Confirmed with Link: Oilers sign Connor Brown to 1-year incentive laden deal ($775K caphit, potentially $3.25M in bonuses)

[Drivesaitl]

It's done that way so Edmonton has the option of carrying over the $3.225m in performance bonuses Brown is going to earn in 2023-24 as dead cap space in 2024-25.

Similar to what Boston did with Bergeron last season.

I understand that. The question was somewhat tongue in cheek. Myself I don't think its specifically enough time invoked in clause because Holland and the team tend to dawdle with decisions. Its my take that by the time 10 games have passed Connor Brown will be playing here no matter what. Really as confirmation of this the team played Ryan Murray 13 games last season which should be sobering to anybody. Ryan Murray was a shell of self due to injury, age, couldn't play, and was terrible. The only reason he didn't play more games was his recurring injury kept him out of the lineup where he literally could not play.

So that even though the clause exists its too short for Oilers.

So we should ignore the media and fans who have actually watched him play day in and day out for years and take your opinion instead?

Theirs a big difference with people giving Holland praise for being creative and getting a top 6 player for league minimum this year and calling it the second coming of christ.

Truth is lots of teams were after brown and would have given him a similar contract because of his unique situation. You have to pay for him somehow. I didnt see you complaining about Boston doing this very same thing.

You don't have to listen to me. I tend to ignore most anything Eastern and Toronto dominated media tend to say in this country. On the whole I'm better for it. haha

 

[Drivesaitl]

Except in this case the comments you are hearing out of the Eastern media are accurate. What they are describing is pretty much the player as I have seen and I've seen a fair bit of him going back to his junior days in Erie. He scored 20 goals as a rookie playing half the season on a shutdown line with KAdri and Komrov. Then when he had a chance to play with Matthews he produced there as well.

You've been critical of Yamamoto because you said he leeched his points from better players. If he is healthy Brown is a much better all round player. Why not give him a chance to prove it rather than already deciding you know what he is.

This morning I've described why. Read my most recent posts if you dare.

That said the point I've made that NOBODY has seen Connor Brown play in the last 16mths is legitimate. Citing what he was like in Junior is immaterial. It has next to nothing to do with the player we are getting. If players were of static continuing value Kyle Turris would have been of some value here. Right? There is nobody that could have predicted that Kyle Turris would have been as bad as he was here. (I disliked bringing him here from the start and didn't think he would be much at all)

Now I'm making that comparison, or any, just saying this is an unknown like so many incoming players have been. People hope Brown will come in here and be Zach Hyman lite, of course. But unfortunately theres other possibilities as well.

When the time comes and the games are played which is a long way off I'll give Connor Brown his day and see what he's like now. See what he's up to. But this offseason isn't feeling that great overall. We need a goalie. Thats our primary need. We getting one?

 

[Oilhawks]

This contract went from eyebrow raising to indefensible. 10 games for a 3.25 million dollar bonus? Are you f***ing kidding me? Not even 10 games of McDavid is worth 3.25 million. And no stop looking at it as 775k contract. It's not. It's a 4 million dollar contract for as low as 10 games with 3.25 million in dead cap built in, which is worse than just actually having a 4 million dollar contract. Brown and his agent bent Holland over Nurse+Hughes style, it is what it is. Hopefully he has a 50 point season to at least earn the contract I guess.

Indeed. That was the point. It was never the point for it to be some sort of steal where a 29 year old proven top 6 player was going to have to “earn” the $4M by chasing milestones like a rookie on an ELC. If that was the aim by the Oilers then Brown could have just signed somewhere else without it being laden with bonuses, and potentially with term.

The advantage of this structure was so that the Oilers could actually pay him the $4M which they could not have done in a typical structure. Being out of LTIR it’s likely they can spread this $3.25M between this and the next season, and if not and it all ends up on the following season, then they are able to work around that with the big jump in the cap.

 

[McDoused]

You don't have to listen to me. I tend to ignore most anything Eastern and Toronto dominated media tend to say in this country. On the whole I'm better for it. haha

But your not biased at all? Ok.

