GDT: Let the Free Agency Madness begin

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Ooooof....just read the Karlsson main board thread and what a shit show. The proposals for that guy are outrageous on both extremes. No Sharks fan want to admit to Karlsson's fragility or his "2X" shooting percentage this past season and no other fan wants to see the challenge of serious retention (although I still think that's the only way he moves for any sort of solid return). It's an exercise in talking past each other.

Hmm… could this be why we signed TDA for cheap instead? Are the fan conversation merely a dumber analogue of the actual conversations happening between Grier and the market right now?

 

[NotOpie]

Hmm… could this be why we signed TDA for cheap instead? Are the fan conversation merely a dumber analogue of the actual conversations happening between Grier and the market right now?

What...is that a trick question....how don't I say yes.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

What...is that a trick question....how don't I say yes.

Yeah I guess on second reading it’s kind of a dumb post. Of course that’s the meat of the negotiation, it couldn’t be anything else.

 

[Borsig]

Wanted NOTHING to do with Karlsson - still don't.

 

[Daeavorn]

Im very curious about whats going on with our defense. Will we trade Pesce? Will we extend Skjei or keep both as rentals?

Im still shocked i havent seen any mention of them wanting to trade him

 

[SvechneJerk]

Im very curious about whats going on with our defense. Will we trade Pesce? Will we extend Skjei or keep both as rentals?

Im still shocked i havent seen any mention of them wanting to trade him

I’m guessing that whatever happens with EK (he goes to PIT/PIT can’t make it happen & he still ends up here for our lowball offer/no one can make it happen & he stays in SJ), that will start some dominoes falling. A few PIT fans seem to think they’ll know what they can do by Monday, due to a buyout window opening for them Saturday(?).

 

[spockBokk]

Anyone seen or heard anything about the status of Joey Keane?

He was in the KHL last year, but I think the last thing I saw on that was that he wasn’t going to play over there again this coming season. Weird to have not heard anything about him this offseason.

I think he’s still Canes’ property since they qualified him last summer.

What a dud of a trade Gauthier for him was.

Im very curious about whats going on with our defense. Will we trade Pesce? Will we extend Skjei or keep both as rentals?

Im still shocked i havent seen any mention of them wanting to trade him

I’m still in the “Pesce be gone” prior to season boat.

No idea on which team or return, but can’t see him as a Cane much longer.

 

[cptjeff]

Hmm… could this be why we signed TDA for cheap instead? Are the fan conversation merely a dumber analogue of the actual conversations happening between Grier and the market right now?

I'm at the point where I don't think Karlsson will be traded. What most fans have completely ignored is that the Sharks don't need to trade him. At all. Karlsson doesn't mind continuing to play there even though he wants an opportunity to win a cup, and has said so. He's not holding out or anything, he's asked Grier to do him a solid. Grier is happy to do so if he can get a big return and not hamstring the Sharks cap going forward.

No team good enough to win is willing has the cap room, so the Sharks will have to take a big hit to their cap for a long period, and no contender has been willing to pay enough for that to be worthwhile.

Ultimately, that means the conditions for a trade don't exist. Thanks to the NHL's gamified cap structure, somebody may be willing to go for it with minimal retention at the deadline as they have magical extra cap space to spare.

At this point, I'm expecting with about 85% certainty that Karlsson will at least start the season with the Sharks.

 

[chaz4hockey]

I'm at the point where I don't think Karlsson will be traded. What most fans have completely ignored is that the Sharks don't need to trade him. At all. Karlsson doesn't mind continuing to play there even though he wants an opportunity to win a cup, and has said so. He's not holding out or anything, he's asked Grier to do him a solid. Grier is happy to do so if he can get a big return and not hamstring the Sharks cap going forward.

No team good enough to win is willing has the cap room, so the Sharks will have to take a big hit to their cap for a long period, and no contender has been willing to pay enough for that to be worthwhile.

Ultimately, that means the conditions for a trade don't exist. Thanks to the NHL's gamified cap structure, somebody may be willing to go for it with minimal retention at the deadline as they have magical extra cap space to spare.

At this point, I'm expecting with about 85% certainty that Karlsson will at least start the season with the Sharks.

"Karlsson doesn't mind continuing to play there"

RE: Karlsson--I saw a segment earlier this last season (HNIC???) which he was interviewed at this home. He stated how much he loved living there/No Cal.

 

[WreckingCrew]

I’m still in the “Pesce be gone” prior to season boat.

No idea on which team or return, but can’t see him as a Cane much longer.

I just don't understand this trading Pesce mindset unless we're all just prepping ourselves for bad news? Pesce is 10x more valuable as an own-rental than Skjei given the Orlov signing. You don't want TDA in top 4 especially if Burns gets injured...we KNOW Skjei doesn't play great on that side, not sure if Orlov would either? If we don't land EK, I see no reason to trade Pesce at all. I know he probably has more trade value than Skjei, but we're competing for a Cup, so his roster value is far more important IMO

 

[Lempo]

"Karlsson doesn't mind continuing to play there"

RE: Karlsson--I saw a segment earlier this last season (HNIC???) which he was interviewed at this home. He stated how much he loved living there/No Cal.

In his recent Swedish interview, the trading was a question of when, not if. He's not getting any younger and he wants to win, so kind of hard to see him waste even one season in SJ if there is a doable trade to be made to a plausible competitor.

