Around the NHL 2024-25 regular season

[Davegarri]

hes not a horrrrrible player, its kinda like if Dillon were making 8.5 million a year here.

they have cap to spare and I think are hoping for a bounce back. someone also posted they only have like 5 real NHL men.

Rags were desperate to give him up. Why even offer anything? You can just sign a veteran dman in the offseason for some leadership that won't cost you $8.5 million. It's not like they're going anywhere this year so they don't need it that bad.

And if the rags turn down your offer of just the contract to go back the other way? Oh no...

 

[Emperoreddy]

Also can just take him for free on waivers.

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[MartyOwns]

Especially with the cap set to explode in the near future

that’s a bit of a fallacy. everyone else’s salary will go up too.

 

[Bleedred]

Zegras initially part of the Trouba deal but the injury nixed that!?

 

[billingtons ghost]

Someone has to play defense for Anaheim next season. Cap space is basically meaningless for them next season. A 4th isn’t a big deal.

Trading for someone theoretically better is more costly and better UFA signings have term.

Trouba gives them physical defenseman with a lot of experience, including playoffs and a Captaincy.

If they can flip him for more than a 4th, than cool, they can profit too. Getting another team to help out on a double retention costs ~5th Rd pick.

I think that last bit is the likely scenario. Come playoff time, those elbows come in handy and if the Ducks retain, there'll certainly be a market for Trouba to be a bottom pair shotblocking/lockerroom/elbow throwing pain in the ass. Even Jack Johnson found a home on the Avs for chrissakes. Trouba can change a series despite his apparant suckiness.

I'm *so* happy when the Rags blow things up by dealing core heart & soul guys thinking they are just going to sign a Tarasenko or Kane or whatever and it'll solve all their problems. I knew Lundpads would never win a cup when Callahan and Dubinski left.

 

[britdevil]

I don't see how they swing Rantanen or Marner next year but the year after all when Panarin's money comes off all bets are off

Time and time again GM's show they are willing to step up and take the rangers' horrible contracts.

They can swing whatever they want tbh. It's New York. Players want to play there.

 

[Hisch13r]

Time and time again GM's show they are willing to step up and take the rangers' horrible contracts.

They can swing whatever they want tbh. It's New York. Players want to play there.

It literally has nothing to do with taking bad contracts. They can’t swing next year and if they do decide to swing then they won’t be able to address their actual needs on the backend

 

[Hisch13r]

that’s a bit of a fallacy. everyone else’s salary will go up too.

My point is 11.5 may seem like a lot now but with the cap exploding the 11.5 looks better

 

[TheBeerNerd]

truly do not understand this perspective. he is the only reason they are where they are every year. rangers live and die with this player. pay him.

I don’t understand it from a realistic perspective, but Rangers fans are a self loathing bunch.

 

[Better Call Sal]

This doesn’t seem like the most ringing endorsement for Brunette.

 

[MadDevil]

Time and time again GM's show they are willing to step up and take the rangers' horrible contracts.

They can swing whatever they want tbh. It's New York. Players want to play there.

Which I've always found funny given they've won 1 Cup since World War II.

 

[AfroThunder396]

This doesn’t seem like the most ringing endorsement for Brunette.

I know everyone around here gets all warm and fuzzy for Brunette but I don't think he's done anything to show he's a great coach.

 

[MadDevil]

I know everyone around here gets all warm and fuzzy for Brunette but I don't think he's done anything to show he's a great coach.

He might be one of those coaches who is better as an assistant than a head coach.

 

[Hisch13r]

He might be one of those coaches who is better as an assistant than a head coach.

I think he’s probably just one of the coaches who can be great with a roster that works for him and won’t be when he doesn’t. He needs a team that can skate and Trotz put together a nursing home team.

 

[Saugus]

Which I've always found funny given they've won 1 Cup since World War II.

Players don’t go there to win a Cup, they go there for a lifestyle and to get the bag.

If the Rangers happen to be good simultaneously, that’s just a plus. It’s not the main attraction for a lot of guys.

 

[jkrdevil]

that’s a bit of a fallacy. everyone else’s salary will go up too.

Not necessarily. I think we will see the gap between star players and the middle/bottom tier grow. There is still supply and demand factors of true difference makers being rare and middle of the lineup type guys being more abundant. Although the cap floor rising does help exacerbated things so it won’t become a baseball situation.

 

[Brodeur]

Just remembered that I currently have a Ducks Selanne #8 jersey in my closet to give to my cousin for Xmas. Trouba's gonna have to choose a new number.

I would not have guessed that Trouba and Selanne overlapped in the NHL. Selanne's brief retirement in 2007 probably makes me forget he played until 2014.



Nice individual goal by Beckett Sennecke against Sam Dickinson.

