Around the League 39: Will Kessel Sign in Winnipeg? The World Waits with Dogged Breath!

[sabremike]

Jeff Petry flipped to Detroit for a defenseman I've never heard of but a quick Google search suggests has been playing for the Wings for 3 seasons.

When he passes the puck it's a Petry dish.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

When he passes the puck it's a Petry dish.

And when he has to find an appropriate place to go to the bathroom while camping, he finds a Petry.

 

[Svechhammer]

We’re keeping Skjei and Pesce despite probably losing both next off season, when after Orlov we all assumed one if not both were gone. Then we added Tony. And Jones. We already had six and now we have an amount that by your logic shouldn’t make sense. Yet we’re going to celebrate our genius of figuring out having D depth is a good thing….while talking smack about others who do the same thing. It’s curious. Why is it smart when we do it but nonsensical if someone else does?

Yes, but I'd also like to have SOME scoring depth so we aren't in a position where we are royally screwed if one key guy goes down.

You're always going to have a bit of a single point of failure in the cap era, but we can and should definitely be doing a bit more in the forward lines than we are, especially with how ridiculously loaded the defense currently is.

 

[Derailed75]

Keeping both Pesce and Skjei gives us one hell of a chip coming the TDL. Tell me any other contender will have a trade chip that good! We have the depth to lose one of them at any time and not miss them terribly so if there is a top tier forward on the market or a middle contender that has lost a Dman but could stand the loss of a forward we wont get outbid.

Obviously getting a top winger out of a team throwing in the towel for the season would require a 3rd team that would need a Dman as the one team would want futures.

 

[Stickpucker]

So Yzerman wants to be like the Canes eh?

 

[Svechhammer]

Keeping both Pesce and Skjei gives us one hell of a chip coming the TDL. Tell me any other contender will have a trade chip that good! We have the depth to lose one of them at any time and not miss them terribly so if there is a top tier forward on the market or a middle contender that has lost a Dman but could stand the loss of a forward we wont get outbid.

Obviously getting a top winger out of a team throwing in the towel for the season would require a 3rd team that would need a Dman as the one team would want futures.

Pesce or Skjei won't get as much at the deadline given their expiring contracts. If we're looking to trade one of them and get something of value that will help us, the time is now.

 

[bleedgreen]

Keeping both Pesce and Skjei gives us one hell of a chip coming the TDL. Tell me any other contender will have a trade chip that good! We have the depth to lose one of them at any time and not miss them terribly so if there is a top tier forward on the market or a middle contender that has lost a Dman but could stand the loss of a forward we wont get outbid.

Obviously getting a top winger out of a team throwing in the towel for the season would require a 3rd team that would need a Dman as the one team would want futures.

As deep as we look it’s hard to imagine losing either of those two mid season and not feeling it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

So Yzerman wants to be like the Canes eh?

A reverse-Redvolution.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

As deep as we look it’s hard to imagine losing either of those two mid season and not feeling it.

Moreover, we just aren't going to trade a key player in a seller-type move unless we suck next year. It's one thing if we package Skjei/Pesce and pieces for Pettersson (doubt it). But if we deal Skjei or Pesce for a 1st, I imagine it'd be a bummer for team morale and actual team performance going into the most important part of the season.

 

[AD Skinner]

So Yzerman wants to be like the Canes eh?

Somewhere a warm fuzzy stirs deep in the cold heart of peter karmanos

 

[CandyCanes]

RIP Rick. One of the best to call the game in my opinion. His voice was so iconic. I wasn’t even alive for “May Day!” but it’s a clip I’ve watched countless times. One of the best sports calls of all time. Gives me chills every time.

 

[A Star is Burns]

RIP Rick. One of the best to call the game in my opinion. His voice was so iconic. I wasn’t even alive for “May Day!” but it’s a clip I’ve watched countless times. One of the best sports calls of all time. Gives me chills every time.

Wasn't my cup of tea, but respect and RIP.

 

[bleedgreen]

RIP Rick. One of the best to call the game in my opinion. His voice was so iconic. I wasn’t even alive for “May Day!” but it’s a clip I’ve watched countless times. One of the best sports calls of all time. Gives me chills every time.

Watched that game live on tv, it was amazing. One of my favorite sports moments.

 

[Daeavorn]

I am someone that does not understand why we have Orlov Skjei and Pesce still. To me it just feels like there is another shoe about to drop, but I also would not be surprised if they just went into the season like this.

If we dont trade anyone, I wonder what the D pairings will look like.

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - TDA

I wonder if this is what we do. I am not sure they will split up Skjei and Pesce if both are still on the team, and from what I've read Orlov is very good defensively and could probably cover for TDA.

 

[cptjeff]

Wasn't my cup of tea, but respect and RIP.

Agreed. Never really enjoyed listening to his calls myself, but Buffalo fans worshiped him and that's the constituency that matters. And from all accounts, he was a great person. I'd call that a life well lived.

 

[raynman]

I am someone that does not understand why we have Orlov Skjei and Pesce still. To me it just feels like there is another shoe about to drop, but I also would not be surprised if they just went into the season like this.

If we dont trade anyone, I wonder what the D pairings will look like.

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - TDA

I wonder if this is what we do. I am not sure they will split up Skjei and Pesce if both are still on the team, and from what I've read Orlov is very good defensively and could probably cover for TDA.

The thing that sucks in that situation is that Chatfield 100% does not deserve to be in the press box.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

The thing that sucks in that situation is that Chatfield 100% does not deserve to be in the press box.

I'm betting Chatfield will be on that bottom pairing over DeAngelo on most nights.

