Speculation: Armchair GM - 2025 Offseason Thread

[cbjthrowaway]

They obviously scored more than anyone else at 5v5. #1 in the league. My one big complaint is that they did so much of it on the rush, and it's the cycle game where the playoff scoring usually comes from. Are Marner and Ehlers going to help that much on the cycle?

jumping in to say this line of questioning tracks well to pocke cbj's post from earlier today, although he didn't mention specific targets.

they could certainly stand to score more on the cycle, but the directives for the offseason are (imo) broader than that. specifically:

1. become a better possession team
2. cultivate an identity

schumaker dives into the second point in the piece linked above, specifically what the pieces they have suggest the identity could look like.

personally, i think marner and ehlers are too good to not consider, even if the team wants to forge a heavier identity. dallas, florida and edmonton all have a ton of star power at the top of their forward groups. and team identities don't have to be rigid to the point where every player is stylistically similar.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

When I went through the list of teams that might be forced to rebuild at some point next season, several of the clubs have high profile goalies with big contracts. Sorokin, Shesterkin, Saros, Swayman, etc... I'm a believer in some of those guys, particular Sorokin and Shesterkin, but I also believe that Jet Greaves has high upside and is maybe ready to be a #1. I'd like to run with Jet and see where that goes.

the best option would be greaves + a stable veteran who doesn't break the bank. that said, man i am intrigued by swayman. that boston team was a wreck this year.

The case for us making a strong offer to Marchand is very good. We need what he has to teach and provide on the ice and we are in a great position to make a short term overpay. It's just not that realistic that he would go to a team this young, so I'm not going to get too far into it.

if marchand wins a cup with florida this year, i think he 100% considers joining columbus if it means more money. they could also do a handshake agreement along the lines of "if we're not in the thick of it, we'll retain and move you to a team that has a shot to win another one"

 

[NotWendell]

Marchand, like Tom Wilson, is one of those guys I hate, but would love on our team.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

You think we fall out of the playoff picture if we wait through the first half of the season?

Probably not but not impossible. I mean, they’ve done that in like 3 of the last 5 years.

How would you characterize what the issues with our forward group were this past season?

They obviously scored more than anyone else at 5v5. #1 in the league. My one big complaint is that they did so much of it on the rush, and it's the cycle game where the playoff scoring usually comes from. Are Marner and Ehlers going to help that much on the cycle?

I agree that we need to be a better cycle team and a better team in the net front with tips and such. Did anyone other than JVR have a deflection goal? Didnt feel like it.

But I don’t know if signing two fossils will help that very much. Especially when both players are showed significant signs of fall off. Nyquist last year, JVR the year prior. JVR did catch lightning in a bottle and I’d be open to bringing him back, but I don’t know if adding two cycle guys to a rush team will suddenly make them a better cycle team.

 

[MoeBartoli]

I’ve already explained how Waddell hasn’t exactly been a mystery box since he’s been here. Flat out said he’d only move 4th overall for an impact player and he was trying to get Necas with it, said they’d deal Laine and it would be ideal if it was before camp (and did it before camp), said he’d look to move Jiricek (and did), said he wanted a top 6 forward (didn’t do it but did get Kunin), said he’d keep Olivier, etc

The only time he’s “deceived” the public was when he said he wasn’t a believer in spending big in UFA and then turned around and signed Monahan a day or so later.

With the goalie market being what it is, unless a move comes that nobody expects, it would probably make our situation in net worse if Elvis was bought out/traded.

He did sign Monahan, but at $5.5AAV is wasn’t a huge spend. He saw a need and a - IMO - a below market price signing (which has so far proven correct).

 

[CBJWerenski8]

He did sign Monahan, but at $5.5AAV is wasn’t a huge spend. He saw a need and a - IMO - a below market price signing (which has so far proven correct).

Player Discussion: Thread 'Sean Monahan'

Jul 1, 2024

• DarkandStormy
• Replies: 289
• Forum: Columbus Blue Jackets

That’s not what people were saying at the time of signing. Me included.

