Around the League 2020/2021 Thread | Stanley Cup Final Edition

[wetcoast]

Jones will lead to Jones.

They also got a 3rd.

Got rid of $5M in cap for a severely declining player in a flat cap world.

Time for Chicago to ravage a few teams.

Id put money on them being better than Van next year if Toews and Dach are back healthy.

Not a very high bar you are setting here when the Hawks had 55 points to our 50 though is it?

 

[valkynax]

My most hated player on the team I despise the most.

What a great combination.

I like it.

 

[wetcoast]

Duncan Keith's defensive stats have not been good 3 of the last 4 years. His production has dropped too, with only 9 ES points last year. Signing their best defensive Dman in Larsson, then using the remaining cap to improve their forward depth with good covid deals would of been much wiser.

Sure in a vacuum but FA’s historically just don’t go to Edmonton.

Plus Keith will almost certainly look better in a lesser role and not being the #1 guy on a non playoff team and now playing with 2 of the best 5 forwards in the world.

 

[CherryToke]

Well done Kenny

iNtAnGiBleS!

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

lol Oilers. An aging Duncan Kieth coming in for a 3rd round pick to fill the spot of an offensive d-man who had the most points for d-men in the NHL last year.

 

[ddawg1950]

Honestly - I think Barrie priced himself out of our range. IMO, some team is going to give him term with a nice hit. He’s a good player, but he’s not a fit for our current roster (IMO).

The type of defensemen we need are reliable, intelligent defenders who can transition the puck well, PK and cover their more high flying partners’ backsides.

It would be totally idiotic to pursue Barrie.
Which is why I'm worried.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

It would be totally idiotic to pursue Barrie.
Which is why I'm worried.

I see Benning idiotically chasing someone. IMO, he’s going to go hard after a guy like Saad or Coleman (or maybe Hyman) in free agency to get that “body with heft” somewhere in his Top 9.

I’d also say there’s an outside shot of him chasing Dougie Hamilton - if he can clear up enough cap space to do so.

 

[vanuck]

Every bodily fluid has been in the cup many times.

Also Holland is starting to look like Chiarelli/Benning/Tallon/etc. This transaction isn't very significant except for the implications:

• It's a bad value deal, there should be 50% retained
• It's a short term acquisition with a significant opportunity cost (5.5M tied up) but fairly low upside
• It's paying cap for a mentorpede
  
• And worst of all for the Oilers, it shows a lack of a cohesive vision.

What are the Oilers trying to do right now? Are they waiting for Chiarelli's disasters to drop off the roster so they can compete? If so, why are they trading away futures for another bad cap contract? Are they competing now? If so, what the hell have they been doing since Holland came onboard?

Plus with how Bouchard has been getting screwed with by the Oil, this creates the possibility that Keith manages to Gudbranson Bouchard's career like Hutton.

I thought Holland had an okay offseason last year in staying out of free agency for the most part and trying to go for value by bringing in cheap depth like Archibald, Kahun and Barrie but he can't seem to resist paying for over-the-hill veterans.

He's been disappointing, for someone with his past history of success; people said he was losing it towards the end of his tenure in Detroit and I thought it'd be interesting to see whether he could redeem himself in Edmonton. But with cap space of his own now he's gone out and made some questionable moves. Pre-cap Holland and post-cap Holland seem to be two entirely different dudes.

 

[mriswith]

I see Benning idiotically chasing someone. IMO, he’s going to go hard after a guy like Saad or Coleman (or maybe Hyman) in free agency to get that “body with heft” somewhere in his Top 9.

I’d also say there’s an outside shot of him chasing Dougie Hamilton - if he can clear up enough cap space to do so.

Coleman is the one free agent signing we've been rumoured to be in on that I'm fine with. Obviously term/dollars are all that ultimately matter but the guy is a monster. I think he was their 2nd highest EV points scorer this year and that's saying something given his minutes and the monster of a team that it is.

He's turning 30 and he's looking to get paid, there's danger signs there if he gets significant term, but you can do a lot worse than Coleman in free agency and he doesn't have enough pedigree or junior hype for Benning to overpay him to the extent that is typically his MO.

 

[Wayward Son]

I didn't know Klefbom will be out for another year. So I guess they're counting on LTIR to recoup some of that Keith money this season.

 

[Paradise Circus]

I see Benning idiotically chasing someone. IMO, he’s going to go hard after a guy like Saad or Coleman (or maybe Hyman) in free agency to get that “body with heft” somewhere in his Top 9.

I’d also say there’s an outside shot of him chasing Dougie Hamilton - if he can clear up enough cap space to do so.

I'd love Dougie, but I also think Saad for cheap would be good!

 

[vanuck]

Tampa players are gonna wear 18M over the cap shirts during the parade

I absolutely love that they're embracing the hate. Makes me miss the times when we did the same thing back when, you know, we were actually good.

 

[AppleHoneySauce]

lol Oilers. An aging Duncan Kieth coming in for a 3rd round pick to fill the spot of an offensive d-man who had the most points for d-men in the NHL last year.

Them being unable to sign larsson is a bigger problem. Barrie is a poor defensemen and deserved to not got a single norris vote. Plus his stats are mcjesus boosted.

 

[rypper]

Pekka Rinne calls it a career.

 

[DFAC]

Pekka Rinne calls it a career.

Best Nashville player ever? I think so but Josi might give him a run when all is said and done

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Lowe, Tambellini, McTavish, Chia and now Holland. Having endured Benning’s tenure so far here I just can’t imagine five in a row. What a kick in the gut that must be. I wonder when McDavid and Draisaitl say enough is enough.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Wild buying out Suter and Parise.

Not 100% surprising.

Likely looking at some big moves?

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Would love Suter on a fair deal

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Oof

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Why even bother buying him out at that rate?

 

[dbaz]

Why even bother buying him out at that rate?

protection spot for Dumba, gives them an additional 10mil cap(eichel?), probably banking on some type of cap raise in either 23-24 or 24-25

 

[bandwagonesque]

Why even bother buying him out at that rate?

I don’t get it either. It isn’t as though they have a cap crunch that will be alleviated after this season — they have Victor Rask expiring at 4M and that’s about it.

 

[VanillaCoke]

Weird. Doesn't make a ton of sense.

 

[dbaz]

Johnson waives his nmc for expansion draft as well. Seems like a lot of expansion draft moves might happen today

 

[bossram]

I thought Holland had an okay offseason last year in staying out of free agency for the most part and trying to go for value by bringing in cheap depth like Archibald, Kahun and Barrie but he can't seem to resist paying for over-the-hill veterans.

He's been disappointing, for someone with his past history of success; people said he was losing it towards the end of his tenure in Detroit and I thought it'd be interesting to see whether he could redeem himself in Edmonton. But with cap space of his own now he's gone out and made some questionable moves. Pre-cap Holland and post-cap Holland seem to be two entirely different dudes.

He's the same as Benning: When he's hamstrung by (self-induced) cap inflexibility, he can keep it in his pants and not make insanely bad moves.

As soon as he has any room, he sprints to the nearest member of the gritty/hard/character OBC and gives them whatever they ask.

It's unreal how many stupid people are still running NHL front offices in 2021. I am 100% convinced you could just hire a raw MBC, a statistician, and be better off than half the teams in the league.