 

[ElmCityGuy]

"Karlsson doesn't mind continuing to play there"

RE: Karlsson--I saw a segment earlier this last season (HNIC???) which he was interviewed at this home. He stated how much he loved living there/No Cal.

I have zero interest in living anywhere in California, Oregon, Washington, City of Chicago or any place North of Richmond Virginia.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

EK will be significantly easier to move for a big return a year from now if he proves he can stay healthy and productive for another full season this year. I think a lot of "interested teams" are wondering if last season was the outlier and you'd be getting the guy who hadn't played more than 56 games in 4 years and wasn't even that productive for a few of the seasons, not the healthy Norris winner from last year. And even with decent retention that contract is a huge risk if you're getting the former.

Kinda similar to Tarasenko's depressed market -- a great, mostly healthy '21-22 season but sandwiched by 2 years he barely played and last year being quite a bit less productive than most of his other healthy seasons while still missing time.

 

[htdoc]

EK may be easier to move but is that a risk Grier wants to take?

Karlsson has been pretty clear in multiple different interviews and takes that he wants traded. He requested a trade. He isn’t being a dick about it by saying he will never play another game for SJ and they must trade him now…. But don’t take Karlsson being professional and not trying to destroy any return whatsoever by demanding things and purposely killing any market for him as being the same as reading the situation that Grier doesn’t have to do anything. This isn’t the same as the Chychrun deal last year for Az…. And even that situation got very close to being ugly near the end…. Karlsson gave options to Grier with his trade request. He didn’t limit to one single team so that there could be a bit of a bidding war or could give his GM a chance to get a better return than if it was one team bidding against itself ala Kane to the Rangers at the TDL…. But Karlsson for sure wants out of SJ and he doesn’t want to play another year there losing….

if it is an abberation and Karlsson plays worse this year or gets hurt this year, SJ will never trade him or will have to pay someone to take him to honor the request…. It’s a dangerous game Grier is playing that could blow up in his face…..

 

[Borsig]

I have zero interest in living anywhere in California, Oregon, Washington, City of Chicago or any place North of Richmond Virginia.

You don't want to live in VA at all. Trust me. Not these days. Well, these days are okay, mostly. Won't be long before the NoVA nuts get control again though I'm sure.

 

[NotOpie]

You don't want to live in VA at all. Trust me. Not these days. Well, these days are okay, mostly. Won't be long before the NoVA nuts get control again though I'm sure.

Grew up in Culpeper, 95 year old dad still lives there. Got brothers in Spotsylvania and Keswick.

I love central VA....just close enough to bigger cities and just far enough away too.

 

[Finlandia WOAT]

California would be great if you were making 11 million a year

 

[ElmCityGuy]

You don't want to live in VA at all. Trust me. Not these days. Well, these days are okay, mostly. Won't be long before the NoVA nuts get control again though I'm sure.

I am a fan of the mountain area in Virginia.. some nice towns out that way. I still rank the NC Mountains the best and hope to retire there one day. Boone area is number one for me.

 

[Derailed75]

You don't want to live in VA at all. Trust me. Not these days. Well, these days are okay, mostly. Won't be long before the NoVA nuts get control again though I'm sure.

Bullshit it sucks, every square mile of it, as soon as my wife agrees to leave I am gone.

California would be great if you were making 11 million a year

If you like being lower class!

 

[CandyCanes]

Late night random thoughts.

1. What if Bunting was the secret piece to the puzzle to bring Auston Matthews to Carolina next year. They’re good buds.

2. Canes are going to make another surprise UFA signing by signing Matt Dumba to a 5-6 year deal. They’ll finally trade both Pesce & Skjei. While trading those two, we manage to acquire a top 6 center in the process.

The end.

 

[Lempo]

1. What if Bunting was the secret piece to the puzzle to bring Auston Matthews to Carolina next year. They’re good buds.

Worked for Gaudreau.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Late night random thoughts.

1. What if Bunting was the secret piece to the puzzle to bring Auston Matthews to Carolina next year. They’re good buds.

2. Canes are going to make another surprise UFA signing by signing Matt Dumba to a 5-6 year deal. They’ll finally trade both Pesce & Skjei. While trading those two, we manage to acquire a top 6 center in the process.

The end.

Q: A 29-34 yr old signed Dumba is better than a 5 yr re-sign of Skjei or Pesce?

 

[AD Skinner]

Dumba is good but I think I’d take skjei or Pesce over him- admittedly I don’t watch a lot of the western conference so maybe my opinion is skewed or incomplete but I’d rank him 3rd out of those 3 and I don’t think that’s a knock on him

 

[SvechneJerk]

Dumba is good but I think I’d take skjei or Pesce over him- admittedly I don’t watch a lot of the western conference so maybe my opinion is skewed or incomplete but I’d rank him 3rd out of those 3 and I don’t think that’s a knock on him

Going back to this, apparently you're not the only one that feels that way.

 

[AhosDatsyukian]

Going back to this, apparently you're not the only one that feels that way.

View attachment 733638

How insane is it that we have 4 top 34 defensemen and another ranked 48. Considering it’s a fan vote too, those guys could be even higher if they played in bigger markets. And Chatfield/TDA could easily be on this list too (I’d take both over Ghost for example).