Blues Trade Proposals 2023-2024

[Bye Bye Blueston]

I think everyone knows Kyrou > DeBrusk but there’s this thing called the salary cap. I’m not sure which other winger would both Calgary’s want plus work for the cap.

Trading Kyrou for Lindholm would be insane. Cant see any way we do that. Futures for Hanifan couid make sense.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Anyone who turns 30 within two years of their new contract starting (Lindholm would turn 30 year one) should not be an option.

 

[LetsGoBooze]

Hanifin 100% if the price is right and we can send back one of our D contracts. Linholm, hard pass, although i like the player, his age just doesnt fit the new window were opening in 2-3 years. Plus, the whole back half of his contract will become troublesome. I say continue with the extended re-tool, dont rush things. Sure the next year or two will be rough, but there is a clear path forward at this point.

 

[Brian39]

I don't have much interest in Elias Lindholm long term. Given his age, I just don't want to be the team that gives him the contract that he should be able to get.

I'd be more willing/comfortable to give Hanifin his next contract. I don't like Hanifin enough to trade Kyrou for him straight up, even if Hanifin came with a long-term extension at an AAV I was comfortable with.

With all that said, I wouldn't be against making Kyrou the centerpiece of a deal for an extended Hanifin and the remaining year of Lindholm (with the intention to let him walk as a UFA if we're a playoff team or flipping him at the deadline if we suck again). Assuming we aren't willing to buy out Krug or find a taker for him this late in the summer, we would have to move Scandella to make the money (and LHD spots) work.

I'm not sure what the rest of the deal would look like and at the end of the day I doubt we could come up with something to make both sides happy. I'd wager that the Flames would fee a need to have a 1st rounder included to land both of their top 2 assets and I wouldn't be interested in doing that because I think Kyrou would be the most valuable asset in the deal.

I think the only way it would work is if Calgary feels that they could sell such a trade as bundling multiple short-term assets for 1 long-term asset the way Florida did with Tkachuk. Obviously Kyrou isn't Tkachuk, but Lindholm isn't Huberdeau and Florida also sent over a 1st. I think this is very much a long-shot "we're bored in the summer" discussion, but I wouldn't be opposed to a package where Kyrou goes the other way in order to get Hanifin and Lindholm. I just wouldn't want to extend Lindholm, even though I think a year of him on this team has tangible value.

Lindholm and Thomas is a pretty damn good 1-2 punch at center both in terms of raw talent and stylistically. Using either Schenn or Hayes as the 3C while sliding the other to wing would be pretty damn good. Buch, Saad, Vrana, and Kap gets you to 5 of your 6 top 9 wingers and all of them are well suited for those roles. We'd still have hefty competition for that last top 9 wing job and a plethora of potential 4th liners. Krug would be on the 3rd pair where he belongs and swapping Kyrou for Lindholm up front adds a ton of defensive responsibility without taking a massive hit in scoring ability. Not a bad group while we are waiting for our big prospects to get NHL ready.

 

[EastVillageBlues]

The speculation around Calgary and Lindholm is they want a scoring winger to replace losing Tafoli. DeBrusk is said to be the cost from Boston.

The speculated Hanifin return from Pittsburgh is Granlund (cap dump), a 1st, and Pickering.

If Army really wants to compete now I’m not sure why he wouldn’t target both in a bigger deal.

Kyrou easily replaces DeBrusk. DeBrusk is also on the last year of his contract.

Scandella (cap dump) plus a 1st and futures seems like an easy enough task to match or beat the Pens offer.

The caveat would be if both players would be open to signing extensions in St. Louis.

Kyrou for Lindholm

Scandella, 2024 1st, Bolduc, Dean, and even Lindstein could be on the table.

I’m hoping for more of a rebuild but if Army wants to go for it why not swing for the fences?

Buchnevich Lindholm Schenn
Saad Thomas Vrana
Neighbors Hayes Kap
Toro Sundqvist Blais

Hanifin Parayko
Leddy Faulk
Krug Tucker

The following year they could see Snuggy and Dvorski joining the top 9 to give them some more offensive punch.

