Speculation: Caps Roster General Discussion (Coaching/FAs/Cap/Lines etc) - 2023 Off-season

[RedRocking]

I keep hearing people thinking the Caps may run out the contracts with Kuzya and Mantha. How exactly would they “re-tool on the fly” if they don’t move salary this summer? I can’t see them rolling pretty much the exact same team last year. Carbery can’t turn crap into gold.

Lavi out, Carbery in. A bunch of kids on the left side blue line, and in depth roles. That’s it. That’s the re-tool.

Lottery ‘24 here we come, lol.

 

[twabby]

Now we're talking. These last few years you were the guy that'd occasionally remind us that you don't care what the team looks like after Ovi.

I know for you it's an alternative to getting something that can help with Ovi now, but dealing Wilson for futures -- once again, UNLESS it's a crazy package -- has a hit-or-miss chance of improving the team the way you suggest it might. Prospects and picks don't work out with a real frequency, a team dealing for Wilson will likely be a contender (meaning lower 1sts), and the likeliest type of move -- one that includes a more established future-ish prospect -- won't yield much more than that.

When the realistic return starts to sound that questionable or underwhelming and the player at issue is a guy beloved by everyone but you, the idea itself gets pretty ho-hum.

IF he's asking for stupid money/term and/or IF a team backs up a Brinks truck, sure. But otherwise, nah.

Do you really think that given the current atmosphere in the NHL and given Wilson’s reputation around the league and given Tkachuk’s impact this year that Wilson would have an underwhelming return? It seems doubtful to me. A team will back up the Brinks truck of given the opportunity. Why wouldn’t they? Again he’s a unicorn in the eyes of the NHL. He’ll have 31 suitors if made available.

In the case that Washington tries to compete during some of Ovie’s final few years I suggested something like a Byfield+ return for Wilson if he was traded to LA and I’m sticking to that as a baseline. He could return even more. I think to turn down something like that would be a huge lost opportunity. Washington isn’t on the cusp right now. They’re not lacking leadership or grit. They’re lacking young, high-ceiling, impactful, cheap talent. Re-signing Wilson solves none of their current issues. He’ll get his 25 or so goals and 55 or so points for the next year or so but he’s not the primary driver of any line he’s been on in his career. Washington needs players that can drive lines and drive offense. He’s a complementary player on a team that needs high end talent driving lines in the top 6.

With regards to trading Wilson for futures only I’m speaking only to those who think Washington has no real shot at the end of the Ovie era. Why re-sign Wilson if they have no shot during the first 4-5 years of his new contract? If they need leadership to help the new kids then overpay for the next Brooks Orpik or whatever. Missing out on the opportunity to cash in on Wilson would be gross mismanagement at this point if they are just running out the timer on Ovechkin.

As another example of a team trading a fan-favorite to great success, look at Fleury in Vegas. Fans weren’t happy about Vegas trading him at the time but I’m sure they’re plenty happy now.

 

[RedRocking]

Do you really think that given the current atmosphere in the NHL and given Wilson’s reputation around the league and given Tkachuk’s impact this year that Wilson would have an underwhelming return? It seems doubtful to me. A team will back up the Brinks truck of given the opportunity. Why wouldn’t they? Again he’s a unicorn in the eyes of the NHL. He’ll have 31 suitors if made available.

In the case that Washington tries to compete during some of Ovie’s final few years I suggested something like a Byfield+ return for Wilson if he was traded to LA and I’m sticking to that as a baseline. He could return even more. I think to turn down something like that would be a huge lost opportunity. Washington isn’t on the cusp right now. They’re not lacking leadership or grit. They’re lacking young, high-ceiling, impactful, cheap talent. Re-signing Wilson solves none of their current issues. He’ll get his 25 or so goals and 55 or so points but he’s not the primary driver of any line he’s been on in his career. Washington needs players that can drive lines and drive offense.

With regards to trading Wilson for futures only I’m speaking only to those who think Washington has no real shot at the end of the Ovie era. Why re-sign Wilson if they have no shot during the first 4-5 years of his new contract? If they need leadership to help the new kids then overpay for the next Brooks Orpik or whatever. Missing out on the opportunity to cash in on Wilson would be gross mismanagement at this point.

As another example of a team trading a fan-favorite to great success, look at Fleury in Vegas. Fans weren’t happy about Vegas trading him at the time but I’m sure they’re plenty happy now.

