Offseason Roster Moves, Rumors, and Discussion

[koteka]

What could we sign Daniel Sprong for? I wouldn’t give Marchenko much more than that. You can always sign Sprong and trade Marchenko. Sprong’s average for last two seasons - 45 points and +4. Marchenko last season - 42 points and -5. Sprong averages less ice time than Marchenko. Marchenko is young and has some upside, but how much? Sprong is 27.

I say this as a fan of Marchenko. But you don’t win Cups by overpaying Kiril Marchenko.

 

[majormajor]

What could we sign Daniel Sprong for? I wouldn’t give Marchenko much more than that. You can always sign Sprong and trade Marchenko. Sprong’s average for last two seasons - 45 points and +4. Marchenko last season - 42 points and -5. Sprong averages less ice time than Marchenko. Marchenko is young and has some upside, but how much? Sprong is 27.

I say this as a fan of Marchenko. But you don’t win Cups by overpaying Kiril Marchenko.

You'd sooner win cups with Marchenko than Sprong. Sprong is a massive defensive liability, it's the reason no one has signed him despite him scoring in bunches. We're trying to move away from that.

 

[koteka]

You'd sooner win cups with Marchenko than Sprong. Sprong is a massive defensive liability, it's the reason no one has signed him despite him scoring in bunches. We're trying to move away from that.

Yes for the same pay. But you’d be better off with Sprong at $2.5 million playing right wing than a huge overpay for Marchenko. Especially with the downstream impacts from overpaying Marchenko (are you then overpaying Johnson, Sillinger, Jiricek, etc.). I fully agree Marchenko is a better player than Sprong overall, but he has little leverage based on the collective bargaining agreement the players agreed to, so I don’t think you need to throw bags of money at him to extend him.

 

[stevo61]

Id be ok with a bridge to see this team function with the allowance to play offense but I also know we had exactly 2 20 goal scorers last year and Marchenko was one of them. Yes he had some offensive minutes but offensive minutes on whatever the hell we watched last year vs offensive minutes on Dallas/Toronto/etc are not the same.

Feels like a guy that would leave and some people not care but then he starts scoring and they yell its Karlsson 2.0 and the team screwed up.

 

[LJ7]

Gaudreau-Monahan-Chinakhov
Johnson-Voronkov/Fantilli
Sillinger-Jenner-Marchenko

I like the idea of splitting the Russians up, it makes the lines easier to balance. Best I can do with them together is this:

Gaudreau-Monahan-Fantilli
Chinakhov-Voronkov-Marchenko
Sillinger-Jenner-Johnson

I'm excited to see Chinakhov next season, he's improved his strength and athleticism each season, he may come in to next season as a near power forward. If Voronkov comes in with proper conditioning he could have a breakout season. I can see Evason, McLellan or Woodcroft (maybe on him) coming in and getting more out of the forward group than we expect. Growth from the young guys and the addition of a stable 1C could make it an average forward group among the league.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I'm not sure it's a good idea for Marchenko to have a long-term contract.

I'm not sure its NOT a good a idea to give him a long term contract.

If you can do long term and friendly then do it. We see his talent. Sometimes you shouldn't wait until you have to overpay to keep him as a pending UFA.

 

[Napoli]

People massively under rate point production on a bad team.

Is Johnny Gaudreau a 60 point winger suddenly? No, this team was terrible and horrendously outmatched talent and coaching wise.

The fact that Marchenko manages to score consecutive 20 goal seasons speaks to his talent. Plus, it's not like he's a boring player with no flair. He's an exciting player who is going to improve as the team improves.

I'd give 5 x 5 while recognizing its a bit of a gamble. He's going to put up more points with better players and more comfort in the NHL. People want all star quality young players and then want to pay them 5 million to play in Columbus. It's not ever happening. You need to take a gamble every once in a while.

Even if it's for less years and higher term, I'd take that deal. Let him prove it if he prefers that.

 

[majormajor]

Yes for the same pay. But you’d be better off with Sprong at $2.5 million playing right wing

No, because you're replacing Marchenko with Sprong, who is a worse player. And we don't even have a use for the couple million in cap savings from that. It's just a straight downgrade.

