Post-Game Talk: Free Agency 2023 "OH NO FOMO season"

[Kat Predator]

Damn guess I should return my Asplund jersey now

I'd return mine, but it's invisible and I can't find where I put it.

 

[Scoresberg]

DeBrincat’s actually one I’m not that excited about, well considering the price of course. He’s a great scorer but I don’t think he fills a specific need for us as we already have guys like Vange, Tomasino and Kemell in our pipeline.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I'm still on board with Debrincat assuming the cost is fair and the term is reasonable on a long term deal. I think any of the mentioned forwards hitting his current production level would be considered a "homerun". I also see space in the lineups we have projected.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I will add, I heard that interview with Greg this morning on my drive in. The question wasn't "where will he go", it was "where do you think the best fit is".

I think Debrincat is in Detroit very shortly, so it's a moot point.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

DeBrincat’s actually one I’m not that excited about, well considering the price of course. He’s a great scorer but I don’t think he fills a specific need for us as we already have guys like Vange, Tomasino and Kemell in our pipeline.

Nick Kieser sounds like he's just a guy making a post like us?

I wouldn't touch DeBrincat. The trade cost, the contract... it all just sounds like way too much for the player he is. Detroit is very welcome to him.

 

[weeze]

Nick Kieser sounds like he's just a guy making a post like us?

I wouldn't touch DeBrincat. The trade cost, the contract... it all just sounds like way too much for the player he is. Detroit is very welcome to him.

Right now it is just hard to tell which way GMBT will go. Is DB that kind of guy BT is looking for the next few years? I think there may be others that fit the mold better. But have been wrong a lot here lately so...

 

[Armourboy]

If Debrincat was willing to sign a 3-4 year deal I might see doing it, but I don't think Trotz is going to want to give him what he is probably wanting contract wise.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I hope we have learned our lesson. We really need a "special" player to go down the path of 6-7-8-year contracts again IMO. And it's hard to truly know who the guys who qualify as "special" are, but I would suggest either they are a) major league-wide superstars (McDavid, Draisatl, MacKinnon types), or... b) guys who have come up within our own system, and we've gotten to know them through their ELCs, bridges, etc, and are confident as they approach UFA age that they are worth it (Josi, Rinne... Forsberg is getting a bit iffy... Saros would possibly be next in line).

Whereas guys like DeBrincat... and Joey, Ellis, Duchene... they are just "pretty good players". You don't need to lock up those kinds of guys for 8 years at big money. You also don't need to hand them NTCs either. Just walk away any time that comes up.

The counterargument of course is that, well, then nobody will sign with us. To which I say... fine?

 

[Predsanddead24]

Any interest in Zadina? I'd pass but he is another cheap reclamation project option.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Any interest in Zadina? I'd pass but he is another cheap reclamation project option.

I think you'd have to know an awful lot more about what's going on with him in order to sign him. Reportedly, he won't report to the AHL - he'll just go to Europe instead.

So I don't know what's to be gained. It sounds like he needs what Cody Glass got: a full season, no pressure, no distractions, no recalls, just focus on getting his scoring touch back.

Except... completely unlike Glass... he's simply not willing to make that investment. He wants to play for another NHL team, period. And he was willing to tear up a contract that he was still owed $4.56M on to get that chance. It's pretty extreme.

I would tend to just steer clear, it sounds like a further trainwreck waiting to happen. He isn't coming at it with the kind of attitude that Glass did.

 

[Osprey]

Never mind. Wrong thread.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Some team like Arizona or Chicago probably already has something worked out with Zadina, anyway. He wouldn't have thrown that $4M out the door if he didn't already have something lined up.

 

[maplepred]

Why would we trade assets for debrincat?? We had a guy that had 43 goals/86 points a year ago and we cut him.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Why would we trade assets for debrincat?? We had a guy that had 43 goals/86 points a year ago and we cut him.

That guy was 32 with a pending NTC. This guy is 25. Presumably, he also fits the culture of what Trotz is looking for better.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Why would we trade assets for debrincat?? We had a guy that had 43 goals/86 points a year ago and we cut him.

Exactly.

DeBrincat:
21-22: 82gm-41g-37a-78pts -13 (0.50 gpg / 0.95 ppg)
22-23: 82gm-27g-39a-66pts -31 (0.33 gpg / 0.80 ppg)

Duchene:
21-22: 78gm-43g-43a-86pts +6 (0.55 gpg / 1.10 ppg)
22-23: 71gm-22g-34a-56pts +4 (0.31 gpg / 0.79 ppg)

We didn't want Duchene for 3x$8M. So why should we want DeBrincat for 8x$9M? In fact, we paid Duchene $16M to just go away. And instead we're going to trade Tomasino+1st+somethingelse for the honor of having exactly the same production out of DeBrincat? Even in terms of the age difference, DeBrincat turns 26 this year. So you're also getting him when he's 32,33,34 on the back end of that contract. And I'm pretty sure Barry plans on still being on the job 8 years from now.

 

[maplepred]

That guy was 32 with a pending NTC. This guy is 25. Presumably, he also fits the culture of what Trotz is looking for better.

Duchene was also built like a man and not a boy.

 

[GeauxPreds1]

Exactly.