Fleury was cooked though - a little different situation. But, I actually do agree with you, in theory. Of course saying that gets you burned for heresy in these parts, lol.

I’m in the camp that there’s basically nothing that can be done to contend in Ovi’s final years. I wish that wasn’t true, but I suspect it is. So I’d like to get young guys on ELC’s and replenish the prospect pool as quickly as possible. And yea TW has to be the organization’s most valuable asset. No one will mistake him for Tkachuk from a scoring standpoint, to be sure. But Tom is built for playoff hockey, and almost seems like a waste on a rebuilding team.

So, yes an offer of Byfield+ would be intriguing to me too - especially if TW is asking for an outrageous extension. I could see teams like TOR, and CAR being in the mix as well. Not exactly sure what they’d offer.

But it’s all moot as BMac has made every indication that they want to extend him, and if not I think the fanbase would riot (and realize this “re-tool” is just a rebuild by another name), and it might piss off Ovi. In the end, having Tom Wilson in your top 6, and in your locker room for the remainder of his prime is probably better than a mystery box of kids and futures. I think calling that gross mismanagement is a bit of an overstatement.

 

[HTFN]

Do you really think that given the current atmosphere in the NHL and given Wilson’s reputation around the league and given Tkachuk’s impact this year that Wilson would have an underwhelming return? It seems doubtful to me. A team will back up the Brinks truck of given the opportunity. Why wouldn’t they? Again he’s a unicorn in the eyes of the NHL. He’ll have 31 suitors if made available.

In the case that Washington tries to compete during some of Ovie’s final few years I suggested something like a Byfield+ return for Wilson if he was traded to LA and I’m sticking to that as a baseline. He could return even more. I think to turn down something like that would be a huge lost opportunity. Washington isn’t on the cusp right now. They’re not lacking leadership or grit. They’re lacking young, high-ceiling, impactful, cheap talent. Re-signing Wilson solves none of their current issues. He’ll get his 25 or so goals and 55 or so points but he’s not the primary driver of any line he’s been on in his career. Washington needs players that can drive lines and drive offense.

With regards to trading Wilson for futures only I’m speaking only to those who think Washington has no real shot at the end of the Ovie era. Why re-sign Wilson if they have no shot during the first 4-5 years of his new contract? If they need leadership to help the new kids then overpay for the next Brooks Orpik or whatever. Missing out on the opportunity to cash in on Wilson would be gross mismanagement at this point if they are just running out the timer on Ovechkin.

As another example of a team trading a fan-favorite to great success, look at Fleury in Vegas. Fans weren’t happy about Vegas trading him at the time but I’m sure they’re plenty happy now.

Okay, but read the first two paragraphs back to yourself because we're stating the Capitals also want to win now. Don't they want the unicorn Tkachuk-type too?

You talk about how other people want it both ways but all of your moves for futures contrast with the point of a retool, and if the Capitals don't see immediate noted improvement for a player better than Wilson that's not going to help them.

You have nebulously said this is possible but the names you list are less than impressive and rely on some pretty big improvements by the players, while Wilson came back and very nearly got back to exactly where he was by the end of the year. "Primary driver" doesn't move the needle for me when some of those drivers fold up in the playoffs every year.

 

[HTFN]

In a true teardown, sure. Wilson's high on the list and the return would be great.

In a retool to become competitive again it's so stupid unless the player is already, literally right now, just a flat improvement on Wilson. Trade the dead weight first.

 

[Langway]

They're in a transitional state and no amount of aggressiveness is likely to change that enough in the short-term. (Or to assuredly bump them back up again by prioritizing futures. They've already admitted it's not a serious option for them.) Backstrom will probably remain the big stumbling block structurally...but at most they have another two years of an aging core and then it'll look a lot different. They've got to be patient to extract maximum value, target value and improve development to maximize what they have and strengthen the asset base. They should have cap flexibility to augment or replenish the core within the next year or two at worst. Formulating a core succession plan is a must as they ideally set a high standard over the next few years and not just rush into the best of what's immediately available if it falls a bit short.

