Rumor: Rumor & Proposals: The sound of silence (Free Agency opens 12PM EST)

[t0nedeff]

Can also move Drai to Nuge's LW if he really starts to struggle. There's a lot of options. Personally, though, I think Drai will be fine. From what I can tell, there was actually more connection between a healthy Klefbom and Drai producing than it was Hall. The production rates with and without Klefbom and HUGE, going WAY, WAY down when Klefbom got injured. So a healthy Klefbom-Larsson moving up the puck to him is going to help his production our a lot, IMO.

That and we actually have a pairing that can actually hold the puck in at the line. That's one of the reasons I want Lucic because him on the cycle with a Drai/Mcdavid with the Swedes backing them up should be night and day to what we are used to seeing.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

One thing that I'm really worried about is Draisaitl. How will he play now that the expectations on him are surely to be lifted.
I hope he is training like a maniac right now. Next season is gonna be huge for him, and the team as a whole.

If last offseason is any indication, we should have nothing to worry about

 

[snipes]

Can also move Drai to Nuge's LW if he really starts to struggle. There's a lot of options. Personally, though, I think Drai will be fine. From what I can tell, there was actually more connection between a healthy Klefbom and Drai producing than it was Hall. The production rates with and without Klefbom and HUGE, going WAY, WAY down when Klefbom got injured. So a healthy Klefbom-Larsson moving up the puck to him is going to help his production our a lot, IMO.

Completely agree. We were tied for a playoff spot in mid December when Klefbom got hurt. He made all of our forwards better. Good D men make a huge difference.

Can't wait to see Klefbom-Larsson together.

Hopefully those two get skating together right away.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I would start Drai on LW as well. LW depth of Drai lucic Pou maroon and Hendo is pretty damn good. Would probably move pou out for help at Center on our third line.

Yeah, I'd like to get another center. I really despise Letestu, and thought he was just as bad as Korpikoski who got bought out. I would definitely try to get another center, and use Letestu as the 13th forward, or put in the AHL as the first call up. No one is gonna claim that plug.

 

[A91]

Agree with what everything said, but Drai has played RW and C at the NHL level. He could probably manage on LW but I wouldn't pencil him in there just yet.

 

[SDig14]

Is it all that crazy to think Puljujarvi could play LW? I wouldn't start him in the NHL if he isn't comfortable there, but I could see it down the line.

 

[KarmaPolice]

That and we actually have a pairing that can actually hold the puck in at the line. That's one of the reasons I want Lucic because him on the cycle with a Drai/Mcdavid with the Swedes backing them up should be night and day to what we are used to seeing.

Completely agree. We were tied for a playoff spot in mid December when Klefbom got hurt. He made all of our forwards better. Good D men make a huge difference.

Can't wait to see Klefbom-Larsson together.

Hopefully those two get skating together right away.

It's going to be so nice to see Klefbom not having to drag a rotting corpse around as a D partner. I remember when he was paired with Gryba or Fayne early in the season, and both were struggling something HUGE, and he was constantly bailing them out, and their terrible giveaway after giveaway after giveaway (they both got better, but not until the 2nd half). I'm surprised he didn't kill one of them, because a lot of the time I certainly felt like doing it. It's a miracle Kleffy only ended up with a -4; it could've been MUCH worse. And that's also while playing against top comp in only his 2nd full year. I think people still under-rate his upside a bit. Let's just hope he can stay healthy. If Klefbom and Larsson can read each other well, that pairing should be a thing of beauty, with the puck not staying in our zone for very long most of the time -- and with them out there for 22-23 minutes a game, and against top comp, that's going to be huge for this team.

 

[snipes]

Is it all that crazy to think Puljujarvi could play LW? I wouldn't start him in the NHL if he isn't comfortable there, but I could see it down the line.

He's a right shot. Keep him on the right side.

Left shot McDavid to right shot Pulju is forehand tape to tape for both guys.

 

[Soundwave]

Is it all that crazy to think Puljujarvi could play LW? I wouldn't start him in the NHL if he isn't comfortable there, but I could see it down the line.

Lets not start doing that. Adjusting to the NHL on top of adjusting to a completely different rink size is hard enough, throwing the poor kid onto his off wing will just make things more confusing than need be.

He's used to the right wing, so play him there. AFTER he adjusts to the NHL (like say in his second season) maybe you can try to whole "lets see how you do on the LW" stuff.

