batting1k
Registered User
- Mar 3, 2013
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Denis Malgin, welcome back to Florida.
OT: 2025 News Around The NHL Thread - Free Agent Frenzy
- Thread starter SoupyFIN
- Start date
Denis Malgin, welcome back to Florida.
- Mar 21, 2006
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I’m mostly surprised that he’s only 29 he plays like he’s 39
DarthRevenue
Registered User
- Jun 5, 2023
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Gentle Man
09/12
Fellas, take a look at your 2026 LTIR Acquisition
Gentle Man
09/12
batting1k
Registered User
- Mar 3, 2013
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- Oct 7, 2006
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IdleTraveller
Registered User
8*8 seems really high - I'm still hoping for 7*8... Maybe agree but on the condition of no trade protection, or at least not for the last few years of the deal.
Gentle Man
09/12
TORONTO MEDIA BABY 
MARNER SUCKS IN THE PLAYOFFS GET RID OF HIM
BRING ON MIKA!!!!!!!!!
MARNER SUCKS IN THE PLAYOFFS GET RID OF HIM
BRING ON MIKA!!!!!!!!!
Gentle Man
09/12
- Mar 21, 2006
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Elliotte Sherlock Holmes is a f***ing genius
Beauvillier would be a good pick up if we trade ERod. Also, two former Cats' goalies make the list Bargain FAs
WaitingForThatCab
Gas up the Lombo
- Mar 11, 2017
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I think Mika Zibanejad is the most overrated player in hockey, and he's not even that highly regarded anymore.
ucanthanzalthetruth
#CatsAreCooked
- Jul 13, 2013
- 27,955
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I made this thread at this time last year and it worked out, let's see if it works again. Here are your free agents-yeah there's more but I'm only including the players who's name will be engraved on the Cup, not the minor league depth:
Brad Marchand
Tomas Nosek
Skull crusher Bennett
Nico Sturm
Mackie Samoskevich (RFA)
Nate Schmidt
Aaron Ekblad
Vitek Vanecek
The cap is going up significantly, 7.5 million, to 95.5 million. Florida will have 19 million to use. It's going up even more in '26 to 104 million and 113.5 million in '27. Florida has 10 forwards, 5 dmen, and 1 goalie signed so they're in a great position to run it back.
I bolded the names of people I 100% think won't be back:
Aaron Ekblad-too much money and terms for what I think will be a depreciating asset. I love him, the memes, everything he's done, but his legs are cooked. I don't think the contract will age well. Screams Toronto overpay. Let's be honest, the writing is on the wall bringing in Jones.
Nosek and Smith- Nosek =Stenlund IMO, some mid team will offer him too much to say no. Schmidt is an easy OEL comparable, he took league minimum to repair his value after being bought out by a Canadian team. He'll sign an overpriced contract elsewhere.
Returning:
Samo I think comes in at a couple million on a bridge deal. He had a great season as a rookie, which speaks to Florida's depth because he barely played in the playoffs.
Bennett-I really think he takes 8 x 8. Could he get a couple million extra on the market? Yeah but not that 8th year. I think it gets done.
So after adding Benny and Samo we're left with 9 million to sign 2 forwards, 2 dmen and a backup goalie. The names left are Nico Sturm and Brad Marchand.
Marchand-Does he want to stay in Florida? Or cash in? If he wants back at 5 million it can be done. But he could get more elsewhere.
Nico Sturm-I like him as a 4th liner, for a million, gladly take him back.
Vanecek-Bob is getting older, Florida needs a better 1B IMO. But the market is so bad and he'd play for next to nothing so I could see him back. It's not ideal though. 1 million for him.
So that leaves 2 million to bring in 2 dmen. Not sure who's out there to rehab next like OEL and Schmidt? Ideally you want to bring in 2 guys to make Balinskis the 7 again but not sure if it's possible.
