Roster/Rumors/Speculation/Trade Talk - 2023-24: Hotel California

[Tahoeblue]

I am not moving Wally unless it is absolutely necessary to SUBSTANTIALLY upgrade the team elsewhere. He is young, cheap and slots in quite easily on the third line alongside JGP and (presumably) Parise.

His development hasn't been linear, however, excluding short-timers on the roster, I believe he was fifth in Corsi EV and he isn't afraid to drop the gloves and stand up for a teammate or himself.

The Isles need more of that, not less.

I look at Wally's growth like Romanov's. Lots of people hated the Romanov deal, held it against the player and wanted to run him out of town. Now that he is getting comfortable, learning and growing, you see the player he can become.

Wally is a decent top-9 player now, with the potential for more as long as he is willing to learn and keeps working. To me, he feels like the anti-Beauvillier, who played soft, lacked confidence and is your archetype West player.

And, again, Wally is young and still inexpensive contractually. No need to move him unless it is part of a big return or other move.

I cannot like this post enough. Wally is young, cost controlled, has potential and has played his best hockey on the 3rd line with Pageau. I know we all had grand dreams of him being our 1st line RW at this time, myself included. Maybe he becomes Palms replacement in a few years. These last few weeks has demonstrated how important depth is. Love the Romanov comparison.

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Talking about moving on from Wahlstrom is a snap judgement. Sure he can be streaky now, but everyone has a different development curve. I honestly like what I've seen out of Wally. He has what this team doesn't have: Finishing touch.

I truly don't think he's used as effectively as he should be used. Yes, he needs to work on his accuracy, but my god his shot can be deadly. I also like that he has the ability to be a pest. Sometimes our guys can be too nice. We need a pest that can cause headaches for others. Before he got hurt in the playoffs, Playoff Wahlstrom was a beast. Remember when we all wanted him to play for Komarov?

Another thing is, he's a student of the game. When Barry was coach, he genuinely enjoyed doing all the little things to get better (his words not mine). The thing I've noticed about him, is that he needs someone to be on him at all times. He starts getting hot and playing well, but once he gets some independence, he flakes out and needs to be shown the ropes again.

He's a frustrating player, but he's young, which a lot of young players are. We're all getting frustrated with Dobson currently, I remember some of you wanted to give him an 8 year deal. It's going to take time. We don't have many young players. Let's not Milbury the kid.

 

[TeamKidd]

If we trade Dobson, it will be worse than trading Bertuzzi.

 

[periferal]

If we trade Dobson, it will be worse than trading Bertuzzi.

Who's talking about trading Dobson...???

 

[PK Cronin]

Talking about moving on from Wahlstrom is a snap judgement. Sure he can be streaky now, but everyone has a different development curve. I honestly like what I've seen out of Wally. He has what this team doesn't have: Finishing touch.

I truly don't think he's used as effectively as he should be used. Yes, he needs to work on his accuracy, but my god his shot can be deadly. I also like that he has the ability to be a pest. Sometimes our guys can be too nice. We need a pest that can cause headaches for others. Before he got hurt in the playoffs, Playoff Wahlstrom was a beast. Remember when we all wanted him to play for Komarov?

Another thing is, he's a student of the game. When Barry was coach, he genuinely enjoyed doing all the little things to get better (his words not mine). The thing I've noticed about him, is that he needs someone to be on him at all times. He starts getting hot and playing well, but once he gets some independence, he flakes out and needs to be shown the ropes again.

He's a frustrating player, but he's young, which a lot of young players are. We're all getting frustrated with Dobson currently, I remember some of you wanted to give him an 8 year deal. It's going to take time. We don't have many young players. Let's not Milbury the kid.

These two things are contradicting each other. He can't have the finishing touch and need to work on his accuracy. He played the full season last year and had less goals than Bailey. That's not good for a guy whose best attribute is his shot, while Bailey is notorious for passing the puck into the net.

I don't think he's bad, I don't think they should be in a rush to dump him, but I'd include him in a deal right now if it brought back something of value. This team is trying to win the cup now, not wait for his development to maybe work out.

 

[Skip To My Lou]

These two things are contradicting each other. He can't have the finishing touch and need to work on his accuracy. He played the full season last year and had less goals than Bailey. That's not good for a guy whose best attribute is his shot, while Bailey is notorious for passing the puck into the net.

I don't think he's bad, I don't think they should be in a rush to dump him, but I'd include him in a deal right now if it brought back something of value. This team is trying to win the cup now, not wait for his development to maybe work out.

Perhaps I may have worded it wrong. His shot is needed on this team. Much needed. We don't have guys who shoot the puck, rather always looking to make that extra pass which is too late.

