Speculation: Armchair GM Thread 2025-26 Part Deux; Post-Raz Edition

[Yepthatsme]

Put him at center then. It’s not emotional investment, it’s play him ahead of Backlund and Strome and give him a make it or break it opportunity rather than the 4th line. I’m sick of seeing Backlund play in the top 6 blocking young guys. He should never play there again.

I think that’s a harsh assessment of Zary. He had a terrible season last year, but before his injuries he was one of our best (if not our best) player at making plays in transition and entering the zone with possession. I don’t think Honzek or Farabee (or even Coronato) replace that specific skillset. I’d rather just sit Sharangovich in the press box and give Zary one final chance at middle-6C before dumping him for a second. Or even scratch one of Pospy/Klapka to make room for Zary for half a season before writing him off.

All of Potter, Honzek, Wyttenbach and Frost are much better skaters than Zary with all of them fighting for the exact same role as a middle 6 LWs/Cs. I can’t comprehend prioritizing the guy will be 25 to start next season, when it’s more likely this could be a great time to sell based on perceived potential.

For the record, I’m all for sitting Sharangovich as well. Start of the season our forward core should look like:

Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Huberdeau-Strome-Farabee
Honzek-Backlund-Coleman

And by start of the 2027 season with any luck, we have traded away Strome, Coleman, Frost, and probably still more to break in a combination our 2026 1st, Reschny, Wyttenbach, our 2027 1st (granted some better lottery luck), Suniev, Potter, Stromgren etc.

I get people like Zary, but he’s the guy blocking players, not the guy getting blocked. If our drafting and prospect pool is as good as we all believe, he won’t be the best young player we have to cut ties with before this is all over either.

 

[RasmusAndersson]

I don't care if it's "harsh"

He played like shit. He lost playing time. It's that simple.

Harsh was the wrong world, I should have said premature. He played badly last year no doubt, but writing off a 24 year old after he previously showed potential to be a solid offensive middle-6 player seems premature and like too much of a “what have you done for me lately” attitude for my liking. I would hope he’s frustrated/not satisfied with his role after a garbage year, but I’m definitely not ready to say f*** him. Won’t lose sleep if we trade him for decent value though, he’s obviously not irreplaceable.

 

[Darth Vladar]

Flames are being linked to 25-year old Sens RH dman Jordan Spence per David Pagnotta

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Flames are being linked to 25-year old Sens RH dman Jordan Spence per David Pagnotta

More like Sens are interested in Whitecloud and Calgary's asking price is high

 

[RasmusAndersson]

All of Potter, Honzek, Wyttenbach and Frost are much better skaters than Zary with all of them fighting for the exact same role as a middle 6 LWs/Cs. I can’t comprehend prioritizing the guy will be 25 to start next season, when it’s more likely this could be a great time to sell based on perceived potential.

For the record, I’m all for sitting Sharangovich as well. Start of the season our forward core should look like:

Gridin-Frost-Coronato
Huberdeau-Strome-Farabee
Honzek-Backlund-Coleman

And by start of the 2027 season with any luck, we have traded away Strome, Coleman, Frost, and probably still more to break in a combination our 2026 1st, Reschny, Wyttenbach, our 2027 1st (granted some better lottery luck), Suniev, Potter, Stromgren etc.

I get people like Zary, but he’s the guy blocking players, not the guy getting blocked. If our drafting and prospect pool is as good as we all believe, he won’t be the best young player we have to cut ties with before this is all over either.

Why not just move Backlund to 4C and give Zary a shot at 3C for half a season before shipping him for a 2nd (if we can even get that) that has like a 20% chance of being as good as Zary? Not like his value can go down much more.

Also, Backlund and Coleman and Strome are the vets blocking Honzek, not 24-year-old Zary who is young enough to develop. And we shouldn’t move him just because Potter/Wyttenbach could eventually pass him on the depth chart. I just think we should try to maximize his potential/value by moving other vets down the depth chart before giving up on him. (Unless he’s demanding a trade, in which case good riddance lol).

