GDT: FA Frenzy time ladies and gents (for everyone else that is)

[Ole Gil]

I am very much on record saying that I'm not fully bought into KK being 2C this year.

That being said, when he was playing upper line minutes at C last year when Tro was hurt, his ability to get his ass in front of the net and just park himself there was noticeable. That's one of the things I actually wouldn't worry about with him at C going forward.

He's going to have some linemates that just need a center to give them the puck and create traffic too. Some combo of Svech/Jarvis/Pacc/Necas, that's a good spot for a go to the net and look for tips and rebounds style Center.

 

[Svechhammer]

Now. looking at the moves we made yesterday as a whole, one thing that I am not sure got picked up on enough, is that the players that we brought in to boost our profile and give us more offensive punch on both the forward lines as well as our defense are also star veterans who are coming to a legitimate contender who do not yet have their name on the Cup. For Burns, this is likely his last opportunity to make that happen, and for Patches, who knows how many more chances he'll get. They are coming in with hunger and a sense of urgency to get this done now because you genuinely don't know how many more chances you'll get, and I'm not sure the team has had that sense of urgency in recent years.

With the roster we have, the goalies we have, the defense we have, to add this kind of offensive punch along with a legit sense of urgency to win. Man, it really feels like we're actually going for the Cup rather than waiting for that moment to come to us.

 

[Svechhammer]

Waddell's ability to find reasonable short term solutions every offseason is unheard of. I wonder how much of what the Canes have done is just confidence that they can find an answer, so they don't have to panic and end up giving Trochek 7 years or Campbell 5 years or Hamilton 8x8 years, etc...

A 116 point team with no poison pill contracts on the roster is pretty remarkable.

Having met Waddell a couple times, he's struck me as a very trusting individual who could legitimately sell oil to the Saudis. I think where we excel is that we're pairing him and that ability with an analytics department that apparently has dozens upon dozens of scenarios prepared to make the team better to guide him when making these moves.

Its uncanny how often we are able to find value in fringe situations. Its uncanny how often we are able to take advantage of other teams. You can't tell me there isn't another team out there who would have at least given Vegas a 3rd for Patches and Coghlan if they knew there was a move to be had. We joke about the Borg, but the Waddell and Tulsky combination at this point has to be recognized as possibly the best front office in the league.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Starting to think we're basically done with the roster at this point. I think Necas and Bear will get signed to 2 year bridge deals, may try to move Gardiner or Martinook/Raanta to clear up a bit more cap space. We could go cheap at 3rd pair RHD but I think we'll give Bear another shot now that he's hopefully past his covid issues.

Svech - Aho - Jarvis
Turbo - JK - Necas
Patches - Staal - Fast
Noesen - Drury - Kase

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Gardiner - Bear

Freddie
Raanta/Koochie


PP1:
Jarvis - Aho - Patches
Burns - Turbo

PP2:
Necas - Staal - Svech
Kase/JK - Gardiner

Those units give us several one-timer threats which we haven't really had the way we set up our units in the past. I really think (hope) Patches/Burns/Gardiner will go a long way in solving our PP woes. That's ultimately been the main difference between us and the teams who have eliminated us the past few years.

 

[bleedgreen]

Burns had 44 assists last year so he’s at least got some skill at distributing the puck. Hopefully the Canes learned from the Hamilton (big shot strategy) and TDA (walk the line, pretty passing strategy) phases of their PP enough to mix it up. If Pacioretty has a decent one-timer I think you put him at the right circle, Burns up top and Teravainen on the half-wall with Svechnikov and Aho either at the net or on the goal-line. Talent is there, just need better execution.

The things I’m concerned about:

1) Who now will take the RS faceoffs? I think eventually Necas could be that guy, but his future is up in the air at the moment. Pederson? Maybe, but he’s not going to get PP time.

2) The Gardiner situation. If he’s back to his old self then that’s fine I guess, but I severely doubt he can make it through an entire season. They need him off roster and they need a 3rd pair LD in my estimation.