They don't have a great asset base but they're going to have to be prepared, opportunistic and targeted to overcome it. They're going to have to be a whole greater than the sum of the parts. A lot rests on Carbery and the leadership group making it work despite top-end questions. It's not all about the top-end. Outside of the Eichel addition most of what VGK executed can be done shrewdly over time at reasonable costs. Building a deep checking sort of team along those lines probably needs to be the near-term template. It's the quickest route to competitiveness regardless of top-end. It's not sexy but it can be effective and that sort of mentality still seems likely. Hence extending Wilson as a primary part of that. The mix on D in the short-term will need a boost one way or another to play that style at a high level. They'll need to replace Orlov with more of a true top-pair LD you'd think. You don't really see D like Sandin deep into the playoffs that are both smallish and not the most fluid. Montour & Forsling aren't huge but they make up for it in being very mobile. Add someone like Hanifin and it immediately becomes a closer mix at least, albeit at a cost. There's probably not going to be a huge swing toward adding premier forward talent I don't think. It still seems more likely to be a more blue collar workmanlike structured approach.

 

[twabby]

Okay, but read the first two paragraphs back to yourself because we're stating the Capitals also want to win now. Don't they want the unicorn Tkachuk-type too?

You talk about how other people want it both ways but all of your moves for futures contrast with the point of a retool, and if the Capitals don't see immediate noted improvement for a player better than Wilson that's not going to help them.

You have nebulously said this is possible but the names you list are less than impressive and rely on some pretty big improvements by the players, while Wilson came back and very nearly got back to exactly where he was by the end of the year. "Primary driver" doesn't move the needle for me when some of those drivers fold up in the playoffs every year.

I think they should punt on next year. Not necessarily tank, but I wouldn’t enter next year with the expectation of competing for a Cup. I’d use next year to develop young NHL talent so that they enter their primes in 2024-25 and try to compete then. Frankly I don’t think there’s much they can do to compete next year.

I bring up Tkachuk precisely because I think there’s a perception around the league that doesn’t match the reality when it comes to Tkachuk vs. Wilson. I think a lot of GMs would think they’d be getting close to the next Tkachuk when they’d be getting a good second line winger.

I’m not suggesting they trade for futures. I’m suggesting they make another Sandin-type trade. A young cost-controlled player with high upside whose prime is a year or two away and coincides with Ovechkin’s final years. Byfield would fit this bill for instance.

While a guy like Byfield would need to show improvement to be a true 1C he at least has that in his range of outcomes to truly improve the team. How does keeping Wilson change the trajectory of the team? They’ve had a healthy Wilson for 4 years post-Cup and the team has trended down the entire time. And it’s not like Wilson has lit it up in the postseason either of late.

Help me out here. How does the team acquire enough game-breaking talent to successfully execute a retool?

 

[Holtbyisms]

I think they should punt on next year. Not necessarily tank, but I wouldn’t enter next year with the expectation of competing for a Cup. I’d use next year to develop young NHL talent so that they enter their primes in 2024-25 and try to compete then. Frankly I don’t think there’s much they can do to compete next year.

I bring up Tkachuk precisely because I think there’s a perception around the league that doesn’t match the reality when it comes to Tkachuk vs. Wilson. I think a lot of GMs would think they’d be getting close to the next Tkachuk when they’d be getting a good second line winger.

I’m not suggesting they trade for futures. I’m suggesting they make another Sandin-type trade. A young cost-controlled player with high upside whose prime is a year or two away and coincides with Ovechkin’s final years. Byfield would fit this bill for instance.

While a guy like Byfield would need to show improvement to be a true 1C he at least has that in his range of outcomes to truly improve the team. How does keeping Wilson change the trajectory of the team? They’ve had a healthy Wilson for 4 years post-Cup and the team has trended down the entire time. And it’s not like Wilson has lit it up in the postseason either of late.

Help me out here. How does the team acquire enough game-breaking talent to successfully execute a retool?

I don't think we have the assets for a retool. We have assets, but not the right ones to pull it off quick enough to consider it something other than a rebuild. This team is bound for a rebuild but we're going to cautious how we word it as we go into it to not upset the legend. Carbery is young, they gave him the extra year on his first contract cause they know it's going to be awhile, not cause they were out bidding other teams. From the moment he left for Toronto it was always pre determined he was coming back to DC it was just a matter of when it was going to happen.

 

[HTFN]

I think they should punt on next year. Not necessarily tank, but I wouldn’t enter next year with the expectation of competing for a Cup. I’d use next year to develop young NHL talent so that they enter their primes in 2024-25 and try to compete then. Frankly I don’t think there’s much they can do to compete next year.

