Off Season Thread 2025

[Kat Predator]

We can throw in a few teams (like us this year) for whom the wheels will come off next year.

Keeping the status quo should give us an excellent chance to be right there in the running for McKenna though.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Well and we also just saw proof that you're likely to move down in the draft then you are up.

 

[jumb0]

Sure but Ovie was a different guy that year, and those guys played for him and followed along. If Ovie doesn't flip that switch all the coaching in the world doesn't win that cup.

Listed to Doc Emerick interviewed on Dan Patrick on Tuesday. He told a story that essentially Trotz sat down with Ovie before the season and is the reason Ovie "flipped the switch" and they won the Cup.

 

[ShagDaddy]

One observation I made after thinking about the Trotz presser is there seems to be a major disconnect between Trotz and Brunette. Trotz says all the right things about mixing the youth in to the lineup but the implementation of that theory on the ice is not happening. Trotz said that Brunette is a good young coach and that he wanted to develop him instead of getting rid of him. Brunette doesn’t seem to follow that philosophy with how he coaches the team. If Brunette provided the same grace to the players in regards to their development that Trotz is providing to brunette’s coaching it might not be as hard of a pill to swallow. The disconnect between those two makes Trotz’s comments come across as some crazy BS word salad.

 

[herzausstein]

One observation I made after thinking about the Trotz presser is there seems to be a major disconnect between Trotz and Brunette. Trotz says all the right things about mixing the youth in to the lineup but the implementation of that theory on the ice is not happening. Trotz said that Brunette is a good young coach and that he wanted to develop him instead of getting rid of him. Brunette doesn’t seem to follow that philosophy with how he coaches the team. If Brunette provided the same grace to the players in regards to their development that Trotz is providing to brunette’s coaching it might not be as hard of a pill to swallow. The disconnect between those two makes Trotz’s comments come across as some crazy BS word salad.

Trotz is there to run interference for Bruno so the Fandom doesn't flip out. Bruno is doing what trotz wants or he'd of been fired

 

[nullednumbed]

One observation I made after thinking about the Trotz presser is there seems to be a major disconnect between Trotz and Brunette. Trotz says all the right things about mixing the youth in to the lineup but the implementation of that theory on the ice is not happening. Trotz said that Brunette is a good young coach and that he wanted to develop him instead of getting rid of him. Brunette doesn’t seem to follow that philosophy with how he coaches the team. If Brunette provided the same grace to the players in regards to their development that Trotz is providing to brunette’s coaching it might not be as hard of a pill to swallow. The disconnect between those two makes Trotz’s comments come across as some crazy BS word salad.

27 minutes worth. Insane.

 

[triggrman]

One observation I made after thinking about the Trotz presser is there seems to be a major disconnect between Trotz and Brunette. Trotz says all the right things about mixing the youth in to the lineup but the implementation of that theory on the ice is not happening. Trotz said that Brunette is a good young coach and that he wanted to develop him instead of getting rid of him. Brunette doesn’t seem to follow that philosophy with how he coaches the team. If Brunette provided the same grace to the players in regards to their development that Trotz is providing to brunette’s coaching it might not be as hard of a pill to swallow. The disconnect between those two makes Trotz’s comments come across as some crazy BS word salad.

I mean Trotz did mention that Brunnette needed to do better with in game adjustments and accountability. Some maybe he is address it .

 

[Armourboy]

One observation I made after thinking about the Trotz presser is there seems to be a major disconnect between Trotz and Brunette. Trotz says all the right things about mixing the youth in to the lineup but the implementation of that theory on the ice is not happening. Trotz said that Brunette is a good young coach and that he wanted to develop him instead of getting rid of him. Brunette doesn’t seem to follow that philosophy with how he coaches the team. If Brunette provided the same grace to the players in regards to their development that Trotz is providing to brunette’s coaching it might not be as hard of a pill to swallow. The disconnect between those two makes Trotz’s comments come across as some crazy BS word salad.

It's called being a hypocrite. If he wants Brunette to develop then he needs to be in the AHL just like he expects his players to be.

 

[Mosby]

Utah fan here.

I am curious what the plan is for ROR this summer? I assume he's coming back?

I know at the deadline Trotz had said he was treating ROR as if he has a NTC/NMC clause, and would only consider a deal that had an outstanding return and was a destination ROR would want to go to.

Just wondering if there remains a possibility of a trade or if you folks envision him returning for 2025-26?

 

[Scoresberg]

Utah fan here.

I am curious what the plan is for ROR this summer? I assume he's coming back?

I know at the deadline Trotz had said he was treating ROR as if he has a NTC/NMC clause, and would only consider a deal that had an outstanding return and was a destination ROR would want to go to.

