Free Agency and Trade Thread - Playoff Edition II

[Kiwi]

Do you think Dallas tries to send back Nichushkin to try to offload some cap?

Vancouver would likely want to send Tim Schaller (1.9M for 1 more year)

If we are taking cap back it could improve the + attached to those guys, Nichushkin and Honka would be an interesting roll of the dice though

 

[WTFMAN99]

If we are taking cap back it could improve the + attached to those guys, Nichushkin and Honka would be an interesting roll of the dice though

Saw only a few Dallas Stars games this season. I have nothing on Honka. How would I describe Nichushkin? Odd. Does some good stuff down low and on the cycle. Actually more responsible defensively then I thought he would be. He looks like he has no confidence offensively anymore, kind of like Kulemin that last stretch with us.

 

[Cor]

If we are taking cap back it could improve the + attached to those guys, Nichushkin and Honka would be an interesting roll of the dice though

I’d be perfectly okay with a deal like that

 

[SeaOfBlue]

If we are taking cap back it could improve the + attached to those guys, Nichushkin and Honka would be an interesting roll of the dice though

I just don't think the Leafs are going to take cap back, even if it means a slightly less return. They aren't going to get scraps for Zaitsev so the plus would have to be a lot... Like it would probably cheaper for the other team to trade the guy elsewhere and attach a pick to him than to send him here.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I don't think I would be mad at something like Tim Schaller and a 3rd for Nikita Zaitsev.

Over the moon if it was something like Zaitsev for Pysyk.

 

[Kiwi]

Saw only a few Dallas Stars games this season. I have nothing on Honka. How would I describe Nichushkin? Odd. Does some good stuff down low and on the cycle. Actually more responsible defensively then I thought he would be. He looks like he has no confidence offensively anymore, kind of like Kulemin that last stretch with us.

I'm wondering if we could use him as a 3rd wheel on a skill line? Cycle the puck and retrieve it then give it to the other guys

Honka has tools, he's as flighty as **** though so i'd view him as a change of scenery punt

I’d be perfectly okay with a deal like that

I think it's worth a go, if it doesn't work out so what? But if even one of those guys can do a job your winning imo

I just don't think the Leafs are going to take cap back, even if it means a slightly less return. They aren't going to get scraps for Zaitsev so the plus would have to be a lot... Like it would probably cheaper for the other team to trade the guy elsewhere and attach a pick to him than to send him here.

Zaitsev's contract is a gigantic impediment to his return, taking back short cap dumps that could be useful next season is a decent strategy for maximizing his return whilst getting him off the books

 

[Kiwi]

I don't think I would be mad at something like Tim Schaller and a 3rd for Nikita Zaitsev.

Over the moon if it was something like Zaitsev for Pysyk.

I'd attach a 4th or a 5th to Zaitsev to make that Florida deal happen

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I don't think I would be mad at something like Tim Schaller and a 3rd for Nikita Zaitsev.

Over the moon if it was something like Zaitsev for Pysyk.

I don't think we can afford Pysyk if we also want to get an actual top 4 RD. Pysyk is not a top 4 RD on a contender, nevermind one who plays in Zaitsev's role.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I'm wondering if we could use him as a 3rd wheel on a skill line? Cycle the puck and retrieve it then give it to the other guys

Honka has tools, he's as flighty as **** though so i'd view him as a change of scenery punt



I think it's worth a go, if it doesn't work out so what? But if even one of those guys can do a job your winning imo



Zaitsev's contract is a gigantic impediment to his return, taking back short cap dumps that could be useful next season is a decent strategy for maximizing his return whilst getting him off the books

Nichushkin did have zero goals so my confidence in him being a scoring threat like that is low, it is possible he could be a 3rd liner if he comes back motivated.

I'd attach a 4th or a 5th to Zaitsev to make that Florida deal happen

Yeah, I am okay with that too.

I don't think we can afford Pysyk if we also want to get an actual top 4 RD. Pysyk is not a top 4 RD on a contender, nevermind one who plays in Zaitsev's role.

Yeah, not sure we will love any Zaitsev deal ultimately. This is all hypothetical. I would say since this has gone public, the likelihood of a Zaitsev trade has drastically increased.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Yeah, not sure we will love any Zaitsev deal ultimately. This is all hypothetical. I would say since this has gone public, the likelihood of a Zaitsev trade has drastically increased.

That's fine, but it is not like Dubas should be pressured into a deal either. Zaitsev still has a ton of value to this team, and is needed. Unless he has another deal lined up to get a top 4 RD of course.

If a deal like Zaitsev for Pysyk were to go down, Florida would probably need to add something like a 3rd. We should not be the ones adding. Zaitsev for Pysyk + a 3rd would be a decent deal. Pysyk is not amazing and is definitely not a steal on his deal, but I guess we could afford to live with him for one year on our bottom pairing and figure out the finances to make him work on a bottom pairing. However, I'd rather just re-sign Hainsey than go after Pysyk as a serious asset. He'd almost be more of the "useful salary" we can take back.