 

[Lunatik]

Harsh was the wrong world, I should have said premature. He played badly last year no doubt, but writing off a 24 year old after he previously showed potential to be a solid offensive middle-6 player seems premature and like too much of a “what have you done for me lately” attitude for my liking. I would hope he’s frustrated/not satisfied with his role after a garbage year, but I’m definitely not ready to say f*** him. Won’t lose sleep if we trade him for decent value though, he’s obviously not irreplaceable.

He wants out. f*** him.

It's that simple. You don't want to be here, the door is over there.

 

[crackdown44]

Flames are being linked to 25-year old Sens RH dman Jordan Spence per David Pagnotta

I like Spence but are we planning on taking Bru out behind the barn to put a bullet in his head or something. He struggled a bit down the stretch but I thought he was excellent for the majority of his time up

Even if Whitecloud is moved we still have Nemec and Parekh that are RHD. Zayne can play left but still

 

[Lunatik]

Why not just move Backlund to 4C and give Zary a shot at 3C for half a season before shipping him for a 2nd (if we can even get that) that has like a 20% chance of being as good as Zary? Not like his value can go down much more.

Also, Backlund and Coleman and Strome are the vets blocking Honzek, not 24-year-old Zary who is young enough to develop. And we shouldn’t move him just because Potter/Wyttenbach could eventually pass him on the depth chart. I just think we should try to maximize his potential/value by moving other vets down the depth chart before giving up on him. (Unless he’s demanding a trade, in which case good riddance lol).

How are centermen blocking a winger exactly? Honzek is not a center.

We have older centers, because we don't have center prospects worth a damn.

 

[RasmusAndersson]

He wants out. f*** him.

It's that simple. You don't want to be here, the door is over there.

Hahaha fair, if it’s true he’s asking to get outta here then see ya later. He just seems like a beauty and the teammates love him so that would kinda surprise me.

 

[Lunatik]

I like Spence but are we planning on taking Bru out behind the barn to put a bullet in his head or something. He struggled a bit down the stretch but I thought he was excellent for the majority of his time up

Even if Whitecloud is moved we still have Nemec and Parekh that are RHD. Zayne can play left but still

Sens are reportedly interested in Whitecloud... so those 2 thigns could be very much related.

Bahl - Nemec
Parekh - Spence
Maatta/Kuznetsov - Brzustewicz

Brz could also end up moved in asuch a deal too as he'd be a good young depth option for a team like Ottawa as he's still waiver exempt this coming season.

 

[Darth Vladar]

I like Spence but are we planning on taking Bru out behind the barn to put a bullet in his head or something. He struggled a bit down the stretch but I thought he was excellent for the majority of his time up

Even if Whitecloud is moved we still have Nemec and Parekh that are RHD. Zayne can play left but still

Something tells me Conny is putting a package together for a lil sum sum.

 

[Lunatik]

Hahaha fair, if it’s true he’s asking to get outta here then see ya later. He just seems like a beauty and the teammates love him so that would kinda surprise me.

I don't know why you are saying "if"... this basically confirms it, multiple sources has suggested he wanted out and now a 3rd is saying we're now shopping him.

 

[RasmusAndersson]

How are centermen blocking a winger exactly? Honzek is not a center.

We have older centers, because we don't have center prospects worth a damn.

Because Strome and Backlund are forcing us to play guys like Zary and Pospy either as wingers or 4C’s, which in turn blocks Honzek (and Zary from a top-9 spot). Or even Sharangovich could be moved to C to make room for Honzek if we moved Backs down to 4C.

 

[Lunatik]

Something tells me Conny is putting a package together for a lil sum sum.

Whitecloud, Brzustewicz, Zary for Spence+?