Just wondering if there remains a possibility of a trade or if you folks envision him returning for 2025-26?

I honestly think we could go to several different directions from here. One of them is trading ROR (maybe along with some other "core" guys).

But that imaginary-NMC Trotz has put on ROR means that the price would be HIGH.

 

[PredsV82]

If Trotz is going to be congruent with the bullshit he said at his presser, he thinks we can win eventually with Bruno so I don't expect him to be selling anyone this summer

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Utah fan here.

I am curious what the plan is for ROR this summer? I assume he's coming back?

I know at the deadline Trotz had said he was treating ROR as if he has a NTC/NMC clause, and would only consider a deal that had an outstanding return and was a destination ROR would want to go to.

Just wondering if there remains a possibility of a trade or if you folks envision him returning for 2025-26?

I think the only way ROR gets traded is if he himself has a change of heart and decides he wants out of Nashville. I don't think he'll do that before the 2026 TDL, earliest. It does indeed seem like Trotz is going to treat ROR like he has that NMC. And Trotz wants to win next season, win with ROR, and (for some inexplicable reason) apparently actually thinks the Preds can turn things around immediately and be winners. Even with the roster and coach who couldn't do it last year. Zany, but that's where we are.

So I reckon there isn't too much point in trying to figure out a trade at this point. ROR isn't really available. By the time he might become more available... well, there'll be new data to evaluate his value on.

It's too bad, I suspect Trotz is going to hold onto ROR right up until his value tanks out of some combination of age/decline or ROR asking out to a specific landing spot (like McDonagh). Whereas he had(/has) a pretty good opportunity to "sell high" on ROR right now (or did at last TDL).

 

[ShagDaddy]

Utah fan here.

I am curious what the plan is for ROR this summer? I assume he's coming back?

I know at the deadline Trotz had said he was treating ROR as if he has a NTC/NMC clause, and would only consider a deal that had an outstanding return and was a destination ROR would want to go to.

Just wondering if there remains a possibility of a trade or if you folks envision him returning for 2025-26?

Trotz wanted a young RHD that will eventually be a first pairing guy or a young center that can play top 6 plus a first round pick for O’Reilly. If Armstrong is willing to part with those kind of assets then it might be a possibility.

 

[Armourboy]

Trotz wanted a young RHD that will eventually be a first pairing guy or a young center that can play top 6 plus a first round pick for O’Reilly. If Armstrong is willing to part with those kind of assets then it might be a possibility.

I think the key is the right player coming back more so than the pick. I'd bet he wiggles off the first in that case.

 

[Mosby]

Trotz wanted a young RHD that will eventually be a first pairing guy or a young center that can play top 6 plus a first round pick for O’Reilly. If Armstrong is willing to part with those kind of assets then it might be a possibility.

Fair asking price for ROR, but one I suspect Utah won't pay given ROR's age.

 

[Kat Predator]

Fair asking price for ROR, but one I suspect Utah won't pay given ROR's age.

Marchand only netted a conditional second at the TDL and he's a similar age and veteran leadership sort of player. ROR for a 1st + a guy that's already on track to be a top pairing or top line forward, and then also letting ROR have the final say on where he wants to go, realistically seems like an over ask by Trotz. Take the first or take a very promising prospect from any team willing to offer it, that would've been a nice net return considering ROR had an extra year on his contract.

PS: We don't know that ROR's make-believe NMC would've allowed him to want to be traded to Utah anyway. So even if Utah wanted to be raked over the coals in a trade, ROR could've just caboshed it with his phony NMC.

 

[Armourboy]

Eh I think the NMC is just to tell teams that Trotz isn't just going to sell him to the highest bidder, if they wanted him they had to pay for him. If someone would have offered his price he would have been gone whether ROR liked it or not.

 

[wmupreds]

Fair asking price for ROR, but one I suspect Utah won't pay given ROR's age.

Fair? ROR is 34 and declining, that’s a crazy asking price IMO

 

[Mosby]

Fair? ROR is 34 and declining, that’s a crazy asking price IMO

I dunno, you might be able to get it at the deadline.

In any event, I think the sooner you guys are free of Trotz, the better.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

The thing that worries me with Ryan O'Reilly is whether he can really keep his trade value that high next season? We had to play him as our #1 icetime forward, 19 mins per game, and also on the #1 PP unit in order to wring 53 pts out of him. He's still a good player, but on a normal team he might be more of a 17-minute #2C instead.

And then there's a bit of a conflict if you want to step up icetime and PP opportunity for younger players next season (which we SHOULD - but quite possibly won't) because then that could come partially at the expense of reducing the numbers for a trade candidate veteran like O'Reilly. Well... we probably won't actually have to worry about that at first, since Bruno will just keep rolling things status quo from last season. But once he gets fired, from that point on the new coach might not take that same approach?

