GDT: UFA Frenzy 2024 - We're ALL Gonna Die

[cptjeff]

We brought him in with 2 x league minimum after a career of mostly sub-million dollar contracts and while here the bastard did this thing where he got someone to sign him for 3x$2.75M.

I'd much rather have Noesen at that price than Martinook at $3m.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

If you add Nadeau, we have about $13.7 million is cap space by my calculation.

Scmaltz doesn't play a position of need. If we trade with Utah, I'd go for Crouse and a prospect like Miko Matikka. Big kid, played will at UD last season.

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Cap friendly, while still up, agrees and they have 150k more cap space but still have Martin on the roster instead of nadeau

 

[NotOpie]

I think that’s what BBA is saying, and I agree. I don’t think there’s any way we’d get Crouse and a plus. I’d be surprised if we got Crouse straight up. Everyone knows Necas is available and everyone has made their moves. I’m sure there’s teams interested but value might not be high now, and I don’t think there’s any way we’re getting the equivalent of Necas back. Not right now anyways.

Utah is pretty weak down the right side....especially if they play Schmaltz in the middle (I don't think they will). Their center depth is very weak, IMO, too. I think Necas would slot nicely on a top line w/Keller. Might have a shot at 2C even. Cooley and Hayton are likely in line for one of those top center spots.

They love Crouse because of his leadership. Been talked about as a future captain. But still, Necas is a much more dynamic player with significantly more upside.

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Cap friendly, while still up, agrees and they have 150k more cap space but still have Martin on the roster

$14, 625,000 in cap space. Nadeau's salary is $918,000. That would leave $13,707,000.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

I'd much rather have Noesen at that price than Martinook at $3m.

They aren't comparable players though.

One was a very sheltered 4th liner who got 11 of his 37 points on the 2nd PP unit and played against the weakest competition among forwards.

One is a 3rd liner that is one of the least sheltered players on the team, taking on the toughest assignments that got 31 of his 32 points at ES (and 1 point on the PK).

Noesen was great in his role and I liked having him on the team, but he is the less complete player of the two.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Utah is pretty weak down the right side....especially if they play Schmaltz in the middle (I don't think they will). Their center depth is very weak, IMO, too. I think Necas would slot nicely on a top line w/Keller. Might have a shot at 2C even. Cooley and Hayton are likely in line for one of those top center spots.

They love Crouse because of his leadership. Been talked about as a future captain. But still, Necas is a much more dynamic player with significantly more upside.


$14, 625,000 in cap space. Nadeau's salary is $918,000. That would leave $13,707,000.

Now subtract martin’s salary and we get 14.48 which is what I have been saying along.

So again subtract 2 more forwards and we have 16 million with 10 forwards, 6 defenders and 2 goalies

 

[User13452]

I'd much rather have Noesen at that price than Martinook at $3m.

Can’t skate like martinook can. Wasn’t even playable in overtime in the rangers series due to lack of foot speed.

 

[ElmCityGuy]

I'm glad the Canes brought back Martinook. Need to have guys like him to win. Nothing flashy but gets the job done. Sort of like a plug wire on a 1970 Chevelle.. fairly cheap and boring looking but take one off and see how she runs.

 

[whiskers]

Also rather have Martinnook , he has more heart , I always thought Noessen is An AHL player , he shouldn't have never had so many minutes playing with The Aho line , on the PP he was ok cause he basically the only one who went in front of the net , myself I would have put Slavin in front of the net.
but all of this wont matter cause Brindy is gonna make Martinook play with Aho and Jarvis with Staal lol and we will all get mad at the Nookster again

 

[cptjeff]

Can’t skate like martinook can. Wasn’t even playable in overtime in the rangers series due to lack of foot speed.

That's fair. Marty certainly has the better motor by a mile.

 

[chaz4hockey]

Cs

They aren't comparable players though.

One was a very sheltered 4th liner who got 11 of his 37 points on the 2nd PP unit and played against the weakest competition among forwards.

One is a 3rd liner that is one of the least sheltered players on the team, taking on the toughest assignments that got 31 of his 32 points at ES (and 1 point on the PK).

Noesen was great in his role and I liked having him on the team, but he is the less complete player of the two.

View attachment 891960

plus kills penalties which Noesen can’t

 

[Lempo]

Cap friendly, while still up

It's the worst part that the good people at CapFriendly have kept doing their thing and by all appearances will until the moment they will be cut from the internet open to the public.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Also rather have Martinnook , he has more heart , I always thought Noessen is An AHL player , he shouldn't have never had so many minutes playing with The Aho line , on the PP he was ok cause he basically the only one who went in front of the net , myself I would have put Slavin in front of the net.
but all of this wont matter cause Brindy is gonna make Martinook play with Aho and Jarvis with Staal lol and we will all get mad at the Nookster again

He really didn't play that many though. Over the last 2 seasons where Aho played 2074 minutes 5v5, Noesen only played 163 total with Aho.

Like with Martinook, he was a guy that RBA would try up there when there were injuries or when the top line would struggle or get man handled when it was TT-Aho-Jarvis.

 

[Lempo]

I'd much rather have Noesen at that price than Martinook at $3m.

Marty's intangibles get tangible enough often enough. If we're overpaying an UFA, there are many worse choices.