I bring up Tkachuk precisely because I think there’s a perception around the league that doesn’t match the reality when it comes to Tkachuk vs. Wilson. I think a lot of GMs would think they’d be getting close to the next Tkachuk when they’d be getting a good second line winger.

I’m not suggesting they trade for futures. I’m suggesting they make another Sandin-type trade. A young cost-controlled player with high upside whose prime is a year or two away and coincides with Ovechkin’s final years. Byfield would fit this bill for instance.

While a guy like Byfield would need to show improvement to be a true 1C he at least has that in his range of outcomes to truly improve the team. How does keeping Wilson change the trajectory of the team? They’ve had a healthy Wilson for 4 years post-Cup and the team has trended down the entire time. And it’s not like Wilson has lit it up in the postseason either of late.

Help me out here. How does the team acquire enough game-breaking talent to successfully execute a retool?

That is a preposterously dim outlook. Like... what? Not only is it not true but this isn't the NBA and that's about all I think you need to really say about that.

How is Wilson more responsible for that than the coach or Evgeny Kuznetsov alone, player to player? Let alone asking him to just sort of pick up slack for Backstrom and Oshie as anchors too. You're asking the impossible to prove a point here when the reality is that Wilson himself hasn't proven to be less of himself to any significant degree.

 

[twabby]

That is a preposterously dim outlook. Like... what? Not only is it not true but this isn't the NBA and that's about all I think you need to really say about that.

How is Wilson more responsible for that than the coach or Evgeny Kuznetsov alone, player to player? Let alone asking him to just sort of pick up slack for Backstrom and Oshie as anchors too. You're asking the impossible to prove a point here when the reality is that Wilson himself hasn't proven to be less of himself to any significant degree.

I’m not trying to say Wilson is responsible for their downturn. I’m saying if those who are largely responsible (Backstrom, Oshie, Kuznetsov) aren’t replaced with high-end options then what’s the point in re-signing Wilson? Just trade him for futures and kick off the rebuild in that case.

And if they do choose to replace Backstrom’s, Oshie’s, and Kuznetsov’s spots in the top 6 then how do they do that? The UFA class this year contains zero options in that regard. So that leaves the trade route. But what assets does Washington have to get impact top 6 options to replace Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Oshie? The #8 overall pick certainly carries trade value but after that they have very little aside from Wilson.

 

[HTFN]

I’m not trying to say Wilson is responsible for their downturn. I’m saying if those who are largely responsible (Backstrom, Oshie, Kuznetsov) aren’t replaced with high-end options then what’s the point in re-signing Wilson? Just trade him for futures and kick off the rebuild in that case.

And if they do choose to replace Backstrom’s, Oshie’s, and Kuznetsov’s spots in the top 6 then how do they do that? The UFA class this year contains zero options in that regard. So that leaves the trade route. But what assets does Washington have to get impact top 6 options to replace Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Oshie? The #8 overall pick certainly carries trade value but after that they have very little aside from Wilson.

And yet they’d very likely be a better team by punting the negatives for whatever can be had for them, punting next year, but keeping their best players and finding value acquisitions while developing over the next season.

That’s not an argument for Wilson leaving, much better to keep him as the cool, charismatic, approachable leader and keep the team cohesion, especially when he’s a work hard “do everything” guy

 

[Hivemind]

Just gonna leave this here:

Lightning acquiring Jeannot from Predators for Foote, five picks

The Tampa Bay Lightning are acquiring forward Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Cal Foote and five draft picks, the team announced.

www.sportsnet.ca

Jeannot was in the middle of a 6 goal, 18 point season at the time of this trade. Tkachuk's performance is only going to increase the demand for this kind of player. Let's the on the receiving end of whatever team is willing to drastically overpay.

 

[twabby]

And yet they’d very likely be a better team by punting the negatives for whatever can be had for them, punting next year, but keeping their best players and finding value acquisitions while developing over the next season.

That’s not an argument for Wilson leaving, much better to keep him as the cool, charismatic, approachable leader and keep the team cohesion, especially when he’s a work hard “do everything” guy

I agree they need to get rid of Kuznetsov now. I think his continued presence hurts the team.

Value acquisitions only go so far. You can get players like Strome, Jensen, and Milano pretty easily. But how do they get a good 1C? I think trading Wilson can do just that. Look at the return Jeannot got, as Hivemind just posted. Wilson is surely more highly regarded than Jeannot by a mile.