I won't be surprised if it's more like the Trade Deadline 2027 when O'Reilly actually becomes available, assuming we're still in the tank then, and assuming as a rental player he wants to go to a playoff team. His value 2 years from now with continued decline and no more bargain contract years left will be a notch below what it is now, alas. Hopefully he can hang in there at the solid-2C-good-faceoff guy level at least, he could still be worth a late 1st even then.

 

[Kat Predator]

The thing that worries me with Ryan O'Reilly is whether he can really keep his trade value that high next season? We had to play him as our #1 icetime forward, 19 mins per game, and also on the #1 PP unit in order to wring 53 pts out of him. He's still a good player, but on a normal team he might be more of a 17-minute #2C instead.

And then there's a bit of a conflict if you want to step up icetime and PP opportunity for younger players next season (which we SHOULD - but quite possibly won't) because then that could come partially at the expense of reducing the numbers for a trade candidate veteran like O'Reilly. Well... we probably won't actually have to worry about that at first, since Bruno will just keep rolling things status quo from last season. But once he gets fired, from that point on the new coach might not take that same approach?

I won't be surprised if it's more like the Trade Deadline 2027 when O'Reilly actually becomes available, assuming we're still in the tank then, and assuming as a rental player he wants to go to a playoff team. His value 2 years from now with continued decline and no more bargain contract years left will be a notch below what it is now, alas. Hopefully he can hang in there at the solid-2C-good-faceoff guy level at least, he could still be worth a late 1st even then.

He was brought in as the #3C by Toronto for a failed Cup run just a couple years ago, eh? For a serious Cup contender, there is no chance outside of being decimated by injuries that they are going to panic buy ROR to be their #1C and savior. He has value obviously, but the contract Trotz signed him to indicates he isn't going to be traded in a Lindros-like deal.

I think we always have to keep in mind that Trotz assigns value to players based on how much he likes them on his team, which isn't the way NHL GMs really do it.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

He was brought in as the #3C by Toronto for a failed Cup run just a couple years ago, eh? For a serious Cup contender, there is no chance outside of being decimated by injuries that they are going to panic buy ROR to be their #1C and savior. He has value obviously, but the contract Trotz signed him to indicates he isn't going to be traded in a Lindros-like deal.

I think we always have to keep in mind that Trotz assigns value to players based on how much he likes them on his team, which isn't the way NHL GMs really do it.

I already take it for granted that no other team in the league would see him as a #1C. It is just a question of whether he can hang on as a "strong 2-way" #2C with faceoff/checking ability in their eyes or not. The Toronto example was kind of a low point, but I think O'Reilly has subsequently lifted himself back above that now with his 2 seasons here. The question is whether he can maintain that for 2 MORE seasons before the 2027 TDL.

 

[Scoresberg]

ROR would still carry a lot of value, imo. NHL GM's just drool over for those types of players, especially the ones looking for that final piece for their puzzles.

I still wouldn't move him unless the price would be something SIGNIFICANT, not just low-1sts and B prospects. Best course of action might be to keep him for now and move him at next year's TDL. Our center depth after that move would be ROUGH.

 

[glenngineer]

ROR would still carry a lot of value, imo. NHL GM's just drool over for those types of players, especially the ones looking for that final piece for their puzzles.

I still wouldn't move him unless the price would be something SIGNIFICANT, not just low-1sts and B prospects. Best course of action might be to keep him for now and move him at next year's TDL. Our center depth after that move would be ROUGH.

The longer we wait, the more his value drops. Should've moved him this year. We already sucked. We needed more youth inserted into the system. 1sts or prospects would've been fine to take back but Barry wants it all and he'll mess this up like he's done with recent trades. He either over or under values our players way too much. By over valuing, he doesn't move them and when he under values, he trades pieces he could get a lot more for.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

The longer we wait, the more his value drops. Should've moved him this year. We already sucked. We needed more youth inserted into the system. 1sts or prospects would've been fine to take back but Barry wants it all and he'll mess this up like he's done with recent trades. He either over or under values our players way too much. By over valuing, he doesn't move them and when he under values, he trades pieces he could get a lot more for.

I don't necessarily agree we should've moved ROR already, but I do agree Barry has been all over the place based on his own values. He seems to only trade based on his value vs. the league value. If he is moving a guy he doesn't like then he doesn't care what return he gets back simply because he wants the player gone, and conversely if it's somebody he values highly he asks for an insane return just because he thinks the player should be more valuable than they really are. Certainly, a head in the sand, out of touch way to GM.