3) The 3rd pair. Who out of Bear/Chatfield/
Coghlan/Keane/Gardiner/yet to be acquired LD will make up the 3rd pair? I probably differ in opinion from most of the board when I think that they want to keep Bear around and I have him pencilled in as the 3rd pair RD. They have a glut of 6/7 RD types, not LD.

Burns is a spam shooter so no they didn’t learn. Dougie sees the play better, but Burns does have a bomb. That was my first thought with this, that didn’t necessarily solve the pp issue here. They went right back to the Hamilton pp which I think is actually fine. We pass too much already anyways. Patches is the one that changes things up maybe.

Having met Waddell a couple times, he's struck me as a very trusting individual who could legitimately sell oil to the Saudis. I think where we excel is that we're pairing him and that ability with an analytics department that apparently has dozens upon dozens of scenarios prepared to make the team better to guide him when making these moves.

Its uncanny how often we are able to find value in fringe situations. Its uncanny how often we are able to take advantage of other teams. You can't tell me there isn't another team out there who would have at least given Vegas a 3rd for Patches and Coghlan if they knew there was a move to be had. We joke about the Borg, but the Waddell and Tulsky combination at this point has to be recognized as possibly the best front office in the league.

So Waddell was the only gm in the league that knew they could be gotten for free? The spin has begun.

Maybe we were the only team that would take the full contracts without making them take something back?

 

[Svechhammer]

So Waddell was the only gm in the league that knew they could be gotten for free? The spin has begun.

Maybe we were the only team that would take the full contracts without making them take something back?

Only you could look at someone being excited over yesterday and respond with "the spin has begun"

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

we are on Kadri, Nino and Klingberg watch?

A few nice depth pieces after that but those are the “names” left, I believe

Where do they go?

 

[Svechhammer]

we are on Kadri, Nino and Klingberg watch?

A few nice depth pieces after that but those are the “names” left, I believe

If we are intent on signing either Necas or Bear, I don't see how we could be without clearing cap, first.

Even if we weren't intent on signing either Necas or Bear, Nino is the only one of them we might be able to sign without moving some existing cap hit out.

 

[Tryamw]

With what cap space?

The Tampa Exclusive cap space.. but then we'll get in trouble.. since we'll have purloined what they had rightfully acquired by theft

 

[Chrispy]

Now. looking at the moves we made yesterday as a whole, one thing that I am not sure got picked up on enough, is that the players that we brought in to boost our profile and give us more offensive punch on both the forward lines as well as our defense are also star veterans who are coming to a legitimate contender who do not yet have their name on the Cup. For Burns, this is likely his last opportunity to make that happen, and for Patches, who knows how many more chances he'll get. They are coming in with hunger and a sense of urgency to get this done now because you genuinely don't know how many more chances you'll get, and I'm not sure the team has had that sense of urgency in recent years.

With the roster we have, the goalies we have, the defense we have, to add this kind of offensive punch along with a legit sense of urgency to win. Man, it really feels like we're actually going for the Cup rather than waiting for that moment to come to us.

But also going for the cup without sacrificing much in terms of prospects, picks, or future cap flexibility via a long-term UFA contract.

I was very impressed by yesterday.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Starting to think we're basically done with the roster at this point. I think Necas and Bear will get signed to 2 year bridge deals, may try to move Gardiner or Martinook/Raanta to clear up a bit more cap space. We could go cheap at 3rd pair RHD but I think we'll give Bear another shot now that he's hopefully past his covid issues.

Svech - Aho - Jarvis
Turbo - JK - Necas
Patches - Staal - Fast
Noesen - Drury - Kase

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Gardiner - Bear

Freddie
Raanta/Koochie


PP1:
Jarvis - Aho - Patches
Burns - Turbo

PP2:
Necas - Staal - Svech
Kase/JK - Gardiner

Those units give us several one-timer threats which we haven't really had the way we set up our units in the past. I really think (hope) Patches/Burns/Gardiner will go a long way in solving our PP woes. That's ultimately been the main difference between us and the teams who have eliminated us the past few years.

