GDT: Free Agent Frenzy: The Horror, the Horror!!!

[Big Daddy Cane]

Considering what was out there, I’m not upset with what GMRF did up front.

Not that I was expecting anything different, but I came away disappointed with how he handled the goaltending situation. They’re waiting for Nedeljkovic to develop, basically. That’s a risky approach, imo. I wish he would have made a play for Andersen, or a more aggressive play if he did explore that option, even at the cost of the 21st overall pick+. That would have given Carolina an above-average to good starter in the short-term and some insurance in case Nedeljkovic isn’t the guy in the long-term.

 

[HisIceness]

Going to be really weird seeing Eric in a Minnesota jersey. Rangers made sense considering Marc is there and Eric just seemed like a player the Rangers would sign or trade for.

How the hell is Jamie McBain still in the league? He was absolutely brutal on a bad Buffalo team 3 years ago.

 

[CDJ]

Riley Nash to Boston (2 yrs, $900k). Poor soul.

Got any insight on him as a player? Didn't see a thread for him on the main trade board but I figure he's probably going to be in the lineup on the 4th line so I'd like to hear your opinion on him (aside from him being in a sad situation in Boston )

 

[Ole Gil]

I get what you're saying. We're not going to compete with a cap-floor team, and there's no particular roadmap to us being more than a cap-floor team for the foreseeable future.

What I *think* is happening is that Francis is waiting in the weeds for something to present itself. I'd be shocked if the rumors of us being in on the Hall deal aren't true, because that's the sort of situation we need to play out in our favor. Maybe he missed on that one, but I think that kind of thing is the gameplan.

If not, then I agree with you wholeheartedly.

You know what it is, I think. They bamboozled me on the whole money thing. I thought they were pinching pennies and saving up, so when this year came, they could finally do something. And others said "Nope, they are just cheap, and are going to pocket the money." And I was like, "No, this all makes sense!" Instead, they're spending 45 million in real dollars, and crying poor about RFA's they have to sign in 2 or 3 years who are currently barely established NHL'rs at best.

I like your optimism that they are looking to acquire someone via trade. I hope that's the case. But with all those picks at the draft, it just seemed like that was the time to strike. Or maybe yesterday, during that crazy 25 minutes. Who knows though. I guess we'll see.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

Got any insight on him as a player? Didn't see a thread for him on the main trade board but I figure he's probably going to be in the lineup on the 4th line so I'd like to hear your opinion on him (aside from him being in a sad situation in Boston )

He sucks.

 

[Ole Gil]

Got any insight on him as a player? Didn't see a thread for him on the main trade board but I figure he's probably going to be in the lineup on the 4th line so I'd like to hear your opinion on him (aside from him being in a sad situation in Boston )

Versatile bottom 6'r. Will be a very good 4th liner and PK guy. But won't kill you if he has to be plugged into the 3rd for a while like a lot of 4th liners do. He always has a couple stretches where he puts up some good points offensively.

I'd trade McClement for him.

 

[AhoLottaLove]

Got any insight on him as a player? Didn't see a thread for him on the main trade board but I figure he's probably going to be in the lineup on the 4th line so I'd like to hear your opinion on him (aside from him being in a sad situation in Boston )

Picture a player who lacks intensity and is mediocre at everything. That's Riley Nash.

 

[A Star is Burns]

Nash is a guy that won't hurt you most of the time, and usually has one hot streak to fool people into thinking he's something more.

 

[HisIceness]

Got any insight on him as a player? Didn't see a thread for him on the main trade board but I figure he's probably going to be in the lineup on the 4th line so I'd like to hear your opinion on him (aside from him being in a sad situation in Boston )

Ron Francis was pretty high on him back in 2010, we traded a 2nd round pick I believe it was, to Edmonton for him, he was slated to go back to Cornell but signed with us and played in Charlotte his first two years. Had a decent showing when he was called up in the lockout year.

He's not bad, but he's the kind of player we sign that ends up in the minor leagues and/or goes overseas because no NHL team is interested, and we've had plenty of those over the years, some of them struggle to even get a contract in the AHL. Best of luck to him in Boston.

 

[CDJ]

He sucks.

thanks finlandia


And thanks everybody else, I appreciate the information

 

[Moosetache]

If you want to be a fan of a team that spends to the salary cap, go be a Rangers or Red Wings fan. There's no point in griping about it, everybody knows the score.

RF isn't going to commit 5-6 years to some UFAs who are going to prevent extensions for Hanifin/Slavin/Aho/Rask and the like in the future. Homegrown talent is the priority. Look at what the KC Royals have done in a relatively short timeframe. That should absolutely be the model for any small-market team.

Uh....I believe that time frame was about 30 years. That being said, looks like the canes are on that same plan, so well done RF!!

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

It may be a weird thing to say, but I'm encouraged by the number of ex-Canes who got contracts today. EStaal, Gerbe, Nash, Liles all are playing in the NHL next season, rather than the usual yearly tradition of ex-Canes either going to Europe or retiring and becoming broadcasters/#hcane director of smile development.

 

[Wolfpuck]

It may be a weird thing to say, but I'm encouraged by the number of ex-Canes who got contracts today. EStaal, Gerbe, Nash, Liles all are playing in the NHL next season, rather than the usual yearly tradition of ex-Canes either going to Europe or retiring and becoming broadcasters/#hcane director of smile development.

