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[Just A Bit Outside]

Spent some time identifying defencemen that will probably be on the market. Started out by figuring out the teams that are pretty much sure fire sellers: Canadiens, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Blackhawks, Ducks, Sharks, and Sabres*.

I think the Sabres will make some sort of panic move if this season continues to go sideways. They could turn it around enough to finish the same they have the last couple of seasons but will still end up selling someone off.

From these teams, we've got a list of defencemen sorted into 1st pair, 2nd pair, 3rd pair, depth, and a bonus category.

1st Pair:
Travis Sanheim - Flyers - LD - 7y/6.25m (NTC)

2nd Pair:
Cam Fowler - Ducks - LD - 2y/6.5m (4-NTC)
Henri Jokiharju - Sabres - RD - 1y/3.1m (UFA)
Mattias Samuelsson - Sabres - LD - 6y/4.28m
Connor Murphy - Blackhawks - RD - 2y/4.4m (10-NTC)
Ivan Provorv - Blue Jackets - LD - 1y/4.72m (UFA)
Michael Matheson - Canadiens - LD - 2y/4.87m (8-NTC)
David Savard - Canadiens - RD - 1y/3.5m (UFA)
Mario Ferraro - Sharks - LD - 2y/3.25m
Jake Walman - Sharks - LD - 2y/3.4m

3rd Pair:
Brian Dumoulin - Ducks - LD - 1y/3.15m (10-NTC)
Connor Clifton - Sabres - RD - 2y/3.33m
Alec Martinez - Blackhawks - LD - 1y/4.0m (UFA) injured
T.J. Brodie - Blackhawks - LD - 2y/3.75m
Rasmus Ristolainen - Flyers - RD - 3y/5.1m
Jan Rutta - Sharks - RD - 1y/2.75m (UFA)
Cody Ceci - Sharks - RD - 1y/3.25m (UFA)
Matt Benning - Sharks - RD - 2y/1.25m

Depth:
Jack Johnson - Blue Jackets - LD - 1y/0.77m (UFA)
Erik Johnson - Flyers - RD - 1y/1.0m (UFA)

No Chance:
Erik Gudbranson - Blue Jackets - RD - 2y/4.0m (10-NTC) injured

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There's also a few players who could be potential Hronek's. This list is much smaller.

Arber Xhekaj - Canadiens - LD - 2y/1.3m (RFA)
Yegor Zamula - Flyers - LD - 2y/1.7m (RFA)
Bowen Byram - Sabres - LD - 1y/3.85m (RFA)
Urho Vaakanainen - Ducks - LD - 1y/1.5m (RFA)

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Quibble about whether a player is a 2nd or 3rd pairing guy all you want. Ideally the Canucks approach their other pairing like they did last year where the non-Hughes/Hronek pairs were hybrid 2/3s that traded off on duties every other game.

I don't see the Flyers actually trading Sanheim.

I think the Sabres will make some sort of panic move if this season continues to go sideways. They could turn it around enough to finish the same they have the last couple of seasons but will still end up selling someone off. I wouldn't have put Mattias Samuelsson on here but Satiar Shah brought him up yesterday. His reasoning is the Sabres have him on the 3rd pair with Dahlin, Byram, & Power above him and unlikely to want an all-left handed top-4. I really don't see them trading Byram, especially considering the Canucks won't be offering anything more than picks and prospects.

I don't think the Sharks will trade all of Ferraro, Walman, and Benning I do think one of them will get moved this season. I view both depth Johnsons as worse than the options already on the roster. The real interesting acquisitions (Gavrikov, Pettersson, etc.) are on these bubble teams that will wait as long as possible to figure out where they stand.

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The issue with trading with Buffalo, in any respect, is what exactly goes the other way?

There's is almost nothing that makes sense regarding what the Nucks could give up that would be of interest to them.

Blame the coaching all you want, the players are still the players.

They need a culture changing deal.

That's not happening with Van.

 

[God]

Samuelsson makes sense as the odd one out but I wonder if Byram is unhappy there given that he seemed to hate the culture in Buffalo upon arrival, which to date doesn't seem to have changed.

 

[Vector]

The issue with trading with Buffalo, in any respect, is what exactly goes the other way?

There's is almost nothing that makes sense regarding what the Nucks could give up that would be of interest to them.

Blame the coaching all you want, the players are still the players.

They need a culture changing deal.

That's not happening with Van.

I agree! Which I said in my post.

“I really don't see them trading Byram, especially considering the Canucks won't be offering anything more than picks and prospects.“

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

I'm going to put my money on mgmt acquiring Brian Dumoulin.

LHD, pending UFA, $3.15M cap hit, Pitt connection.

 

[VanillaCoke]

David Jiricek.

 

[credulous]

i was optimistic about an in season move to address the defense but i'm getting less optimistic by the day. they're not really taking advantage of abby being close by running a short roster and the joshua and demko injuries dragging on is really hampering their ability to manufacture deadline space

right now any kind of injury is going to necessitate LTIR and torpedo any hope of making a purely additive change to this roster

that leaves just money in money out deals and they don't really have any surplus money to move out. heinen, desharnais or suter maybe but heinen has an m-ntc (really? how?) and suter and desharnais don't really make enough to make a splashy addition

 

[Vector]

i was optimistic about an in season move to address the defense but i'm getting less optimistic by the day. they're not really taking advantage of abby being close by running a short roster and the joshua and demko injuries dragging on is really hampering their ability to manufacture deadline space

right now any kind of injury is going to necessitate LTIR and torpedo any hope of making a purely additive change to this roster

that leaves just money in money out deals and they don't really have any surplus money to move out. heinen, desharnais or suter maybe but heinen has an m-ntc (really? how?) and suter and desharnais don't really make enough to make a splashy addition

After this road trip they should send Bains down (three-day break and multiple two-day breaks) and with Joshua due back in 1-2 weeks that'll get them over 1m in cap space. Other than a few days, haven't really had a chance to run a short roster. They are essentially running a 22-man roster right now with Forbort being away.

 

[F A N]

I'm going to put my money on mgmt acquiring Brian Dumoulin.

LHD, pending UFA, $3.15M cap hit, Pitt connection.

Is he looking better this season than previous?

 

[sandwichbird2023]

i was optimistic about an in season move to address the defense but i'm getting less optimistic by the day. they're not really taking advantage of abby being close by running a short roster and the joshua and demko injuries dragging on is really hampering their ability to manufacture deadline space

right now any kind of injury is going to necessitate LTIR and torpedo any hope of making a purely additive change to this roster

that leaves just money in money out deals and they don't really have any surplus money to move out. heinen, desharnais or suter maybe but heinen has an m-ntc (really? how?) and suter and desharnais don't really make enough to make a splashy addition

They can always send Forbort going the other way to remove $1.5m cap commitment. Then have the other team retain 50%, and find a 3rd team to retain another 50%, so essentially Forbort's salary should net us somebody close to $6m cap hit (plus whatever we banked over the season), assuming max retention from 2 different teams. At least that is how I understand it.

It would add to the cost of acquisition, but I think its doable.