 

[ced2334]

Yeah, I'd like to get another center. I really despise Letestu, and thought he was just as bad as Korpikoski who got bought out. I would definitely try to get another center, and use Letestu as the 13th forward, or put in the AHL as the first call up. No one is gonna claim that plug.

Maybe Darren Helm? Not sure how much he'd be looking for though. Might be out of their price range if they sign lucic

 

[5 14 6 1]

D day in 9 hours. Excited to see how it shakes out. Really hoping we can land Lucic.

Lucic - McDavid
Drai - Puljujarvi

Is a pretty good basis of a forward core going forward imo. Can still fill it in with Ebs, Nuge, Maroon, Yak etc.

Hopefully Edmonton has a backup plan if we don't get him. Something tells me were gonna have to pony up if we want to get him with the rumour of Dallas in the mix.

 

[Burnt Biscuits]

Can also move Drai to Nuge's LW if he really starts to struggle. There's a lot of options. Personally, though, I think Drai will be fine. From what I can tell, there was actually more connection between a healthy Klefbom and Drai producing than it was Hall. The production rates with and without Klefbom were HUGE, going WAY, WAY down when Klefbom got injured. So a healthy Klefbom-Larsson moving up the puck to him is going to help his production out a lot, IMO.

Drai plays better on the right side Chia mentioned this in his press conference and McLellan also mention it before. It's usually snipers who want to play on their off-hand but it works for Draisaitl's style of puck protection and he might actually be a better passer off his back hand then he is on his forehand as crazy as that might sound. Draisaitl will be hurt by the loss of Hall, the difference in his scoring rates with and without Hall were drastically different.

I'm eager to see Klefbom and Larsson as a pairing, but if Larsson is deployed like he was in New Jersey I wouldn't expect much offense to come out of that pairing, I'm guessing that McLellan will go easier on him zone start wise, but we'll have to wait and see.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Maybe Darren Helm? Not sure how much he'd be looking for though. Might be out of their price range if they sign lucic

He's a good option. Or Shawn Matthias. But again, his asking price might be a bit too high. Nick Spaling should be in our price range. Doesn't bring as much offense as Helm or Matthias, but I think his defensive game is MUCH better than Letestu's. There's actually quite a few options for 3rd/4th line Cs. I hope Chia picks up a better one than Letestu. Vernon Fiddler, maybe?

Here's a list of UFA Cs available:
http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/freeagents.php?team=all&type=UFA&year=2016&pos=C

Drai plays better on the right side Chia mentioned this in his press conference and McLellan also mention it before. It's usually snipers who want to play on their off-hand but it works for Draisaitl's style of puck protection and he might actually be a better passer off his back hand then he is on his forehand as crazy as that might sound. Draisaitl will be hurt by the loss of Hall, the difference in his scoring rates with and without Hall were drastically different.

I'm eager to see Klefbom and Larsson as a pairing, but if Larsson is deployed like he was in New Jersey I wouldn't expect much offense to come out of that pairing, I'm guessing that McLellan will go easier on him zone start wise, but we'll have to wait and see.

Yeah, Larsson had a really brutal deployment last season, starting in the defensive zone a LOT. The season before, his zone deployment was more balanced, and he put up a 0.38 points-per-game, which is just under Klefbom's 0.40 from this past season (highest among all our Dmen, and pro-rates to 33 points over 82 games). So we might see both of them hit around 30 points. I'd say 25-35 point range is a fair expectation to have, but we'll see how they are used, like you say.

 

[McBigYak]

Completely agree. We were tied for a playoff spot in mid December when Klefbom got hurt. He made all of our forwards better. Good D men make a huge difference.

Can't wait to see Klefbom-Larsson together.

Hopefully those two get skating together right away.

Optimism is good, but lets not forget the only reason we were even close to a playoff spot is because the pacific was ******** the bed. We were in a playoff spot at what,3 games under .500(not hundred percent sure of that). We won 6 straight, but we were FAR from a playoff team. Can't expect that to happen next year as well.

 

[aspin]

Anyone else interested in Darren Helm? Trade RNH + for Barrie, then sign Helm at 3.5 to play 3C. Fast and great at faceoffs, personally I think he's an upgrade over the $6 Mil RNH. Speed is what won PIT the cup, so it would be nice to add some.