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

The East got interesting. The 3 Powerhouse Metro teams just became even more power-house. I'd be very shocked if one of them doesn't go to the finals.

The Atlantic Though - Montreal is obviously out, and I'm meh on Detroit - But I think the top 3 teams all look quite a bit worse. I do think Toronto will still make some big moves. They're honestly my only guaranteed playoff team in that division. Boston, Tampa, Buffalo, Ottawa, Florida is going to be a fun battle to watch. Florida should make it depending on the recovery of key players like Tkachuk.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Indeed. That was the point. It was never the point for it to be some sort of steal where a 29 year old proven top 6 player was going to have to “earn” the $4M by chasing milestones like a rookie on an ELC. If that was the aim by the Oilers then Brown could have just signed somewhere else without it being laden with bonuses, and potentially with term.

The advantage of this structure was so that the Oilers could actually pay him the $4M which they could not have done in a typical structure. Being out of LTIR it’s likely they can spread this $3.25M between this and the next season, and if not and it all ends up on the following season, then they are able to work around that with the big jump in the cap.

How is a player that by accounts of those that follow him and his career be a "proven topsix player" when the same accounts are saying he's rarely been used as a topsix player and is more a top nine player? The player in question has a career average of around 14 goals and has added one goal in playoffs in his career. These modest numbers are being explained thru him not getting enough topsix looks and expected that he will get them here. Thats fine. But to say he's proven topsix player seems inconclusive to this point.

But your not biased at all? Ok.

Of course I am. We all are. Its better to know what ones biases are than not. humans are hardwired to have cognitive bias. We don't just see information we filter it through our own selective screens. Of course some might refute that, but that would probably be ego based bias.

See, you thought that was a gotcha and it really isn't. Maybe you even thought I would bother to deny it. Why would I?

 

[McDoused]

Of course I am. We all are. Its better to know what ones biases are then not. humans are hardwired to have cognitive bias. We don't just see information we filter it through our own selective screens. Of course some might refute that, but that would probably be ego based bias.

See, you thought that was a gotcha and it really isn't. Maybe you even thought I would bother to deny it. Why would I?

Owning up to your bias and saying that "everyone does it" doesnt make you right. You sound like a kid trying to convince his parents that your allowed to do wrong because everyone's doing it. Two wrongs don't make a wrong kid.

I'm not looking for a gotcha moment, I'm pointing out that you are basically biased against half the league (eastern conference) and therefore your opinion (which you are entitled to) isnt founded in facts and is biased.

Just because we all face bias every day doesnt mean we should just embrace it. Take that knowledge and dig deeper. Face your bias and better yourself, it's the only way to grow as a person. Challenge yourself to be better.

Throwing up your hands and saying "were all biased" is a total cop out.

Anyways back on point, Brown is a heck of a player and honestly I wouldn't be surprised that you fall in love with him when you actually watch him. He works his ass off every shift, kills penalties, forces turnovers and goes to the hard areas of the ice.

 

[Soundwave]

Indeed. That was the point. It was never the point for it to be some sort of steal where a 29 year old proven top 6 player was going to have to “earn” the $4M by chasing milestones like a rookie on an ELC. If that was the aim by the Oilers then Brown could have just signed somewhere else without it being laden with bonuses, and potentially with term.

The advantage of this structure was so that the Oilers could actually pay him the $4M which they could not have done in a typical structure. Being out of LTIR it’s likely they can spread this $3.25M between this and the next season, and if not and it all ends up on the following season, then they are able to work around that with the big jump in the cap.

You "work around it" next year by being screwed depth wise. There is no way to move or exchange dead cap.

It is simply the next GM's problem. Plain and simple. Not Holland's problem.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Owning up to your bias and saying that "everyone does it" doesnt make you right. You sound like a kid trying to convince his parents that your allowed to do wrong because everyone's doing it. Two wrongs don't make a wrong kid.

I'm not looking for a gotcha moment, I'm pointing out that you are basically biased against half the league (eastern conference) and therefore your opinion (which you are entitled to) isnt founded in facts and is biased.