Would you say no to a true 1C for Wilson trade?

 

[HTFN]

I agree they need to get rid of Kuznetsov now. I think his continued presence hurts the team.

Value acquisitions only go so far. You can get players like Strome, Jensen, and Milano pretty easily. But how do they get a 1C? I think Wilson can do just that. Would you say no to a true 1C for Wilson trade?

Depends on the C and the contract, honestly. It also depends on things we just don't know yet, like Backstrom's rehab.

Honestly if he comes back healthy enough to be a 2/3, I'd be comfortable keeping Wilson and letting Strome do the job until it's clear they're not a playoff team (even if that happens early) before pulling the trigger or else we're basically right back at leaving no room for CMM to do anything significant. Like it or not, unless dealt Kuznetsov does still flirt with rebound potential enough to make the whole thing pretty irrelevant as well.

There's a place and time for it, but now isn't that and I think that's clear by how fervently the Capitals shot the idea down. There are multiple dominoes that have to fall first before it's actually the logical conclusion to make this team better, and it's still very unlikely to make it better, just better poised for the future.

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

I agree they need to get rid of Kuznetsov now. I think his continued presence hurts the team.

Value acquisitions only go so far. You can get players like Strome, Jensen, and Milano pretty easily. But how do they get a good 1C? I think trading Wilson can do just that. Look at the return Jeannot got, as Hivemind just posted. Wilson is surely more highly regarded than Jeannot by a mile.

Would you say no to a true 1C for Wilson trade?

The only offers that are not all futures that interested me was the leafs for Nylander or Marner. If its not a huge overpayment I would just keep him we will need some muscle if we are bringing up alot of kids.

 

[HTFN]

The only offers that are not all futures that interested me was the leafs for Nylander or Marner. If its not a huge overpayment I would just keep him we will need some muscle if we are bringing up alot of kids.

Exactly, those are two of the only names that I would actually say improve a quality of this team so much that it negates/overwhelms the hole Wilson leaves.

 

[twabby]

Exactly, those are two of the only names that I would actually say improve a quality of this team so much that it negates/overwhelms the hole Wilson leaves.

I think both of those guys would be available for Wilson. And indeed those are the caliber of player I’m proposing they trade Wilson for, or a young guy with upside like those players (I.e. Byfield).

 

[g00n]

Wilson had 13 goals in 33 games after coming back from surgery. That's a 32 goal pace over 82 games, which would put him 2nd on the team in scoring behind Ovechkin, and T-43 in the league.


I just don't think you go looking to trade a 29 year old Wilson with everything he brings to the table PLUS that kind of scoring ability.

 

[Marshall]

I seem to recall more than a few joke posts here aimed at Wilson for playing so well and screwing up Red Tank.

 

[HTFN]

I think both of those guys would be available for Wilson. And indeed those are the caliber of player I’m proposing they trade Wilson for, or a young guy with upside like those players (I.e. Byfield).

Nope, that's where you start selling two different products and I don't buy that at all.

 

[Kalopsia]

I agree they need to get rid of Kuznetsov now. I think his continued presence hurts the team.

Value acquisitions only go so far. You can get players like Strome, Jensen, and Milano pretty easily. But how do they get a good 1C? I think trading Wilson can do just that. Look at the return Jeannot got, as Hivemind just posted. Wilson is surely more highly regarded than Jeannot by a mile.

Would you say no to a true 1C for Wilson trade?

What true 1C do you think would be available for Wilson? All you’ve mentioned is Byfield, and I find it pretty hard to believe the Kings would trade him for Wilson.

 

[RedRocking]

The only offers that are not all futures that interested me was the leafs for Nylander or Marner. If its not a huge overpayment I would just keep him we will need some muscle if we are bringing up alot of kids.

Nylander always made the most sense if we were really entertaining moving TW as part of an aggressive re-tool. They both could be looking for ~ 8M x 7-8 in their extensions. Leafs get the grit and playoff toughness they need, and we get some much needed scoring and skill (and he’s a couple years younger). Carbery would also obviously have a good read on him as a player.

If Kuzy can find his “on” switch, I could see them playing well together. Though one issue in short term - Nylander scored 28 of his 87 pts last year on the PP. Assuming the PP is mostly the same, as a right shot he would probably have to supplant Oshie on PP1 to maximize his usage.

