Speculation: Trade / Roster Speculation Thread XXXIV: Over the edge of being a little closer.

[Ola]

Bluebloded-

All crazy ideas that has been thrown around in this thread aside, I think you point out the way to go.

Open up a lot of cap space (ie buy out BR, let Strålman and Boyle walk), ie even taking it one step further to get mobility:

-Sign Zucc, Brass and Kreider to 4-5 year deals at least (definitely add a million per year to get it done). Zucc: 4.5-5m x 5y. Brass: 4.2m x 4r. Kreider: 3.8m x 4y (natrually a rapid growth for him from y1 to y4).

-Sign Pouliot to an as cheap as possible 1-2 year deal.

-Sign Moore to a half cheap contract, 2 years. Resign Diaz to a 3 year 2 million deal.

-Then re-up Staal and Stepan long term ASAP during the year.

We would have a lineup like this:

FORWARDS
Chris Kreider ($3.800m)-Derek Stepan ($3.075m)- "Slim" ($7.800m)
Benoit Pouliot ($2.500m)-Derick Brassard ($4.200m)-Mats Zuccarello ($5.000m)
Carl Hagelin ($2.250m)-J.T. Miller ($0.894m)-Martin St. Louis ($5.625m)
Daniel Carbomb ($0.825m)-Dominic Moore ($1.800m)-Derek Dorsett ($1.633m)
Jesper Fast ($0.805m)
DEFENSEMEN
Dan Girardi ($5.500m)-Ryan McDonagh ($4.700m)
Marc Staal ($3.975m)-Ralphy Diaz ($2.000m)
John Moore ($1.700m)-Kevin Klein ($2.900m)
GOALTENDERS
Hank Lundqvist ($8.500m)
Cammy Talbot ($0.563m)

SALARY CAP: $71,100,000
CAP PAYROLL: $70,045,000
CAP SPACE: $1,055,000

-The core of this team would be tied up long-term -- deals that undoubtedly will become cap-friendly with time.

-The core of our team this year is still there. Ie, we will still ice two D-pairings that are real solid. The 3rd D pairing is real solid. We will have Hank. Two lines will be the same. Its a bit weakned, but the core is still there.

-We get a right handed shot in Diaz. Diaz will be able to handle some PP time.

I think the above would give us a real solid foundation going forward over the coming 4-5 years. Sure, it will hurt us to not have a 1st three years in a row, it always does. But we would need to scout well with our later picks. We would need to go real hard after the next "Zucc" coming out of Europe. We should definitely be on the next "Troey Krug/Justin Schultz/Danny DeKeyser" hitting the market. We do have some decent kids not that far off in the system, Fasth, Lindberg, Skjei, McIlrath and co. (after this crew it don't look good though, not at all, lets be honest about that...). There wouldn't be all that many positions to fill.

And we would have some mobility to make a trade or two during the year. We would be in a position we haven't been in for ages. Ie., if we want to trade someone, we would have several players without restrictions on decent long-term contracts. I mean, why give Diaz a 3 year deal with 2m per at this stage? Well, he is bound to play second pair hockey and a substansial amount of PP time. If we sign him to a 1 year deal, we are bound to stand there with worries 12 months from now...

 

[Blue Blooded]

Bluebloded-

All crazy ideas that has been thrown around in this thread aside, I think you point out the way to go.

Open up a lot of cap space (ie buy out BR, let Strålman and Boyle walk), ie even taking it one step further to get mobility:

-Sign Zucc, Brass and Kreider to 4-5 year deals at least (definitely add a million per year to get it done). Zucc: 4.5-5m x 5y. Brass: 4.2m x 4r. Kreider: 3.8m x 4y (natrually a rapid growth for him from y1 to y4).

-Sign Pouliot to an as cheap as possible 1-2 year deal.

-Sign Moore to a half cheap contract, 2 years. Resign Diaz to a 3 year 2 million deal.

-Then re-up Staal and Stepan long term ASAP during the year.

We would have a lineup like this:



-The core of this team would be tied up long-term -- deals that undoubtedly will become cap-friendly with time.

-The core of our team this year is still there. Ie, we will still ice two D-pairings that are real solid. The 3rd D pairing is real solid. We will have Hank. Two lines will be the same. Its a bit weakned, but the core is still there.