Just because we all face bias every day doesnt mean we should just embrace it. Take that knowledge and dig deeper. Face your bias and better yourself, it's the only way to grow as a person. Challenge yourself to be better.

Throwing up your hands and saying "were all biased" is a total cop out.

Anyways back on point, Brown is a heck of a player and honestly I wouldn't be surprised that you fall in love with him when you actually watch him. He works his ass off every shift, kills penalties, forces turnovers and goes to the hard areas of the ice.

AT my age you sometimes cease trying to be better. Sorry. heh. That might be more of an age perspective thing when young, striving to be better, but at my age I'm just as prepared to embrace curmudgeon. Scram kid!

joking aside my view of the human condition would match the view Gary Larson had of it. He was a cartoonist, but alas, he was a philosopher on the human being. Pun intended. I truly don't believe its possible NOT to have bias. I think we're born for it.

 

[Oilhawks]

How is a player that by accounts of those that follow him and his career be a "proven topsix player" when the same accounts are saying he's rarely been used as a topsix player and is more a top nine player? The player in question has a career average of around 14 goals and has added one goal in playoffs in his career. These modest numbers are being explained thru him not getting enough topsix looks and expected that he will get them here. Thats fine. But to say he's proven topsix player seems inconclusive to this point.


Of course I am. We all are. Its better to know what ones biases are than not. humans are hardwired to have cognitive bias. We don't just see information we filter it through our own selective screens. Of course some might refute that, but that would probably be ego based bias.

See, you thought that was a gotcha and it really isn't. Maybe you even thought I would bother to deny it. Why would I?

If we want to argue semantics (I don’t really want to because it’s an endless supply of whataboutism on these boards and there are other posters entrenched in this), let’s just say he is a top 9 winger for sake of argument. Then we could also posit that Hyman is / was seen as a top 9 winger because he can move up and down the lineup. Brown has played in the top 6 and 3rd line as needed much like Hyman did. That’s actually a good thing for a team without any RW depth.

Looking around the league, there aren’t any “top 9” wingers that the Oilers could have afforded that have the flexibility in play that Brown provides. The whole point of the contract was so that they could sign a $4M player to address a dire position of need with their current cap situation which does not allow them to spend more than around league minimum on any additions in the offseason without offloading more depth and creating holes elsewhere (like D). Brown and the Oilers have been mutually connected for years and this was the best way to bring him on board.

 

[Drivesaitl]

If we want to argue semantics (I don’t really want to because it’s an endless supply of whataboutism on these boards and there are other posters entrenched in this), let’s just say he is a top 9 winger for sake of argument. Then we could also posit that Hyman is / was seen as a top 9 winger because he can move up and down the lineup. Brown has played in the top 6 and 3rd line as needed much like Hyman did. That’s actually a good thing for a team without any RW depth.

Looking around the league, there aren’t any “top 9” wingers that the Oilers could have afforded that have the flexibility in play that Brown provides. The whole point of the contract was so that they could sign a $4M player to address a dire position of need with their current cap situation which does not allow them to spend more than around league minimum on any additions in the offseason without offloading more depth and creating holes elsewhere (like D). Brown and the Oilers have been mutually connected for years and this was the best way to bring him on board.

Thanks for this reply. Been about the best one I've seen posted in the thread. Hopefully it works out.

I don't agree though that the dire position of need is the one missing winger spot in topsix. That could have been filled differently. The dire need is a goalie imo. Unless Campbell finds his way back into the lineup and the coaches decide to ever use him. Goaltending is the most important position in hockey, winger is the least. I don't want to be status quo on the goaltending file. Even though I believe Campbell may find game I don't believe in both that he will find it and the coaching staff will trust him. So we need to move on probably.

 

[McDoused]

AT my age you cease trying to be better. Sorry. heh. That might be more of an age perspective thing when young, striving to be better but at my age I'm just as prepared to embrace curmudgeon. Scram kid!

joking aside my view of the human condition would match the view Gary Larson had of it. He was a cartoonist, by alas, he was a philosopher on the human condition. I truly don't believe its possible NOT to have bias. I think we're born for it.

Never stop learning and growing. We probably arent far off in age. Dont be an old man yelling at clouds, it makes the rest of us look bad.

