Proposal: (CBJ/TOR) Gudbranson Danforth for Liljegren Kämpf

[Dead Coyote]

This is a legitimately insane thing to say. Gudbranson is a perfectly fine 3RD who can play up in the lineup in a pinch, but if you have to make that pinch you're a dreadful team. Did you perhaps confuse Erik Gudbranson, career third pair, with Zach Werenski, actual top-20 defenseman in the league?

You're not wrong that a team would probably prefer Gudbranson to Liljegren, but it's not because Guddy is "better." He's tougher.

Werenski is a LD and honestly it's pretty debatable but yeah I do think defensively Gudbranson could be more consistent than Werenski. Werenski is obviously by far the better player and I don't think it's a good thing that Gudbranson is like the only good stay at home D the Jackets have right now but that's where they're at. Gudbranson is their best PKer, plays tons of PK minutes, and is solid at 5v5 defensively. Last year he was even better but even he was relied on much more than he should have been in '22-'23 he was still very solid at 5v5 on an incredibly awful team. He isn't as good as a lot of other guys in the league sure, but he's the best CBJ currently has for sure.

 

[stevo61]

Werenski is a LD and honestly it's pretty debatable but yeah I do think defensively Gudbranson could be more consistent than Werenski. Werenski is obviously by far the better player and I don't think it's a good thing that Gudbranson is like the only good stay at home D the Jackets have right now but that's where they're at. Gudbranson is their best PKer, plays tons of PK minutes, and is solid at 5v5 defensively. Last year he was even better but even he was relied on much more than he should have been in '22-'23 he was still very solid at 5v5 on an incredibly awful team. He isn't as good as a lot of other guys in the league sure, but he's the best CBJ currently has for sure.

Man if only I had your confidence. To speak so strongly about something you have no idea about is... something

 

[Viqsi]

No. What? Who said that? I want receipts. No one said that. Peeke and Gudbranson are essentially the same player, Peeke is just younger and doesn't have the baggage of having been a top-10 pick or lengthy career of mostly sucking. And I say this as someone whose tagline on this website is literally "Gudbranson apologist."

Peeke also used to be seen as potentially having more upside a few years ago when Leafs fans were badgering us constantly about acquiring him, so I could easily see someone confusing themselves into thinking this was claimed.

 

[Viqsi]

Werenski is a LD and honestly it's pretty debatable but yeah I do think defensively Gudbranson could be more consistent than Werenski. Werenski is obviously by far the better player and I don't think it's a good thing that Gudbranson is like the only good stay at home D the Jackets have right now but that's where they're at. Gudbranson is their best PKer, plays tons of PK minutes, and is solid at 5v5 defensively. Last year he was even better but even he was relied on much more than he should have been in '22-'23 he was still very solid at 5v5 on an incredibly awful team. He isn't as good as a lot of other guys in the league sure, but he's the best CBJ currently has for sure.

There's a few of us Jackets fans who genuinely appreciate the guy and what he does and absolutely want to hold on to him, and you're managing to give him more credit than all of us put together would ever even consider. I'm legit impressed.

 

[Breakers]

How in the HELL are Columbus fans saying Gudbranson has been their most consistent defender

I hope you mean consistently garbage.

 

[zenator]

Gudbranson plays the role Tanev plays, except Tanev is much better at it.

The last few years in the playoffs, the Leafs played well defensively and were very hard to score against. They didn't go far because their offensive stars were shut down.

They badly need a top-end puck moving offensive defenseman to complement their scoring forwards, and to create 3 on 2s and 2 in 1s, and more high danger scoring chances, which they never seem to get enough of in the playoffs. I said top-end, not a 4-6 guy like Ekman-Larsson. They can be 2-way like Montour / Forsling, or Theodore / Pietrangelo, Hedman. Or offensive like Bouchard or Makar.

This holds them back more than anything. They don't need another defensive guy that can't move the puck. They already are very tight defensively in the playoffs.

 

[exporta]

to Toronto Maple Leafs
ERIK GUDBRANSON (2y @ $4.0m)
JUSTIN DANFORTH (1y @ $1.1m)

to Columbus Blue Jackets
TIMOTHY LILJEGREN (2y @ $3.0m)
DAVID KÄMPF (3y @ $2.4m)


Columbus moves on from Gudbranson, as it's probably time to do so. They get a younger D with some 2nd pairing potential who has more trade value than Guddy if you end up flipping him. They're probably reshaping their 4th line soon anyways, and Kämpf can be part of that for 2 or 3 years. They take on Kämpf's term in exchange for getting the younger more valuable D in the swap.