 

[majormajor]

I agree that we need to be a better cycle team and a better team in the net front with tips and such. Did anyone other than JVR have a deflection goal? Didnt feel like it.

Jenner added a pile right away, I can remember Sillinger with one or two. Kuraly and Olivier. Our top line was great with cycling and all three had some tip goals.

I think we're okay with scoring those types of goals when we do get going on the cycle. It's just about maintaining the cycle, too many guys are giving pucks away because they don't know what to do.

But I don’t know if signing two fossils will help that very much. Especially when both players are showed significant signs of fall off. Nyquist last year, JVR the year prior. JVR did catch lightning in a bottle and I’d be open to bringing him back, but I don’t know if adding two cycle guys to a rush team will suddenly make them a better cycle team.

Nyquist had 75 pts a year ago and JVR had at one point like 19 pts in 20 games in the middle of our season. I think these guys can still do it in spurts if they have rest. Perhaps we'll get 50 games and 20 or 30 points from each of them.

They're both good on the cycle and what they can offer is also about teaching. Put them with Fantilli and KJ and show them how to work the puck around the boards and buy time for each other. Don't rush low percentage chances.

 

[stevo61]

Boston gave Sweeney 2 more years. Noone knows what Boston will do, including the people in charge there

 

[majormajor]

Dallas has so many soft players compared to Edmonton.

Guys like Robertson and Marchment look like big loaves of bread getting carved up by Podkolzin, Brown, etc... There's a big contrast between how much Dallas' depth forwards outscored the Oilers depth in the regular season and how the Oilers depth is winning all of the puck battles in the playoffs.

I'd love us to get one or two Connor Brown types with outstanding speed and workrate.

Dallas to me needs to bounce Seguin and Benn back to the fourth line and Duchene down to 3C where they can get easier matchups and not get crushed by more competitive players. Trade Jason Robertson as soon as possible and get a Bennett/Kadri type 2C who has high compete.

Boston gave Sweeney 2 more years. Noone knows what Boston will do, including the people in charge there

It's that familiar conundrum where they have to credibly add or Pastrnak and McAvoy might be asking for a change of scenery. They're going to go in to the summer and try and convince the top UFAs to go there. If that doesn't work, and maybe even if it does, I could see things getting ugly in Boston by mid-season and Pastrnak and McAvoy ask out of the rebuild.

Maybe I'm wrong and they'll figure out long before July 1st that they should rebuild. But teams don't seem to do that until they've already reached rock bottom for a long period of time.

 

[stevo61]

Dallas has so many soft players compared to Edmonton.

Guys like Robertson and Marchment look like big loaves of bread getting carved up by Podkolzin, Brown, etc... There's a big contrast between how much Dallas' depth forwards outscored the Oilers depth in the regular season and how the Oilers depth is winning all of the puck battles in the playoffs.

I'd love us to get one or two Connor Brown types with outstanding speed and workrate.

Dallas to me needs to bounce Seguin and Benn back to the fourth line and Duchene down to 3C where they can get easier matchups and not get crushed by more competitive players. Trade Jason Robertson as soon as possible and get a Bennett/Kadri type 2C who has high compete.



It's that familiar conundrum where they have to credibly add or Pastrnak and McAvoy might be asking for a change of scenery. They're going to go in to the summer and try and convince the top UFAs to go there. If that doesn't work, and maybe even if it does, I could see things getting ugly in Boston by mid-season and Pastrnak and McAvoy ask out of the rebuild.

Maybe I'm wrong and they'll figure out long before July 1st that they should rebuild. But teams don't seem to do that until they've already reached rock bottom for a long period of time.

Maybe they can find some penalty killers

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

I've been thinking about it. He'll probably be signing somewhere for 7 years and might not have half that many years left in him. But he's a good player and we need RD. Very unsure about this one.

The thought has occurred to me too. If his market value is something like a 7×$7M, would he accept something like 5×$9.5M instead? The term, particularly in relation to his health, is indeed the issue there more than anything else.