If you want to get all philosophical we can start going there but I'm not sure you would want to explore logic trees, premisies, conclusions and quote various philosophers. Philosophy done properly requires a ton of work. It's not usually needed for sports arguments as they are relatively simple. Simply, you cant equate that two biases are equal just because they exist. Their are leveling degrees of biases. You said it yourself you are biased against all eastern media while I dont. My "bias" is just from the positive viewings I've seen him play. The two are not equal. In philosophy their is a fallacy called "appeal to authority" when you can say that a doctor is an authority on medical conditions but shouldnt be giving you advice on things outside their field of authority. As much as you hate them, eastern media and guys that covered Toronto and Ottawa are the authorities. We can in fact look at their "opinions" as "expert opinions" and authorities on the matter. You are not. You barely know who the player is and dont seem to care. You seem to be more interested in arguing your bias than looking at what matters - the player.

 

[Oilhawks]

Thanks for this reply. Been about the best one I've seen posted in the thread. Hopefully it works out.

I don't agree though that the dire position of need is the one missing winger spot in topsix. That could have been filled differently. The dire need is a goalie imo. Unless Campbell finds his way back into the lineup and the coaches decide to ever use him. Goaltending is the most important position in hockey, winger is the least. I don't want to be status quo on the goaltending file. Even though I believe Campbell may find game I don't believe in both that he will find it and the coaching staff will trust him. So we need to move on probably.

Hope so too, I find free agent signings are filled with this hope more so than even trades (because at least with them it’s usually value traded for value of some kind, free agency is almost always favouring the players, particularly good ones).

The goaltending is important but like you said the answers are on the team. If Skinner falters and Woody throws Campbell to the side when the going gets tough again, I could see him being overwritten this time. But I also suspect he will have quietly realized that he made some mistakes in the playoffs and needs to own them

 

[Fourier]

This morning I've described why. Read my most recent posts if you dare.

That said the point I've made that NOBODY has seen Connor Brown play in the last 16mths is legitimate. Citing what he was like in Junior is immaterial. It has next to nothing to do with the player we are getting. If players were of static continuing value Kyle Turris would have been of some value here. Right? There is nobody that could have predicted that Kyle Turris would have been as bad as he was here. (I disliked bringing him here from the start and didn't think he would be much at all)

Now I'm making that comparison, or any, just saying this is an unknown like so many incoming players have been. People hope Brown will come in here and be Zach Hyman lite, of course. But unfortunately theres other possibilities as well.

When the time comes and the games are played which is a long way off I'll give Connor Brown his day and see what he's like now. See what he's up to. But this offseason isn't feeling that great overall. We need a goalie. Thats our primary need. We getting one?

If your point was that the injury could impact his game then I agree it is a risk. But you have gone further than that and claimed that the only reason Eastern media praised him was that he played for the Leafs. I have two issue with this. The first being that this same media tends to denigrate players once they move on, but more so that the praise is because of an accurate description of the player.

You said for example that he rarely played in the top 6. Yet this is not true. He played a lot with Matthews (566 minutes in his three full years) in Toronto and he was also most often a top six player in Ottawa. His most frequent line mate was Tkachuk. He played well in those roles. In Washington he was playing with Ovechkin before blowing out his knee. My guess is that if they traded for him with the intention of playing him with OV they saw him a a top six forward.

But all that said I have no problem if he is referred to as a top 9 winger. I say this because he can be equally as effective playing as a complementary top six winger or as part of a shutdown third line (the role he frequently played in Toronto by the way with significant success. One of your posts was questioning his defensive play because of high GA. In fact, he is a very good defensive player and his GA numbers don't contradict this. I would have thought that as a fan of Draisaitl you of all people would understand the limitations of using raw GA numbers to to make such a claim.

I will say this. People say that he is Hyman lite. Stylistically there are similarities. They are both aggressive and hard working and bith will score greasy goals. Both pk, but there are differences. For me Brown is definitely the better defensive player. Hyman is more of a shooter who tends to hang on to the puck. Brown could actually benefit from shooting more but is definitely more of a pass first player. I think he is also the more cerebral of the two.

