Armchair GM Thread

[Soundgarden]

And Haula isn't even a big piece. I don't think he indicates anything aside from a warm body at this point, he sucked last year.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

And Haula isn't even a big piece. I don't think he indicates anything aside from a warm body at this point, he sucked last year.

It would just be a weird trade if nothing else came out of it, but yeah, it's not any deeper indication of competing, tanking, whatever.

 

[Kat Predator]

Next year's our year guys, loading up for that cup run!

To be fair, there isn't a lot of room behind Nashville anyway.

 

[BigFatCat999]

I took a deep dive on the roster. More than half the team is a free agent next year. If I counted right 11 of 23 have contracts next year. That’s it. So basically everybody from the second line down and the second pair down Are looking for new contracts.

Either:

A) they played their heart out and dragged the team to the playoffs

Or

B) they are gonna be prime free agents for trades at the trade deadline.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Well, there are 8 impending UFAs fin next season's lineup anyway:

Bunting
Haula
Sissons
ColeSmith
McCarron
Lauzon
Blankenburg
Englund

Spencer Stastney could be a 9th if he doesn't hit 80 NHL games and qualifies for Group 6, but since he only needs what, 26 more? then hopefully he'll play enough that won't happen. And frankly if he doesn't play that many games, they will have probably waived him during the season anyway, so it's kind of a moot point.

But I think the return on that particular group of TDL options is decidedly NOT going to be "prime", right?

Maybe if we got REALLY lucky Bunting or Sissons could draw an early 2nd? I think we'll re-sign Lauzon and McCarron almost no matter what. And they'd be dumb not to extend with us, because where else are they going to be played as much or loved as much as here? We're talking 3rd-5th round picks for Haula or ColeSmith. And Blankenburg and Englund were waiver fodder.

Soooo... while I definitely would want to see as many of these guys liquidated as possible if we're out of it at the TDL... it's not like it will be any big windfall franchise-altering selloff. The biggest "win" we'd get out of it actually is just the addition-by-subtraction effect of opening up so many roster slots for youth.

 

[Armourboy]

Sissons is probably the one guy that could get something decent if he has a good season. He's the type of center teams love to pick up, and he has plenty of playoff experience to boot. Just comes down to what he does this year.

Prices are going to feel low anyways as 2026 is seen as a deeper draft and I don't think borderline teams will be as easy to throw those picks away. Wouldn't shock me that we don't see some teams willing to give up more prospects than picks this year.

 

[BigFatCat999]

From what I’m hearing the first round talent ends at pick 25. Next year, the first round talent is supposedly two rounds deep.