Like the squad but would tweak your lineup. I don't think Patches is a good match with Staal/Fast dump in approach. I don't know what the right lineups are but I'm sure that RBA will juggle extensively until he finds the best combo.

btw: would anyone sign Nino at the expense of Necas (trade for draft assets) and keep the 3rd line intact?

 

[Svechhammer]

The Tampa Exclusive cap space.. but then we'll get in trouble.. since we'll have purloined what they had rightfully acquired by theft

So now is when we execute Order 66 and have Gardiner tweak his ankle to he has to finish the year on LTIR opening up another $4m in cap space?

 

[Unsustainable]

Let’s face it, if we traded Marty, RBA would still find a way to put him with Aho.

 

[CandyCanes]

For a while I’ve thought we need to get rid of Gardiner ASAP this offseason, continue to go big game hunting. But I’m warming up to the idea of keeping him. If he comes back strong, we have a fantastic 3rd pairing defenseman, one that can QB our PP2 as well.

If things just aren’t working out with Gardiner, we move him at the trade deadline with some picks/prospects that will get us a player we need in return. Keeping Gardiner kind of gives us some cap flexibility at the deadline which I like.

Also I want to keep Necas around so bad to see if he can breakout. But he’s an awkward piece to the puzzle right now. He really doesn’t fit well as a 3rd or 4th line guy on this roster and I don’t see him playing top 6 unless he impresses at center. Maybe we can get a solid young prospect in return, that could be a piece for us 1-2 years. Then use Necas’s money to bring back Nino. Nino is a lot better fit for this team in contention vs Nino.

Patches - Aho - TT
Svech - KK - Jarvis
Nino - Staal - Fast
Martinook - Drury - Kase

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Gardiner - Chatfield

 

[Svechhammer]

For a while I’ve thought we need to get rid of Gardiner ASAP this offseason, continue to go big game hunting. But I’m warming up to the idea of keeping him. If he comes back strong, we have a fantastic 3rd pairing defenseman, one that can QB our PP2 as well.

If things just aren’t working out with Gardiner, we move him at the trade deadline with some picks/prospects that will get us a player we need in return. Keeping Gardiner kind of gives us some cap flexibility at the deadline which I like.

Also I want to keep Necas around so bad to see if he can breakout. But he’s an awkward piece to the puzzle right now. He really doesn’t fit well as a 3rd or 4th line guy on this roster and I don’t see him playing top 6 unless he impresses at center. Maybe we can get a solid young prospect in return, that could be a piece for us 1-2 years. Then use Necas’s money to bring back Nino. Nino is a lot better fit for this team in contention vs Nino.

Patches - Aho - TT
Svech - KK - Jarvis
Nino - Staal - Fast
Martinook - Drury - Kase

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Gardiner - Chatfield

Per CapFriendly, our current Cap Space is $4.08m, and that's without Necas or Bear.

Unless we get Nino coming in on a discount, I don't see how we can fit him in.

 

[raynman]

Only you could look at someone being excited over yesterday and respond with "the spin has begun"

@bleedgreen actually provides evidence and brings up valid points as opposed to another certain poster.

For a while I’ve thought we need to get rid of Gardiner ASAP this offseason, continue to go big game hunting. But I’m warming up to the idea of keeping him. If he comes back strong, we have a fantastic 3rd pairing defenseman, one that can QB our PP2 as well.

If things just aren’t working out with Gardiner, we move him at the trade deadline with some picks/prospects that will get us a player we need in return. Keeping Gardiner kind of gives us some cap flexibility at the deadline which I like.

Also I want to keep Necas around so bad to see if he can breakout. But he’s an awkward piece to the puzzle right now. He really doesn’t fit well as a 3rd or 4th line guy on this roster and I don’t see him playing top 6 unless he impresses at center. Maybe we can get a solid young prospect in return, that could be a piece for us 1-2 years. Then use Necas’s money to bring back Nino. Nino is a lot better fit for this team in contention vs Nino.