Look...There is risk with the signing both in terms of his injury and in terms of the contract structure. But with $775K the options were few and this guy is actually a real player.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Never stop learning and growing. We probably arent far off in age. Dont be an old man yelling at clouds, it makes the rest of us look bad.

If you want to get all philosophical we can start going there but I'm not sure you would want to explore logic trees, premisies, conclusions and quote various philosophers. Philosophy done properly requires a ton of work. It's not usually needed for sports arguments as they are relatively simple. Simply, you cant equate that two biases are equal just because they exist. Their are leveling degrees of biases. You said it yourself you are biased against all eastern media while I dont. My "bias" is just from the positive viewings I've seen him play. The two are not equal. In philosophy their is a fallacy called "appeal to authority" when you can say that a doctor is an authority on medical conditions but shouldnt be giving you advice on things outside their field of authority. As much as you hate them, eastern media and guys that covered Toronto and Ottawa are the authorities. We can in fact look at their "opinions" as "expert opinions" and authorities on the matter. You are not. You barely know who the player is and dont seem to care. You seem to be more interested in arguing your bias than looking at what matters - the player.

What is your authority?

Elders are paint by number made to look bad in present day no matter what we do. In that way we are the subject of bias as well. Immutable at that. Its not any ego need for me to look better. I don't care.

Eastern media have shown bias in many things. Sure its a distortion to generalize and not heed it but Eastern preferential bias certainly exists and is displayed for instance in any player voting for pretty much any trophy. Or say predictions on which clubs will win it all. Toronto seems often cited as cup favorites even though the 55yr thing exists.

I'm guilty arguably of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

 

[McDoused]

What is your authority?

Eastern media have shown bias in many things. Sure its a distortion to generalize and not heed it but Eastern preferential bias certainly exists and is displayed for instance in any player voting for pretty much any trophy. Or say predictions on which clubs will win it all. Toronto seems often cited as cup favorites even though the 55yr thing exists.

I'm guilty arguably of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

I'm not pretending to be an authority on Connor Brown. I'm keeping an open mind as those that are an authority say that he will be a great fit in our top 6. Hes an intelligent defensive player that doesnt need good players to produce. He kills penalties and doesnt take penalties.

Also, dont get me wrong, Toronto media drink the kool-aid. Treliving was expected to come in and fix the team despite have no assets to trade, poor negotiating power and not nearly as much cap space as they think. Players there are amazing while they play for their teams and then once they are gone they immediately suck.

Its not often that both Toronto and Ottawa fans agree on a player in Brown. It reminds me the same way that the talk about Hyman. They regret losing the player and would take him back in a heartbeat.

Hopefully you change your tune after you see him in the lineup. By all accounts hes a hell of a player.

Bias aside, are you down on the player or the cap carry over for next year?

 

[Drivesaitl]

If your point was that the injury could impact his game then I agree it is a risk. But you have gone further than that and claimed that the only reason Eastern media praised him was that he played for the Leafs. I have two issue with this. The first being that this same media tends to denigrate players once they move on, but more so that the praise is because of an accurate description of the player.

You said for example that he rarely played in the top 6. Yet this is not true. He played a lot with Matthews (566 minutes in his three full years) in Toronto and he was also most often a top six player in Ottawa. His most frequent line mate was Tkachuk. He played well in those roles. In Washington he was playing with Ovechkin before blowing out his knee. My guess is that if they traded for him with the intention of playing him with OV they saw him a a top six forward.

But all that said I have no problem if he is referred to as a top 9 winger. I say this because he can be equally as effective playing as a complementary top six winger or as part of a shutdown third line (the role he frequently played in Toronto by the way with significant success. One of your posts was questioning his defensive play because of high GA. In fact, he is a very good defensive player and his GA numbers don't contradict this. I would have thought that as a fan of Draisaitl you of all people would understand the limitations of using raw GA numbers to to make such a claim.