 

[majormajor]

The thought has occurred to me too. If his market value is something like a 7×$7M, would he accept something like 5×$9.5M instead? The term, particularly in relation to his health, is indeed the issue there more than anything else.

Funny enough the 5 x $9.5m figure is exactly what I imagined it might take. Though I think the long term figure over 7 years is still probably well above $7m.

I hope we have the option to do short term overpays but realistically, whether ownership just doesn't want to do it, or it's the FO, or the player doesn't want to do it, either way, it rarely happens.

 

[koteka]

whether ownership just doesn't want to do it,

You’ve brought up the overall economy recently (and I agree with you), but another important factor to the CBJ specifically, is economic forecasts of Worthington Steel and Worthington Enterprises in particular. How do tariffs impact them? I am sure they have inputs that they import, but they also sell their products to companies that import other parts of what they manufacture. Let’s assume Worthington Steel sells steel to a company that imports electronics parts from China - if the price of the electronics parts goes up and the other company raises prices and sells fewer products, that is going to lower the company’s demand for steel from Worthington Steel.

Interestingly, the stock prices of McConnell’s two companies have been moving in opposite directions since the beginning of the year.

 

[alphafox]

Funny enough the 5 x $9.5m figure is exactly what I imagined it might take. Though I think the long term figure over 7 years is still probably well above $7m.

I hope we have the option to do short term overpays but realistically, whether ownership just doesn't want to do it, or it's the FO, or the player doesn't want to do it, either way, it rarely happens.

I think I would go even shorter and higher. We have a ton of cap space for the next few years unless we do go after a couple of major players. Ekblad at 10.5x3 gives him another legit shot a last contract with term in the new salary cap era. If I was him I would happily take a shot at that plus another 5+ year deal in a world where bottom tier defenseman are going to be making 5 million per.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell Talks 2025 NHL Combine & Offseason Updates - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell stopped by to discuss the upcoming NHL Combine and gave some offseason updates of note.

thehockeywriters.com

• Waddell said he was planning on meeting with Ivan Provorov’s agent at the Combine. Both the team and the player are interested in getting a deal done.
• Waddell said he also had some talks with Dante Fabbro. “They are both willing to talk and both want to stay here,” Waddell said of Provorov and Fabbro. “Both players told me at the exit interviews that they want to be Blue Jackets. So we’re going to see everything possibly that makes sense for both sides.”
• James van Riemsdyk recently said on Spittin’ Chiclets that he’d be interested in staying with the Blue Jackets also. “I talked with JVR and told him just to hang tight. Let’s see how things transpire again. I told him the same thing I told you. I haven’t had a good chance to sit down with Dean and go through all the guys. I can’t tell you for sure it’s going to happen but we’ll certainly talk about it for sure.”
• Waddell reiterated he doesn’t anticipate using any buyouts this offseason. That’s a good sign Elvis Merzlikins will be back with the Blue Jackets barring a trade.
• On offer sheets, Waddell believes there will be some league wide. But he is not worried at all about anyone presenting him with an offer sheet on one of his players. “We have a ton of cap space.”
• On the goaltending, Waddell said he is still interested in potentially bringing Daniil Tarasov back. However, it’s still up in the air. “I actually called his agent, the same as Fabbro’s, the other day. Just said let’s just put it on hold for night now and there’s no rush to get that done. He’s got arbitration rights but I don’t think that makes much of a difference right now. I said let’s get through the next month here and we’ll talk more about him. So I haven’t made a final decision either direction on that yet.”
• Waddell believes that Damon Severson can get back on track after a rough end to 2024-25. When asked if he’s still a key part of the team moving forward, “He has to be. He had some good periods this year and some periods that didn’t go so well. He’s a guy we need to get back on track and I fully believe we can. We’re going to take the summer to make sure that the communication is good and that he prepares himself for camp that he could prove that he can be a top-four guy.”
• Yegor Chinakhov has one year left on his deal. With some rumors out there that he could be included in a potential trade, it seems like Waddell’s priority is to make sure the player stays healthy. “He’s got the skill. He skates. He shoots the puck. The last few years, he’s had some injuries so that’s a concern obviously. He’s got another year left so we got to try to figure out the best way to keep him healthy and get the most out of him for sure.”