No interest in Lindholm. Even if he doesn't cost one of the most significant players in the organization.

He is more likely than not to go into a precipitous decline soon after someone inks him on his next deal. Not a good gamble even if the cost is marginal.

 

[Celtic Note]

I don't have much interest in Elias Lindholm long term. Given his age, I just don't want to be the team that gives him the contract that he should be able to get.

I'd be more willing/comfortable to give Hanifin his next contract. I don't like Hanifin enough to trade Kyrou for him straight up, even if Hanifin came with a long-term extension at an AAV I was comfortable with.

With all that said, I wouldn't be against making Kyrou the centerpiece of a deal for an extended Hanifin and the remaining year of Lindholm (with the intention to let him walk as a UFA if we're a playoff team or flipping him at the deadline if we suck again). Assuming we aren't willing to buy out Krug or find a taker for him this late in the summer, we would have to move Scandella to make the money (and LHD spots) work.

I'm not sure what the rest of the deal would look like and at the end of the day I doubt we could come up with something to make both sides happy. I'd wager that the Flames would fee a need to have a 1st rounder included to land both of their top 2 assets and I wouldn't be interested in doing that because I think Kyrou would be the most valuable asset in the deal.

I think the only way it would work is if Calgary feels that they could sell such a trade as bundling multiple short-term assets for 1 long-term asset the way Florida did with Tkachuk. Obviously Kyrou isn't Tkachuk, but Lindholm isn't Huberdeau and Florida also sent over a 1st. I think this is very much a long-shot "we're bored in the summer" discussion, but I wouldn't be opposed to a package where Kyrou goes the other way in order to get Hanifin and Lindholm. I just wouldn't want to extend Lindholm, even though I think a year of him on this team has tangible value.

Lindholm and Thomas is a pretty damn good 1-2 punch at center both in terms of raw talent and stylistically. Using either Schenn or Hayes as the 3C while sliding the other to wing would be pretty damn good. Buch, Saad, Vrana, and Kap gets you to 5 of your 6 top 9 wingers and all of them are well suited for those roles. We'd still have hefty competition for that last top 9 wing job and a plethora of potential 4th liners. Krug would be on the 3rd pair where he belongs and swapping Kyrou for Lindholm up front adds a ton of defensive responsibility without taking a massive hit in scoring ability. Not a bad group while we are waiting for our big prospects to get NHL ready.

Why waste the youth of Kyrou for one year of Lindholm? Are you convinced we would be a contender next year with Lindholm and Hanifin minus Kyrou? Otherwise, why else do that? If we suck it up again which is the best case scenario for asset management as we trade Lindbohm at the deadline. If Hanifin isn’t enough to get Kyrou, is adding a late first at the deadline for Lindholm enough to make up the difference?

Is Hanifin the answer to our defensive problems?

 

[Xanadude]

I want Lindholm but not at the price he'd likely demand on his next contract. Too rich, too old. Now as others posted, a mega-deal that sees us jettison Krug and get Hanifin in return too? Maybe that entices me more, but Kyrou for Lindholm straight-up would be an utter disaster.

To play devil's advocate, looking at our forward group there's at least one defensive liability on each line, from Kyrou to Vrana to Hayes. Combine that with our dodgy defense and good lord it could get ugly next year (though arguably another down year might be best for the franchise long-term). Subbing in Lindholm into the group would help a great deal with team defense BUT I doubt he ever puts up gaudy offensive numbers again without Johnny Hockey and Matt Tkachuk on his wings and father time is undefeated.

Maybe if Kyrou goes and Krug waives to go in return (lol, yeah right), I'm happy with extended Hanifin and a trial run of Lindholm, but even then it's a pipe dream IMO.

 

[Brian39]

Why waste the youth of Kyrou for one year of Lindholm? Are you convinced we would be a contender next year with Lindholm and Hanifin minus Kyrou? Otherwise, why else do that? If we suck it up again which is the best case scenario for asset management as we trade Lindbohm at the deadline. If Hanifin isn’t enough to get Kyrou, is adding a late first at the deadline for Lindholm enough to make up the difference?

