DW who came in with an open mind and literally by every account said he was a good teammate yet this old narrative won't die even though Jarmo isn't here anymore.

 

[majormajor]

And that was before DW who came in with an open mind and literally by every account said he was a good teammate yet this old narrative won't die even though Jarmo isn't here anymore.

That's interesting, DW actually told Elvis last summer to focus on being a better teammate. If only he knew that it was all made up and Elvis was a great teammate all along, he wouldn't have wasted his breath!

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

That's interesting, DW actually told Elvis last summer to focus on being a better teammate. If only he knew that it was all made up and Elvis was a great teammate all along, he wouldn't have wasted his breath!

So if it changed this season why keep bringing it up? DW gave him a clean slate to work with.

Also, I will die on the hill that Jarmo was the bigger problem in the locker room with players.

 

[thebus88]

That's interesting, DW actually told Elvis last summer to focus on being a better teammate. If only he knew that it was all made up and Elvis was a great teammate all along, he wouldn't have wasted his breath!

It’s 2+ (mostly separate) “cores” of players that are the problem, not our hypothetical superstar, self described “starting goalie”.

 

[stevo61]

So if it changed this season why keep bringing it up? DW gave him a clean slate to work with.

Also, I will die on the hill that Jarmo was the bigger problem in the locker room with players.

Jarmo was a boss who just tried to collect talent. There is good and bad with that obviously. In the end he made a bad move (forced into by some degree) and compounded it by doubling down

I really like Waddell's more personal feel, especially now when this particular team needed it more than normal. I hope moving forward though that it hasn't become too much to overcome where he's scared to move players because of it. I applaud him for letting them make their push this season but it's gotta get back to buisness moving forward in terms of trying to ice the best team possible

 

[thebus88]

So if it changed this season why keep bringing it up? DW gave him a clean slate to work with.

Also, I will die on the hill that Jarmo was the bigger problem in the locker room with players.

WHAT changed? Serious question.

You, and we as fans, get essentially ZERO “in depth” information from the media. And any/all information we HAVE gotten paints Elvis as bad as anybody, other than the Footes and the Carters of the world.


Thinking Jarmo has that much impact on the player’s, or they have such strong feelings towards him is ridiculous, IMO. Other than the disdain they could feel towards him by bringing in and building the team behind the players that have such a negative impact on the “locker room”. But, the players are the ones making the (negative) impact.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Jarmo was a boss who just tried to collect talent. There is good and bad with that obviously. In the end he made a bad move (forced into by some degree) and compounded it by doubling down

I really like Waddell's more personal feel, especially now when this particular team needed it more than normal. I hope moving forward though that it hasn't become too much to overcome where he's scared to move players because of it. I applaud him for letting them make their push this season but it's gotta get back to buisness moving forward in terms of trying to ice the best team possible

Yes. I don't think this was an issue in Carolina so I'm not concerned. I also think he used this full season to judge players based on what they did this year and isn't concerned about what happened before him just as he said he would at the start of the season.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

WHAT changed? Serious question.

You, and we as fans, get essentially ZERO “in depth” information from the media. And any/all information we HAVE gotten paints Elvis as bad as anybody, other than the Footes and the Carters of the world.


Thinking Jarmo has that much impact on the player’s, or they have such strong feelings towards him is ridiculous, IMO. Other than the disdain they could feel towards him by bringing in and building the team behind the players that have such a negative impact on the “locker room”. But, the players are the ones making the (negative) impact.

Yes. I get it. you hate Elvis.

 

[stevo61]

Yes. I don't think this was an issue in Carolina so I'm not concerned. I also think he used this full season to judge players based on what they did this year and isn't concerned about what happened before him just as he said he would at the start of the season.

He talked about being in the locker room a lot more than normal, I think he feared what the Gaudreau tragedy could do to a team, especially one with so many young players. Yeah he evaluated but I think it was more to let them work through it together, see how they dealt with it and the fact they came out the other side blowing up expectations was a bonus that made it easier for him to leave it alone for now

 

[thebus88]

Nobody can tell me that Fabbro or Provorov are better hockey player than Severson.