We'd still need to use a guy like Kadri to get a top 4 RD though, but at least it cuts down money for this year and going forward (while buying Liljegren one year after which he will certainly be NHL ready).

 

[Gabriel426]

He can't, that spot is currently occupied by Sean Durzi.

But Durzi was traded while Gordeev is pretty much being let go.

 

[LaPlante94]

I'm wondering if we could use him as a 3rd wheel on a skill line? Cycle the puck and retrieve it then give it to the other guys

Honka has tools, he's as flighty as **** though so i'd view him as a change of scenery punt



I think it's worth a go, if it doesn't work out so what? But if even one of those guys can do a job your winning imo



Zaitsev's contract is a gigantic impediment to his return, taking back short cap dumps that could be useful next season is a decent strategy for maximizing his return whilst getting him off the books

Put him with Marner and Tavares and let them dominate below the goal line and I'm sure he'll get a few tap in goals on that line

 

[Kiwi]

I don't think we can afford Pysyk if we also want to get an actual top 4 RD. Pysyk is not a top 4 RD on a contender, nevermind one who plays in Zaitsev's role.

Pysyk plus a top4 RD would be a drastic improvement on the right side and any other RD we aquire would have money going the other way presumably anyway

Nichushkin did have zero goals so my confidence in him being a scoring threat like that is low, it is possible he could be a 3rd liner if he comes back motivated.



Yeah, I am okay with that too.



Yeah, not sure we will love any Zaitsev deal ultimately. This is all hypothetical. I would say since this has gone public, the likelihood of a Zaitsev trade has drastically increased.

He could potentially do a Hyman role, you don't have to skill it up just muck it up for the skill guys

If he's asking for a trade it's hard to see how he's not moving at this point, anything useful back is bonus country

 

[Kiwi]

Put him with Marner and Tavares and let them dominate below the goal line and I'm sure he'll get a few tap in goals on that line

Get in front of the net, fore check, retrieve the puck and be a prick to play against

That's literally all he'd need to do

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

RW Jesse Puljujarvi
RD Adam Larsson
2nd round pick 2019


RW Kasperi Kapanen
RW Connor Brown
RD Nikita Zaitsev

Would give us a lineup of:
Hyman-Tavares-Marner
Johnsson-Matthews-Nylander
Marleau-Kadri-Mikheyev
Moore-Gauthier-Puljujarvi
Petan

Rielly-Larsson
Muzzin-Dermott
Rosen-Liljegren
Borgman-Holl

Andersen-Sparks

We may not have a full roster, but it would solve most of our cap issues.

Realistic
Kapanen for Pulju + 2nd

Non-starter
Larsson for Brown + Zaitsev

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Realistic
Kapanen for Pulju + 2nd

Non-starter
Larsson for Brown + Zaitsev

Yeah Oilers seem to value Larsson a lot more than I do, which is perfectly fine with me. Zaitsev + Brown is where I would be at for Larsson, or just moving Brown for a 2nd. It's not like Larsson is the only option for us, and EDM is the only team that Zaitsev could go to. In fact, I can think of more than a few other teams which make a lot more sense than EDM when it comes to Zaitsev.

 

[ThreeOfAPerfectPair]

Yeah Oilers seem to value Larsson a lot more than I do, which is perfectly fine with me. Zaitsev + Brown is where I would be at for Larsson, or just moving Brown for a 2nd. It's not like Larsson is the only option for us, and EDM is the only team that Zaitsev could go to. In fact, I can think of more than a few other teams which make a lot more sense than EDM when it comes to Zaitsev.

Yeah that's fair, sunk-cost-fallacy and a down year factoring in on Larsson's value from our perspective. Z doesn't make much sense for Edmonton due to term.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Pysyk plus a top4 RD would be a drastic improvement on the right side and any other RD we aquire would have money going the other way presumably anyway

It would require Kadri most likely, which is where a potential Kadri + Johnsson for Savard + Jenner could make a ton of sense again, but unfortunately I don't know if the cap could work...

Pysyk is quite pricey for a bottom pairing guy. If we can dump Marleau, then we can do a lot more than just get Pysyk though.

 

[Kiwi]

It would require Kadri most likely, which is where a potential Kadri + Johnsson for Savard + Jenner could make a ton of sense again, but unfortunately I don't know if the cap could work...

Pysyk is quite pricey for a bottom pairing guy. If we can dump Marleau, then we can do a lot more than just get Pysyk though.

He'd be a decent stop gap for the bottom pair until Liljegren is ready though and i still think Miller makes some sense from our end

Muzzin Rielly
Dermott Miller
Rosen Pysyk

Or something similar isn't a bad defensive core to build around

 

[rumman]

Some people may not like me suggesting this, but if we trade Zaitsev... maybe its worth gambling on Voynov?