I agree with you, he should be moved should there be something of value, but that won't come to us easily.

I also think we (both fans and the front office) need to get a little realistic on their expectations for this team. The Cup window is long gone. Sure we're playing great hockey now, but we're not a Cup-caliber team. Because of that we do need to prioritize development of younger players while trying to stay competitive. It's a shame Wahlstrom got hurt, because this would be a great time for him to gain that experience.

 

[danteipp]

These two things are contradicting each other. He can't have the finishing touch and need to work on his accuracy. He played the full season last year and had less goals than Bailey. That's not good for a guy whose best attribute is his shot, while Bailey is notorious for passing the puck into the net.

I don't think he's bad, I don't think they should be in a rush to dump him, but I'd include him in a deal right now if it brought back something of value. This team is trying to win the cup now, not wait for his development to maybe work out.

I don't think they necessarily contradict each other. Refining his shot, learning goalie tendencies via video study and getting smarter with identifying what will work vs. what won't in the NHL (especially if it results in an odd-man rush the other way) will only help his shooter's mindset.

You know not everyone develops the same way and some people need more time to get out of bad habits, have the game slow down, gain confidence (although I don't think Wally lacks that like say Bertuzzi did once upon a time), etc.

Right now he is a solid option at the price point for RW3. That could change for the better or worse, depending on his progress.

 

[PK Cronin]

Perhaps I may have worded it wrong. His shot is needed on this team. Much needed. We don't have guys who shoot the puck, rather always looking to make that extra pass which is too late.

I gotcha, and I largely agree (I like having a diverse group of forwards that do different things). I'd like him to score more rather than just release shots over and over hitting glass like Pulock.

I agree with you, he should be moved should there be something of value, but that won't come to us easily.

I also think we (both fans and the front office) need to get a little realistic on their expectations for this team. The Cup window is long gone. Sure we're playing great hockey now, but we're not a Cup-caliber team. Because of that we do need to prioritize development of younger players while trying to stay competitive. It's a shame Wahlstrom got hurt, because this would be a great time for him to gain that experience.

I think Wahlstrom+ could help make this a cup-caliber team depending on who they bring in.

I don't think they necessarily contradict each other. Refining his shot, learning goalie tendencies via video study and getting smarter with identifying what will work vs. what won't in the NHL (especially if it results in an odd-man rush the other way) will only help his shooter's mindset.

You know not everyone develops the same way and some people need more time to get out of bad habits, have the game slow down, gain confidence (although I don't think Wally lacks that like say Bertuzzi did once upon a time), etc.

Right now he is a solid option at the price point for RW3. That could change for the better or worse, depending on his progress.

I'm nitpicking but having a finishing touch would mean they don't need to refine their shot and learn those things because they'd be finishing already. I think he's definitely a shooter, and a threat, but we've seen lots of nice shots come through the NHL that never ended up translating to goals. I'd like to move on from Wahlstrom prior to the rest of the league figuring out it'll never be put together (maybe it will though).

Whether or not he's the on the third line next year will depend a lot on what happens with Parise and Engvall I think. If they aren't brought back he'll certainly be on the roster. If they are...well, he'd be competing with Fasching and Bailey for a spot right now (if Bailey isn't moved).

 

[danteipp]

I gotcha, and I largely agree (I like having a diverse group of forwards that do different things). I'd like him to score more rather than just release shots over and over hitting glass like Pulock.



I think Wahlstrom+ could help make this a cup-caliber team depending on who they bring in.



I'm nitpicking but having a finishing touch would mean they don't need to refine their shot and learn those things because they'd be finishing already. I think he's definitely a shooter, and a threat, but we've seen lots of nice shots come through the NHL that never ended up translating to goals. I'd like to move on from Wahlstrom prior to the rest of the league figuring out it'll never be put together (maybe it will though).

Whether or not he's the on the third line next year will depend a lot on what happens with Parise and Engvall I think. If they aren't brought back he'll certainly be on the roster. If they are...well, he'd be competing with Fasching and Bailey for a spot right now (if Bailey isn't moved).

Barring a miracle finish, presumably via finding the fountain of youth, Bailey appears to be competing for a trade vs. a buyout.

 

[leeroggy]

Who's talking about trading Dobson...???

Pat Dobson, he's lost his fastball

 

[PK Cronin]

Barring a miracle finish, presumably via finding the fountain of youth, Bailey appears to be competing for a trade vs. a buyout.