I’ll die on that hill, if that’s what we’re doing. Would be a fun summer thread.

 

[stevo61]

Nobody can tell me that Fabbro or Provorov are better hockey player than Severson.

I’ll die on that hill, if that’s what we’re doing. Would be a fun summer thread.

Yeah yeah, we know we can't change your mind on any topic

 

[thebus88]

Yes. I get it. you hate Elvis.

Sure, I HATE that he’s been given/handed the role as “starting goalie” for the Columbus Blue Jackets, as he’s had a HUGE role in them having their worst stretch in franchise history.

I’m also trending much closer to “correct”, than I am “hater”, when it comes to Elvis Merzlikins, let’s try to not forget that, before we attempt to dismiss my opinions, eh?

 

[majormajor]

So if it changed this season why keep bringing it up? DW gave him a clean slate to work with.

I didn't bring it up. I don't think anyone did. The issues Elvis has/had that called for a change of scenery at one point included his rough relations with teammates but it transcended that, I shouldn't have to remind you about Matiss' passing and Elvis' PTSD about explosions and his on and off trade requests and he and his wife feuding with some nasty fans. You pretend like none of that happened.

Also, I will die on the hill that Jarmo was the bigger problem in the locker room with players.

What does Jarmo have to do with Elvis' relationships with his teammates? You shouldn't need a GM to help you with that.

In any case, I suspect that what really brought Elvis back into the fold was the collective grief after we lost Johnny. They grieved together and not just one guy grieving his closest friend. I imagine they understood Elvis better.

 

[CarolinaBlueJacket]

I dreamt last night that both Fabbro and Provorov walked via FA, and our D was suddenly frighteningly bad. For what it’s worth. lol

I had a dream last night that my basement flooded. I live in NC, we don't have basements. I believe both of our dreams are equally true

 

[spintheblackcircle]

Nobody can tell me that Fabbro or Provorov are better hockey player than Severson.

Even though Severson has been trying to tell everybody?

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Sure, I HATE that he’s been given/handed the role as “starting goalie” for the Columbus Blue Jackets, as he’s had a HUGE role in them having their worst stretch in franchise history.

I’m also trending much closer to “correct”, than I am “hater”, when it comes to Elvis Merzlikins, let’s try to not forget that, before we attempt to dismiss my opinions, eh?

Let's talk about when old men yell at the clouds.

When all they do is yell, it gets tuned out. If you want your criticisms to be heard maybe say something nice once in a while.

Nobody likes being yelled at constantly. It doesn't matter if you are right or wrong. Although I've never seen you admit to being wrong. Your hate is driven by your constant desire to be proven right even if you are wrong part of the time.

We ALL know Elvis is not perfect but you treat him like he's the spawn of Satan with absolutely zero redeeming qualities as a human. For all I know you could be like the guy in Cleveland who told Jarrell Duran he should have killed himself when he was literally open about mental health struggles and contemplated suicide.

I'd be much more willing to accept your opinion if you were open to both sides of the equation.

I admit when I'm wrong. It's called humility. You should try it sometime and accept that Elvis is not always to blame even if there are situations where he is.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I didn't bring it up. I don't think anyone did. The issues Elvis has/had that called for a change of scenery at one point included his rough relations with teammates but it transcended that, I shouldn't have to remind you about Matiss' passing and Elvis' PTSD about explosions and his on and off trade requests and he and his wife feuding with some nasty fans. You pretend like none of that happened.



What does Jarmo have to do with Elvis' relationships with his teammates? You shouldn't need a GM to help you with that.

In any case, I suspect that what really brought Elvis back into the fold was the collective grief after we lost Johnny. They grieved together and not just one guy grieving his closest friend. I imagine they understood Elvis better.