 

[whiskers]

whos Gonna fight now , Noessen and DA are gone

 

[MyLuckyPuck]

Didn't Nacho and Zadina have some pre-draft Czech league chemistry at some point? I may be misremembering this. Sign him and tell nachos you have a chance to form a great line with your old teammate...see where it goes. Again I think this team needs to take so w chances on someone to find some second line offense. I realize he's been crap since he was drafted but he was a first rounder. And if anyone can get something out of an underachiever it Rod.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

whos Gonna fight now , Noessen and DA are gone

Per hockeyfights.com

Noesen had 2 fights this season (1 regular, 1 PO)
TDA had 0 fights this season.
TDA had 2 fights the 21-22 season

 

[A Star is Burns]

Tarasenko to Detroit. They'll be entertaining to watch with all the 7-6 games.

 

[whiskers]

Per hockeyfights.com

Noesen had 2 fights this season (1 regular, 1 PO)
TDA had 0 fights this season.
TDA had 2 fights the 21-22 season

wow far cry from 1980's hockey

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Poor Pittsburgh PR.

 

[chaz4hockey]

It's the worst part that the good people at CapFriendly have kept doing their thing and by all appearances will until the moment they will be cut from the internet open to the public.

Worth a download before they go dark?

 

[tarheelhockey]

So what you are essentially saying, is that your freak-out was premature and unwarranted back then because you assumed the front office wouldn't make changes, so it might be again now? I guess that's fine. To each, their own.

You remember the Nino trade was made in January, right?

Yes it is warranted and not at all premature to freak out when the team bleeds talent in July/August leading to a weakened roster and poor first half of the season. Correcting that with improvements in the second half is great but not guaranteed.

To make it as simple as possible — if Nino doesn’t play some of the best hockey of his career for a few weeks after that trade, the Canes likely miss the playoffs and none of this narrative exists. Are we seriously counting on that kind of lucky break right now, to explain why it’s fine that we just lost an entire 5-man unit from our top 6?

Let's get back to the point @Derailed75 made. He said this team is more talented than the 18/19 team, yet you are commenting about not having a Guentzel type scorer.

In 18-19, here were the top returning goal scorers from the prior season:
Aho: 29
TT: 23
Staal: 19
Williams: 16

In 24-25, here are the top returning goal scorers from the prior season:
Aho: 36
Jarvis: 33
Necas: 24
Svech: 19 (in 59 games so a 26G 82 game pace).

It's fair to say we have much more offense on this squad than the 18-19 squad did.

The defense is a little weaker than 18-19 for sure
Our goalies are substantially better heading into the season than 18-19
Our forwards are substantially better heading into the season 18-19

And if you remember, heading into the 18-19 season, Jordan Staal was the only player on the roster that had spent NHL time playin Center. Rask cut his hand on a sweet potato and was out to start the season. Aho had only been tried about 10 games by Peters at C, but was always a winger. He was even a winger in Finland, moving to C for the WJC. Wallmark had no NHL experience.

Even with our lack of a true 2C, we have Aho, Kuzy, Staal, KK, and Drury with NHL center experience.

Like I said, I do expect a step back, I don't share the gloom and doom you and others do. If I'm wrong, so be it, but no sense freaking out about it now.

The Canes were a much better team in 2024 than in 2018, sure. Nobody’s saying otherwise. Of course we’re loaded with more proven players now.

But “more proven” isn’t the measure of quality. Jordan Staal in 2018 was a much, much better player than he will be in 2025. Kuzy is a proven commodity and that is exactly the problem, we know what he is and it isn’t great. Kotkaniemi is becoming an anchor and his continued presence in the organization will be a head scratcher unless he shows up as a new man. Most importantly, Aho may not have been a proven center but he was in reality a #1C in the making. Barring an absolute miracle of player development, we do not have anything like that in our lineup right now.

Long story short, in 2018 we were hoping a handful of unproven Cs might come together and be a solid group. In 2024, we already know they won’t. We have Aho and that’s it. And it gets a whole lot worse when injuries and slumps hit.

At the end of the day, the problem we’re facing is that the 2024 team was heavily bolstered by depth which gave us some really nice matchup dynamics and allowed guys like Jarvis and Necas to thrive up and down the lineup. That depth no longer exists. Now we have a much less impressive defensive group, we’re weak down the middle, our goaltending is inconsistent at its very best. So we’re looking to wingers like Svech and Necas, who have never carried much, to suddenly step up and be the kinds of studs who carry a team.

It’s just not a good formula. If they make the playoffs, and I’d give them about an 80% chance on that, this is not a group that’s going to go anywhere. We don’t have Brock McGinns and Warren Foegeles all over the lineup. The one thing that might bail us out is improved goaltending, but again that’s just another “if” on a really large pile of “ifs”.

 

[hblueridgegal]

 

[LakeLivin]

whos Gonna fight now , Noessen and DA are gone

KK, if he's here?

 

[Deon Thompson]

The only thing Noesen is better than Martinook at is planting his butt in front of the goalie on the 2nd unit PP. I think we get blinded by offense sometimes.

 

[FlyingSquirrels]

The only thing Noesen is better than Martinook at is planting his butt in front of the goalie on the 2nd unit PP. I think we get blinded by offense sometimes.

I think Noesen's passing acumen was vastly underrated by us. He was a sneaky son-of-a-bitch, especially while dishing from behind the net.