Brad Marchand
Tomas Nosek
Skull crusher Bennett
Nico Sturm
Mackie Samoskevich (RFA)
Nate Schmidt
Aaron Ekblad
Vitek Vanecek
The cap is going up significantly, 7.5 million, to 95.5 million. Florida will have 19 million to use. It's going up even more in '26 to 104 million and 113.5 million in '27. Florida has 10 forwards, 5 dmen, and 1 goalie signed so they're in a great position to run it back.
I bolded the names of people I 100% think won't be back:
Aaron Ekblad-too much money and terms for what I think will be a depreciating asset. I love him, the memes, everything he's done, but his legs are cooked. I don't think the contract will age well. Screams Toronto overpay. Let's be honest, the writing is on the wall bringing in Jones.
Nosek and Smith- Nosek =Stenlund IMO, some mid team will offer him too much to say no. Schmidt is an easy OEL comparable, he took league minimum to repair his value after being bought out by a Canadian team. He'll sign an overpriced contract elsewhere.
Returning:
Samo I think comes in at a couple million on a bridge deal. He had a great season as a rookie, which speaks to Florida's depth because he barely played in the playoffs.
Bennett-I really think he takes 8 x 8. Could he get a couple million extra on the market? Yeah but not that 8th year. I think it gets done.
So after adding Benny and Samo we're left with 9 million to sign 2 forwards, 2 dmen and a backup goalie. The names left are Nico Sturm and Brad Marchand.
Marchand-Does he want to stay in Florida? Or cash in? If he wants back at 5 million it can be done. But he could get more elsewhere.
Nico Sturm-I like him as a 4th liner, for a million, gladly take him back.
Vanecek-Bob is getting older, Florida needs a better 1B IMO. But the market is so bad and he'd play for next to nothing so I could see him back. It's not ideal though. 1 million for him.
So that leaves 2 million to bring in 2 dmen. Not sure who's out there to rehab next like OEL and Schmidt? Ideally you want to bring in 2 guys to make Balinskis the 7 again but not sure if it's possible.
Jean Luc Discard
Registered User
- Jul 11, 2014
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Bennett gets re-signed (8x8) and every other UFA walks.
Samo re-signed at 2.5milx2
Trade something for Hague
Sign Burns for a 1 year deal
Still need a backup tendy and a 4C
Samo re-signed at 2.5milx2
Trade something for Hague
Sign Burns for a 1 year deal
Still need a backup tendy and a 4C
ShootIt
Banana
- Nov 8, 2008
- 18,704
- 10,011
The 4th line center is replaceable.
Just stick to the analytics and sign the next guy to a 750k-1mil deal. If it's Sturm, cool.
Forgot we still got Boqvist signed for a few years, maybe he becomes a regular again with Marchy gone and Samo back in the lineup?
Unless Ekblad follows Forsling taking a below market rate AAV, he's gone.
Think Brad bounces too. Some team will give him over 7mil. He got his second cup here and looked great. Go get that payday if that's priority #1.
Sounded like Chuk did have a surgery already, so not sure if he needs another/is a LTIR option.
For goalie could see Vanecek back for dirt cheap, simply like you said the market just sucks this year. Maybe they found some AHL goalie that could make the jump.
Bennett IMO stays. If it's 8mil, cool.
Think Samo signs a 2 year deal ~1.5mil. Expecting him to have a nice season next year
Just stick to the analytics and sign the next guy to a 750k-1mil deal. If it's Sturm, cool.
Forgot we still got Boqvist signed for a few years, maybe he becomes a regular again with Marchy gone and Samo back in the lineup?
Unless Ekblad follows Forsling taking a below market rate AAV, he's gone.
Think Brad bounces too. Some team will give him over 7mil. He got his second cup here and looked great. Go get that payday if that's priority #1.
Sounded like Chuk did have a surgery already, so not sure if he needs another/is a LTIR option.
