Speculation: Armchair GM - 2026 CBJ Offseason Roster Moves, Rumors, and Discussion

[majormajor]

He’s not worth a 1st, let alone a 14oa straight up but DeBrusk checks a lot of the boxes off that needs to play with Fantilli. What Fantilli/marchenko really need is someone who can retrieve pucks and keep up with their speed.

Would maybe a 1st round swap with Vancouver and blues second do the job?

My recollection of Debrusk ( I certainly wasn't watching much Vancouver this year) is that he is not much of a retriever or playmaker. He's a finisher. So he's not ideal for fetching pucks and setting up Fantilli.

Either way I wouldn't swap 1sts or trade any assets of note for him.

 

[koteka]

Here is a curveball that nobody is talking about. What if we traded Jet Greaves?


-I feel this is extremely unlikely but...
-His value is high right now coming off Worlds.
-As an RFA, We will want a bridge deal, esp with the Russians in the pipeline.
- What if Jet doesn't want a bridge deal?
- He has arbitration rights but that doesn't benefit anyone.
- Obviously we would need to find a veteran UFA goaltender to bridge the gap to the Russians.

I think I mentioned it. More in the context that if he has a weakness the NHL hasn’t figured out yet, our staff better figure it out first. And either fix it or move him.

There are different views of the team. One view is we are close and shouldn’t trade a good goalie like Jet. I personally don’t think we are anything like a Cup contender, so I am open to anything.

We are a couple years away from Jett Harrison coming to Columbus. Wouldn’t it suck to have a cool name like Jet and not be the main Jet in your town?

 

[NotCommitted]

For the right return a guy like KJ should absolutely be on the market, but then again who will pay the right return when he just had 20 points in 70 games or whatever? He should have double that next year even if he was still disappointing and 55-75 points if he more or less gets back to what you'd expect out of him based on 24-25 and who knows what he can do if he actually takes a big step forward. He's at that age.

If they are going to trade him, the time to do so is anytime but now. Basically the only scenario where I see trading him now making sense is if it's as part of package for a sure upgrade who's on a good contract.

Also isn't it entirely realistic to expect improvement from within? Even without engaging crazy day dreamer mode Fantilli could very well be a 40 goal >P/GP player starting next year. Likewise 60-80 points out of KJ would not be ridiculous. Sillinger could become legit where he's not only a useful player with right linemates but becomes the right linemate for others. Can't really bank on any of these things happening but at the same time none of them are outlandish, so some or even all of them could very well happen.

Fantilli is already a good player but if he becomes a rockstar that would really change things without doing anything on the market. KJ should be a lock for 40-55 points next year and he really has the room to make a giant leap, at his age time is still working on his favor and with good training he has a ton of groom for growth physically and a real breakthrough at age 24 would be part the course for a player like him. At this point I feel like he's a tough one to predict, he has been so up and down but at the same time can't count the times we've seen a talented player really put it together at a similar point in their career.

Likewise Monahan should be way better than he was but with him and his injury history I don't want to get my hopes up, he already wasted years of his career playing through stuff and without knowing any details, my fear is last season was more of the same, where he really should've sit out for a month or two and get whatever it was fixed.

Maybe too much optimism in this but then again maybe it's time for some, IMO this team is at a stage where it's more likely they improve just by getting older and more experienced rather than the wheels falling off and everyone wanting out just because.

 

[MissADD]

I have feeling this team will do something today. IDK, but something tells me something will happen

 

[Ice9]

I have feeling this team will do something today. IDK, but something tells me something will happen

The trade for Larkin then the upcoming meeting becomes the DW, ZW and DL show…

 

[LoneFunyan]

I have feeling this team will do something today. IDK, but something tells me something will happen

I hope you're right. I feel like making the pick tomorrow sets us on a bad path for the next couple of years, if not more.

 

[Doggy]

I have feeling this team will do something today. IDK, but something tells me something will happen

You know you are just setting yourself up for disappointment

 

[EDM]

Currently we are "minus" Boone and Marchment & "plus" no one new. Hard to believe we can be worse than last year. But right now that is at least a plausible scenario. We have to see what happens in the next few days.