Is Hanifin the answer to our defensive problems?

I do believe that we could be a contender with Lindholm and Hanifin minus Kyrou. I think that swapping a high end offensive RW for a high end two way C would improve our offensive group for 2023/24.

Lindholm had 64 points playing mainly with Toffoli and Dube last year and he has two 75+ point seasons under his belt. Those came playing with great players on his wings and I wouldn't expect a ppg guy here. But he is very, very good defensively, puts up great possession metrics, and appears to have a points floor in the mid-60s even when paired with just decent top 6 talent. I think the defensive upgrade from Kyrou (and positional advantage) would make up for the production gap given this roster's strengths and weaknesses. Thomas/Lindholm/Schenn down the middle is a contender-caliber center group that would allow Hayes to shift over to wing to minimize his defensive responsibility. Lindholm has been a better player than Kyrou for each of the last 2 seasons and he is only 4 years older than Kyrou. There is a real argument to be made that swapping Kyrou for LIndholm alone is an upgrade in the present.

Hanifin is a no-doubt top 4 D man who many argue is a top pair D man. Stylistically, I don't think that adding Hanifin solves every issue on the blue line, because I think he is better with the puck than without. But he is still more than adequate defensively and he is a legitimate top 4 guy that is big and doesn't need sheltering. I think he is better equipped than any blueliner currently on our team at handling the insane workload we have been giving to the Parayko pair. I think he is also a great option to pair with Faulk to give that pair more responsibility (to drastically reduce the insane workload given to Leddy/Parayko). Plugging him into the blue line and limiting Krug to 3rd pair usage solves a ton of the defensive problems. He is a massive upgrade from Scandella (who I like more than most around here). Long term, he would be a great player to build the LHD group around and is young enough that a long term deal isn't worrisome (at the right AAV).

I wouldn't trade Kyrou for an extended Hanifin straight up because Hanifin isn't my absolute favorite LHD answer. But the value of that isn't far off and adding in a year of a legit 1C that is a perfect stylistic match tips the scales for me. If we are still sellers at the deadline, Lindholm should return much more than just a late 1st as well.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

I do believe that we could be a contender with Lindholm and Hanifin minus Kyrou. I think that swapping a high end offensive RW for a high end two way C would improve our offensive group for 2023/24.

Lindholm had 64 points playing mainly with Toffoli and Dube last year and he has two 75+ point seasons under his belt. Those came playing with great players on his wings and I wouldn't expect a ppg guy here. But he is very, very good defensively, puts up great possession metrics, and appears to have a points floor in the mid-60s even when paired with just decent top 6 talent. I think the defensive upgrade from Kyrou (and positional advantage) would make up for the production gap given this roster's strengths and weaknesses. Thomas/Lindholm/Schenn down the middle is a contender-caliber center group that would allow Hayes to shift over to wing to minimize his defensive responsibility. Lindholm has been a better player than Kyrou for each of the last 2 seasons and he is only 4 years older than Kyrou. There is a real argument to be made that swapping Kyrou for LIndholm alone is an upgrade in the present.

Hanifin is a no-doubt top 4 D man who many argue is a top pair D man. Stylistically, I don't think that adding Hanifin solves every issue on the blue line, because I think he is better with the puck than without. But he is still more than adequate defensively and he is a legitimate top 4 guy that is big and doesn't need sheltering. I think he is better equipped than any blueliner currently on our team at handling the insane workload we have been giving to the Parayko pair. I think he is also a great option to pair with Faulk to give that pair more responsibility (to drastically reduce the insane workload given to Leddy/Parayko). Plugging him into the blue line and limiting Krug to 3rd pair usage solves a ton of the defensive problems. He is a massive upgrade from Scandella (who I like more than most around here). Long term, he would be a great player to build the LHD group around and is young enough that a long term deal isn't worrisome (at the right AAV).

