Speculation: Armchair GM Thread

[Flgatorguy87]

I recall a game earlier this season where Saros was squinting as he looked at the video board. I joked about it at the time, but maybe there's something to that.

 

[Armourboy]

I haven't paid as much attention with Saros but I'll start watching. I remember I called Rinne having eyesight problems a month or so before he got it fixed. The difference though was Rinne was starting to miss easy shots from the Blue line, like badly.

 

[wmupreds]

I recall a game earlier this season where Saros was squinting as he looked at the video board. I joked about it at the time, but maybe there's something to that.

Not saying its impossible that he has eyesight issues but Saros has always done weird stuff with his eyes during games. I figured it's a tic at this point, lots of goalies have them.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Not saying its impossible that he has eyesight issues but Saros has always done weird stuff with his eyes during games. I figured it's a tic at this point, lots of goalies have them.

Not saying its impossible that he has eyesight issues but Saros has always done weird stuff with his eyes during games. I figured it's a tic at this point, lots of goalies have them.

Never really considered the actual possibility of eye problems, but I recalled it when that was mentioned. If that is going on then it would be ridiculous to not have caught it to this stage.

 

[Gh24]

Not saying its impossible that he has eyesight issues but Saros has always done weird stuff with his eyes during games. I figured it's a tic at this point, lots of goalies have them.

I wonder if they're actually some sort of excercises to relax or refresh eyes

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I don't know what the Korn/Vander Klok methodology is, but there have always been lots of eye-training exercises in goalie schools and I would really imagine it's something that teams/goalies really should be staying on top of? Like religiously? It was a thing even for my kid in minor hockey. So I don't know how an NHL team would let it slip. (Although I guess we have the Rinne example from a while back - although one might think if it slipped by an organization once, that's all the more reason it should never happen again?)

 

[bdub24]

Boomer just laying into the Preds and Barry on Sirius. Love it

 

[ShagDaddy]

Boomer just laying into the Preds and Barry on Sirius. Love it

Can you provide a summary?

 

[bdub24]

Can you provide a summary?

In brief - he has no idea what Barry is doing by scraping the fourth liners he has been going after and he need to commit to a rebuild because all this aint workin

 

[herzausstein]

In brief - he has no idea what Barry is doing by scraping the fourth liners he has been going after and he need to commit to a rebuild because all this aint workin

He is just trying to prove what he said in the offseason. You can find 4th liners anywhere. Mission accomplished

Ive got 2 lines of thoughts on the recent gathering of waiver wire fodder.

We are gonna trade some of our 4th line and need replacements or we are going to send down our young players like L'Heureux and Svechkov since Bruno screws with their icetime so much. Since bruno seems to love old players let him have em and he continues to drive the nail threw his coaching career

 

[Kat Predator]

In brief - he has no idea what Barry is doing by scraping the fourth liners he has been going after and he need to commit to a rebuild because all this aint workin

Friedman, Englund, and Denisenko were the recent dumpster dives.

Jankowski and Lauzon are on IR, and we lost Hinostroza because we apparently don't know how waiver exemptions work. So these are guys that can fog a mirror and "fill the void" so to speak.

 

[bdub24]

He is just trying to prove what he said in the offseason. You can find 4th liners anywhere. Mission accomplished

Ive got 2 lines of thoughts on the recent gathering of waiver wire fodder.

We are gonna trade some of our 4th line and need replacements or we are going to send down our young players like L'Heureux and Svechkov since Bruno screws with their icetime so much. Since bruno seems to love old players let him have em and he continues to drive the nail threw his coaching career

I’ve given up trying to make sense of what he is doing at this point

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Friedman, Englund, and Denisenko were the recent dumpster dives.

Jankowski and Lauzon are on IR, and we lost Hinostroza because we apparently don't know how waiver exemptions work. So these are guys that can fog a mirror and "fill the void" so to speak.

If a team actively WANTS to have fully half its roster as replacement level players... ummm, yep that's going to be eminently achievable. Your team WILL suck. But if that's the way you want to do it, ok? Easily done.