 

[Lunatik]

Because Strome and Backlund are forcing us to play guys like Zary and Pospy to either as wingers or 4C’s, which in turn blocks Honzek (and Zary from a top-9 spot). Or even Sharangovich could be moved to C to make room for Honzek if we moved Backs down to 4C.

Zary hasn't been used at C because he couldn't win a draw if he was alone in teh circle. They've been using him as a W since the AHL because he wasn't good at C. Pospisil is a shitty f***ing center too, somehow even worse than Zary

 

[RasmusAndersson]

I don't know why you are saying "if"... this basically confirms it, multiple sources has suggested he wanted out and now a 3rd is saying we're now shopping him.

Usually you’re the one who doesn’t buy into rumors from guys like Dreger and Pagnotta until it’s confirmed lol. But if I missed sources saying he’s definitely asked out, I’m wrong and we should trade him asap.

 

[Lunatik]

Usually you’re the one who doesn’t buy into rumors from guys like Dreger and Pagnotta until it’s confirmed lol. But if I missed sources saying he’s definitely asked out, I’m wrong and we should trade him asap.

Yeah when it's from 1...when we start seeing the same thing from several people, it's time to see the writing on teh wall.

 

[JPeeper]

Zary being moved out also opens that spot up for Honzek instead who I think adds a different dimension to this team than Zary does. I don't know what some of you in here are talking about with Zary attacking the middle of the ice, he didn't do that at all last year. Once he got those knee injuries he completely abandoned going into the middle of the ice.

 

[Lunatik]

Zary being moved out also opens that spot up for Honzek instead who I think adds a different dimension to this team than Zary does. I don't know what some of you in here are talking about with Zary attacking the middle of the ice, he didn't do that at all last year. Once he got those knee injuries he completely abandoned going into the middle of the ice.

Except it doesn't unless we want Honzo on the 4th line.

 

[RasmusAndersson]

Zary hasn't been used at C because he couldn't win a draw if he was alone in teh circle. They've been using him as a W since the AHL because he wasn't good at C. Pospisil is a shitty f***ing center too, somehow even worse than Zary

?? Zary was 46% on almost 200 draws last year (Strome was 44.7% and Kadri was 47%). He’s also young and improved from the year before. I definitely don’t think that’s a good reason to say he can’t play C.

 

[Darth Vladar]

Man oh man

 

[Lunatik]

?? Zary was 46% on almost 200 draws last year (Strome was 44.7% and Kadri was 47%). He’s also young and improved from the year before. I definitely don’t think that’s a good reason to say he can’t play C.

and in 2024-25 he had 241 faceoffs and not a whole 166... he was literally 2nd worst in teh entire NHL for players who took at least the same # of faceoffs as him. That's why his face-ff dropped off and they basically gave up on him being a center, not everything is because of the most recent season.

was he "better", or did they handpick who he faced more often and use him in situations to make him less useless?

 

[tmurfin]

Flames are being linked to 25-year old Sens RH dman Jordan Spence per David Pagnotta

Conroy said they had conversations about other younger Dmen like Nemec before that came together, I wonder if that’s where this came from. Really doesn’t make sense unless Spence is in a package for Whitecloud

 

[RasmusAndersson]

and in 2024-25 he had 241 faceoffs and not a whole 166... he was literally 2nd worst in teh entire NHL for players who took at least the same # of faceoffs as him. That's why his face-ff dropped off and they basically gave up on him being a center, not everything is because of the most recent season.

was he "better", or did they handpick who he faced more often and use him in situations to make him less useless?

Probably a mix of both (using him in easier situations and him getting better/more experienced in the dot).

At the end of the day, though, if Zary asked out or if he’s the odd-man out with positive value (unlike Sharangovich), I’m ok to move him. I would just prefer to give him one last shot to see if he can regain his 2023-24 form. Even if it’s a 20-game trial to start the year and then we ship him.

 

[tmurfin]

We’ll probably never know on the Zary front, but judging by his demeanour and comments at the end of the season, it really wouldn’t be surprising if they asked Conroy for a change of scenery.