We only have so many roster spots that aren't given to our young players, so those have to be filled by responsible players. That's why Roslovic and company had to go.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Marchenko seems like a bridge candidate to me more than a long term commitment.

I'd think Waddell needs to see these guys play regularly before he'd be comfortable making long term deals.

 

[Xoggz22]

Are we really thinking Marchenko has maxed out as a player after 2 years in the NHL? I don't think that's the case. That is all.

 

[CannonFire1]

I would say his play last year was more like a $4m guy. And he could improve on that, maybe to be more than a $5m caliber player. So getting Marchenko locked in around $4-4.5m x 5 is fine with me. And if he's just a middle sixer that's actually still a decent number these days.

That is Gudbranson money.

 

[CannonFire1]

Are we really thinking Marchenko has maxed out as a player after 2 years in the NHL? I don't think that's the case. That is all.

Especially with middling center play. I think he has plenty of room for growth. Would have no problem signing Marchenko for 4 or 5 years if the price tag is $5M or less.

 

[WannabeFinn]

Only we could argue whether a young player like Marchenko is worth keeping or not

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Are we really thinking Marchenko has maxed out as a player after 2 years in the NHL? I don't think that's the case. That is all.

Only we could argue whether a young player like Marchenko is worth keeping or not

Getting deja-vu from 2022 when some people insisted Blankenburg is a young and rising prospect that'll surely develop a lot at 24 y/o because he hasn't played a full NHL season and is a late bloomer.

 

[majormajor]

Getting deja-vu from 2022 when some people insisted Blankenburg is a young and rising prospect that'll surely develop a lot at 24 y/o because he hasn't played a full NHL season and is a late bloomer.

It seems to have escaped your memory that even Blanks' biggest backers frequently acknowledged his tendency to get hurt, which is the exact sort of thing that would cut a player's career short.

If he didn't have that issue, then of course you'd expect him to get better. A 24 year old rookie D-man? Why wouldn't he?

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

It seems to have escaped your memory that even Blanks' biggest backers frequently acknowledged his tendency to get hurt, which is the exact sort of thing that would cut a player's career short.

If he didn't have that issue, then of course you'd expect him to get better. A 24 year old rookie D-man? Why wouldn't he?

So your position is that injuries are the reason Blankenburg is an AHLer? Personally I don't buy it.

The way I see it, Blankenburg came in to CBJ as his best self out of NCAA and didn't improve because a 24 y/o is an age where most players are reaching their peak. After that age, the improvements players make are often minor defensive improvements, not major overhauls that take the player to another level. There is obviously exceptions to this, but Blanks just was not one of those.

I don't think you have to be playing in NHL to develop as a hockey player and get to your best level, which is why I don't put much weight on Marchenko having played 2 NHL seasons. +100gp is plenty enough to adjust to NHL. The best argument for Marchy is that he did improve between his year 1 and 2, but I wouldn't be comfortable betting cap space based on that.

 

[majormajor]

So your position is that injuries are the reason Blankenburg is an AHLer? Personally I don't buy it.

100%. Injuries and having to adjust his playstyle to avoid them. He got slower and gave more space to his opponents, which took his D game from a strength to a weakness.

The way I see it, Blankenburg came in to CBJ as his best self out of NCAA and didn't improve because a 24 y/o is an age where most players are reaching their peak. After that age, the improvements players make are often minor defensive improvements, not major overhauls that take the player to another level. There is obviously exceptions to this, but Blanks just was not one of those.

Even if a guy is 23 or 24, his first year pro out of college is probably not going to be where he peaks.

Blanks is more of an exceptional case in that he is very likely to get dinged up, even more so than most small players.

 

[Xoggz22]

So your position is that injuries are the reason Blankenburg is an AHLer? Personally I don't buy it.

The way I see it, Blankenburg came in to CBJ as his best self out of NCAA and didn't improve because a 24 y/o is an age where most players are reaching their peak. After that age, the improvements players make are often minor defensive improvements, not major overhauls that take the player to another level. There is obviously exceptions to this, but Blanks just was not one of those.