H ha. That is gold. We trade away a guy with amazing speed and the ability to make plays at the speed and we are talking of signing a guy that cannot get in on the fore heck and you are talking we need speed. Priceless. It was lIke Chiarelli got left a huge inheritance and he is buying goods that he could never get close to that value back again.

No way would anyone trade us a 24 yeAR old former first overall pick that is consistently in the the top 10 in ppg in the league for Larsson. If we trade Nuge for Barrie we lose more value. Barrie would never be able to fetch us a 23 year old 1st overall Centre man that is responsible at both ends of the rink. Know how I know? Because it cost Seth Jones to get that equivalent Centre.

Chiarelli fell into a pot of insane assets and he is peddling them for lower assets. Poor asset management.

 

[Paralyzer008]

I want a ton of moves tomorrow but nothing too stupid.

My hope is that somehow, someway, Nuge stays an Oiler, but I can't see it shaking down like that.

 

[A91]

Would anyone take a flyer on Jiri Tlusty?
Is an upcoming FA and could be had for under a million., was at a 0.5 ppg a few seasons ago.

 

[snipes]

Optimism is good, but lets not forget the only reason we were even close to a playoff spot is because the pacific was ******** the bed. We were in a playoff spot at what,3 games under .500(not hundred percent sure of that). We won 6 straight, but we were FAR from a playoff team.

Fair enough, we were not a good team last year obviously. The general point was having quality Dmen like Klefbom in the lineup makes a huge difference.

 

[SDig14]

Lets not start doing that. Adjusting to the NHL on top of adjusting to a completely different rink size is hard enough, throwing the poor kid onto his off wing will just make things more confusing than need be.

He's used to the right wing, so play him there. AFTER he adjusts to the NHL (like say in his second season) maybe you can try to whole "lets see how you do on the LW" stuff.

That's kinda what I meant when I said I wouldn't start him there

There's no real need to do it anytime soon, but I do think he's plenty talented enough to make that switch.

 

[SDig14]

He's a right shot. Keep him on the right side.

Left shot McDavid to right shot Pulju is forehand tape to tape for both guys.

Not that it matters necessarily, but he's likely not playing with McDavid in his first year.

 

[McBigYak]

Fair enough, we were not a good team last year obviously. The general point was having quality Dmen like Klefbom in the lineup makes a huge difference.

Yeah I mean I sometimes get caught saying it myself but in reality, I don't think that will ever happen again.

A full season of Klef and Mcdavid, Larsson and hopefully Demers/Barrie. We just HAVE to stay healthy next year. With a(hopefully) signed Lucic to fill the 1LW hole(and I am fully aware its gonna come at a price)

We definitely lost the battle in the Hall trade, but for the love of god can we please win the war next season.

 

[snipes]

Not that it matters necessarily, but he's likely not playing with McDavid in his first year.

I'm fine with him playing in the AHL if he needs to or on the 3rd line. Long term they will pair up.

 

[McPuritania]

I'm really wanting Lucic, and Barrie.

I'm thinking we only come out of FA with Demers, and hopefully Lucic. Barrie would add an element that completes our blueline.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Yeah I mean I sometimes get caught saying it myself but in reality, I don't think that will ever happen again.

A full season of Klef and Mcdavid, Larsson and hopefully Demers/Barrie. We just HAVE to stay healthy next year. With a(hopefully) signed Lucic to fill the 1LW hole(and I am fully aware its gonna come at a price)

We definitely lost the battle in the Hall trade, but for the love of god can we please win the war next season.

I'd be happy with just coming close to making the playoffs. I couldn't care less about high picks anymore. I'd rather see a competitive season, and finish 9th, instead of another season in the basement. These guys have to start learning to win and doing all the little things it takes to be competitive. I think bringing in Larsson and (probably) Lucic is a good start. Drai and McDavid are another year older and wiser. Hopefully Klefbom is 100% healthy (and stays healthy) and continues his very fast ascension. I think we need another right-handed Dman, but I'd rather overpay with money and get Demers, than overpay with more core forwards to get someone else. Losing Hall hurt, even though I agree it had to be done. But to lose RNH or Drai. I think that's just too much in one off-season. I guess we'll find out.

 

[McVirginOil]

If Chia lands a good centre tomorrow, you can probably say goodbye to Nuge.