That's actually a good point. We're (very) slowly (and painfully) raising the bar here.

 

[raynman]

Damn some of you guys are a tough crowd. I thought Nash was a solid 4th liner that can definitely step up in case of injury. Also skilled enough to get some PP time here and there and can kill penalties.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Damn some of you guys are a tough crowd. I thought Nash was a solid 4th liner that can definitely step up in case of injury. Also skilled enough to get some PP time here and there and can kill penalties.

Yeah, considering Nash was at one point regarded as a non-factor in our development system, I'm pretty happy with his tour of duty here. He did reasonable service in a variety of situations, and it's not his fault we didn't have anyone better to push him out of those roles.

 

[Roboturner913]

Nash is one of the most anonymous players I've ever seen. He's not good at anything. But he's not really bad at anything either. I'm having trouble recall in one memorable Riley Nash moment over the years. I'd call him vanilla but vanilla is such an underrated flavor profile. Instead I'll call him ketchup. There's nothing particularly wrong with ketchup but there are too many other wonderful condiment and sauce options to just roll with ketchup every meal.

 

[Vagrant]

Yeah, considering Nash was at one point regarded as a non-factor in our development system, I'm pretty happy with his tour of duty here. He did reasonable service in a variety of situations, and it's not his fault we didn't have anyone better to push him out of those roles.

He took the path that was so available to guys like Boychuk and Bowman in particular. Instead of being labeled a failed scoring prospect, he turned his focus to defense and playing consistent hockey. When he stopped playing for numbers, the numbers came to him to a degree. It has made him a rich man by comparison. There's nothing that Nash has that Boychuk didn't except his mental approach to the game. It shows how important it is to draft and develop not just skilled players, but smart players who know how to respond to adversity and adapt. He worked hard for the contract he just got. I know it's not backing up a Brinks truck, but he's got a seven figure salary again for two more seasons. Might be the heir apparent to Chris Kelly in Boston.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

i sometimes confused riley nash with zach boychuk

 

[sheriff bart]

Nash is one of those guys that every NHL team needs, but already has 2 of.

 

[bleedgreen]

Nash is a conservative offensive player, he tends to not take the puck to the net hard. He's actually a pretty strong player deep in his end and on the boards, but usually due to making safe decisions. He almost always turns back and leans on his support vs turning up the ice or attacking the net. I don't look at fancy stats so I don't know if that translates into being a good possession player or not. He tends not to hold onto it very much but rarely turns it over.

He actually had good chemistry with Skinner at times because of this complete unselfishness. In that way he's capable of points, he knows who should be carrying the puck instead of him. Skills wise he's a jack of all trades. He can make good passes, decent shot, not bad hands. He just doesn't use these skills often as he constantly defers to those around him and makes the safest play.

I liked it at first, makes him a very responsible player. When coaches don't have a lot of choices for guys to put on the ice, they like him. He just never really developed much further than that.

 

[Stickpucker]

Uh....I believe that time frame was about 30 years. That being said, looks like the canes are on that same plan, so well done RF!!

So we're 10% there! I think I've got another 27 years in me

 

[Stickpucker]

I think what we're seeing jives with who RF is. He isn't going to make a huge splash to say he did something he is going to slowly and methodically improve things until one day you look back and were like "Wow! we're so much better when did that happen?!"

So we have out:
=================
Staal - 13g 26a * 83gp
Versteeg - 15g 23a
Gerbe - 3g 4a
Nash - 9g 13a
JML - 6g 15a
Wiznewski - 0g 0a

In:
================
Stempniak - 19g 32a 51p
TT - 13g 22a 35p
Bickell - 14g 14a 28p *in last full NHL season
Aho - ???
Stalberg - 9g 11 a

Total 55g + aho & new dman, 79a + aho & new dman vs 46g 81a

So if Aho has a 15g 20 assist season and the rest of our roster stagnates we most likely gained 24g and 18 assists? (i realize it isn't that simple)

and think about cost....Eric's salary was roughly what all these additions cost together.

It looks like RF was very shrewd to me. Alot of these guys are also on the upswing of their career rather than the downswing....I would be Lindholm & TT have more points than last year while Staal and Steeger have less.

 

[FlyingSquirrels]

I still think we are missing 1 important piece: A veteran, rugged defender. I'm all for turning over the keys to the car to our kids but we are relying ALOT on a bunch of 20+ year olds. If there is regression, sophomore slump, etc then we are in big trouble. I'm still confused why Wiz was bought out, but whats done is done there.

I think a signing is needed. Sign Roman Polak for 2 years at $3m AAV, expose him for the draft, let him gobble up the tough D zone minutes in the meantime, and let Fleury and the boys marinate in CLT.

 

[bleedgreen]

I agree we need a vet dman who's more than a 6/7 guy. Someone we can lean on when some of these kids go through a slump.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Yeah, I'd still like a reason as to why they bought out Wiz. It doesn't make sense, unless they've really jumped the gun and assume that Murphy/Fleury took great strides and none of Pesce, Hanifin, and Slavin regress.

And I'd hope they learned their lesson about jumping the gun after the Semin contract (and to a lesser extent, the Lack contract)