 

[MartyOwns]

Not necessarily. I think we will see the gap between star players and the middle/bottom tier grow. There is still supply and demand factors of true difference makers being rare and middle of the lineup type guys being more abundant. Although the cap floor rising does help exacerbated things so it won’t become a baseball situation.

well, we can test it. are players’ percentage of their teams caps staying relatively the same? or are they going up? i’m not sober enough to look it up but i’d be interested in finding out.

 

[dgibb10]

well, we can test it. are players’ percentage of their teams caps staying relatively the same? or are they going up? i’m not sober enough to look it up but i’d be interested in finding out.

Star players cap %s have honestly gone down in more recent times compared to a decade or 2 ago.

I expect it to correct soon. Star players are undervalued in today's NHL.

 

[JrFischer54]

I would not have guessed that Trouba and Selanne overlapped in the NHL. Selanne's brief retirement in 2007 probably makes me forget he played until 2014.



Nice individual goal by Beckett Sennecke against Sam Dickinson.

I can't believe sellane played until 2014 wow! i figured like way earlier then that

 

[My3Sons]

Players don’t go there to win a Cup, they go there for a lifestyle and to get the bag.

If the Rangers happen to be good simultaneously, that’s just a plus. It’s not the main attraction for a lot of guys.

How the Rangers themselves don’t realize this is beyond me. It’s the reason they struggle to win when it matters. Too many of the players just aren’t there for hockey.

 

[Brodeur]

Rags were desperate to give him up. Why even offer anything? You can just sign a veteran dman in the offseason for some leadership that won't cost you $8.5 million. It's not like they're going anywhere this year so they don't need it that bad.

And if the rags turn down your offer of just the contract to go back the other way? Oh no...

Also can just take him for free on waivers.

Just playing devil's advocate for Anaheim:

Vaakanainen was a smaller cap dump the other way. Taking Trouba for "free" on waivers would have meant the Ducks were also on the hook for the remainder (1.1 mil) of Vaakanainen's contract. As much as we like to think every owner is a bottomless cash dispenser, Anaheim's typically a budget team.

Verbeek probably isn't on the hot seat, but I wouldn't be shocked if he/Anaheim's ownership is disappointed with how they're doing this season. Ignoring the cap hit, Trouba will definitely balance out their D pairings. Not sure if Verbeek has enough of a leash to tell the owner "Welp, this season's lost. We'll make some changes in July."

Anaheim's typically not a hot spot for UFA especially as they're rebuilding. They had to overpay Gudas/Killorn recently. The RHD crop of UFAs this season isn't great: Aaron Ekblad, Neal Pionk, Jeff Petry, Cody Ceci, David Savard, 40 year old Brent Burns.

Trouba's contract was frontloaded so he's "only" making 6 mil this year and next while counting 8 mil against the cap. That's the sort of contract Anaheim has liked in the past for budgetary reasons. Trouba can keep them over the floor as they look to trade Cam Fowler and John Gibson.

Trouba's not blocking anybody in their system, if anything he buys time for Tristan Luneau to get some AHL seasoning. And if Anaheim is a seller at the 2026 deadline, a retained Trouba should fetch a lot more than the 4th round pick that they gave up.

Anaheim wasn't the only team trying to trade for Trouba. We know that Trouba said no to Columbus, but we don't know if there were other teams. Anaheim would have had high waiver priority but didn't want to risk Chicago or San Jose from making a claim. Anaheim has had a bunch of picks in recent years and in the future, so a 4th isn't going to make a huge dent. They can probably get at least a 4th round pick for Brian Dumoulin at this year's deadline.

 

[Guttersniped]

Let's say cap jumps to 95 mil. Shipping out Kreider probably gets you a solid return. Rough estimates for contract projections, lets say re-sign Kakko and Cuylle for like a combined 9 mil, Jones for like 2.5, Miller for like 5. Sign Pettersson for like 5 mil. Combination of Berard/Othmann/Sykora/Perreault for 3rd line wings. Fill out 4th line, back up goalie, and extras with guys making 1 mil or less. That leaves you with around ~4.5-5 mil to add a top 4RD. Do I think they ever end up winning a Cup? No probably not but I do think they could cobble together a Cup contending team. I think something like this is a contender

Panarin-Trocheck-Laf
Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko
Berard-Mika-Perreault
Sykora-Edstrom-Brodzinski

Pettersson-Fox
Miller-PMD RD
Jones-Schneider

Igor

That's just not a cup contending middle six unless there are some real improvements and Mika stop doing whatever the f*** this is. And you're relying on Panarin to keep being PANARIN!, which is eventually going to stop.

The 3rd line is mostly projection but the second line is excellent if Chytil can stay healthy and Cuylle builds on his excellent start. (The former is kind of a big if though.)

I would be a mixture of shocked, impressed and delighted if Berard made the Rangers line-up, because I’m always on Team Waterbug, but I doubt it happens. He’s a smol boi.

But Drury can dig up a random secondary scoring forward to fill in a spot. The growth of their key young forwards and Chytil’s health is what’s important.

Zib to stop sucking would help. They need Miller to stop sucking as well.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

8 years of NMC whew