I wouldn't trade Kyrou for an extended Hanifin straight up because Hanifin isn't my absolute favorite LHD answer. But the value of that isn't far off and adding in a year of a legit 1C that is a perfect stylistic match tips the scales for me. If we are still sellers at the deadline, Lindholm should return much more than just a late 1st as well.

And what happens when Lindholm starts to decline in less than 3 years? Now we are stuck with Saad, Schenn, Lindholm, Krug, Faulk, Parayko, Leddy, all making 4mil+ for long term. All 30 and over. Do we really want to put that much money into a last ditch effort to maybe get past the 3rd round and completely crumble and lose a large part of out prospect depth and jettison Public Enemy #1?

 

[542365]

It’s wild how similar the posts on here about Kyrou are to the Leafs fans posts about Kessel before he was traded to Pittsburgh for nothing and was a big part of winning a couple of Cups.

 

[Spektre]

It’s wild how similar the posts on here about Kyrou are to the Leafs fans posts about Kessel before he was traded to Pittsburgh for nothing and was a big part of winning a couple of Cups.

My proposal of Kyrou + futures for Lindholm and Hanifin is my attempt to view the team through Army's vision.

Personally, I think tanking next year could be the best possible scenario for the organization. Another top 5-10 pick plus being a seller at the TDL could speed up the timeline to returning to contention.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

My proposal of Kyrou + futures for Lindholm and Hanifin is my attempt to view the team through Army's vision.

Personally, I think tanking next year could be the best possible scenario for the organization. Another top 5-10 pick plus being a seller at the TDL could speed up the timeline to returning to contention.

Isn't Army's vision 'between 25-27 years old with multiple years of control' Lindholm turns 29 thus upcoming season and has one year remaining. Hanifin makes complete sense. Lindholm does not.

 

[Spektre]

Isn't Army's vision 'between 25-27 years old with multiple years of control' Lindholm turns 29 thus upcoming season and has one year remaining. Hanifin makes complete sense. Lindholm does not.

I get that. How do you make the cap work if it’s only Hanifin, unless you’re trading Kyrou for him?

If that’s the case it creates another hole in the top 6. If the deal included Lindholm the top 6 hole is filled.

I understand the age thing with Lindholm not being ideal. Even if this was a trade Army wanted, both players would have to agree to extensions.

Who knows? Army was willing to trade Krug for one of the top 10 worst contracts in the NHL according to the athletic.

 

[sfvega]

My proposal of Kyrou + futures for Lindholm and Hanifin is my attempt to view the team through Army's vision.

Personally, I think tanking next year could be the best possible scenario for the organization. Another top 5-10 pick plus being a seller at the TDL could speed up the timeline to returning to contention.

100%. I think the Krug trade falling through may be a blessing in disguise. We have so much young talent now that the window has shifted. If Vrana can continue his play and bring us another 1st, along with our two 2nds, next year in a good defenseman draft we'd be sitting pretty.

 

[Spektre]

100%. I think the Krug trade falling through may be a blessing in disguise. We have so much young talent now that the window has shifted. If Vrana can continue his play and bring us another 1st, along with our two 2nds, next year in a good defenseman draft we'd be sitting pretty.

Agreed, but I honestly think the team will be fighting for a playoff spot next year. That's just my gut feeling after watching them play down the stretch and how weak the Central is.

We'll see what happens...

 

[Brian39]

And what happens when Lindholm starts to decline in less than 3 years?

He is another team's problem. My post was about using him as a 1 year rental and not extending him.

Do we really want to put that much money into a last ditch effort to maybe get past the 3rd round and completely crumble and lose a large part of out prospect depth and jettison Public Enemy #1?

I also didn't include a 'large part of our prospect depth' when discussing a proposal I'd be comfortable with. As I said, I wouldn't be comfortable adding a ton of value to Kyrou+Scandella for an extended Hanifin and 1 year of Lindholm.

