GDT: Game 63: Sharks @ Sabres 4:00pm NBCSCA

[Pinkfloyd]

Yes I miscounted. They would have only 4 definitive future top 6 forwards with Misa. That still should not be reason to add a legit top 6 FW in FA even if it takes a 7 year overpay.

I'm more inclined to give a player like Chernyshov or Musty that sort of opportunity. If we're going to do a 7 year overpay, it should only be on defense if that's what it takes. We don't need that risk up front. If it's on the team's terms then I can accept that but it should be similar to Toffoli and not a full overpay.

 

[Wedontneedroads]

I just want the audio from the bench after Toffoli scores that EN and Smith and Celebrini are chirping him. You love to see it.

It’s better than I thought it would be…

 

[pappaf2]

It’s better than I thought it would be…

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This is the good stuff right here.

 

[weastern bias]

The plan is to improve the team. Next season this team should be playing meaningful hockey into April.

This simply isn't happening, we still lack the foundational pieces to make this happen without MASSIVE jumps from our second year players

4 things need to happen at the same time for a 40 win season to be somewhat realistic next year:

19 year old Celebrini explodes into a 100+ point 2-way Hart candidate

20 year old Smith immediately becomes a P/G player and can manage 2C responsibilities

23 year old Askarov is in the Vezina conversation

We sign or trade for a legitimate top-pair D in the off season and they carry the load for the rest of the back end

It is more likely that none of these happen than that all of these happen

It really doesn't matter if we were to sign a Marner/Rantanen level UFA forward, we're only going as far as the young players can carry us, and expecting these guys who should still be in college to carry a last place team into playoff contention is unreasonable and unrealistic

 

[gaucholoco3]

This simply isn't happening, we still lack the foundational pieces to make this happen without MASSIVE jumps from our second year players

4 things need to happen at the same time for a 40 win season to be somewhat realistic next year:

19 year old Celebrini explodes into a 100+ point 2-way Hart candidate

20 year old Smith immediately becomes a P/G player and can manage 2C responsibilities

23 year old Askarov is in the Vezina conversation

We sign or trade for a legitimate top-pair D in the off season and they carry the load for the rest of the back end

It is more likely that none of these happen than that all of these happen

It really doesn't matter if we were to sign a Marner/Rantanen level UFA forward, we're only going as far as the young players can carry us, and expecting these guys who should still be in college to carry a last place team into playoff contention is unreasonable and unrealistic

So let’s just give up and start the tank for McKenna. I just don’t see why people are so against improving this team even with a slight overpay. You don’t say no if a top 6 or top 4 player wants to sign in FA.

Also since when is pt/g a 2C level. I think it is very realistic to expect 70+ from Eklund, Celebrini, and Smith next season. Celebrini is also winning minutes as the 1C on a very bad team at 18. He could absolutely contend for the hart on his ELC.

Grier got a solid middle C, top 6 Wing, and a #4 defenseman last offseason when he wasn’t even trying to be aggressive. Another top 6 FW, a #2/3 D, and a #4/5 D would slot guys into their correct spots.

That offseason with development of the young players puts the Sharks to have a significant improvement and push for 80+ points.

 

[weastern bias]

So let’s just give up and start the tank for McKenna. I just don’t see why people are so against improving this team even with a slight overpay. You don’t say no if a top 6 or top 4 player wants to sign in FA.

Also since when is pt/g a 2C level. I think it is very realistic to expect 70+ from Eklund, Celebrini, and Smith next season. Celebrini is also winning minutes as the 1C on a very bad team at 18. He could absolutely contend for the hart on his ELC.

Grier got a solid middle C, top 6 Wing, and a #4 defenseman last offseason when he wasn’t even trying to be aggressive. Another top 6 FW, a #2/3 D, and a #4/5 D would slot guys into their correct spots.

That offseason with development of the young players puts the Sharks to have a significant improvement and push for 80+ points.

There are many worlds between "playing meaningful games in April" and "giving up and tanking"

Next year should be about progress, but we are a 50 point team if things go well to end this year, a 60 point season would still be strong progress

If all of the young guys become 70 point players and that's the extent of our improvements we're still not going to be even close to being a bubble playoff team, we just have so many holes on this roster, especially on defense

As you pointed out, we made a HUGE amount of additions last summer and the result was still the worst team in hockey, we should be taking more swings this offseason trying to push forward but even then a big push forward still doesn't mean we'll be in playoff conversations, we're still a few years away from that

 

[coooldude]

There are many worlds between "playing meaningful games in April" and "giving up and tanking"

Next year should be about progress, but we are a 50 point team if things go well to end this year, a 60 point season would still be strong progress

If all of the young guys become 70 point players and that's the extent of our improvements we're still not going to be even close to being a bubble playoff team, we just have so many holes on this roster, especially on defense

As you pointed out, we made a HUGE amount of additions last summer and the result was still the worst team in hockey, we should be taking more swings this offseason trying to push forward but even then a big push forward still doesn't mean we'll be in playoff conversations, we're still a few years away from that

Maybe there's no need for me to be peacemaker, but I think you guys aren't too far off each other, just on opposite ends of the same general vision.

I don't think we'll be a 60 point team next year, nor will Grier be aiming for that. As it is, given ROS SOS, we may (may) end up at 60 this year, which would be a 6 win improvement over last year.

85 points would be the upper end of an improvement year next year, but based on MoneyPuck projections for this season, 85 would still have us 10th worst in the league. So "meaningful" games in April really just means, pretending to play meaningful games.

I think an 85 point 2026 season is a) highly unlikely, b) should be the stretch goal, c) would be absolutely amazing.

I think that Grier will try his best, and will likely end up putting a roster together that we all predict will get 70-75 points. AKA, still bottom 5 but a big jump from this year and last year. Given his comments on "don't want to go sign 3 guys at 7x9MM", I am guessing he is looking for ONE of those guys, and then another Wennberg type signing, and probably a Wennberg-to-Granlund sized D signing, and we'll see where he ends up.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

There are many worlds between "playing meaningful games in April" and "giving up and tanking"

Next year should be about progress, but we are a 50 point team if things go well to end this year, a 60 point season would still be strong progress

If all of the young guys become 70 point players and that's the extent of our improvements we're still not going to be even close to being a bubble playoff team, we just have so many holes on this roster, especially on defense

As you pointed out, we made a HUGE amount of additions last summer and the result was still the worst team in hockey, we should be taking more swings this offseason trying to push forward but even then a big push forward still doesn't mean we'll be in playoff conversations, we're still a few years away from that

I mean, considering this and the previous two seasons didn't even really have us playing meaningful games in November, we should start with getting to that point.