 

[EspenK]

^^^^^^^^^

So the team will be the same next year...

 

[MoeBartoli]

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell Talks 2025 NHL Combine & Offseason Updates - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell stopped by to discuss the upcoming NHL Combine and gave some offseason updates of note.

thehockeywriters.com

• Waddell said he was planning on meeting with Ivan Provorov’s agent at the Combine. Both the team and the player are interested in getting a deal done.
• Waddell said he also had some talks with Dante Fabbro. “They are both willing to talk and both want to stay here,” Waddell said of Provorov and Fabbro. “Both players told me at the exit interviews that they want to be Blue Jackets. So we’re going to see everything possibly that makes sense for both sides.”
• James van Riemsdyk recently said on Spittin’ Chiclets that he’d be interested in staying with the Blue Jackets also. “I talked with JVR and told him just to hang tight. Let’s see how things transpire again. I told him the same thing I told you. I haven’t had a good chance to sit down with Dean and go through all the guys. I can’t tell you for sure it’s going to happen but we’ll certainly talk about it for sure.”
• Waddell reiterated he doesn’t anticipate using any buyouts this offseason. That’s a good sign Elvis Merzlikins will be back with the Blue Jackets barring a trade.
• On offer sheets, Waddell believes there will be some league wide. But he is not worried at all about anyone presenting him with an offer sheet on one of his players. “We have a ton of cap space.”
• On the goaltending, Waddell said he is still interested in potentially bringing Daniil Tarasov back. However, it’s still up in the air. “I actually called his agent, the same as Fabbro’s, the other day. Just said let’s just put it on hold for night now and there’s no rush to get that done. He’s got arbitration rights but I don’t think that makes much of a difference right now. I said let’s get through the next month here and we’ll talk more about him. So I haven’t made a final decision either direction on that yet.”
• Waddell believes that Damon Severson can get back on track after a rough end to 2024-25. When asked if he’s still a key part of the team moving forward, “He has to be. He had some good periods this year and some periods that didn’t go so well. He’s a guy we need to get back on track and I fully believe we can. We’re going to take the summer to make sure that the communication is good and that he prepares himself for camp that he could prove that he can be a top-four guy.”
• Yegor Chinakhov has one year left on his deal. With some rumors out there that he could be included in a potential trade, it seems like Waddell’s priority is to make sure the player stays healthy. “He’s got the skill. He skates. He shoots the puck. The last few years, he’s had some injuries so that’s a concern obviously. He’s got another year left so we got to try to figure out the best way to keep him healthy and get the most out of him for sure.”

Thanks for posting your summary. But I can’t express how bummed I am with him indicating he’s looking to bring back our two bottom ranking netminders. This doesn’t make me optimistic about next year.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Thanks for posting your summary. But I can’t express how bummed I am with him indicating he’s looking to bring back our two bottom ranking netminders. This doesn’t make me optimistic about next year.

Meh. I'm more concerned about the potential lack of defense changes with the hopes that Severson rebounds while potentially keeping Provorov and Fabbro. All of that sounds like the D will basically be the same which I think is a bigger issue than the goaltending.

I still think Tarasov is gone. Even if we resign him and he comes back to camp, He'll still have to be top notch the keep Jet off the roster. That would be a good problem to have but the chances that happens fall between slim and none.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

• Waddell said he was planning on meeting with Ivan Provorov’s agent at the Combine. Both the team and the player are interested in getting a deal done.
• Waddell said he also had some talks with Dante Fabbro. “They are both willing to talk and both want to stay here,” Waddell said of Provorov and Fabbro. “Both players told me at the exit interviews that they want to be Blue Jackets. So we’re going to see everything possibly that makes sense for both sides.”
• James van Riemsdyk recently said on Spittin’ Chiclets that he’d be interested in staying with the Blue Jackets also. “I talked with JVR and told him just to hang tight. Let’s see how things transpire again. I told him the same thing I told you. I haven’t had a good chance to sit down with Dean and go through all the guys. I can’t tell you for sure it’s going to happen but we’ll certainly talk about it for sure.

