I wouldn't risk losing our 1st, especially next year with the next McJesus is supposed to be going 1st, which is why it would make sense for Trotz.
Armchair GM Thread
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Armourboy
Hey! We suck!
Well and they did it with the perfect team. Edmonton is trying to win now, they generally won't have the picks in hand to be able to go back after St. Louis.
Porter Stoutheart
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That's where you just have to be "strategic" about it, like the Blues were. You have to find an RFA who is maybe not doing THAT great so far (like Holloway and Broberg) and you have to find a team that projects to be up against the Cap. Like the Oilers were last year.
It is indeed the latter part that is going to be a problem with the current rise in the Cap.
Which is why I so far only see Mavrik Bourque as a potential target. (Although I am by no means researching this intensively, so I'm happy to hear other suggestions). Dallas is going to be hard up against even the newly-risen Cap. Not many teams are. But indeed, you definitely have to keep the compensation threshold below that of any 1st round picks. Obvious for us! Since we're gunning for McKenna #1 OA.
That's still $4.58M per last year's numbers, though. We could give up just a 2nd round pick for anybody up to that $4.58M number. That's the category of player I am advocating for. Just... it is definitely complicated right now by the rising Cap. So I point out Bourque... is there ANYBODY else who might work?
herzausstein
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So the 1st and 3rd pairing are defensive nightmaresI imagine Trotz is going to sign at least 1 UFA on D, probably RD. Probably some old slow stay-at-home "character" guy. (Hence my previous nomination of David Savard). So I suspect we'll see:
Josi - OldGuy
Skjei - Blankenburg
Lauzon - Barron
with Wilsby and Stastney (criminally) alternating in the pressbox.
Then in Milwaukee, that leaves:
Gravel - Ufko
Molendyk - Gibson
Oesterle - x
Hanzel/Matier
I would assume they don't bother qualifying Luke Prokop. I don't know if they'll bring back Del Gaizo or Livingstone or anybody else on AHL contracts. We also haveNathanDylan MacKinnon graduating from junior on D. I don't know if they'd try to bring over Kulonummi or any other European picks. But anyway, it does seem like our whole organization depth chart on D is fairly predictable atm.
Porter Stoutheart
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Softball99
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herzausstein
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Bruno pisses and moans about the teams performance but changes nothing day in day out. It truly is something. Only attempts to keep the young guys in check while giving zero craps about the high paid vets. There has to be a new coach next season
Porter Stoutheart
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I think the main question is at what point next season we can get the new coach. It's still going to take some more L's and empty seats to start the year before they clue in, sounds like.
Porter Stoutheart
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The problem there is that Buffalo has like $23M in projected Cap space, with only Byram and some filler left to re-sign. So unless they went crazy on July 1st, they probably aren't a team we could leverage with a $4.8Mish offer sheet. They'd easily match on that with Peterka.
herzausstein
Registered User
I really can't understand why we would let him start next season. That locker room is going to be absolutely toxic. Vets aren't performing, young forwards aren't being given a shot even though the vets aren't performing, if a young player is given a small sliver of a chance he is pulled back down immediately even though the vets aren't performing.I think the main question is at what point next season we can get the new coach. It's still going to take some more L's and empty seats to start the year before they clue in, sounds like.
Toxic environment all around. Entitlement of the vets and resentment that is sure to build at the youth.
Kat Predator
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Roman Yoshi
#164303
Brunette questioning the professionalism of his veteran players is not going to go over well with his vets.
I'm starting to think this whole narrative of a strong locker room is starting to break a little.
I'm starting to think this whole narrative of a strong locker room is starting to break a little.
Because he is GMBT man and Trotz likes him and what he is doing.
I think it is just corporate speak at this point. The performance on the ice says it's broken
Armourboy
Hey! We suck!
It broke a long time ago when Marchy called his ass out about the line blundering.
Even with that the only hope we have of a coaching change is if they just grill him in the exit interviews and we see a lot of season ticket holders drop
herzausstein
Registered User
Fun to note: since the trade deadline we are scoring 1.5 goals/game but only allowing 2.5 goals against/game. The goals against is actually an improvement from the season average of 3.26
6 of those 9 goals over that time period came against the Sharks and Chicago and in games that saw Svechkov and Evangalista in elevated playtime and roles. Then Bunting gets hammered into the lineup and Svechkov/Evangelista start getting responsibilities cut back and we get 3 more goals over the next 4 games against Anaheim, LA, STL, and Anaheim. Anaheim and STL have goals against average of 3 goals against a game... even LA gives up 2.5 a game.
6 of those 9 goals over that time period came against the Sharks and Chicago and in games that saw Svechkov and Evangalista in elevated playtime and roles. Then Bunting gets hammered into the lineup and Svechkov/Evangelista start getting responsibilities cut back and we get 3 more goals over the next 4 games against Anaheim, LA, STL, and Anaheim. Anaheim and STL have goals against average of 3 goals against a game... even LA gives up 2.5 a game.