Toronto swaps out Kämpf's 3 year term for a 1 year contract guy and makes their 4th line / press box situation more flexible. They cash in on whatever potential Liljegren has left in him, who it's time to move on from. They don't take on any cap. Gudbranson and Timmins can compete to be the #6 D.

Selling Lilly when his value is this low, is moronic.

Buy low, sell high.

 

[Figgy44]

This is a legitimately insane thing to say. Gudbranson is a perfectly fine 3RD who can play up in the lineup in a pinch, but if you have to make that pinch you're a dreadful team. Did you perhaps confuse Erik Gudbranson, career third pair, with Zach Werenski, actual top-20 defenseman in the league?

You're not wrong that a team would probably prefer Gudbranson to Liljegren, but it's not because Guddy is "better." He's tougher.


No. What? Who said that? I want receipts. No one said that. Peeke and Gudbranson are essentially the same player, Peeke is just younger and doesn't have the baggage of having been a top-10 pick or lengthy career of mostly sucking. And I say this as someone whose tagline on this website is literally "Gudbranson apologist."

Gudbranson is also likely out for the season with a major shoulder injury, so this is all moot.

For a sec I thought you said Gudbranson was a #3 dman and my eyes bugged out.

My understanding was he was (after Calgary) a solid 4/5 (way overpaid though) who occasionally looks competent as a 3/4 dman. He's fine as the 4th best player in your top 4, but if he's top 3, you may have a concern. I don't recall seeing information that changed my idea on that.

But a strong addition to a 3rd pairing, he absolutely is that. I'd welcome a guy like Gudbranson on my team easily, just more like at half of that contract. Reminds me of a guy like Derek Engelland in the past. Flames loved picking up guys like that and they've often been criticized, but steady for the team.

 

[squashmaple]

For a sec I thought you said Gudbranson was a #3 dman and my eyes bugged out.

My understanding was he was (after Calgary) a solid 4/5 (way overpaid though) who occasionally looks competent as a 3/4 dman. He's fine as the 4th best player in your top 4, but if he's top 3, you may have a concern. I don't recall seeing information that changed my idea on that.

But a strong addition to a 3rd pairing, he absolutely is that. I'd welcome a guy like Gudbranson on my team easily, just more like at half of that contract. Reminds me of a guy like Derek Engelland in the past. Flames loved picking up guys like that and they've often been criticized, but steady for the team.

He had a career year last season because that's exactly how he was deployed, and it worked. And not much else did in Columbus last season, either. But that's what he is. He's certainly not one of Columbus' "top D." Integral part of the team that they'll miss very much while he's out hurt, sure. But I'll split the hair on this. None of us Jackets fans are claiming he's good. His "overpaid" salary also is completely meaningless to Columbus right now.

 

[CannonFire1]

How in the HELL are Columbus fans saying Gudbranson has been their most consistent defender

I hope you mean consistently garbage.

No Jackets fans are saying that.

 

[KevinRedkey]

Selling Lilly when his value is this low, is moronic.

Buy low, sell high.

How exactly do you expect his stock to rise when he's in the press box?

 

[Viqsi]

How in the HELL are Columbus fans saying Gudbranson has been their most consistent defender

The same way Canucks fans are saying that Quinn Hughes is trash and needs to be given away for future considerations.

 

[ViD]

How in the HELL are Columbus fans saying Gudbranson has been their most consistent defender

I hope you mean consistently garbage.

I don’t think any Jackets fan said that..ever ?

He’s a reliable third pair guy and a locker room leader.

 

[Breakers]

I don’t think any Jackets fan said that..ever ?

He’s a reliable third pair guy and a locker room leader.

There is that exact comment on page 1 of this thread by a Columbus fan.

“Gudbranson is arguably their best most consistent defender in the top 4“

 

[squashmaple]

There is that exact comment on page 1 of this thread by a Columbus fan.

“Gudbranson is arguably their best most consistent defender in the top 4“

lol Dead Coyote is not a Blue Jackets fan. Now in this thread, Viqsi, ViD, stevo61, and I definitely are. And all of us are actively making fun of that poster because they’re extremely wrong.

 

[majormajor]

I think folks around the league should understand that after what the Jackets have been through, they're not going to be unloading leaders any time soon. The club is bonding over a terrible loss and they're going to take their time without subtracting any of their leaders, even if there is an otherwise advantageous trade on the table.

The Jackets taking Kampf's overpaid contract in exchange for a 2nd or 3rd would make sense.

