Ps: the bad moves by Grier (if attempting to get wins if the metric) are many. Goodrow, Kunin, lindbom, g smith, sturm, dyllandrea, grundstrom, benning, kostin, zadina, Burroughs, Vanecek, and many others. These guys combine for 10s of millions a year. Compared to salary, their production is poop.
***However, since dead cap space means nothing when losing is ok, they are all overlooked or even praised despite historic losing.
Strongly disagree with this take.
Sure, $10s of millions is technically accurate, but 12 replacement level players is $9.3M in minimum cap space of their own. For all players (even though they weren’t all here at the same time), quick mental math says we’re at about $24M. Accounting for minimum contracts, we’re talking about a little more than $1M incremental per player above replacement. In theory, you could have 8 guys at $1M and 3 and $4M and spend the same cap space that way, but also need a few that can pk, a few with some toughness (so your teens don’t get bullied) and a few centers. Unless that’s your incremental $12M spend that $1M is now like $2M for 4 of them.
Also, any acquisitions need to be willing to come to a league worst team (in a high tax/HCOL area) and for many of them, there was no Celebrini yet. That alone may require a 25-50% premium on that $1M (or whatever is paid). It’s also worth noting that Sturm, Benning, Kunin, Goodrow, and Dellandrea are noted for their leadership, and that’s pretty important when you’re going to lose a lot of games.
Critically, none of these contracts carryover to a time when Celebrini, Smith, and Askarov will be up for new contracts. This was on a team that was designed to tank during the Bedard/Carlsson/Fantilli, Celebrini, Hagens, and if needed, McKenna years.
Hoffman was shit, but he- and Rutta-was the fee to get Dickinson. Lindbolm was an upside play but with his injuries, it didn’t work out. If he got back to his peak he’d have been worth a 2nd or 3rd at the deadline. Grier picked the wrong reclamation project with him, but it was the right strategy for a tank team. Kunin, as much as everyone shits on him, is on pace for 20 goals/30 points and is a solid gritty forward. He’s a great fourth liner or a league average third liner. I’d argue every one of those guys excluding Hoffman and Goodrow is worth their contract, and the only two we paid for, cost a 3rd (Kunin) and a 4th (Dellandrea) which could be recouped by trading them when their contracts are up.
Rather than wishing Grier acquired fictional free agents, who do you Grier could have and should have signed, and how much of a premium in dollars or years would those players require once you account for taxes, HCOL, the potential downside in future earnings given
If I recall, you really didn’t like Wennberg to start the year, and he’s been about as good of a free agent signing as we could have asked for, and the term is ideal. Should we move on, I imagine he’ll get back a 2nd at the next deadline.
Each of Grier’s below average moves- Burns, Essimont, Benning/Boroughs term, Lindbolm, and Goodrow- are explainable and none negatively impact the team in the compete window (Celebrini/Smith/Askarov’s second contract).