travel_dude

I was just saying if you want to ensure you have a player signed, sometimes you have to do the offer you don't like. If he wasn't going to sign, you may know sooner. Who knows.

We don't really know the conversation do we. All summer long was there big offers being talked about? Or were they looking at a reduced AAV because he was coming off a crap year? Why would he sign for $8M in a summer with no leverage? Anyway, I don't really know.

The only way that happens is that you throw a high dollar offer at the player. Would you have been comfortable in offering JH 9.75 to 10M last summer?

You can read that a couple of ways. Specifically, he is saying that with Tkachuk, they have 3x35+ goal scorers. That's his belief that we re able to score that much this year. And he implies that he expects to be on the top line. I am not discourage at this point. I think the agent is just saying he doesn't want out. For what it's worth. I don't expect a low ball offer, but that could change the opinion if it happened. If they had someone signed to replace him, then the lower offers make sense.

We got hosed for picks due to Feaster, but even so we had 3 x 1st rounders.

I don't know, but wasn't there some hallway decent players available on FA day? Burakovsky signs in Seattle. Replaces some of what Gaudreau brings for about 50% of the salary. A couple of years younger. Just one example. I get that he had to pivot last minute, but they perhaps should have been identifying players of interest in the off chance that a player that wasn't communicating interest or non-interest in an offer for a month. Plan B may not replace the missing offense entirely, but how do you show commitment to win to the other unsigned players? Anyway, doesn't really matter at this point. I guess we shall see the team when training camp starts. Or at least some idea of it. Things to do before then. Maybe trades is the only way out of this. Remaining UFA's not that exciting for long term. Kadri and Milano maybe the best of what's left, assuming we have some interest in them.

I don't know exactly when the RFA's were allowed to be negotiated with. I suspect it was January 1st. If that was the case, why are we seeing three RFA's? Was that their decision to hold off? If so, then BT really isn't at fault with THOSE ones. JH contract is a fail. I'm frustrated because we went from knowing that JH wasn't signing to doing....nothing. Were we so all in that there wasn't even a consideration of a plan B? Or is it just radio silent and we didn't have accepted offers for any of the first ones to go? It may not be fair to say that, but it just feels like BT was so taken back, that he is frozen.

Not surprised with Tkachuk. Didn't make sense to have a hard deadline like that. Nylander length negotiation at worst. But he doesn't get stuck with a lower than $9M award. He can accept, but that depends on negotiations I guess. Haven't heard anything about that.

Well, losing JH means we lost the QB. So, that has to be replaced somehow. Even without the PP, we need someone to feed people on the top line.

Part of that is puck movers. I think I recall that several players were really good at zone entry success, but I don't exactly remember who. Ras and Kylington? Backlund? Need to also win O-zone draws on the PP. Anyway the point is taken, and if this was the final roster we are in some trouble. If they are doing a proper job of evaluating pros, then they can identify targets that can take this up. I also think we didn't always put players in the right positions to excel. We used them in the obvious spots, but mabe not the best? A top 6 C should always be a target, but so should puck movers. Is Milano or Kapanen that guy? Is Dvorak? There are some teams in odd places that could be trading partners.

Nobody doubts the impact his leaving will have. I doubt Tkachuk drops off to 60, since he was above that as a 2nd line player with Backlund. I do wonder what happens to the PP. We lost the QB. But we were at times ineffective because it went through him. We need to replace that role. Maybe it results in more offense on the PP and less at evens. I do think we need to be quite careful in what we do in FA. I prefer the idea of looking for a playmaker nad a PP specialist, either through trade or FA. But we also need to be sure that the team deals with expiring contracts like Lucic and Monahan. We can keep them, hope for Monahan to rebound and be less impressed with a dip in the standings. Such has been the case, with or without JH. I would prefer to ship them off, add a lesser costing toughie to replace Lucic and go from there. Use the cap to improve. As long as that doesn't cost us dearly to move them. Target trades that bring in players that fit the vision and add skill we lack. Milano is unsigned. He adds something we lack.

