GDT: Off-season/July 1st Free Agent frenzy thread-Is Joey Crabb still available?

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

First your required viewing before posting:





We have some tough choices to be made:

Reino, Montour, Oel, Tarasenko, Kulikov, Stenlund, Lomberg, Cousins, Lorentz, Okposo, Stolarz are all UFAs.

Lundell will be an RFA and get a significant pay raise.

Right off the bat, I think Florida will try to bring back Reino, and he wants to be back.
For me, 100% gone are Montour (Leafs), Okposo (retirement), Stolarz (huge raise), OEL (huge raise).

Now here's where it gets really tricky. Swaggy, Ekblad and Bennett will be UFAs. Bob has 2 years left, as does Knight who will be an RFA.

My off-season moves would be to move Bob and Ekblad. I realize I'm posting this 5 minutes after they won the Cup and I will love them forever, but Ekblad is made of glass and slow AF and I don't think Zito will give him the money he wants. Bob it pains me to say so much because I love him and he's the GOAT but he's gonna be 36 and we need to see what we have in Knight. After this season, Florida won't have to retain much (if anything) on him. Thoughts?

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[Sticksandsun]

I think I would trade Knight. Bob is still good and the East is bad, let's make another run. Stenlund, Kuli, Lombo are all must bring backs for me. I'm ok with Lorentz and Cousins walking and I think Tarasenko will get more as a UFA elsewhere. As noted, Montour, Stolarz, OEL are gone, they're gonna cash in.

 

[Panteras]

Bring back Huby

 

[KW]

Keep Reino, Kuli, Stenner, Lombo, Lorentz.

Re-sign Benny and unless Swaggy becomes crazy expensive then him too.

See how much Stoli, OEL and Tarasenko want, who knows if it isn’t crazy, I like all three. Maybe keep at least one.

Let go of Monty, Cousins, Ox. Trade Bob and Ek. Sorry about Bob but he hit his peak, less sorry about Ek cuz he hasn’t hit his bottom.

 

[ShootIt]

IMO I don't see Zito bringing back Ekblad. Injuries have taken their toll and it won't get better into his 30's.

So that's 7.5mil for the 2025 offseason for Swaggy and Bennett raises.

I think Reino takes a sweetheart deal, with max term to stay.
Kulikov gets the max term and cap possible lol. I definitely can see him staying for ~1mil a year cause his family is here, team is winning and he fits PMaurices system.
Would be nice to keep Stenlund but I think he may chase the coin, and I don't blame him.
Lomberg should be an easy re-signing.

Montour, unless he takes around Forsling coin or less may leave. Would suck in two years to lose both Montour and Ekblad but at the same time both will be in their 30's and we can't have too many big deals.

I think Zito bridges Lundell in the 3.5mil range.

I can see Lorentz staying for near min and a better chance at more playing time.

I can't see Zito trading Bob this offseason. He's taken us to two cups. He deserves the shot at a 3 peat.
I would just rock a Bob-Knight duo. Try to do a 50-30 split, if Knight can handle it. Would make it easier to move Bob next offseason.

 

[Chessarmy]

Bob isn't getting moved after winning a championship. He's playing out that contract.

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

Bob isn't getting moved after winning a championship. He's playing out that contract.

Unless he somehow retires on a high note lol

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

As much as I hate to say it, I think Ekblad's gone if the team can find a partner. The accumulated injuries are just too much. You can't risk re-signing that guy with his legs, and if you can't/won't re-sign him, you're probably going to move him.

I think Montour is another guy that should probably be allowed to walk, unless he's willing to take a super team friendly deal like Forsling.

I have no idea what the market will be for OEL, but I suspect that winning the Cup will inflate it nicely.

So, I think this team is likely going to be in the market for three new D. Is Balinskis ready? He looked good, but we'll see.

 

[TotalHomer]

Bob isn't getting moved after winning a championship. He's playing out that contract.

With Zito I wouldn't rule that out, he thinks outside the box.

But either way, Bob can retire as a Panthers for all I care, he deserves it. Everything in the past has been forgotten.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Ideal world: You keep the team together, because it's obvious there is chemistry there and these guys are winners.

Real world: Gonna be some new faces next season. Contract negotiations are tough, and honestly, these guys deserve to get paid what they deserve when they can get paid what they deserve.

I wasn't joking when I said Zito should open the negotiations with Reinhart by asking if he'll consider the fact that we're short $500k in cap for bringing in Okposo to win a Cup.

 

[TotalHomer]

Ideal world: You keep the team together, because it's obvious there is chemistry there and these guys are winners.

Real world: Gonna be some new faces next season. Contract negotiations are tough, and honestly, these guys deserve to get paid what they deserve when they can get paid what they deserve.

I wasn't joking when I said Zito should open the negotiations with Reinhart by asking if he'll consider the fact that we're short $500k in cap for bringing in Okposo to win a Cup.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some guys take significant discounts to stay at this point.