I will say this. People say that he is Hyman lite. Stylistically there are similarities. They are both aggressive and hard working and bith will score greasy goals. Both pk, but there are differences. For me Brown is definitely the better defensive player. Hyman is more of a shooter who tends to hang on to the puck. Brown could actually benefit from shooting more but is definitely more of a pass first player. I think he is also the more cerebral of the two.

Look...There is risk with the signing both in terms of his injury and in terms of the contract structure. But with $775K the options were few and this guy is actually a real player.

But like with everything its complex. Multiple posters in the thread (not you) have made claim that Brown has had most of his pts in bottomsix and that if elevated to topsix this will result in pts appreciation. But if Brown is already getting pts playing with topsix wingers it kind of muddies that point. I'm not the one to deepdive the with/without stats but would be interesting to see how much production, goals is topsix or bottomsix oriented. It is a positive to me to note that a lot of Browns pts are EV. I like that.

My main point is that a player absent from the highest rung of hockey for 16mths is essentially an unknown. Its rare for players to be out complete seasons and for it not to effect them at this highest rung of hockey. Its a given that we don't know what Brown will look like. But I get thats why we have the opportunity to have him.

Nobody responded to the Turris thing even though its an interesting point, and inexplicable how bad Turris was here. Somebody made an interesting point that theres a difference producing under pressure, on a contending team vs being able to settle into also ran teams like Ottawa and do well there. Saying that in regards to Browns recent seasons in Ottawa.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I'm not pretending to be an authority on Connor Brown. I'm keeping an open mind as those that are an authority say that he will be a great fit in our top 6. Hes an intelligent defensive player that doesnt need good players to produce. He kills penalties and doesnt take penalties.

Also, dont get me wrong, Toronto media drink the kool-aid. Treliving was expected to come in and fix the team despite have no assets to trade, poor negotiating power and not nearly as much cap space as they think. Players there are amazing while they play for their teams and then once they are gone they immediately suck.

Its not often that both Toronto and Ottawa fans agree on a player in Brown. It reminds me the same way that the talk about Hyman. They regret losing the player and would take him back in a heartbeat.

Hopefully you change your tune after you see him in the lineup. By all accounts hes a hell of a player.

Bias aside, are you down on the player or the cap carry over for next year?

I meant your authority to tell others how to live their life. I'm sure you meant well...

Anyway.

How many times have the same authorities stated that X player would be a great fit here. Heres a change up. I don't know that many authorities worth listening to presently exist in hockey world. I'm not seeing any Howie Meeker analysts out there.

ftr I was keen on Hyman. I liked how he played. Reminds me a bit of Glenn Anderson. Or Smyth. Both of whom I've liked. So I had no challenge in embracing Hyman.

As to the question I'm concerned with cap and the need to work on the goaltending file and making sure Booch and Mcleod are signed. I'm a bit concerned that Holland seems to be throwing some darts around at minimum contracts for instance with players like Caggiulia when theres little if any cap to be doing that. I wonder how many league minimums will be in the lineup because we are again so cash strapped we have to do that or dress limited number of players in games. If we're dressing a lot of league minimums I'd prefer it be prospects.

 

[GOilers88]

This morning I've described why. Read my most recent posts if you dare.

That said the point I've made that NOBODY has seen Connor Brown play in the last 16mths is legitimate. Citing what he was like in Junior is immaterial. It has next to nothing to do with the player we are getting. If players were of static continuing value Kyle Turris would have been of some value here. Right? There is nobody that could have predicted that Kyle Turris would have been as bad as he was here. (I disliked bringing him here from the start and didn't think he would be much at all)

Now I'm making that comparison, or any, just saying this is an unknown like so many incoming players have been. People hope Brown will come in here and be Zach Hyman lite, of course. But unfortunately theres other possibilities as well.

When the time comes and the games are played which is a long way off I'll give Connor Brown his day and see what he's like now. See what he's up to. But this offseason isn't feeling that great overall. We need a goalie. Thats our primary need. We getting one?