 

[MinJaBen]

Given our defensemen options and where we stand with the forwards, I wonder if Rod is going to dress 7 defensemen and 11 forwards frequently? He's said in the past that the forwards like the additional playing time that gives when you rotate them around the lineup in that situation.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I am someone that does not understand why we have Orlov Skjei and Pesce still. To me it just feels like there is another shoe about to drop, but I also would not be surprised if they just went into the season like this.

If we dont trade anyone, I wonder what the D pairings will look like.

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Orlov - TDA

I wonder if this is what we do. I am not sure they will split up Skjei and Pesce if both are still on the team, and from what I've read Orlov is very good defensively and could probably cover for TDA.

To go through the list:
1. I don’t think Orlov was ever a part of the plan for the offseason. When a roster changing player calls you up and says he will take a contract that matches your needs perfectly, you take it.
2. Trades are hard.
3. Skjei and Pesce have modified NTCs, making trades even harder
4. The pool of teams that is likely looking for a 1 year pesce/skjei or in a competitive place to want to sign either long term is likely small
5. Finding a team out of the likely small pool of teams interested that isnt on the M-NTC, has the players/ assets we’re interested in, and has cap space is even more limited.
6. Taking straight futures for either doesn’t make us better today, which limits our interest in teams too.
7. If teams that are interested are only interested in futures trades then we have to find a third party that is selling to make us better. That becomes more difficult.
8. If a team wants Skjei or pesce long term, a contract has to agreed upon and that can take a while.
9. When we play our cap cards correctly, we should have enough space at the deadline for a very good forward. So why force a trade to cut a perceived unnecessary player when there will not be a large contingent of available players we can trade for to make us better? The team is good enough to win the Metro now with 4-5 top pairing capable defenders. We can improve later with futures only

A lot of factors here and the stars aren’t lining up so far.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

The thing that sucks in that situation is that Chatfield 100% does not deserve to be in the press box.

Unfortunately an injury will happen to a key defender on a team early in the season. We’ll be in a position to fill that need internally or trade a defender. I don’t think anyone will be press box bound for long.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'm betting Chatfield will be on that bottom pairing over DeAngelo on most nights.

I’ll take that bet. Part of why they got Tony back was for the PP. He can’t help that from the press box.

If, after a while, he’s not helping the PP, then sure.

I suspect more moves are coming before the season starts though and it won’t come to that.

 

[DaveG]

Agreed. Never really enjoyed listening to his calls myself, but Buffalo fans worshiped him and that's the constituency that matters. And from all accounts, he was a great person. I'd call that a life well lived.

back when I lived in the Finger Lakes area in the early-mid 90s he was still in his prime. At that time the guy could call one hell of a game. Definitely was a homer, but in the good sense, not in the way that the Boston crew can go off on a deranged tangent every now and then. And the guy genuinely loved hockey and loved interacting with the fans.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Given our defensemen options and where we stand with the forwards, I wonder if Rod is going to dress 7 defensemen and 11 forwards frequently? He's said in the past that the forwards like the additional playing time that gives when you rotate them around the lineup in that situation.

I could see it happening some, but we have a lot of guys on D that are ready, willing, and able to eat minutes on the back end. It's not going to necessarily be easy to carve out meaningful ice time for 7 guys. I also don't really see anything with the forwards that screams we need to go with only 11.

Granted, there is still a long way to go until the season begins and there may yet be moves made. Though I'm wondering if we end up with something closer to the Faulk trade (even the young middle-six Kase type that fell through) than the high-end forward everyone hopes for if something does happen.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

I’ll take that bet. Part of why they got Tony back was for the PP. He can’t help that from the press box.

If, after a while, he’s not helping the PP, then sure.

I suspect more moves are coming before the season starts though and it won’t come to that.

Was this ever said anywhere by Waddell or Tony himself or anything? I've never seen the PP being referenced as a reason we got him. It's easy to assume that with his skillset but I'm not convinced we brought him in to improve the PP, more just opportunistic for great depth and more talent/skill for a cheap cap hit who we know fits our system. The PP probably struggled the most in the last 5 years in the 2nd half of Tony's season here and those playoffs with him. Orlov has run several PPs successfully before and I would think both him and Burns are ahead of Tony in the PP QB pecking order.

These are just guesses, as I assume yours is as well. But if there is some source where somebody in the know said he was brought back for PP please share it. And I don't mean a reporter speculating.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Was this ever said anywhere by Waddell or Tony himself or anything? I've never seen the PP being referenced as a reason we got him. It's easy to assume that with his skillset but I'm not convinced we brought him in to improve the PP, more just opportunistic for great depth and more talent/skill for a cheap cap hit who we know fits our system. The PP probably struggled the most in the last 5 years in the 2nd half of Tony's season here and those playoffs with him. Orlov has run several PPs successfully before and I would think both him and Burns are ahead of Tony in the PP QB pecking order.

These are just guesses, as I assume yours is as well. But if there is some source where somebody in the know said he was brought back for PP please share it. And I don't mean a reporter speculating.

Waddell Talks Offseason Moves, DeAngelo, and Svechnikov | Carolina Hurricanes

"We've built our team on the strength of our defense and we're going to continue to look at that as our best and deepest position."

www.nhl.com

The first comment Waddell makes about DeAngelo is: “He can certainly run the power play. We know he's a feisty player. He sticks up for his teammates. He plays with an edge, which you need sometimes.”

I’m not saying it’s the only reason, (as I argued that it was more than the PP earlier), but it is a big reason.

Edit: like I said though, I expect another move before the season starts