Around the NHL 2024-2025

  • PLEASE check any bookmark on all devices. IF you see a link pointing to mandatory.com DELETE it Please use this URL https://forums.hfboards.com/

Stealth JD

Don't condescend me, man.
Sponsor
Jan 16, 2006
16,867
8,294
Bonita Springs, FL
The Bruins Swayman thing it's getting aired out in the open. Gonna need some popcorn for this.
Swayman is a dope if he doesn't sign 8 x $8M, and i don't begrudge the Bruins one bit if they don't waiver from that number. Let him sit out; he's basically got no leverage here and he'll be hard-pressed to make up that loss in career earnings if he forgoes this season by sitting out in contract dispute.
 

Reality Czech

Registered User
Apr 17, 2017
5,572
9,050
NHL Network/NHL.com has released the #50-#11 best players in the NHL with the top 10 to come. The top 10 players, not the order, ase obvious by who is missing. There are zero Blues in the Top 50.

Top 50-41 List:
#50 Guentzel TB; #49 Swayman Bos; #48 Dobson NYI; #47 Werenski Clb; #46 Slavin Car; #45 Connor Wpg; #44 Morissey Wpg; #43 Forsberg Nas; #42 Larkin Det; #41 Hintz Dal

Top 40-31 List:
#40 Dahlin Buf; #39 Toews Col; #38 Bedard Chi; #37 Stamkos Nas; #36 B. Tkachuk Ott; #35 Hyman Edm; #34 Bouchard Edm; #33 Aho Car; #32 Marner Tor; #31 Reinhart Fla;

Top 30-21 List:
#30 JT Miller Van' #29 Nylander Tor; #28 Pettersson Van; #27 Fox NYR; #26 McAvoy Bos; #25 Kaprizov Min; #24Vasilevsky TB; #23 Robertson Dal; #22 Hellebuyck Wpg; #21 Forsling Fla

Top 20-11 List:
#20 Jack Hughes NJD; #19 Heiskanen Dal; #18 Josi Nas; #17 Eichel VGK; #16 Point TBL; #15 Panarin NYR; #14 Pastarnak Bos; #13 Rantanen Col; #12 Hedman; #11 Crosby

Remaining 10 (unsure order) : Hughes, Van; Makar Col; M. Tkachuk Fla; Kucherov TBL; Shesterkin NYR; Barkov Fla; Draisaitl Edm; Matthews Tor; Mackinnon Col; McDavid Edm.

They also ranked the positions individually. Thomas was ranked the 18th best C and outside the top 50. No other Blue was ranked in the top 20 C, top 20 Wing, top 20 D or top 10 Goalie.

When some of us talk about needing elite talent, this is what we mean. Thomas should be there, but we need more. Some teams have 3-4 guys. Montreal, Washington, Philly, Utah, LA, Calgary, Seattle, and San Jose are the only other teams without players. Not the company we want to be in.

Lists like these are partially driven by a team's performance on the ice and have a lot of recency bias. If the Blues can play better as a team, then our players will get more attention from national media. Of course, Thomas and Kyrou need to keep improving until other people notice but they won't make a list like this until the team gets better as a whole (or they go off for 90+ points or something crazy).

Would Hyman be on this list if he wasn't stapled to McDavid? Would Toews be so high if he didn't get to play with Makar in Colorado?

I think Thomas has the ability to be better than Larkin, Kyrou can be as good or better than Connor, Guentzel and Hyman and Binnington surely can be better than Swayman. But talk is cheap so them and the rest of the team will have to prove it. I definitely agree with the sentiment of your post but a lot can change from year to year on lists like this.

Swayman is a dope if he doesn't sign 8 x $8M, and i don't begrudge the Bruins one bit if they don't waiver from that number. Let him sit out; he's basically got no leverage here and he'll be hard-pressed to make up that loss in career earnings if he forgoes this season by sitting out in contract dispute.

Gotta say I've always loved Neely on and off the ice and that's definitely still true today lol
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,487
14,000
The Bruins Swayman thing it's getting aired out in the open. Gonna need some popcorn for this.
I think Boston is making a mistake by taking public shots the way Neely did today, but I very much agree that they are doing the right thing by making their offer public. $8M x 8 years is a very reasonable offer from them. You can argue that the goalie market should be re-set, that Swayman will quickly be worth more than an $8M AAV that once he gets a season as the clear #1 under his belt, or that it is in both sides' best interest to try and find a number that makes sense for both on a 3-5 year deal. I have a lot of time for an argument that Swayman shouldn't sign an $8M x 8 deal.

But even if you believe all those things, $8M x 8 years is a perfectly reasonable number from the team.

I wonder if Swayman regrets not filing for arbitration this year. I know he hated the process last time, but he had a better case to present after last season and he would have gotten a raise that would have given him all the leverage next summer. A $5M arbitration award would have given him the ability to lock in at least $10M over the next 2 seasons before going UFA in the summer of 2026. Now, he's looking at the possibility of sitting out a year just to still be an RFA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vladys Gumption

BlueDream

Registered User
Aug 30, 2011
26,086
14,779
I’d say so. He still has an AHL contract I think but I see him going to Europe in a year.

If this Swayman thing blows up and he ends up asking for a trade out of Boston that could be fatal to the Bruins. To go from Swayman/Ullmark duo to Korpisalo/???.... oof.
That’s what I’m rooting for. There’s really no reason for Boston to be in this situation, having 2 goalies and fumbling it. I love the drama and hope they get screwed.
 
Apr 30, 2012
21,135
5,617
St. Louis, MO
If this Swayman thing blows up and he ends up asking for a trade out of Boston that could be fatal to the Bruins. To go from Swayman/Ullmark duo to Korpisalo/???.... oof.
It still baffles me that they traded Ullmark without having Swayman signed. Especially knowing how vocal he’s been about his displeasure with the arbitration process.
 

Brian39

Registered User
Apr 24, 2014
7,487
14,000
In a vacuum, I don't have any issue with trading Ullmark before having a deal done. You should be able to take for granted that you can get an RFA signed when he still has two full seasons before he can go UFA.

However. that assumption generally rests on the notion that you have a good idea what the player wants, that you are willing to at least be in the ballpark, and are currently engaged in productive talks. It is pretty clear that this wasn't the case here. It certainly doesn't appear like the two sides were close to a deal in June that blew up right after the Ullmark trade.

All that said, I don't view the trade of Ullmark as the biggest blunder here. Boston appears to be tripping over themselves to damage the relationship with the player. They have botched the PR game at every turn and have clearly pissed off the player beyond what happens when you simply hold firm on an offer and exercise the leverage the CBA gives you. I view the PR/negotiation failure as a much larger failure than trading Ullmark first. Getting him signed to a fair contract by the end of October shouldn't have turned into a seemingly impossible task.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad