OEL, same contract issue/timeline.
As much as it makes sense for teams like Arizona and Carolina to stop stacking up futures and make a move, I don't think a near pending UFA works for them. In the markets they are without much success or promise of success I don't think gambling on a guy who might walk in 2 years is the way to go. I dont think Duchene is a staunch UFAitist but if I were those two teams I'd be a bit nervous. It's just like us, do you gamble the moon and stars that OEL sticks around if we traded for him? A market like Montreal I'd give much better hope of showing something in the next 2 years and being the type of market that can keep a pending UFA.
I think they need to move Strome as the carrot if they want to get a real NHLer back. They better do it now because if he spends most of the year in the AHL next year his value is going to look a lot like MDC. Maybe their pick this year too, not like they need to pick another young forward.
Perhaps, but I doubt Tippet is overly keen on just developing young guys, and apparently he has a significant say there. Chakya has assembled so many young pieces, but what are they going to do next year? Throw them all to the wolves again, this time without Hanzal? I mean, Perlini is 20, Domi is 22, Fischer is 20, Dvorak is 20, Crouse is 19, Duclair is 21, Keller is 18, Strome is 20...assuming they get a top two pick, are they going to rely on another 18 year old to become a key player? Their "vets" at this point going into next year are McGinn, Richardson, and Rieder. That's their signed forward roster combined with all of the guys listed above. Maybe they re-sign both Vrbata and Doan, maybe dip into the free agency pool and grab a Bonino type, but aside from Vrbata, if he stays, and Domi, they have no established top six forward talent, in my opinion.
Arizona won't offer OEL, I think the entire point is that they have to start building a roster than can compete and properly develop around him. And I'm not sure just drafting and trading for kids up front and tossing them out there is the brightest idea. Probably not Duchene, but I think they almost have to be aggressive and get someone who's a high end top six forward.