-We get a right handed shot in Diaz. Diaz will be able to handle some PP time.

I think the above would give us a real solid foundation going forward over the coming 4-5 years. Sure, it will hurt us to not have a 1st three years in a row, it always does. But we would need to scout well with our later picks. We would need to go real hard after the next "Zucc" coming out of Europe. We should definitely be on the next "Troey Krug/Justin Schultz/Danny DeKeyser" hitting the market. We do have some decent kids not that far off in the system, Fasth, Lindberg, Skjei, McIlrath and co. (after this crew it don't look good though, not at all, lets be honest about that...). There wouldn't be all that many positions to fill.

And we would have some mobility to make a trade or two during the year. We would be in a position we haven't been in for ages. Ie., if we want to trade someone, we would have several players without restrictions on decent long-term contracts.

Diaz spent most of this year as a healthy scratch, I'm not giving him $2M. I also really don't want to let Strålman walk with how good his possession game has been these past two seasons.

As I said, if we end up in a cap crunch: trade Klein and make the 4th line cheaper. If that isn't enough, trade J. Moore's rights and promote Allen.

I agree that Staal and Stepan need to be extended ASAP, preferably during the summer.

If I had to rank our RFA/UFAs in order of importance:

Zuccarello
Kreider
Strålman
Pouliot
J. Moore
Boyle
D. Moore
Diaz
Carcillo

 

[Ola]

Blue blooded- Yeah but, and first of all, I think Diaz is a pretty good D, and he is bound to play on our 2nd pairing and get some PP time. With that comes good stats. If we resign him to a 1 year deal, before we know it he has scored 30-40 pts and he is becoming a UFA within a month or two...

 

[Blue Blooded]

Blue blooded- Yeah but, and first of all, I think Diaz is a pretty good D, and he is bound to play on our 2nd pairing and get some PP time. With that comes good stats. If we resign him to a 1 year deal, before we know it he has scored 30-40 pts and he is becoming a UFA within a month or two...

It is a pretty big gamble to assume Diaz can handle 2nd pairing minutes, I'm definitely not comfortable with Klein in that role if it doesn't work out.

Plus a vast majority of most high scoring D's point production comes from the PP, Diaz doesn't need a 2nd pairing role to facilitate offence. I'm a lot more comfortable with Staal-Strålman and Moore-Diaz, than Staal-Diaz and Moore-Klein.

 

[Ola]

It is a pretty big gamble to assume Diaz can handle 2nd pairing minutes, I'm definitely not comfortable with Klein in that role if it doesn't work out.

Plus a vast majority of most high scoring D's point production comes from the PP, Diaz doesn't need a 2nd pairing role to facilitate offence. I'm a lot more comfortable with Staal-Strålman and Moore-Diaz, than Staal-Diaz and Moore-Klein.

I am definitely more comfortable with Strålman too, and would love to keep him. But two things really. One, and this has nothing to do with Strålman, but we don't have a good PMD in our top 4. Strålman is a top 4 D who will be paid as a top 4 D. While I don't think it would be impossible to move him, if we lock him and Staal up we have locked up 4 top 4 D's for like the coming 4 years at laest without one of them being a good PMD really. Two, you often stand infront of the choice of signing a player to like a 1 year 3.8m contract or like a 5 year 4.5-5m contract. Look at Staal and McD's last contracts as an example. Expensive when signed, then like huge steals the last 3-4 years on them... We will stand infront of this choice too with Kreids, Brass and Zucc this season, and Staal and Step the season after this. To have room to offer all those guys around an extra million per year, we must make even more room available than what follows from buying BR out and letting Boyle go.

Lastly, on Diaz, I think he is a good NHL D. I really liked the Rozsival signing when it was made, I liked the Strålman signing when it was made, and I do think the Diaz pick-up and think that it has potential to become on par with those pick-ups. Diaz is a very good hockey player. He played as a top 4 in MTL several times this season, logging up towards 25 minutes.

And we would have three good pairings with him in Strålmans skates. A 1st pairing that can log around 23-24 minutes. A 3rd pairing that easily can log around 16-18 minutes. We wouldn't need any miricles from that pairing. Staal could PK with Klein on his pairing.

Finally, its not only downside with Diaz in and Strålman out. Strålman had 13 pts this year. Diaz had 14 pts in 12/13 in 23 games for MTL. Diaz can contribute a lot more from the blueline and in than Strålman has done for us lately...