I don't know how upgrading in net is realistic at all. Is it really smart to throw our best assets at a team to take Campbell before seeing how he does in year 2? Could his value even tank any further than it currently is? I don't see that as a risk at all. I think it makes more sense to bank on Skinner continuing to trend upwards like he has since he was drafted, and see what Campbell can do, especially since some here looked at his limited playoff numbers last year and saw him as a better option.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I don't know how upgrading in net is realistic at all. Is it really smart to throw our best assets at a team to take Campbell before seeing how he does in year 2? Could his value even tank any further than it currently is? I don't see that as a risk at all. I think it makes more sense to bank on Skinner continuing to trend upwards like he has since he was drafted, and see what Campbell can do, especially since some here looked at his limited playoff numbers last year and saw him as a better option.

I would continue with Campbell if it was me. But then again I would also have started him in playoffs in some games. I'm not convinced the coaching staff think similarly. pretty clearly theres disconnect on the file between a GM that paid heavily for the player and the coaching staff that lost trust in the same player. That has to be rectified, and would be good to hear it has been in some way. Its been very quiet on that and it wasn't even touched on in exit interviews. The most Woody had to say on it is we win as a team and lose as a team. Was a copout answer. So its anybodies guess if Campbell is here, and will be used here. I'm not as sold on Skinner as most people. he has some fundamental flaws in game. These tend to be exposed more in playoffs.

 

[GOilers88]

I would continue with Campbell if it was me. But then again I would also have started him in playoffs in some games. I'm not convinced the coaching staff think similarly. pretty clearly theres disconnect on the file between a GM that paid heavily for the player and the coaching staff that lost trust in the same player. That has to be rectified, and would be good to hear it has been in some way. Its been very quiet on that and it wasn't even touched on in exit interviews. The most Woody had to say on it is we win as a team and lose as a team. Was a copout answer. So its anybodies guess if Campbell is here, and will be used here. I'm not as sold on Skinner as most people. he has some fundamental flaws in game. These tend to be exposed more in playoffs.

I agree about Skinner to an extent. But I also think he showed good signs last season, and I like the overall body of work he produced despite the final 12 games being bad. He did very well as a rookie basically thrust into a fulltime starters workload because Campbell fell apart. I think part of his issues in the playoffs could be contributed to physical fatigue, as well as mental given the environment and expectations. This isn't an excuse for the play, just my own musings on the matter.

If they were to roll with Campbell and trade Skinner, who is targeted that is a proven upgrade that fits under the cap though? If one of the goalies goes, surely it would be for a proven starter with a decent playoff resume, otherwise what's the point? Hellebuyck seems to be the only real available option, as much as people want to beat the Saros drum, I just don't see the Preds trading him without a massive, massive overpay. In which case Campbell has to go the other way to make the cap work, which means even more assets to offset his shitty contract.

I will admit it's an overly optimistic outlook, but at this point I'm comfortable rolling with Stu/Campbell for next season and seeing how it goes. If it's still an issue they could always look to make a move at the deadline again, as I don't think there's really any game breaking, proven goalies being moved this summer with the exception of maybe Hellebuyck, who could potentially still be a rental option next deadline.

 

[Sra1974]

Have to wonder if there’s a wink and a nod in place for next year at a pretty cheap amount if this year works out……

 

[Whyme]

You "work around it" next year by being screwed depth wise. There is no way to move or exchange dead cap.

It is simply the next GM's problem. Plain and simple. Not Holland's problem.

This may well be it. Holland wants to give it all to win a cup this year and he may well end up using other assets/ways to maximize things for this season. It's understandable, but could end up kind of closing the window already after this year. We'll see how it goes or if this is the only move like this. So it's pretty much 4 million to Brown unless he has a serious injury, but I don't know his level (or health) now to comment the signing. Just wanted to add it's not like 3.25 million next year has no meaning, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

How much is the cap projected to go up next season? Cap friendly is estimating an $87.5 million cap which would be a $4 million increase. If $3.25 million of it is used on Brown's bonus $ then we will be even tighter against the cap next season with the Bouchard and McLeod extensions and there's a good chance that we can't even bring Brown back.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Have to wonder if there’s a wink and a nod in place for next year at a pretty cheap amount if this year works out……

I wondered about that, but it likely couldn't be bonus related unless he has another injury riddled season I believe.