And my proposal was a net savings of money since I wouldn't be extending Lindholm. It frees up almost $2M in space for 2023/24 and then whatever the difference between a Hanifin extension and a Kyrou extension is for years 2+

 

[Brian39]

It’s wild how similar the posts on here about Kyrou are to the Leafs fans posts about Kessel before he was traded to Pittsburgh for nothing and was a big part of winning a couple of Cups.

Maybe I just have a bunch of people on ignore, but I very much disagree. Using Kyrou as the trade ship to bring in a mid-20s top pair LHD as a long-term solution is a pretty far cry from just trying to get a player off the roster. I thin the large majority of proposals involving Kyrou revolve around bringing in a good long term solution to a legitimate roster issue.

 

[TurgPavs]

I would hope that if both Vrana and Kappy succeed this season they are resigned, not moved out at the deadline.

 

[stlbluz]

FYI - for you guys throwing Kyrou around like halloween candy should probably pump the brakes. He's not going anywhere & for gods sake give the coaches some time to get his defensive play worked out. Something tells me the whole team will be more defensively aware this upcoming season.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

N

FYI - for you guys throwing Kyrou around like halloween candy should probably pump the brakes. He's not going anywhere & for gods sake give the coaches some time to get his defensive play worked out. Something tells me the whole team will be more defensively aware this upcoming season.

Naw, trade him @50% for a 3rd rounder in 2034

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

FYI - for you guys throwing Kyrou around like halloween candy should probably pump the brakes. He's not going anywhere & for gods sake give the coaches some time to get his defensive play worked out. Something tells me the whole team will be more defensively aware this upcoming season.

Yeah but….fortnite

 

[kimzey59]

I would hope that if both Vrana and Kappy succeed this season they are resigned, not moved out at the deadline.

If not for Snuggles and Bolduc; I would whole heartedly agree.
However; with Snuggles and Bolduc(not to mention Dean and Dvorsky) both likely ready for the NHL after this year, I'm hesitant to resign either of them. Certainly not if they're looking for any kind of term.
I don't want to tie up top 9 spots in aging players if a youngster could fill that spot. That cap space could be used to upgrade the defense.

 

[Majorityof1]

If not for Snuggles and Bolduc; I would whole heartedly agree.
However; with Snuggles and Bolduc(not to mention Dean and Dvorsky) both likely ready for the NHL after this year, I'm hesitant to resign either of them. Certainly not if they're looking for any kind of term.
I don't want to tie up top 9 spots in aging players if a youngster could fill that spot. That cap space could be used to upgrade the defense.

Not just cap space. The assets we get for trading them could be used to address the D, or replace assets we spent to do so. The opportunity cost of what we could do with that cap space, roster spot and assets is too high to justify re-signing them given our roster and prospect pool.

That does change if they give us a ridiculous team friendly deal and/or short term deal, but I wouldn't bet on that happening. If Vrana proves to be a top 6 30+ goal guy and wants to re-sign at 1-2 years, $5m as a stop gap until our prospects are top 6 ready, sure. But if he hits 30g, he'll want more and/ or longer.

 

[sfvega]

If not for Snuggles and Bolduc; I would whole heartedly agree.
However; with Snuggles and Bolduc(not to mention Dean and Dvorsky) both likely ready for the NHL after this year, I'm hesitant to resign either of them. Certainly not if they're looking for any kind of term.
I don't want to tie up top 9 spots in aging players if a youngster could fill that spot. That cap space could be used to upgrade the defense.

And imagine getting a 1st for Vrana this season. We've all talked the whole prospect voting process about how strong our cupboard is for the first time in a long time. Adding two 1sts and two 2nds next draft to that not only adds to that, but it gives Army all sorts of windows to create deals which he's great at.

 

[Bye Bye Blueston]

And imagine getting a 1st for Vrana this season. We've all talked the whole prospect voting process about how strong our cupboard is for the first time in a long time. Adding two 1sts and two 2nds next draft to that not only adds to that, but it gives Army all sorts of windows to create deals which he's great at.

Nobody is giving us a 1st for vrana or kap. Would love it but ain’t happening.