 

[Inferno]

ola, i love most of your posts, but you make some of the most ridiculous contract offers in the history of this board.

Rangers will need to trade some assets at the draft to gain cap space...even if they buyout richards, which im not convinced is a foregone conclusion despite its insane risk.

 

[poeman]

ola, i love most of your posts, but you make some of the most ridiculous contract offers in the history of this board.

Rangers will need to trade some assets at the draft to gain cap space...even if they buyout richards, which im not convinced is a foregone conclusion despite its insane risk.

What assets will we be trading??

Also is McIlrath ready? or Skjei is more ready?

 

[Inferno]

What assets will we be trading??

Also is McIlrath ready? or Skjei is more ready?

i wouldnt at all be surprised to see us move Stralman at the draft for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. same with Moore/Boyle/Pouliot if we cant sign them first to favorable deals.

 

[Trxjw]

i wouldnt at all be surprised to see us move Stralman at the draft for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. same with Moore/Boyle/Pouliot if we cant sign them first to favorable deals.

Ehrhoff's right's were worth a 4th rounder, and he's a better player. Stralman's rights would get a 5th or 6th at best.

 

[Inferno]

Ehrhoff's right's were worth a 4th rounder, and he's a better player. Stralman's rights would get a 5th or 6th at best.

i think the horrendous free agent class we have in front of us is a really big plus. i wouldnt be surprised if a GM was willing to pay a 3rd for his rights. not at all.

 

[aufheben]

Letting Stralman and Boyle walk, and keeping Dorsett, Carcillo, and giving Diaz $2M? wut.

 

[zuckera1]

Trading Dorsett foro a 5th/6th round pick this year frees up 1.6 in space to give both Moore and Boyle raises.

Boyle gets 2.5 for 4 (+800k), Moore gets around 2 for 2 or 3 (+1.0). The additional 200k can be taken from the rise in cap.

Bring back Carcillo at 1.0, and there's your 4th line.

 

[offdacrossbar]

if we are moving "assets" we should begin with mcilrath.

2 reasons.

first, he may not even have spot on this team next fall. connor allen is a better "overall" dman right now and brings an offensive game we need more than mcilraths ability to punch someone. can we really afford an asset like mac, 10th pick in the first round, to languish in hartford or play 10 mins a night of e/s hockey only while spending 10 mins in the box ? seems dumb.

diaz is a proven nhl dman- though im not sold on his e/s play and john moore is more than adequate on the 3rd pair. are they perfect? nope. but they can play and can bring something this team desperately needs like offense to a blue line full of mostly defensive types who rarely score.


and im still hoping calle andersson comes to camp and plays well. hes got the game to bring some offense and play the pp.

second, mcilrath has some value. a team like edmonton whos absolutely terrible defensively could use a young nasty kid like this to help out defensively and grow with their young forwards. hes a local kid as well, so he would be an instant oil fave.

could we package a jt miller and mcilrath to edmonton and pri away a young forward ?

our team needs at defense are mail carrier, pp qb, point shot and offensive playmaker. where exactly does mcilrath fit in there ?

with girardi, staal, mcd and klein, we have some grit on d. none of those guys are soft. i say we must keep stralman. skjei isnt ready. mcilrath maybe but will he have a spot ? if we lock of staal and stralman, we have our d set for years.

mcilrath has value (for now) and is expendable based upon our current defense.

thats the guy to move on draft day.

WE NEED A CENTERMAN !!!

 

[Inferno]

Trading Dorsett foro a 5th/6th round pick this year frees up 1.6 in space to give both Moore and Boyle raises.

Boyle gets 2.5 for 4 (+800k), Moore gets around 2 for 2 or 3 (+1.0). The additional 200k can be taken from the rise in cap.

Bring back Carcillo at 1.0, and there's your 4th line.

yeah, but then again, youre down 1 bench player. someone will have to take that spot. and that someone will have a cap hit.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I'd resign

Kreider,
Zooks
Brass
Stralman
Pou
John Moore

I'd extend Staal.

When it comes to D Moore and Boyle I'd see which one is more reasonable and how much cash we have left.

I'd let Carcillo leave.

If we can get Diaz cheap or on a 2 way deal I'd consider him as depth backup.