 

[mediator]

Bob it pains me to say so much because I love him and he's the GOAT but he's gonna be 36 and we need to see what we have in Knight. After this season, Florida won't have to retain much (if anything) on him. Thoughts?

And your choice for a starting goaltender next season on a team that is expected to be in the mix for another cup is... Knight who didn't play a single NHL game this season?

 

[CaptainScrewy]

We had to be one of those franchises who always looked forward to the draft, that was our playoffs. Now I am looking forward to the draft to hear all the teams congratulate the CHAMPS!

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

Our RHD depth should be addressed. Either in the draft or through free agency.

So glad we locked in Forsling to a team-friendly deal.

Go with Bob and Knight as the tandem next year. Gives Knight a second look after his OCD issues.

This might be unpopular, but I would see if we can keep Ekblad IF he is willing to take a substantial pay cut. I think he's a really good defensemen but I think he needs to play a little less a night to get the most out of him at this point. Ekblad being paid ~5mil to play in the middle pair would be ideal imo.

 

[CaptainScrewy]

Would love to see them try to sign Lundell long term now vs. a bridge wonder what we could the yearly to be over say a 7 or 8 year contract? Is 5 mil too little? Would be a steal of a deal, dude is a stud.

 

[ViD]

Curious to see what you guys are expecting from the next season ? Will you keep most of your key players ? Do you expect any prospects to make the team? What’s the deal with Knight ? Will Bob be serviceable at 36 and likely with little motivation?

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Curious to see what you guys are expecting from the next season ? Will you keep most of your key players ? Do you expect any prospects to make the team? What’s the deal with Knight ? Will Bob be serviceable at 36 and likely with little motivation?

My guess is Zito tries his damnednest to mostly keep the team intact. But as I said, I don't think it's going to be too easy.

Reinhart
Bobrovsky
Montour
Ekblad

I think at a minimum, one of these guys will be gone. Normally I would say there is no chance Bob gets moved after what just happened, but Zito dgaf.

 

[ucanthanzalthetruth]

And your choice for a starting goaltender next season on a team that is expected to be in the mix for another cup is... Knight who didn't play a single NHL game this season?

Panthers have to make tough decisions. Paying almost 15 million to goalies when you need every penny is a bad idea. Zito makes tough decisions. I don't see a way one of Ekblad or Bob (or both) are back next year. In addition to Montour walking.

 

[mediator]

Panthers have to make tough decisions. Paying almost 15 million to goalies when you need every penny is a bad idea. Zito makes tough decisions. I don't see a way one of Ekblad or Bob (or both) are back next year. In addition to Montour walking.

Good thing I'm not the GM having to make those tough decisions and ofc I'm confident Zito makes the right calls. That being said, I don't think that's something he would do in any case. At this stage in his career Ekblad is replacable if you can get some value off him in the market but Bob still has a few good years in him if he only wants to. There's no way you're throwing the Knight kid in a situation where he goes straight for a starting job after having major confidence issues last year which is in part I think the reason why they kept him in the AHL all season long this year. He could have been the backup for Bob too if he was ready, they didn't have to sign Stolarz for that job if Knight was ready, but he wasn't. I still trust he can be a starter in the NHL in time but giving him that big of boots right now would be just a shitty thing to do to him too

 

[Gurglesons]

Panthers need to trade Sam Bennett, Knight, and Ekblad this offseason.

They could get a haul for Ekblad and Benentt...

Some team probably pays a 2nd for Knight.

Take those assets and rebuild the group.

 

[zeroG]

I wouldn't be surprised to see some guys take significant discounts to stay at this point.

i think they'll be tripping over each other. "i'll do it for less!"

then again, i'm sure for some who've got their fill and would like to try living elsewhere, it may make a lot of sense to take the payday. and i wouldn't judge them.

 

[TotalHomer]

i think they'll be tripping over each other. "i'll do it for less!"

then again, i'm sure for some who've got their fill and would like to try living elsewhere, it may make a lot of sense to take the payday. and i wouldn't judge them.

True. Some need to take their payday now or they won't get it later. But I can see some of the older guys like OEL and Kuli staying for cheap.

Panthers need to trade Sam Bennett, Knight, and Ekblad this offseason.

They could get a haul for Ekblad and Benentt...

Some team probably pays a 2nd for Knight.

Take those assets and rebuild the group.

Bennett is a stud, he isn't going anywhere.

 

[Gurglesons]

Bennett is a stud, he isn't going anywhere.

As a big time Florida fan outside of my main team, I don't get the argument for keeping him at all.

Lundell, Luostrainen should be the future 2 / 3 punch.

Bennett has one year left on his deal and then is likely getting incredibly overpaid and has already had major injury history.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Bennett gets dinged up a lot, but he's an absolute animal when healthy. There's a reason they tried to take out his knee in this series, and subsequently why the Panthers didn't play as well afterward.

 

[CaptainScrewy]

you all think they trade Ekblad before the season or just let him play out contract and not sign him? Or offer him something super low. Wonder his value as is right now.