For goalie could see Vanecek back for dirt cheap, simply like you said the market just sucks this year. Maybe they found some AHL goalie that could make the jump.
Bennett IMO stays. If it's 8mil, cool.
Think Samo signs a 2 year deal ~1.5mil. Expecting him to have a nice season next year
batting1k
Registered User
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Jean Luc Discard
Registered User
- Jul 11, 2014
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ucanthanzalthetruth
#CatsAreCooked
- Jul 13, 2013
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I think the only possible way is to Kucherov Tkachuk. I don't see any other way.
Jean Luc Discard
Registered User
- Jul 11, 2014
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I wouldn't pay much attention to what Zito says to the media about his intentions in regards to signing or not signing players. Especially when it is the scum of the earth, Oilers jerking media.
RogerRoger
Registered User
- Jul 23, 2013
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The recovery for an abductor surgery can be 5-7 months. So let's assume he won't want to miss the Olympics and he'll be back in January, that'll be about 4M in LTIR.
So with 23M, 8 Benny, 7 Marchy, 6 Ekky, 1.1 Mackie, 800K Vitek. More or less 250K extra depending on MT's timeline.
Other guys might need surgery and miss the beginning of the year, who knows.
ShootIt
Banana
- Nov 8, 2008
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Agreed. I think if guys want to stay, they'll take a small cut in pay and maybe get another year to get the cheddar. Say Marchand wants 3-21 but Zito says we can do 4-18. Maybe with our ELITE TAX ADVANTAGE he stays. As long as the salary is the same, it's not a 35+ deal.
And in 22 we ran a really small roster size. So, we could do that again, and just pray there's no crazy injury bug next season.
WaitingForThatCab
Gas up the Lombo
- Mar 11, 2017
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You have to keep Benny and Samoskevich and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.
I do think Ekblad is moving on, which kinda sucks, but also kind of sucks for whichever team throws a cart full of money at him.
I do think Ekblad is moving on, which kinda sucks, but also kind of sucks for whichever team throws a cart full of money at him.
I am not exposed
Registered User
Brad Marchand
Tomas Nosek
Skull crusher Bennett
Nico Sturm
Mackie Samoskevich (RFA)
Nate Schmidt
Aaron Ekblad
Vitek Vanecek
Gone in bold for sure.
Nico Sturm was signed as depth and didn't even play every game in the playoffs. Don't see him coming back.
Marchand going to be too expensive as he looks for that one big final payday.
Vanecek gone. Probably get someone else in for cover.
Schmidt got his cup on a sweetheart one year deal. Will get more in UFA.
Nosek got his cup and will be a bit too overpriced for a 4th liner.
Samoskevich definitely staying. Least likely to go out of this list.
Bennett I thought would go, but I think he's the one to stay out of the big 3. Sounds like 8m per year for 8 years. Another team would have to offer quite a bit more to match that amount for 7 years.
Ekblad I'm really not sure. One I'm most uncertain of. I think he prices himself out though.
Tomas Nosek
Skull crusher Bennett
Nico Sturm
Mackie Samoskevich (RFA)
Nate Schmidt
Aaron Ekblad
Vitek Vanecek
Gone in bold for sure.
Nico Sturm was signed as depth and didn't even play every game in the playoffs. Don't see him coming back.
Marchand going to be too expensive as he looks for that one big final payday.
Vanecek gone. Probably get someone else in for cover.
Schmidt got his cup on a sweetheart one year deal. Will get more in UFA.
Nosek got his cup and will be a bit too overpriced for a 4th liner.
Samoskevich definitely staying. Least likely to go out of this list.
Bennett I thought would go, but I think he's the one to stay out of the big 3. Sounds like 8m per year for 8 years. Another team would have to offer quite a bit more to match that amount for 7 years.
Ekblad I'm really not sure. One I'm most uncertain of. I think he prices himself out though.
CaptainScrewy
Registered User
All I know is whatever happens it's the right move. In Zito I trust.