It’s all seemingly moot and Tom will stay - but his asking price will be very interesting, especially as it compares to what TOR does with Nylander.

 

[trick9]

I agree they need to get rid of Kuznetsov now. I think his continued presence hurts the team.

Value acquisitions only go so far. You can get players like Strome, Jensen, and Milano pretty easily. But how do they get a good 1C? I think trading Wilson can do just that. Look at the return Jeannot got, as Hivemind just posted. Wilson is surely more highly regarded than Jeannot by a mile.

Would you say no to a true 1C for Wilson trade?

I think if there is going to be a Kuznetsov -trade, it's going to come within the next 2 weeks. It's going to be a tough move to make given his red flags, high cap hit and 10-team no-trade list to navigate through. Could this end up being a 3-team deal where some team eats part of the salary?

Why i think the trade will either come before FA start or doesn't come at all is because any trade with Kuznetsov is a one that the Capitals are likely to lose. He's an up-and-down player and after a down year his value is going to be really down with all his red flags. Maybe the Capitals can pick up an solid future asset, maybe not. I don't think they will acquire a really good player in that trade. The most valuable asset the Capitals would get from that trade is cap space. Given that they are still looking to make the Playoffs, they are going to need to do something with that cap space. It's much easier to do that in July rather than in September. If they still have him at the end of July... i don't think he's going to move at all.

What true 1C do you think would be available for Wilson? All you’ve mentioned is Byfield, and I find it pretty hard to believe the Kings would trade him for Wilson.

Quinton Byfield is still young but he's closer to 4C than 1C right now. Kings would be wise to keep him because his value around the league is not really high.

 

[HTFN]

I think if there is going to be a Kuznetsov -trade, it's going to come within the next 2 weeks. It's going to be a tough move to make given his red flags, high cap hit and 10-team no-trade list to navigate through. Could this end up being a 3-team deal where some team eats part of the salary?

Why i think the trade will either come before FA start or doesn't come at all is because any trade with Kuznetsov is a one that the Capitals are likely to lose. He's an up-and-down player and after a down year his value is going to be really down with all his red flags. Maybe the Capitals can pick up an solid future asset, maybe not. I don't think they will acquire a really good player in that trade. The most valuable asset the Capitals would get from that trade is cap space. Given that they are still looking to make the Playoffs, they are going to need to do something with that cap space. It's much easier to do that in July rather than in September. If they still have him at the end of July... i don't think he's going to move at all.



Quinton Byfield is still young but he's closer to 4C than 1C right now. Kings would be wise to keep him because his value around the league is not really high.

Byfield isn't even hitting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins numbers right now and that was a historically weak pick until, oh, like... this year? Whatever number magic has twabby thinking that's a real, actual short term replacement to make this team better... I'm not seeing it.

 

[Roshi]

I dont see the problem. Next season is what it is.

There will be young players "learning" to play in NHL, as many here are asking. Fehervary, Sandin, Alexeyev, McMichael and Protas are all U25. Iorio and Lapierre might get some games here and there. 5-7 is not enough? You want a whole team of U25?

Some of these guys will play big roles, too. And they'll get to play with a veteran supporting cast, they will be protected if needed and we hired a coach that should be capable, and even more importantly, allowed to use them as high up in the lineup as they show they can be in.

We'll draft 8th overall and get ourself a shiny new toy, a blue chip prospect we havent had for a decade, and also have another top 40 pick in our hands.

Ovechkin will continue hunting the record.

We will try to fight for a playoffspot aswell. We have some cap room left that we will use, and options to make moves, to give that fight a bit more fire. It might be a desperate battle, but it just doesnt make any sense to give up on it either.

The equation will come into what makes most sense "value wise". Trading one or both of Kuzy and Mantha to re-tool the top6, or keep them and hope Carbery can spin the wheel with them. I trust BM will make the right decision based on if it makes sense to trade or keep them, for what will be on the table.

Sure theres always couple extremists who want to go full rebuild, but since thats not happening anyways.. Whats the big huzzle about? Isnt this basically pretty much what most would agree we wanted to do this year? A transition period. So is it just beccause its off-season and we are supposed to panic?

Since the 'whats on the table' is out of our hands and we'll never know either, ill just relax and enjoy the summer. The base for next season is there and the plan is simple. Meanwhile its just perfect weather here (+28 C) and midsummer festivals coming this weekend