---------------​

Here's a whole other topic, how do the Jackets get Alex Nylander back from the Leafs? Waddell made a big mistake letting him go.

 

[HairyKneel]

I didn't realize Gudbranson had improved so much. Two years ago, I saw CBJ fans wishing they could get rid of him and talking about him like he would be a disaster if he played anything higher than 3rd pairing. Peeke was considered the superior RHD from what I saw at the time, and he's considered a 3rd pairing guy now.

Guddy is a decent # 5 D man. That's frightening if he's the best D man there. What the hell happened to Jiricek or Culemens for that matter? That dumb Finn and Davidson did all sorts of harm to that team. Shades of Jim Benning and Trevor Linden here.

 

[CannonFire1]

Gudbranson was injured in game 3. He started all 3 games on the 3rd pair (behind Werenski, Provorov, Severson, and Christiansen). The only d-man getting less TOI was Jack Johnson. If anyone thinks that suggests he is CBJ's best / most consistent defenseman that is either willful ignorance or trolling.

 

[Hobnobs]

Gudbranson was injured in game 3. He started all 3 games on the 3rd pair (behind Werenski, Provorov, Severson, and Christiansen). The only d-man getting less TOI was Jack Johnson. If anyone thinks that suggests he is CBJ's best / most consistent defenseman that is either willful ignorance or trolling.

I agree and I think Gudbrandsen and Johnson will be competing for #6 this season from what Ive seen.

Guddy is a decent # 5 D man. That's frightening if he's the best D man there. What the hell happened to Jiricek or Culemens for that matter? That dumb Finn and Davidson did all sorts of harm to that team. Shades of Jim Benning and Trevor Linden here.

Jiricek looked pretty good last game he played. He's about to turn 21 so not sure if its time to ask "what happened" yet. Ceulemans is technically in his second pro season so same thing there.

 

[HairyKneel]

I agree and I think Gudbrandsen and Johnson will be competing for #6 this season from what Ive seen.



Jiricek looked pretty good last game he played. He's about to turn 21 so not sure if its time to ask "what happened" yet. Ceulemans is technically in his second pro season so same thing there.

I saw Jiricek at the 2023 WJC and I thought he was a top 2 player there. I just thought he'd be further along now. Obviously you don't give up on him but he looked like a future top ten D man in the game for a decade to me.

 

[Viqsi]

lol Dead Coyote is not a Blue Jackets fan. Now in this thread, Viqsi, ViD, stevo61, and I definitely are. And all of us are actively making fun of that poster because they’re extremely wrong.

You missed majormajor.

Altho I don't know if Dead Coyote is a Jackets fan or not. She's not a HFCBJ regular, but that's not always the same thing.

 

[majormajor]

Guddy is a decent # 5 D man. That's frightening if he's the best D man there. What the hell happened to Jiricek or Culemens for that matter? That dumb Finn and Davidson did all sorts of harm to that team. Shades of Jim Benning and Trevor Linden here.

Why would you even believe it for a second?

Zach Werenski is a great player, who looks elevated to elite status this year.

Provorov is a solid middle pair guy.

Severson is a good top 4 puck mover.

Then we can talk about how good Christiansen has looked so far in top 4 duty. Or how Mateychuk is already better than a lot of these guys and is just waiting his turn.

Gudbranson is below all of these guys, he is as you say, a bottom pair guy.

 

[squashmaple]

You missed majormajor.

Altho I don't know if Dead Coyote is a Jackets fan or not. She's not a HFCBJ regular, but that's not always the same thing.

Nah, I’m still kind of mad about the whole Jiricek fight so some people are still on ignore for my own good.

And fair enough. Shouldn’t assume, even when the takes are bizarre.

 

[Figgy44]

Perhaps it's semantics... but IMO, it's totally possible that a player isn't the top 4 best dman on the d corps and still the most consistent out of all 7 of the dmen. There's guys on certain rosters who are consistently bad. But that's not Gudbranson though AFAIK.

Based heavily on what I saw of him in Calgary, Gudbranson is consistently a very good 3rd pairing guy. It's just if you ask him to do more than what he can consistently do well, he can't consistently do it. He's not like other guys who can elevate his game for an extended period of time. What he can do, literally is basically all he can do. He's just consistently that. That's why teams that brought him on to do second pairing+ hated him. It's a little bizarre, but that's what it is.

Calgary and CBJ brought him on to be a 4/5 (able to settle with him as their #5) and were happy with him.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Guddy is too important to the locker room at this point to dump. He's great at what he does. His hate came from when all of our other defenseman were hurt and he was playing 22 minutes a night. He's not that guy but he plays his role.