Agree. Replacing Turbo with Kartye actually feels like a lateral move to me. Winterton and Morrison both have had really good AHL playoff runs and I think they should be fine to bring up to NHL.
While we are in the current state, i.e not fully competitive, we seriously need to look at moving expiring contracts, who are not going to be part of our core moving forward. Gourde and Tanev both fall into that group. Gourde will be harder to replace, but I would be ok giving a UFA a 2-4 year contract based on their age, and move Gourde.
I would be for that and making a decision on which direction this team goes.
Though, I doubt Francis will and is actually allowed to do that given what the owner said(to win now as well) during the Bylsma press conference.
Overall I'm looking at this roster and how you could turn it into a really competitive team that can be a threat in the playoffs.
And unless we somehow get lucky with a couple of trades, I don't see another way besides not being good and drafing high enough a couple more times to hopefully get the difference makers you need.
I think the deadline is the time to move on from Gourde. We'll probably get a much better return then than now.
Yep.
If Yanni plays well enough we could get something nice(maybe even that coveted extra 1st round pick we haven't been able to get so far) and that's more likelly at the TDL.
Tanev won't be worth more than a mid pick either way so if someone wants him now, that's fine.
Honestly, with Tanev it's just more about creating some more spots at forward(wing) and getting rid of that 3.5M cap hit.
You should be able to find a bottom six guy doing a similar job for much less of a cap hit.
I'll admit I haven't given much of a look to Morrison or Winterton. How confident are we that they'll be NHLers?
They've been really good in the AHL and looked solid while being called up.
At the end of the day you never really know until they play regularly.
Though, even if they can't make it you just trade for a bottom six guy using a mid to late round pick and that guy won't have the cap hit of Tanev.
@Dead Coyote
I think with Zegras it's the fact of some media members consistantly talking about him being available.
If the Ducks want to keep him than that's it and you won't be able to trade for him.