 

[MissADD]

You know you are just setting yourself up for disappointment

I said I feel like something will happen. Not something will happen, go take out a second mortgage and visit your local sports book.

 

[DarkandStormy]

Currently we are "minus" Boone and Marchment & "plus" no one new. Hard to believe we can be worse than last year. But right now that is at least a plausible scenario. We have to see what happens in the next few days.

Gudbranson is addition by subtraction as long as they don't "circle back" on him after whiffing on a trade / FA for a 3rd pair Dman.

At least one of the Luca's will probably get a bottom six spot?

 

[SC Cannon]

For the right return a guy like KJ should absolutely be on the market, but then again who will pay the right return when he just had 20 points in 70 games or whatever? He should have double that next year even if he was still disappointing and 55-75 points if he more or less gets back to what you'd expect out of him based on 24-25 and who knows what he can do if he actually takes a big step forward. He's at that age.

If they are going to trade him, the time to do so is anytime but now. Basically the only scenario where I see trading him now making sense is if it's as part of package for a sure upgrade who's on a good contract.

Also isn't it entirely realistic to expect improvement from within? Even without engaging crazy day dreamer mode Fantilli could very well be a 40 goal >P/GP player starting next year. Likewise 60-80 points out of KJ would not be ridiculous. Sillinger could become legit where he's not only a useful player with right linemates but becomes the right linemate for others. Can't really bank on any of these things happening but at the same time none of them are outlandish, so some or even all of them could very well happen.

Fantilli is already a good player but if he becomes a rockstar that would really change things without doing anything on the market. KJ should be a lock for 40-55 points next year and he really has the room to make a giant leap, at his age time is still working on his favor and with good training he has a ton of groom for growth physically and a real breakthrough at age 24 would be part the course for a player like him. At this point I feel like he's a tough one to predict, he has been so up and down but at the same time can't count the times we've seen a talented player really put it together at a similar point in their career.

Likewise Monahan should be way better than he was but with him and his injury history I don't want to get my hopes up, he already wasted years of his career playing through stuff and without knowing any details, my fear is last season was more of the same, where he really should've sit out for a month or two and get whatever it was fixed.

Maybe too much optimism in this but then again maybe it's time for some, IMO this team is at a stage where it's more likely they improve just by getting older and more experienced rather than the wheels falling off and everyone wanting out just because.

Our team has steadily improved two years now, even with 3 prominent forwards completely shitting the bed last year. I know this place is doom central but I agree, our guys are going to get better.

Shit just think about Mateychuk and Jet. I am so fired up with the trajectory they're on. Even without Z, we may have the 1C, 1D, 1G of the future already.

Lotta ifs I know, but I believe in them.

 

[Doggy]

...go take out a second mortgage and visit your local sports book.

I have no idea what this even means

 

[Cheddarcheese]

i think we should trade Z and try and get that 2nd overall pick with Misa? then we can look to trade KJ or Sillenger/voronkov and picks for a D man.

easier said then done. i think if we lose Z for nothing it puts us in a dark spot

 

[BigBoss614]

i think we should trade Z and try and get that 2nd overall pick with Misa? then we can look to trade KJ or Sillenger/voronkov and picks for a D man.

easier said then done. i think if we lose Z for nothing it puts us in a dark spot

We're so far away from losing him for nothing. We have two full off-seasons and two TDLs until that point.


Having said that, all of this conversation is super premature. Until Z and his agent say they want out, everyone is getting worked up over nothing. I'll eat my crow if I'm wrong but everyone is way overreacting.

 

[Banana duck]

i think we should trade Z and try and get that 2nd overall pick with Misa? then we can look to trade KJ or Sillenger/voronkov and picks for a D man.

easier said then done. i think if we lose Z for nothing it puts us in a dark spot

I think there needs to be another piece added to that.

