Speculation: Roster Building Thread: Part LIII

[Leetch3]

Andersson and Fast are under contract at the time of the expansion draft. Fast is a UFA a week later, so they will not pick him. Andersson I don't see traded before July

fast is a UFA now so he'd need to be re-signed for 2 years to be a factor in the expansion draft. but I don't think we'd protect him in that case anyway.

 

[Shesterkybomb]

Andersson and Fast are under contract at the time of the expansion draft. Fast is a UFA a week later, so they will not pick him. Andersson I don't see traded before July

Fast is UFA

 

[egelband]

Buchnevich is a good hockey player. He is under contract next year at reasonable dough and there's another year of control available beyond that. I see no rush in moving him unless a great deal falls into our lap. Next off-season is the time to decide what and where his future lies.

Fair points. I’d say this though: I don’t expect his numbers to improve much in the next year. There will be some further flux with Lafreniere joining and Kakko, presumably, improving. Buch probably isn’t scoring much more than he did this year. If you agree his numbers will plateau, and we know being a year closer to UFA won’t boost his value, maybe this off-season is the best time to move him. Just playing devil’s advocate, though.

 

[Edge]

Something to keep in mind with guys like Bennett and Virtanen is their age. They're from the same draft class as DeAngelo but they're both 8-10 months younger than Tony. Virtanen in particular took a step forward this year before cooling way off in the playoffs. Largely due to him not showing up to camp in shape.

Virtanen is guy who is probably worth a flyer if you think a trade give him a wake-up call.

The challenge is Vancouver's ask. I have a feeling they're going to be looking for a decent return with the idea that the other team is purchasing "upside" and a fresh start.

But I freely admit that at the right price I'd be curious to see how Virtanen looks next to some of our forwards.

 

[egelband]

Virtanen and Gaudette to NYR for Buchnevich and Andersson??

I’d hold Andersson until his value bounces back. If the Rangers are keen to move him, that’s a red flag and every decent GM will see it.

 

[NYR Viper]

Virtanen is guy who is probably worth a flyer if you think a trade give him a wake-up call.

The challenge is Vancouver's ask. I have a feeling they're going to be looking for a decent return with the idea that the other team is purchasing "upside" and a fresh start.

But I freely admit that at the right price I'd be curious to see how Virtanen looks next to some of our forwards.

Would you do Andersson for Virtanen

 

[egelband]

Would you do Andersson for Virtanen

Vancouver probably wouldn’t though in a year they might regret that decision. Of course that could be said about any trade offer. But I think Andersson’s value is particularly volatile. Could be a hot commodity a few months.

 

[Edge]

Would you do Andersson for Virtanen

Yeah, I would.

 

[Edge]

Vancouver probably wouldn’t though in a year they might regret that decision. Of course that could be said about any trade offer. But I think Andersson’s value is particularly volatile. Could be a hot commodity a few months.

Part of the interest for Vancouver could be seeing how Andersson does in the same organization as Pettersson. Not sure if Viper was thinking about that, but it's a noteworthy consideration.

 

[NYSPORTS]

Andersson and Fast are under contract at the time of the expansion draft. Fast is a UFA a week later, so they will not pick him. Andersson I don't see traded before July

Fast is under contract?

 

[Ghost of jas]

Would you do Andersson for Virtanen

Easily

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

Easily

yeah with out question.

He and Pettersson are boys so if there is any push to get him to Vancouver, it becomes possible.

I'd also bet on him taking off in Vancouver, so there is that.

 

[NYR Viper]

Part of the interest for Vancouver could be seeing how Andersson does in the same organization as Pettersson. Not sure if Viper was thinking about that, but it's a noteworthy consideration.

That was exactly my thought, knowing they played very well together at the WJC, it possibly allows them to spread out their offensive depth a bit and gives them a skilled young forward on his ELC.

 

[Kovalev27]

I’d do Andersson for Bill Virtanen

 

[Edge]

yeah with out question.

He and Pettersson are boys so if there is any push to get him to Vancouver, it becomes possible.

I'd also bet on him taking off in Vancouver, so there is that.

I can't help but feel that Andersson is going to have a good NHL career. I wish it could happen here. But it just seemed like so much was working against that from happening here. Without debating why that happened, the simple answer is that it's unfortunate. (I really don't want to engage in another Andersson debate.)

But, if it's a matter of trying to get value, I think Virtanen is worth a look. I don't even think it's a matter of expecting the offensive to soar, so much as trying to find a way to get him to perform consistently, and find his niche.

So what does that potentially look like? I'd be happy with a 20/20 guy who can fill a tweener role in the middle six, get under people's skin, and help apply pressure.

I don't need him to justify being picked 6th in the draft, or to become a 30/30, top six stalwart.

Maybe he never gets that far. And maybe he finds chemistry on the opposite side of someone like Kreider, or becomes compliments someone like Lemieux. At the right price, I'd take a look at that.

 

[cwede]

Would you do Andersson for Virtanen

Part of the interest for Vancouver could be seeing how Andersson does in the same organization as Pettersson. Not sure if Viper was thinking about that, but it's a noteworthy consideration.

yeah with out question.
He and Pettersson are boys so if there is any push to get him to Vancouver, it becomes possible.
I'd also bet on him taking off in Vancouver, so there is that.

That was exactly my thought, knowing they played very well together at the WJC, it possibly allows them to spread out their offensive depth a bit and gives them a skilled young forward on his ELC.