Porter Stoutheart
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Late to the Cozens shoulda woulda coulda trade party, but I was all about making a move for him early in the year. Most around here balked at the idea of giving up ZLH for him. I said then and I say now, ZLH is a nice player, but I will be really surprised if he is ever much more than a Nick Cousins type player vs the Marchand player everyone is dreaming about. That's going to be even further emphasized on this team with this staff.
Softball99
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JJ Peterka Rumors: Could the Blackhawks Offer Sheet the Sabres Star This Offseason? - NHL Trade Rumors
JJ Peterka rumors are heating up as the Buffalo Sabres winger is set to become an RFA. Could the Blackhawks offer sheet him this offseason?
www.nhltraderumor.com
Roman Yoshi
#164303
That whole thing was bizarre. The team played it up as Bruno trying to do a good thing for the players but it clearly didn't get communicated the right way. What a complete mess. That was a big first sign.
herzausstein
Registered User
Josis last game was Feb 25th. Since then:What about since Josi got hurt?
2.36 Goals per game
3.00 goals against
Averages through Feb 25th
2.56 goals per game
3.32 goals against per game
Slight negative shift in goals per game and slight positive shift in goals against
Porter Stoutheart
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I'm pretty sure nobody is dreaming about Marchand for ZLH!
I would have liked to think he'd become a little more than a Cousins, however... like maybe a 15-20/15-20 disturber, more willing to physically back up his mouthiness than Cousins too. It's fair to wonder if he'll ever become that HERE, given the way we are handling him so far, and given the track record here with young forwards in general.
My question was whether or not Cozens himself is much more than a 15-20/15-20 kind of player? He had 1 peak season above that level, but that's all; his other seasons haven't been. For $7.1M you really want to have confidence he's going to be more like that 1 peak season than like his other 4 seasons. We'll see I guess if he keeps it up in Ottawa.
To me, it's only our utter ineptness in handling our internally developed young forwards that opens the door to considering the trade. And that's a rather grim way to have to look at things.
herzausstein
Registered User
Player coming from a true competitor with competent coaching looks around and says the way things are done here are screwed up. Trotz should've paid more attention to his statements
Porter Stoutheart
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The Blackhawks can't offer sheet Peterka. It's the same problem as us. For Buffalo to not match, given all the Cap space they have available, you'd have to make an offer that involves giving up a 1st round pick. And the Blackhawks are no more likely to give up their 1st than we are.JJ Peterka Rumors: Could the Blackhawks Offer Sheet the Sabres Star This Offseason? - NHL Trade Rumors
JJ Peterka rumors are heating up as the Buffalo Sabres winger is set to become an RFA. Could the Blackhawks offer sheet him this offseason?
The comparison was discussed the last time this conversation was had. Overall, there was very little appetite to include ZLH in any trade and that's my bigger point to this. I mentioned at the time of that conversation that seemed a bit biased and short sighted.I'm pretty sure nobody is dreaming about Marchand for ZLH!
I would have liked to think he'd become a little more than a Cousins, however... like maybe a 15-20/15-20 disturber, more willing to physically back up his mouthiness than Cousins too. It's fair to wonder if he'll ever become that HERE, given the way we are handling him so far, and given the track record here with young forwards in general.
My question was whether or not Cozens himself is much more than a 15-20/15-20 kind of player? He had 1 peak season above that level, but that's all; his other seasons haven't been. For $7.1M you really want to have confidence he's going to be more like that 1 peak season than like his other 4 seasons. We'll see I guess if he keeps it up in Ottawa.
To me, it's only our utter ineptness in handling our internally developed young forwards that opens the door to considering the trade. And that's a rather grim way to have to look at things.
"ZLH is exactly the type of player you win with. A Marchand, a Gourde, a Tkachuk. Just cannot move those guys. I’d go as far as saying that maybe aside from Molendyk, he’s the most valuable asset we have in the org."
"I would trade ZLH if it were for the right player and thatd be it. I would need a EP, AM type center"
There is a consistent theme amongst this board. Any player that becomes available from an outside organization is raked across the coals and all the potential flaws are discussed ad nauseam. The obvious answer is there are no perfect player acquisition options because they are generally available for a reason. Then the juxtaposition to that is the player that is discussed on our side, if they are under the age of 23 and have shown any fleeting pulse of NHL ability, is then praised as a guy we can't afford to lose. Honestly, I think it's due to the lack of actual NHL talent we've ever developed and our propensity to latch on to any prospect that shows any signs of becoming an NHL regular.
My opinion at the time and my opinion today is that Cozens plays in a more valuable position, has shown better scoring, and overall NHL ability while playing for a bad team. He was the worth the gamble to me, and I accept that it is a gamble based on his salary...but at the current trajectory the bigger issue might be hitting the cap floor in a few years vs. staying under the limit. In retrospect if the trade was Novak, ZLH, and a pick then it's absolutely asinine to think Trotz would have balked at that idea.
I do agree the development concern is valid, and I agree the argument could be had that Cozens wouldn't be any better in this environment. That is a different conversation because if everything turns to shit with the current staff then many of these conversations, if not all, are damn well moot.