Patches - Aho - TT
Svech - KK - Jarvis
Nino - Staal - Fast
Martinook - Drury - Kase

Slavin - Burns
Skjei - Pesce
Gardiner - Chatfield

@Boom Boom Apathy referenced the Cup teams depth. This would be as close to that depth as we’ve ever seen but I’m not sure if it’s doable. Would be awesome though

 

[MadeUpName]

I like the new look of the PP. DeAngelo was a great pivot but he didn't open lanes and his shot wasn't a threat. By the end of the year either the team got lazier or opponents adjusted which led to 5 guys just one-touching the puck around the perimeter.

Now the PP1 has two legitimate outside scoring threats in Burns and Pacioretty. Opponents will have to adjust to cover them more individually. If the puck is going to Burns and there is an opening he is putting a clapper on net. If Pacioretty gets one-on-one with the goalie in the slot he is probably scoring. I think this will open up lanes for Aho, Svechnikov, Jarvis and TT to make plays more effectively.

 

[FlyingSquirrels]

But also going for the cup without sacrificing much in terms of prospects, picks, or future cap flexibility via a long-term UFA contract.

I was very impressed by yesterday.

That's exactly right. We did all this while only sacrificing 1 prospect and gaining an NHL-ready 24 year old defenseman to boot.. I was extremely impressed. We have a top 5 prospect pool yet we didn't have to touch it to accomplish what we did.

 

[Svechhammer]

But also going for the cup without sacrificing much in terms of prospects, picks, or future cap flexibility via a long-term UFA contract.

I was very impressed by yesterday.

What I also love is that the only longer term contract we took on was Burns, and that was only for 3 years. If you listen to what our front office expects, Morrow should go pro by the end of this upcoming college hockey season, opening the door for maybe a year of overlap where Burns and Morrow are on the team together in 2025-26. And if not, then Morrow should be stepping up right when Burns is set to roll off the books.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

If we are intent on signing either Necas or Bear, I don't see how we could be without clearing cap, first.

Even if we weren't intent on signing either Necas or Bear, Nino is the only one of them we might be able to sign without moving some existing cap hit out.

I mean we are just watching to see where they go.

 

[MadeUpName]

I think Carolina will still move Gardiner for Cap space. They just don't want to, nor should they pay UFA-day prices for dumping salary. $4 million over a season could go a long way towards loading up at the deadline. Assuming everything is going well.

 

[Lempo]

Waddell was the only gm in the league that knew they could be gotten for free? The spin has begun.

Maybe we were the only team that would take the full contracts without making them take something back?

I would bet that this time we will actually send them something as the future considerations. We are probably waiting to find out either what they will need or what we can spare.

 

[Negan4Coach]

I’m not digging letting Trocheck walk…but 7 years with an NMC? Yikes.

Not sold on KK as 2C, and if Staal starts going downhill, there is gonna be a problem.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

I think Carolina will still move Gardiner for Cap space. They just don't want to, nor should they pay UFA-day prices for dumping salary. $4 million over a season could go a long way towards loading up at the deadline. Assuming everything is going well.

Timeline is important here. I believe he is in the injured grey area where he can’t be bought out or traded until activated off LTIR. Being cleared to play set that in motion I believe.

 

[Sigurd]

In general, what do they do with Necas? Is he on Staal’s wing? 4th line?? Or trade bait? I still believe he’s going to rebound from last season and a trade would be a mistake but is there space for him now?

Burns will definitely help the PP but I wonder if he’s a true QB. Burns has a good # of PP assists but are they slap shots with rebounds or true passes?
Does Teravainen QB the PP?
Can Burns play the D required of Slavin, or will the pairings need to be juggled?

Can Andersen and Raanta avoid getting hurt at the same time?

Find out on the next exciting episode of Dragon Carolina Ball Z.