I don't think you have to be playing in NHL to develop as a hockey player and get to your best level, which is why I don't put much weight on Marchenko having played 2 NHL seasons. +100gp is plenty enough to adjust to NHL. The best argument for Marchy is that he did improve between his year 1 and 2, but I wouldn't be comfortable betting cap space based on that.

I was not a Blanks fan, but it is absolutely the case that his injuries kept him from sticking in the NHL. His style of play vs his size... just not conducive to a long career.

 

[EspenK]

I think all the RFAs should be bridged. The dollars are not the concern. Why commit to a longer term than necessary? Chinakov's deal should be the standard. Marchenko's will probably be more contentious due to his arb filing. But then again if he goes to arb at most he gets is 2 years. IMO a 3 year deal is ideal. The dollars I don't care although if you give him 2x Chinakov that could be a problem also. D-Wad has to not use the hammer a la Jarmo while still taking advantage f the CBA. Good luck.

 

[WannabeFinn]

Getting deja-vu from 2022 when some people insisted Blankenburg is a young and rising prospect that'll surely develop a lot at 24 y/o because he hasn't played a full NHL season and is a late bloomer.

Dude…. What? That’s a weird comparison to make

 

[koteka]

No, because you're replacing Marchenko with Sprong, who is a worse player. And we don't even have a use for the couple million in cap savings from that. It's just a straight downgrade.

You are conveniently leaving out the return from trading Marchenko in this scenario. Maybe a young left D with a year or two of experience.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Dude…. What? That’s a weird comparison to make

Not really. There was very similar discussions on whether Blankenburg is a young developing player/prospect at 24 years old or not. I recall Laine was used as a comparison in some way, since they were the same age, but one was talked as promising prospect and one was discussed as an end product.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

I think all the RFAs should be bridged. The dollars are not the concern. Why commit to a longer term than necessary? Chinakov's deal should be the standard. Marchenko's will probably be more contentious due to his arb filing. But then again if he goes to arb at most he gets is 2 years. IMO a 3 year deal is ideal. The dollars I don't care although if you give him 2x Chinakov that could be a problem also. D-Wad has to not use the hammer a la Jarmo while still taking advantage f the CBA. Good luck.

I don't thin arbitration makes it contentious. it's just a tool and a formality to use if 2 sides need to come to an agreement.

Hard feelings make it contentious but thats on the people involved and not the process. DW himself in the latest AP piece said himself he is new and just wants to learn more about him before committing long term so he's doing his due diligence. it also sounds like he'd have no problem doing so if he likes what he learns.

Arbitration also tends to be more player friendly in the result but I've also never heard of arbitration giving long term AFAIK. I feel like this will be resolved before it ever gets that far with something that makes both sides happy.

 

[tunnelvision]

I think I would be okay with any term between 2 and 8 years, provided AAV would be 5.5 or less in longer deals. Tippett's 8x6.2M$ might be still a close comparable to Marchenko when it comes to potential long-term extensions. Tippett's scoring rate was slightly higher at 23 than Marchenko's so I don't think Millstein has leverage to ask for more than 6M per year.

I get the concerns about his defensive impact. His effort level in d zone has been inconsistent. He's not the quickest guy on open ice which causes him trouble while defending the cycle. Sillinger and other forwards with short first strides struggle with similar issues. But in close quarters on stick-on-stick battles he looks great, he can strip players off the puck with ease anywhere on the ice, and in that sense I'd say he's a very promising player defensively.

This was his first full season in the league and he played 2nd most minutes of Jackets forwards. It looked like he was out of gas at times, especially in the 2nd half of the year. Maybe he will be better prepared physically this year which could have a positive effect on his defensive stats. We will see.

But even if he was never going to be more than an average defensive player, a long-term deal could still be a worthy gamble, because imo he has the talent to turn into a 70+ point man and be net positive player anyway. He's just about to turn 24, seems like a humble and level-headed guy with leadership qualities, likes it in Columbus, and has no concerning injury history. I don't see a huge problem here.

 

[Nanabijou]

I'd love to have Marchy in the fold the next few years, but the contract should not be more than 5 years. I'm guessing he's getting a bridge deal.