I would be disgusted in Zach though if he left Columbus to go “win” and went to San Jose though.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

We're so far away from losing him for nothing. We have two full off-seasons and two TDLs until that point.


Having said that, all of this conversation is super premature. Until Z and his agent say they want out, everyone is getting worked up over nothing. I'll eat my crow if I'm wrong but everyone is way overreacting.

But do you think Werenski would say he wanted out publicly or have his agent say anything until he felt he was being mistreated? You can both suggest a change and not want to hurt Columbus in getting max value in return. So privately ask and as long as the team says nothing, we would know nothing.

 

[Banana duck]

But do you think Werenski would say he wanted out publicly or have his agent say anything until he felt he was being mistreated? You can both suggest a change and not want to hurt Columbus in getting max value in return. So privately ask and as long as the team says nothing, we would know nothing.

lol Werenski mistreated. He basically says “jump” and the team asks “how high”

 

[BigBoss614]

But do you think Werenski would say he wanted out publicly or have his agent say anything until he felt he was being mistreated? You can both suggest a change and not want to hurt Columbus in getting max value in return. So privately ask and as long as the team says nothing, we would know nothing.

It just makes absolutely no sense to schedule this after the draft if he wants out this season. They would be working on something now and they would've already talked.


At the end of the day this is a business, and by waiting until after the draft they are seriously hampering the business. If Waddell has the slightest inkling of a hint that Z wants out this year and they were okay with waiting until after the draft he should be fired. And if Z suggested waiting until after the draft to announce he wants out he'd move pretty high up on my "f*** you" list, especially after all the talk of wanting to stay and build here.

 

[Ice9]

I think he’s a Midwest boy and aint wandering too far from home.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

We're so far away from losing him for nothing. We have two full off-seasons and two TDLs until that point.


Having said that, all of this conversation is super premature. Until Z and his agent say they want out, everyone is getting worked up over nothing. I'll eat my crow if I'm wrong but everyone is way overreacting.

if he says he's not coming back. we got to move him this year that way we can get a good return. we wont get nearly as much next year. i don't think these type of rumors start if there isn't a little bit of truth behind it.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

It just makes absolutely no sense to schedule this after the draft if he wants out this season. They would be working on something now and they would've already talked.


At the end of the day this is a business, and by waiting until after the draft they are seriously hampering the business. If Waddell has the slightest inkling of a hint that Z wants out this year and they were okay with waiting until after the draft he should be fired. And if Z suggested waiting until after the draft to announce he wants out he'd move pretty high up on my "f*** you" list, especially after all the talk of wanting to stay and build here.

that's the thing that's odd why would it be after the draft.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

I think there needs to be another piece added to that.

I would be disgusted in Zach though if he left Columbus to go “win” and went to San Jose though.

Macklin is the future of the nhl would be a bad spot for Z

 

[BigBoss614]

if he says he's not coming back. we got to move him this year that way we can get a good return. we wont get nearly as much next year. i don't think these type of rumors start if there isn't a little bit of truth behind it.

I'm not saying there's nothing there causing some smoke, but I think it's more like "hey if we don't make the playoffs this year, I'm out"

And less " I think I'm done here, I'm gonna play but I don't want to be here"

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

It just makes absolutely no sense to schedule this after the draft if he wants out this season. They would be working on something now and they would've already talked.


At the end of the day this is a business, and by waiting until after the draft they are seriously hampering the business. If Waddell has the slightest inkling of a hint that Z wants out this year and they were okay with waiting until after the draft he should be fired. And if Z suggested waiting until after the draft to announce he wants out he'd move pretty high up on my "f*** you" list, especially after all the talk of wanting to stay and build here.

This could all be a smoke screen to not create the idea of any urgency to make a trade. You can say we will meet after the draft and trade him today or tomorrow. Waddell isn't legally required to have that meeting with Werenski. I have learned a long time ago that coaches and GMs often strategically lie to you if they think it benefits them.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Not sure what time the Waddell presser will be but it’s usually in the 11Am-12pm window