Lias alone maybe not enough for Jake,

a more balanced 1-for-1 might be Kole Lind
Kole Lind at eliteprospects.com
wasn't a first, but maybe comparable, as near-NHL-ready 21-year-old

 

[Edge]

Lias alone maybe not enough for Jake,

a more balanced 1-for-1 might be Kole Lind
Kole Lind at eliteprospects.com
wasn't a first, but maybe comparable, as near-NHL-ready 21-year-old

Remember, part of the Vancouver's desire might be tied to saving a few dollars here and there. So if they can get someone to replace Virtanen at 60 percent of the cost, I think that might be more incentive than making a prospect swap.

 

[Raspewtin]

Virtanen would be a neat add and a good gamble.

 

[GAGLine]

Fair points. I’d say this though: I don’t expect his numbers to improve much in the next year. There will be some further flux with Lafreniere joining and Kakko, presumably, improving. Buch probably isn’t scoring much more than he did this year. If you agree his numbers will plateau, and we know being a year closer to UFA won’t boost his value, maybe this off-season is the best time to move him. Just playing devil’s advocate, though.

Do we need Buch's numbers to improve? Remember, we need depth also. If you believe that both Laf and Kakko are future top 6 players, and Panarin is obviously in our top 6, that leaves one of Kreider and Buch to eventually drop to the 3rd line. As long as we can afford it, that's not a problem. Maybe at some point we'll need to move one of them, but that point probably isn't today, despite our current cap issues. There are other ways to address that. If Buch's numbers don't improve, he's isn't going to get a significant raise. If they do improve, he'll get more, but that's still a good problem to have. We'll have more cap space next year, and if he improves his numbers, he'll have more value then if we decide to trade him.

Tampa signed Miller to a 5 year deal and traded him a year later for a 1st round pick. His numbers at the time were no better than Buch's. Granted, Miller was a year younger at the time than Buch will be next year, but I don't think that will significantly change his value. Not enough that we absolutely must trade him now. He finished the year strong and is still on an affordable contract. Let's have some patience, instead of worrying about maximizing the value of every asset.

 

[True Blue]

Fair points. I’d say this though: I don’t expect his numbers to improve much in the next year. There will be some further flux with Lafreniere joining and Kakko, presumably, improving. Buch probably isn’t scoring much more than he did this year. If you agree his numbers will plateau, and we know being a year closer to UFA won’t boost his value, maybe this off-season is the best time to move him. Just playing devil’s advocate, though.

Eh, I am not so sure. Gun to head, I still think that Buchnevich gets moved at some point BUT he was trending to a 55 point season which puts him up into the first line production level. And he is still young enough to be able to take steps forward. Remember, under Quinn, that was a rather big step forward. He is only 25. Is it really unreasonable to believe that his game cannot continue to improve? Being spitting distance away from being a 60 point wing at 25 is no small feat.

 

[JimmyG89]

Virtanen works if they are flipping Buchnevich for that center they need and then get Virtanen as a more veteran player that they can use in his place in the lineup. Would give him a shot to advance his career and let the younger RWs prove themselves before being thrust into a bigger role.

If that is not how this works, I'm not sure where he fits in. Too many wings already on the team and they'd be adding one while not addressing the biggest need the team has.

 

[Edge]

Virtanen works if they are flipping Buchnevich for that center they need and then get Virtanen as a more veteran player that they can use in his place in the lineup. Would give him a shot to advance his career and let the younger RWs prove themselves before being thrust into a bigger role.

If that is not how this works, I'm not sure where he fits in. Too many wings already on the team and they'd be adding one while not addressing the biggest need the team has.

It kind of depends on how they deploy the wings they have. If Kreider, or even Panarin slide over to the right, you could have Buch playing in a top six role. If both of Kreider and Panarin stay on the left side, along with Lafreniere, it’s possible Virtanen serves in that tweeter role where he plays in the top six and the third line.

You could have your left side look like Panarin, Kreider, Lafreniere and Lemieux while your right consists of Buch, Kakko, Virtanen and Gauthier.

 

[JimmyG89]

You could have your left side look like Panarin, Kreider, Lafreniere and Lemieux while your right consists of Buch, Kakko, Virtanen and Gauthier.

My concern goes to the penalty kill. Lemieux kills penalties. Besides that, they'll need another forward from this group in that unit. I'm here for giving guys opportunities on the PK, as a majority of these guys are young and of course they were not thrust into that role, but there is a lot missing there. They could run their 4 centers on the PK, and they were in the three games we saw most recent, but if anyone of those guys goes down, you're running only two forward PK groups.

I wonder if Kreider would step into that role. The most veteran of the group. If Buchnevich is here, I wonder if his transition into a more complete player might give him that role, but it would be my biggest concern about these specific players.

 

[Trxjw]

Virtanen is guy who is probably worth a flyer if you think a trade give him a wake-up call.

The challenge is Vancouver's ask. I have a feeling they're going to be looking for a decent return with the idea that the other team is purchasing "upside" and a fresh start.

But I freely admit that at the right price I'd be curious to see how Virtanen looks next to some of our forwards.

Getting him away from his home town crew might be a good step in the right direction. Then again, bringing him to another party city might negate the benefit. He's also one of those guys who I could see having sneaky value to a GM. Where he nets Benning a late 1st rounder and people are flabbergasted by the return.

Having Kreider, Virtanen, and Gauthier adds a lot of speed, size, and physicality to the wings. Virtanen could fill that Fast gap on the wing with Panarin and Strome that I was hoping Gauthier could step into.

 

[Kovalev27]

I thought Buchnevich would be a goner for sure this offseason when Kreider signed his extension.

now with Lafreniere coming I can’t imagine any scenario where we’d keep him. We aren’t going to pay him his next contract that’s for sure. Can’t do it.