Whatever. You didn't want Markstrom. Your wanted to trade Gaudreau. Now it seems that you want to trade Tkachuk because you have convinced yourself he is out and even if he wasn't, we can't build a team around him. What does that signal?

The problem is you only see one thing now and that's a rebuild. Whether you truly believe Tkachuk will walk or not, you are being consumed with the idea of tearing it down. So, every thing is the same. Fire the GM to rebuild. Trade a player for a wealth of picks to rebuild. Targeted tank to rebuild. I get it. It's an opinion. You can only see one path. Nothing else will bring the cup.

IIRC, there was something that suggested it was a OHL player(s). They may have actually said OHL. I wasn't worried then, but unfortunately all will be painted the same way.

I would prefer that nobody trusted reports it. If he wants out, keep it quiet and let BT find a deal. Once teams know you want out, they offer a boat anchor and some pucks.

He called out every player at some point. He also praised Backlund in the playoffs IIRC, saying the guy does the ehavy listing nobody else can do.

If he wanted out, he's not going to block many places. If he wants out. CBJ has a lot of nothing.

Not really. They have 18M with only 8 signed F. And 8 signed D.

Well, the guy isn't exactly tweeting stuff for the sake of spreading false rumors. He tweets a lot of factual stuff by verified accounts. He has 1000 fllowers, for what it's worth. Anyway, sometimes Backlund gets no love in the fan world. He might feel like all he does is get to defend. Been there done that.

True, but Stone didn't sound like he wanted to re-sign with us, so he was a rentail. Would we have signed him for that much? Dunno. We signed Brouwer the summer before so the die was cast. That was such a messed up season.

Benjamin Jones signed 1 year - 2 way deal. $750k. 6 foot C. Played in the AHL for Silver Knights. AHL depth perhaps to replace Gawdin or Kirkland.

Laine is younger, more adept at scoring (typically 30+ goals) and is a PP whiz. He's also a RHS LW, which is something we lack. He doesn't set up others that much, but neither does Bread. Magiapane scores goals because he is a pest and fights for space. Laine doesn't even come close to his abilities right now and still scored 26 in 56 games. And he's big. I think he hates small markets that don't do much. Trading for him would be a big committment to being a contender. This still leaves the door open for a Dube for Girard trade. And then Hanifin for Necas. LOL. If BT was able to play 3D chess, then it might work.

I agree we need to be in on trades right now. Maybe Kadri will sign for what we might offer or maybe he won't. If he signs, it's not at 9.5M. Regardless, we have to be on the look out. Monahan is a surplus player now and is a very risky final year (cap wise). I don't know that the IR timing will allow us to buy him out. He should still have some value to a team banking on a reclamation project. Would CBJ be inclined to get trade Nyqvist for Monahan just to keep Johnny happy? He has no connection to the city and only knows Guddy. A winger for a C. Both pending UFA's. Maybe impossible considering that CBJ needs to sign Laine. Perhaps there is a Mangiapane+ offer we could come up with for Laine. COL has Girard that they can't really keep. Byram is probably pushing him down the lineup anyway. MTL might need to trade Dvorak; they are not getting what they paid for him. NYR - Kakko? They have few D sitting on the roster.

I get that the team can file, but doesn't he automatically only get a possible 1 year deal that way? Players in their last year before UFA can't get 2 years. Or at least that's what I understood. July 22nd the day the QO expires IIRC. Is that also the last time a OS can be signed?

We will see what he intends to do. I have this feeling he won't file, but that is my own twisted logic. The arbitration timeline doesn't give him as much time as he likes to negotiate. Arbitration is the nuclear option and I don't think he wants to go there. The OS threat can get him a possible 5 year deal and end up in 5 years getting a really good deal. Assumin of course that someone is willing to sign him to one. He gets a deal at either city one way or the other. They match, he stays and doesn't need to hold BT randsom with possibly being dealt to a crap team. They don't match, he goes to the team he wants. Like I said, just twisted logic. BT is as likely to overpay on 8 years just because he lost one guy. Maybe filing for abitration gets him that deal but maybe he doesn't want that term.