You were referencing the trade request, which was prompted by Jarmo and PV demoting him to 3rd string goalie even though he was the best playing goalie on the team at the time and then Jarmo embarrassing him in the media, which led to Elvis responding in the media. That's where Jarmo came into this conversation.

I feel like we've had this discussion before but management on this team did not create a good working environments for the employees. I blame Jarmo and JD for that but mostly Jarmo because the sh*t hit the fan after JD left and he was kind of an absentee President when he came back.

DW is night and day different than Jarmo when it comes to dealing with people and I think the players appreciate that.

 

[majormajor]

You were referencing the trade request, which was prompted by Jarmo and PV demoting him to 3rd string goalie even though he was the best playing goalie on the team at the time and then Jarmo embarrassing him in the media, which led to Elvis responding in the media. That's where Jarmo came into this conversation.

You're talking about one of many flashpoints with Elvis, that was neither the beginning or end of it.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

You're talking about one of many flashpoints with Elvis, that was neither the beginning or end of it.

But yet once again. DW came in and gave him a clean slate and there were no issues and has been clearly stated as such. Sometimes you need to let the past be the past.

Otherwise what is the point of someone trying to improve themselves if the past is continually held against them even if they were right or wrong. You want to judge him on stopping goals, fine. Thats a valid criticism. You want to keep calling him a bad teammate it's becoming a stretch. I'm a much different person in my 40's than I was in my 30's and even more so than my 20's.

If he was an A-hole causing problems this season you'd have a point but his only issue this season was consistency stopping pucks. I believe even DW said this was the tightest locker room he's ever been around. If the players in the locker room can move past it why can't fans? As a fan, he came across to me as one of the nicest people I've ever met. Once randomly in public a few years ago right before Matiss passed and this past season at the STH appreciation night.

If we move on from him, it's because we found a clear upgrade at stopping pucks, not because he was a jerk in the locker room regardless of whatever interactions occurred in the past.

 

[majormajor]

But yet once again. DW came in and gave him a clean slate and there were no issues and has been clearly stated as such. Sometimes you need to let the past be the past.

Yes, let the past be the past.

But don't pretend it was any different than it was. Just change the future.

I thought I was stating something a bit obvious that Waddell to some extent doesn't need to dance around the topic of Elvis potentially being moved because it has been a topic for years now. In that way, it is different than how he might handle talking about a player like Severson.

That comment is about a topic being prevalent in the media and in fan discussions for several years, it is not a comment about any of the reasons why Elvis was in those discussions.

Otherwise what is the point of someone trying to improve themselves if the past is continually held against them even if they were right or wrong. You want to judge him on stopping goals, fine. Thats a valid criticism. You want to keep calling him a bad teammate it's becoming a stretch.

I'm not holding the past against him, if he's a great teammate now then that's great. I didn't say anything about his current qualities as a teammate. Or his past qualities either, until you made some assertions on that which contradicted years of reporting.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Two potential targets that we could maybe ask about is Vegas’ Zach Whitecloud or Nic Hague.

The knights only have about 10 mill in space (rounding up), and have Jack Eichel expiring after next year. They’ll need money to sign him, and fill in some of their depth (currently expected to lose Smith, Saad, Olofsson, etc). And obviously they have to do a big splash almost every offseason.

Hague will be an RFA with arb rights this summer.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Two potential targets that we could maybe ask about is Vegas’ Zach Whitecloud or Nic Hague.

The knights only have about 10 mill in space (rounding up), and have Jack Eichel expiring after next year. They’ll need money to sign him, and fill in some of their depth (currently expected to lose Smith, Saad, Olofsson, etc). And obviously they have to do a big splash almost every offseason.

Hague will be an RFA with arb rights this summer.

I've been mentioning Whitecloud for a couple offseasons but this is probably a better position to add him than previously.

 

[koteka]

I've been mentioning Whitecloud for a couple offseasons but this is probably a better position to add him than previously.

If he comes to Columbus will he have to change his name to Graycloud to fit in? Not many white clouds in Columbus but we do have plenty of dreary gray clouds.