How is this not what Trotz is doing?

 

[Kat Predator]

If a team actively WANTS to have fully half its roster as replacement level players... ummm, yep that's going to be eminently achievable. Your team WILL suck. But if that's the way you want to do it, ok? Easily done.

How is this not what Trotz is doing?

It's a new approach to tanking. Go out and blow your cap on older veterans, giving them long term contracts and NMCs. Waive your bridge players. Have a couple of young guys on the roster and give them probationary minutes at most. Dumpster dive to find enough bodies to suit up for games. And stockpile picks in a weak draft and a few years later.

It's not clear Trotz knows what Trotz is doing.

 

[Viqsi]

One possible thing Trotz may be doing:

Blue Jackets returning to health after break, and forward help could be on the way

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has been pushing to add an impact forward who could help the team through its playoff push.

www.nytimes.com

A more likely trade is a mid-round pick [or] a mid-level prospect for an established veteran who is a pending unrestricted free agent.

One name — and it’s a familiar one — may have risen to the top of Waddell’s list.

Veteran forward Gustav Nyquist, who spent three seasons with the Blue Jackets beginning in 2019-20, is a pending UFA with the Nashville Predators, who have been one of the NHL’s biggest disappointments this season after a major offseason investment.

Nyquist, 35, has just 9-11-20 in 53 games with the Predators, but he’s one season removed from a career-best 23-52-75 in 81 games. He can play on either side of center, plus he’s been a reliable penalty killer and solid second power-play contributor throughout his career.

According to Puckpedia, Nyquist carries a salary-cap hit of $3.185 million, but that won’t be a problem for the Blue Jackets. Nyquist, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild at the 2023 trade deadline, left the Blue Jackets on good terms and has remained close friends with several players.

IDK if this is something picked up from Waddell or if Portzline is speculating again (he tends to do that now and again and isn't known for accuracy when he does). But it's a thing.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

I'm not reading much into the depth moves. We lost numerous players this year with no replacement (Tomasino, Fabbro, Lauzon) and our organizational depth was thin. I think it's just AHL players since we had open contracts.

 

[BigFatCat999]

One possible thing Trotz may be doing:

Blue Jackets returning to health after break, and forward help could be on the way

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell has been pushing to add an impact forward who could help the team through its playoff push.

www.nytimes.com

IDK if this is something picked up from Waddell or if Portzline is speculating again (he tends to do that now and again and isn't known for accuracy when he does). But it's a thing.

Nyqvist

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Not sure if "impact forward" = "Gustav Nyquist" really computes, but hell yeah... ship him to Columbus!

He's not awful in the sense that anybody can muster any real indictment of his play. Obviously last season was different. But this season, it's more "Jarnkrok" level? Like, he's vaguely "competent"... while also not advancing the process in any perceptible way?

As long as we don't extend him, I'll take whatever the highest draft pick bid is at the TDL.

 

[Kat Predator]

Not sure if "impact forward" = "Gustav Nyquist" really computes, but hell yeah... ship him to Columbus!

He's not awful in the sense that anybody can muster any real indictment of his play. Obviously last season was different. But this season, it's more "Jarnkrok" level? Like, he's vaguely "competent"... while also not advancing the process in any perceptible way?

As long as we don't extend him, I'll take whatever the highest draft pick bid is at the TDL.

Competence can look like a superpower in the land of tools.

 

[GeauxPreds1]

I very seriously doubt it but wonder if trotz have talk to anyone with a nmc and asked if they would want to be moved. I figured marchessault would be one player that would raise his hand to be moved. O'Reilly should be moved regardless for the best possible package. I get forsberg loves living in Nashville but losing can't feel good and his chance at a cup is getting smaller, same with josi. Even if they say no as a gm it's his job to at least ask. This is close to worse team we had and this team need to tear it down. Getting Misaor hagens this year and McKenna next year would go a long way in turning this franchise around