Ugh. It sounds like Provorov is a bigger priority than Fabbro. That’s so maddening.

Sounds like JVR is a fallback plan if they miss out on their initial targets.

Waddell reiterated he doesn’t anticipate using any buyouts this offseason. That’s a good sign Elvis Merzlikins will be back with the Blue Jackets barring a trade.

hopefully that puts you bed any of that speculation.

Yegor Chinakhov has one year left on his deal. With some rumors out there that he could be included in a potential trade, it seems like Waddell’s priority is to make sure the player stays healthy. “He’s got the skill. He skates. He shoots the puck. The last few years, he’s had some injuries so that’s a concern obviously. He’s got another year left so we got to try to figure out the best way to keep him healthy and get the most out of him for sure.”

sounds like he doesn’t anticipate him having much of a market so it’s better to try to save the asset by helping him rebound with you.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

Ugh. It sounds like Provorov is a bigger priority than Fabbro. That’s so maddening.

I'm not sure I would consider one a priority over the other except one had their bullet point listed first. I just took it as he's speaking with both of them.

As I read it, he's already talked to Fabbro's agent but is planning to speak with Provorov's agent next week.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I'm not sure I would consider one a priority over the other except one had their bullet point listed first. I just took it as he's speaking with both of them.

As I read it, he's already talked to Fabbro's agent but is planning to speak with Provorov's agent next week.

He’s planning on meeting provorov’s agent in person at the combine, yet there’s only been “some talks” with Fabbro.

 

[majormajor]

I haven’t had a good chance to sit down with Dean and go through all the guys.

Waddell always says stuff like this and it makes me wonder what he does all day. Is it that hard to have a meeting with Deano? It seems odd that he doesn't know about JVR yet.

It's really good that he had some talks with Fabbro. It's funny though that the Fabbro topic is yet again folded into the Provorov topic. I continue to hope that they remain far apart on term with Provorov, there's no fit here. And I hope that the indifference to Fabbro is just a tactic and not genuine ignorance. Obviously Waddell can't say "wow this guy is important for us, he's really got us by the balls", but he should be thinking that.

 

[majormajor]

Thanks for posting your summary. But I can’t express how bummed I am with him indicating he’s looking to bring back our two bottom ranking netminders. This doesn’t make me optimistic about next year.

They can be #2 and #3 behind Jet, are they any worse than the free agents you can expect to get for those roles?

Ugh. It sounds like Provorov is a bigger priority than Fabbro. That’s so maddening.

Perhaps Waddell "hasn't had a chance to sit down with his analytics team yet".

Sounds like JVR is a fallback plan if they miss out on their initial targets.

That's probably what's going on, yes. It's a little too hard to believe that he doesn't know where Deano stands on it.

I'm not sure I would consider one a priority over the other except one had their bullet point listed first. I just took it as he's speaking with both of them.

It's been persistently done that way, I think in both the Portzline and Scheig articles, probably Hedger too but I don't remember exactly. And in the interviews I've watched. Waddell might be asked about Provorov more, but he's also willing to say more on that topic.

 

[stevo61]

Waddell always says stuff like this and it makes me wonder what he does all day. Is it that hard to have a meeting with Deano? It seems odd that he doesn't know about JVR yet.

It's really good that he had some talks with Fabbro. It's funny though that the Fabbro topic is yet again folded into the Provorov topic. I continue to hope that they remain far apart on term with Provorov, there's no fit here. And I hope that the indifference to Fabbro is just a tactic and not genuine ignorance. Obviously Waddell can't say "wow this guy is important for us, he's really got us by the balls", but he should be thinking that.

Dean is with team Canada? Has a little bit going on right now

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Just FYI I’m liking posts in this sub-topic because I agree with the interpretation not necessarily with Waddell’s assumed positions.