Don't really disagree but I'd probably qualify it as signing Saros long-term and running the same roster out there again (and basically again the following year, and the following...). If we make other roster moves to improve the roster I'll be less pessimistic.
To be honest, the decision on renewing Saros should have been made before the team decided to use a first round pick on Askarov. I'd like to think they had a goalie transition plan in mind before using a 1st on a goalie, and it's possible they did but Askarov hasn't developed according to their forecasts. At any rate, at this point Trotz needs to make a call on whether Askarov is going to be a quality starter and manage the roster and cap accordingly.
Is it me or does Wood seem a bit high in that ranking after what we have seen out of some of these guys in the AHL?
Eh, most prospect rankings have less to do with proven performance at the pro level and more to do with perceived potential. Same reason Kemell is #2 over L'Heureux
It's never that straight-forward with goalies, even highly drafted ones, until they are actually at the NHL level and producing. See Brian Finley or Chet Pickard. Even better, the LA Kings spent a #11 overall on Jonathan Bernier, who developed into a serviceable NHL goalie, but they probably don't win a Cup if they force him into the #1 role at the expense of Jonathan Quick.
It is recency bias, but I'm with you on it.
10 more points still doesn't win you a playoff series.I figure if we can get 99 pts out of a team that had very mediocre goaltending, questionable defense, and really just 1 line producing regularly… then this hypothetical “mushy middle” shouldn’t be THAT difficult to escape from?
Heck, Saros alone playing more like his usual self might have got us 10 more points. Is 109 enough? Add some depth and maybe we’re at 115?
Having big superstar forward duos would be fun, but I think we have lots of room to improve with more mundane tweaks too. Just because we didn’t get there in the past doesn’t mean it’s perpetually unachievable.
Right, even just getting 99 could get you all the way in the playoffs. Just getting in is important.
It is unachievable without superstar forwards for the most part. Edmonton has crap depth and they've made it to the finals with 4 guys playing out their minds and an average goalie. Dallas was the deeper team with a better goalie and got bounced.I figure if we can get 99 pts out of a team that had very mediocre goaltending, questionable defense, and really just 1 line producing regularly… then this hypothetical “mushy middle” shouldn’t be THAT difficult to escape from?
Heck, Saros alone playing more like his usual self might have got us 10 more points. Is 109 enough? Add some depth and maybe we’re at 115?
Having big superstar forward duos would be fun, but I think we have lots of room to improve with more mundane tweaks too. Just because we didn’t get there in the past doesn’t mean it’s perpetually unachievable.
Not saying I agree or disagree but if the Preds move on from Saros then is Askarov the next goalie? He was benched in Milwaukee during the PO's for an almost 30 yo Troy Grosenick.
I can live with this. The Preds have been a good decent team/Org for almost its entire existence. Making the PO's in 16 out of last 20 years with one great run. Complacency can be comfortable and safe and feel good. It's better than being poor and crappy and not making the PO's! But after a while you want more. The fans and the Org should want more than just making the PO's. But that means taking a risk/chance. If that means shedding Saros in search of a 1C or true top 3 player then as the saying goes "sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet".
Grosenick is 34. And basically missed all of the previous season. Both goalies have benefited from playing on a strong AHL team this season. We simply don't know if Askarov is the next goalie or not. He's about as good a hope as anybody around the league has coming. But goalies take time and he's an especially difficult case to project with his unorthodox style. I'm happy we have one of the best goalie prospects. But obviously we need to see a couple more years of solid progression from him before we can start to be confident that he's the "next one". Having Korn back in the fold should help. Although even great goalie coaches aren't a universally guaranteed solution, because sometimes it's more the connection between the coach and player, having them be on the same wavelength, that matters - not just having the technical chops and know-how. (Part of Korn's track record of course probably does come down to being able to develop great relationships with his students).
For me, I don't think it comes down to picking a "middle" vs. "tank" vs. any other kind of overall direction argument. I think there are ample pathways to successfully winning a championship that you don't have to constrain yourself to any stereotypical path.
I just firmly believe we will get him on a "friendly" deal. I do not think he's the type of person who will be chasing big money. I will believe that right up until I see something different actually transpire. Or that *IF* we truly can't get him on that deal, he will be traded. I strongly believe also that he will not want to be traded. So all the more reason to believe he'll sign a "friendly" deal with us. I think he would have been traded already, in fact... *IF* Trotz didn't already have that warm/fuzzy about being able to sign him on a team-friendly deal.
I don't think that's a good investment or a particularly useful player at all, no. Who is the player, though? It all depends on the specific name. But I can't think of any $6M forward who would be better than Saros at $6M.
Possibly risk ruining Askarov - I don't think this is very likely, he seems to have enough cockiness that he isn't really ruin-able that way, but rushing young players who are not ready for the NHL isn't generally a good idea. I might gamble on doing it as a "last resort" in the emergency scenario where we truly needed to trade Saros for peanuts due to his contract demands, as noted above, and couldn't find anybody else. But it's also possible we could get a veteran stop-gap goalie as a Cap dump back in a deal, or a more mature younger goalie, who would probably be better to use than Askarov.
I think 6x$6M is very "fair to Juuse". It's very good money and term from us. If he wants top dollar instead, he can try to get that somewhere else or on the UFA market next summer. Both options are a win for him, really. What's unfair about that? It's his choice. It's a lot of money and good security either way.