I'm his biggest fan and I agree, but if he's still on the roster come the start of next year I don't see Wahlstrom playing over him. $5M is a lot for an extra forward who has been with the team as long as Bailey has. I actually think they could be packaged together, if Bailey doesn't outright retire.

 

[The Real JT]

If we trade Dobson, it will be worse than trading Bertuzzi.

Who's talking about trading Dobson...???

If we move to Kansas City I’m gonna be pissed.

 

[CupHolders]

My concern with Wahlstrom is that he has a strange skating style… that I think will make him susceptible to injuries. Which he has had some major ones already. Such as his concussion in Sweden, during the pandemic modified season.

It’s hard to explain, but he tends to find a way to lunge, while getting his feet close together… compromising his balance and leaving himself opened to be rocked.

So if on the fence about trading him, I might lean to yes. But as already stated, trade him for an upgrade not as a dump. Otherwise you just hold onto him and hope for the best.

 

[Big L]

I'm his biggest fan and I agree, but if he's still on the roster come the start of next year I don't see Wahlstrom playing over him. $5M is a lot for an extra forward who has been with the team as long as Bailey has. I actually think they could be packaged together, if Bailey doesn't outright retire.

Can’t they send bails to the bridge and then his salary only counts against the cap some %?

 

[WangMustGo]

My concern with Wahlstrom is that he has a strange skating style… that I think will make him susceptible to injuries. Which he has had some major ones already. Such as his concussion in Sweden, during the pandemic modified season.

It’s hard to explain, but he tends to find a way to lunge, while getting his feet close together… compromising his balance and leaving himself opened to be rocked.

So if on the fence about trading him, I might lean to yes. But as already stated, trade him for an upgrade not as a dump. Otherwise you just hold onto him and hope for the best.

By far my biggest concern with Wahlstrom is his hockey sense. He makes so many dumb mistakes/plays. He doesnt get into the soft spots often enough. I would trade him if he was part of a package for a better player.

 

[PK Cronin]

Can’t they send bails to the bridge and then his salary only counts against the cap some %?

They could, but it's just over $1M they'd save so a buyout or trade is more likely I'd think.

 

[Big L]

They could, but it's just over $1M they'd save so a buyout or trade is more likely I'd think.

Maybe he‘d get claimed off waivers. Free up every penny

 

[doublechili]

All this discussion of trading Wahlstrom and Bailey is going to make me start talking Schmaltz again.

 

[SI90]

I really hope Lou is serious about some college UFAs

My guy is Collin Graf. Kid has legit NHL potential. Plays close to home at Quinnipiac.

 

[doublechili]

I really hope Lou is serious about some college UFAs

My guy is Collin Graf. Kid has legit NHL potential. Plays close to home at Quinnipiac.

Parents missed a big opportunity not naming him "Spiro" instead of "Collin".

 

[WangMustGo]

All this discussion of trading Wahlstrom and Bailey is going to make me start talking Schmaltz again.

Keller... afterhe requests a trade.

 

[doublechili]

Keller... afterhe requests a trade.

I really am not familiar with either Schmaltz or Keller's game, and it's hard to gauge guys on a team like AZ where they're getting quality ice time/PP that they might not get on a better team. I'm going more on stats and cap implications. Having said that, you know Lou probably would want Crouse.

 

[WangMustGo]

I really am not familiar with either Schmaltz or Keller's game, and it's hard to gauge guys on a team like AZ where they're getting quality ice time/PP that they might not get on a better team. I'm going more on stats and cap implications. Having said that, you know Lou probably would want Crouse.

Lou would want Crouse lol. Keller is a stud. He would be our best forward IMO.

 

[SI90]

@Chapin Landvogt what are your thoughts on Hardy Haman Aktell? Big smooth LHD. Nashville is going to lose his rights and he’s eligible to sign with any team. What are your thoughts on him?

 

[Seph]

They could, but it's just over $1M they'd save so a buyout or trade is more likely I'd think.

Yeah, his caphit next season if he is in the AHL would still be 3.85m (1.15m is buriable next season). If we buy him out it the caphit would be 2.66m for next season and then 1.33m the following season, so IMO would be a better option than burying him. Also worth noting is that the actual out of pocket cost of buying him out would only be 1.166m for two years (2.33m total), so one would hope a team that's a least a couple years from competing could be incentivized to do the buyout for us, even if no one wants him on their team.

All that said, buying a player out must be done by June 30th, so it is a tight window. Also, I don't know if Lou would do that to such a longstanding member of the team, especially one who by all accounts is well respected by his teammates. But Lou is apparently comfortable with Josh being healthy scratched, so that does make it seem more likely that he would also be ok with buying him out or moving for the purpose of another team buying him out.