There would HAVE to be a lot of homework done. If guys like Muzzin suggest that Voynov is a good guy that made a stupid mistake and would be great to add to the organizaiton, then I'd considering going in on a 1 or two year deal.

doubt the leaf would be the team willing to give him a 2nd chance, then again Dubas did go out on a limb for the once hockey pariah Keefe?

Regardless if our society isn't willing to give a person who's done his time for his crime a second chance then there's no chance for rehabilitation.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

He'd be a decent stop gap for the bottom pair until Liljegren is ready though and i still think Miller makes some sense from our end

Muzzin Rielly
Dermott Miller
Rosen Pysyk

Or something similar isn't a bad defensive core to build around

That's putting a lot of pressure on that top pairing, especially with Rielly having to play his offside, which he has yet to do consistently in his career. Our PK is also still going to take a major hit, with Hainsey and Zaitsev combining for ~450 tough PK minutes.

TBH, with the types of roles guys like Rielly, Dermott and even Rosen would be getting, I don't think Miller is a good fit for this team. We already have those more offensive-minded two-way guys. We need guys who can handle heavy defensive minutes but still compliment a skilled player. We need another guy who can compliment Rielly and share heavy PK minutes with Muzzin. Then you can have Pysyk as your main 3rd PKer with Dermott and Rielly being your 4th/5th PKers (Rielly mostly so his ice time is not wasted PKing a ridiculous amount of the time). Rosen gets in if necessary, since he can PK, but we can take him up slowly. Miller, at best, is a #5 PKer on a contender so you are lacking that other high end PKer to put with Muzzin.

Ironically, we need a better version of what Zaitsev was last year. Or even a better Hainsey would be fine (i.e. like a RD Muzzin or maybe a guy like Pesce). Miller is far from that. He's essentially a Dermott, but more offensive minded.

 

[Rielly4]

I would love to get a cheap young LWer with size for Zaitsev...Maybe its unrealistic but a Zaitsev for N.Ritchie or Zaitsev for Micheal Dal Colle...I think Lou might bite.

 

[Visnovsky]

If Schaller was included in any deal with Vancouver, I'm fully expecting the deal to be something along the lines of Schaller, Tanev <-> Zaitsev, Brown

 

[dubplatepressure]

I hope we explore deal around Kadri to Colorado. They have the assets to help us. In players, they have Johnson, Barrie, and Zadorov, and in picks they have the 4th OA and the 16th OA. Main boards were open to Kerfoot + the 16th OA for Kadri, more were open to 16th OA + Conor Timmins. Tyson Jost may be another possibility. They have a ton of cap space and lack depth in their lineup. With the 16th OA pick we could go D in Soderstrom or Philip Broberg or we could go center in Newhook, Raphael Lavoie, Ryan Suzuki, etc. We could get real big and add a name or two to Kadri and pull more back, or keep it relatively small.

 

[Fogelhund]

That's putting a lot of pressure on that top pairing, especially with Rielly having to play his offside, which he has yet to do consistently in his career. Our PK is also still going to take a major hit, with Hainsey and Zaitsev combining for ~450 tough PK minutes.

TBH, with the types of roles guys like Rielly, Dermott and even Rosen would be getting, I don't think Miller is a good fit for this team. We already have those more offensive-minded two-way guys. We need guys who can handle heavy defensive minutes but still compliment a skilled player. We need another guy who can compliment Rielly and share heavy PK minutes with Muzzin. Then you can have Pysyk as your main 3rd PKer with Dermott and Rielly being your 4th/5th PKers (Rielly mostly so his ice time is not wasted PKing a ridiculous amount of the time). Rosen gets in if necessary, since he can PK, but we can take him up slowly. Miller, at best, is a #5 PKer on a contender so you are lacking that other high end PKer to put with Muzzin.

Ironically, we need a better version of what Zaitsev was last year. Or even a better Hainsey would be fine (i.e. like a RD Muzzin or maybe a guy like Pesce). Miller is far from that. He's essentially a Dermott, but more offensive minded.

I'm amazed when people throw out names, and then don't really dig deep to see if there is a fit. You hit the nail on the head multiple times. This premise that we can just put Reilly on the right... when it's been tried and abandoned several times before. Our PK wasn't great, yet we are going to use people who haven't been that good at it before, or no experience. Obviously you've pointed out a need there... we need people who are Right Handed, who can defend, PK, move the puck, skate... That's not Miller, nor Barrie.... But it is Spurgeon, Gudas, Larsson, Pesce.... Whatever changes we make, these trades are very important for us. We need to get them right and understand what our needs are..not just a body, not just a right handed body... but one who can defend, one who can PK, one who can move the puck, can skate preferably.... It might be a tall order, but the more boxes that we can tick, the better.