I
I think which direction MM goes will be a last minute decision. I don't think he'll add unless the team shows something and goes on a streak like when he took over the bench in 19-20.
Otherwise I think it's like you said - a soft sell.
I think MM adds but if he’s adding on the cheap, or in other words, a soft buy, then I’m not in favour. For me, he either has to go all in hard, or not at all. A soft buy (or soft sell for that matter) is akin to standing pat.
For me, this thing should go one way or the other: Hard sell or hard buy. I think I can make a case for either, but I think unless the bottom falls right out of this thing, or we suffer a couple more key injuries, MM is a buyer.
If we decide to buy, it could go down like this (all hypothetical):
First of all, to start, the Rangers have 5x2nds, 8x3rds, and 5x4ths in the cupboard. So:
To Hamilton:
Mercer-05
Pugliese-04
Valade-02
4x2nds
4x3rds
5th.
To Kitchener:
Morrison-02
Winterton-03
Xhekaj-04
I’m comparing this deal to a combination of the Arbor Xhekaj trade last year (OA Mutter/Valade 2x2nds. 2x3rds), and the Serron Noel trade from a couple years ago (Stepien/Mercer 2x2nds. 2x3rds). Some may argue that Winterton trumps Noel’s value but I’m factoring in Winterton’s coming off surgery and therefore, there’s an element of risk involved. Pugliese and the 5th for Xhekaj. I want Xhekaj included to address the lack of physicality up front. We have too many of the same player. We’re finding Pugliese a place to play.
To Kingston
Fishman
2nd
3rd
4th.
To Kitchener
Hache
I’m assuming I have Hache’s value right here. We’re finding Fishman a place to play in this deal.
To Saginaw
Motew.
4th.
To Kitchener
Mancini.
Motew is a solid top four D in this league who is a good skater with offensive upside. Problem is, Brzustewicz and Hamara are getting those situational minutes. The Rangers have too many of the same kind of D. They’d like to add size on the backend and Motew replaces Mancini to give Saginaw a good OA option for next year.
Give or take, I may be off a shade on the value of a player or two here, by a pick or two, so don’t beat me up on that. The point I’m trying to get across is that we have the assets to complete a hard buy.
In any case, after that hard buy, our cupboard would be depleted, to say the least:
0 x 2nds
3 x 3rds
4 x 4ths
But, I’m making sure I hold onto the two 3rds we have in ‘23 (Sag, Osh) to go with the two 1sts to get us a good jumpstart to the next cycle. Those 3rds should be in the front half of that round. Also, 23-24 would be a hard sell year. Moving out guys like Martin (OA), Brzustewicz, Hamara, would be a good start to replenishing the cupboard.
After these moves, we’d look like this:
Martin. Pinelli. Mesar.
Rehkopf. Morrison. Winterton.
Zidlicky. Serpa. Miseljevic
Swick. Sop. Xhekaj.
Morey. Bottineau.
Schmidt. Hamara.
Brzustewicz. Hache.
Mancini. Andonovski.
Hollett. Scott.
Costantini.
Vandenberg
I also try to find a decent veteran backup on the cheap if by the deadline I feel that Vandenberg would struggle should Costantini go down with an injury. An Eric Pfligler type would be nice.
There’s a ton of offence in that lineup. Two elite lines and two pretty good bottom six lines. We’ve added a ton of size and depth on the backend.
—————
But, on the other hand,
If MM were to decide to sell hard, he could set us up for years to come asset wise. Here’s how a hard sell could go down:
Pinelli (2x2nds. 3x3rds). A possible landing spot is Ottawa. They have a ton of picks. I believe this is his worth on the market. Those picks or mix in a young player gets a deal done.
Mesar (2x2nds. 3rd. Import). I think he’s a one and done in this league so if we’re selling, he’s in play. He, like I said of Mintyukov on another thread, has enough value where he’d be an upgrade on a contenders current imports. We traded Faksa for a couple 2nds and their import. I’d expect the same or more for Mesar. I notice Missy has an OA import on their roster, one of four OA’s. Could this be a landing spot?
Schmidt- (2x2nds. 2x3rds). For a quality, top pairing D with size? That is fair return. He makes any team’s back end better. Barrie has a ton of picks and should be all in this year. Brandt Clarke’s former D partner (Don Mills Flyers) would look good on their blueline. Especially if Clarke is returned.
Costantini (I want back what we gave up to get him. 2nd. 6th. Anything more is a bonus). Sure it’s good when you’re a rebuilding team to have a solid goalie to help keep games close. (ie. Parker Vanbuskirk). But when we traded for Costantini, it was to go on a run. That’s what he expected. To be fair to the player, I listen to offers for him and try and find a landing spot for him if he’s in favour. There may be a contender or two who may want the upgrade in goal. Could Windsor use an upgrade in net?
If we were to get the return on the players above in a hard sell (give or take a pick), our cupboard would be overflowing:
12 x 2nds
14 x 3rds
With that cupboard, we’d certainly have multiple 2nds and/or 3rds for the 2023 draft to go with our two 1sts.
If we chose to, we could even decide to contend next year. Martin, Motew, Sop is a start at OA. An 04 group led by Brzustewicz, Hamara, and Parsons not to mention the 05’s led by Rehkopf, Zidlicky, Mercer and Andonovski. Perhaps Longacre reports by then?
And if that Hage thing ever happens……