 

[Idlerlee]

i wouldnt at all be surprised to see us move Stralman at the draft for a 2nd or 3rd rounder. same with Moore/Boyle/Pouliot if we cant sign them first to favorable deals.

Trading Stralman for a third round pick, That just feels like an insult to Stralman.

 

[poeman]

I'd resign

Kreider,
Zooks
Brass
Stralman
Pou
John Moore

I'd extend Staal.

When it comes to D Moore and Boyle I'd see which one is more reasonable and how much cash we have left.

I'd let Carcillo leave.

If we can get Diaz cheap or on a 2 way deal I'd consider him as depth backup.

If Carcillo is a UFA he may get good money from someone...I like him alot though

 

[noupf]

blows my mind that people here would let boyle and dominic moore walk. These are the key pieces that high quality teams look for ( or in our case, help make this team a higher quality team ). Boyle and what he brings is sooooooooooooooo overlooked on this board, its not even funny. Dominic Moore has show that he still competes at the highest level in terms of the skill he has for what he does........ and he plays with more heart than half the players in this league.

With that being said, both need to stay so long as their $$ requests are reasonable.

As for stralman.......he needs to be kept as well, again for reasonable money, he is worth a reasonable raise to keep him.

 

[Inferno]

Trading Stralman for a third round pick, That just feels like an insult to Stralman.

you do realize that he's an UFA and youre just trading his rights dont you?

a 3rd for that scenario is a LOT.

 

[Inferno]

blows my mind that people here would let boyle and dominic moore walk. These are the key pieces that high quality teams look for ( or in our case, help make this team a higher quality team ). Boyle and what he brings is sooooooooooooooo overlooked on this board, its not even funny. Dominic Moore has show that he still competes at the highest level in terms of the skill he has for what he does........ and he plays with more heart than half the players in this league.

With that being said, both need to stay so long as their $$ requests are reasonable.

As for stralman.......he needs to be kept as well, again for reasonable money, he is worth a reasonable raise to keep him.

nobody WANTS to let them walk. If they both could be had for say 3mil total, we'd all be for it. but it wouldnt surprise me if its 5-6mil total to keep them, esp with the AWFUL free agent class we have ahead of us.

5-6 mil for your 4th line is insane.

 

[NickyFotiu]

blows my mind that people here would let boyle and dominic moore walk. These are the key pieces that high quality teams look for ( or in our case, help make this team a higher quality team ). Boyle and what he brings is sooooooooooooooo overlooked on this board, its not even funny. Dominic Moore has show that he still competes at the highest level in terms of the skill he has for what he does........ and he plays with more heart than half the players in this league.

With that being said, both need to stay so long as their $$ requests are reasonable.

As for stralman.......he needs to be kept as well, again for reasonable money, he is worth a reasonable raise to keep him.

I do not think Boyle or Moore are overlooked at all on this board. Quite the contrary they get a lot of credit on this board but do you think we should sign 4th line players before 1st or 2nd line players? We need to have priorities. If Boyle and Moore can be resigned they will be but not before guys like Kreider, Zooks, Staal, and Brass.

 

[Trxjw]

I don't know how people can lament over the lack of offense from the defense, but be so opposed to letting Stralman go. I'm really not interested in adding a 3rd pairing PP specialist to the team.

 

[NYR Viper]

I guess I'm not seeing the reasoning behind moving a young player like McIlrath either. If they can re-sign Stralman and Staal, that makes Moore and Klein clear redundant pieces with players like Skjei, McIlrath and Allen developing well. Cheap 3rd pairing players.

 

[Ghost of jas]

I don't know how people can lament over the lack of offense from the defense, but be so opposed to letting Stralman go. I'm really not interested in adding a 3rd pairing PP specialist to the team.

There are many contradictory beliefs that this fanbase clings to.

 

[ecemleafs]

I guess I'm not seeing the reasoning behind moving a young player like McIlrath either. If they can re-sign Stralman and Staal, that makes Moore and Klein clear redundant pieces with players like Skjei, McIlrath and Allen developing well. Cheap 3rd pairing players.

most of us would like all of our players back but their play this year will earn them contracts that we probably cannot afford. Stralman will be a top 3 dman on the market this summer. Do we really want to give him a big deal long term to be our 4th best defenseman?