DeBrincat:
21-22: 82gm-41g-37a-78pts -13 (0.50 gpg / 0.95 ppg)
22-23: 82gm-27g-39a-66pts -31 (0.33 gpg / 0.80 ppg)

Duchene:
21-22: 78gm-43g-43a-86pts +6 (0.55 gpg / 1.10 ppg)
22-23: 71gm-22g-34a-56pts +4 (0.31 gpg / 0.79 ppg)

We didn't want Duchene for 3x$8M. So why should we want DeBrincat for 8x$9M? In fact, we paid Duchene $16M to just go away. And instead we're going to trade Tomasino+1st+somethingelse for the honor of having exactly the same production out of DeBrincat? Even in terms of the age difference, DeBrincat turns 26 this year. So you're also getting him when he's 32,33,34 on the back end of that contract. And I'm pretty sure Barry plans on still being on the job 8 years from now.

I don’t think Duchene was released for lack of production. He’s been one of our best forwards the last 2 years but trotz thought it was best to move on. Attitude, work ethic, country club mentality? Who knows? But it wasn’t his lack of production for sure

 

[GeauxPreds1]

I’m still hoping we push hard for tarasenko. He will not cost anything to acquire and could help our forward group tremendously. If his shoulder is all healed from last year I would give him a 2-3 year contract. As I said before I think we go with 3 scoring lines and his signing wouldn’t effect our young players of getting ice time and they would all get to learn from some vets who won cups and knows what it takes.

 

[Olderfan]

Exactly.

DeBrincat:
21-22: 82gm-41g-37a-78pts -13 (0.50 gpg / 0.95 ppg)
22-23: 82gm-27g-39a-66pts -31 (0.33 gpg / 0.80 ppg)

Duchene:
21-22: 78gm-43g-43a-86pts +6 (0.55 gpg / 1.10 ppg)
22-23: 71gm-22g-34a-56pts +4 (0.31 gpg / 0.79 ppg)

We didn't want Duchene for 3x$8M. So why should we want DeBrincat for 8x$9M? In fact, we paid Duchene $16M to just go away. And instead we're going to trade Tomasino+1st+somethingelse for the honor of having exactly the same production out of DeBrincat? Even in terms of the age difference, DeBrincat turns 26 this year. So you're also getting him when he's 32,33,34 on the back end of that contract. And I'm pretty sure Barry plans on still being on the job 8 years from now.

What Preds need to do about DeBrincat is remain calm. He just happens to be the best player out there unsigned this year and the Preds have available cap space. So what? Is he actually the long awaited 8 or 9 year player that will fill the Preds void? Preds have 1 chance to spend that money and it doesn’t need to be a situation where “we better sign him before somebody else does” just because he’s the best available today. This coming year is a growth year, not a cup year so I’m not sure why they need him. He’s good but is he “that guy”? He probably isn’t the guy to be the go to guy for the Preds for 8 or 9 years. Pass.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Duchene was also built like a man and not a boy.

Doesn't really matter since Duchene doesn't play a "big" physical game. The "boy" has only missed 4 games in his 6 season career.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I’m still hoping we push hard for tarasenko. He will not cost anything to acquire and could help our forward group tremendously. If his shoulder is all healed from last year I would give him a 2-3 year contract. As I said before I think we go with 3 scoring lines and his signing wouldn’t effect our young players of getting ice time and they would all get to learn from some vets who won cups and knows what it takes.

Tarasenko is a short-term "mercenary". Which I also think is not really part of The Plan that Trotz has been working to. I think he would still take icetime from young players. You can technically draw out our "Top 9" with Sherwood still in it today and say he can just bump Sherwood and no harm done. But in reality a coach might use him on the PP or in some situations rather than throwing Evangelista or Tomasino over the boards all the same. So in some fashion it would take some opportunity from them, even while not bumping them straight out of a spot in the lineup.

Anyway, I'd be mad if we traded big futures for DeBrincat and signed him to a huge contract. Whereas if we picked up Tarasenko on a short-term deal like 1-2x$5-6M, I would more "huh, didn't really expect that" but not at all mad.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I predict Tarasenko will go to the Canes and Debrincat will go to Detroit.

I think Pesce could be the piece that Trotz actually moves on.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Doesn't really matter since Duchene doesn't play a "big" physical game. The "boy" has only missed 4 games in his 6 season career.

He's also built pretty well for his stature. He is "short"... but he's probably getting closer to 180lbs now than some of the weights listed from when he was younger. Which is solid for a guy at 5'7".

 

[Predsanddead24]

He's also built pretty well for his stature. He is "short"... but he's probably getting closer to 180lbs now than some of the weights listed from when he was younger. Which is solid for a guy at 5'7".

Yeah he's a lot like Blackwell was in that he plays much bigger than his size. I actually like DeBrincat but I agree with @Olderfan that it's just not the right time. It seems like every year now there is at least one top tier younger winger available for trade in the offseason. I'd rather wait until we're at a point where we need a final piece to get us over the hump to make the big move than do it now. I feel like we've had so much turnover and have so many young guys coming up we don't even really know what our weaknesses will be in the longer term.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Yeah he's a lot like Blackwell was in that he plays much bigger than his size. I actually like DeBrincat but I agree with @Olderfan that it's just not the right time. It seems like every year now there is at least one top tier younger winger available for trade in the offseason. I'd rather wait until we're at a point where we need a final piece to get us over the hump to make the big move than do it now. I feel like we've had so much turnover and have so many young guys coming up we don't even really know what our weaknesses will be in the longer term.

That last bit about the unknown is a key factor in my mind. I said before that having Tarasenko would distort the picture of what this team is or isn't and I think the same with Debrincat only it would be worse because you're tied to him long term. Let the kids develop and make adjustments from there.