travel_dude

I am concerned that we move on from Vladar too soon. Has one year left ending as a RFA with arbitration rights.

I'm assuming that Vladar is no longer waiver exempt this year. Not that it matters, but it would have been nice to have that option to get him some more games. He's backup only, but I feel like he could be playing more this season.

I wasn't that impressed with Warner. Since the team will be in Calgary, they should be able to closely monitor the backup situation this year. A couple in the pipeline. Is Sergeev eligible to play in the AHL, being drafted out of US hockey?

I get what you are saying and somewhat agree that you don't overpay on one season's results. Saying that, Mangiapane has been producing at a 20+ goal clip for two years now, while playing less minutes. Kylington is a more difficult thing for me. Growth in his first actual full season. Produced at a similar rate to Hanifin, but played with a defensively minded player. About 350 less games played than Hanifin. Hard to say if Kylington can improve as much as he did this past season, but really he had done everything in the right direction until he fell off around the time of his concussion. Maybe slightly before that. All that aside, you only move on if the moves improve the team. Kylington isn't going to get any huge arbitration award. His offer just has to be fair to make it worthwhile. Mangiapane would get a big award due to his production over 60 minutes. Maybe he isn't a 35 goal guy, but I think he's a 30 goal one. He managed to get 8 PPG last season, so that might account for the difference between this and last year.

We need to be strong up the middle, which sounds worse. We have two C's that have done exactly what was needed. The top 6, as the year ended seemed to be just right. 3rd line not quite right. 4th line really struggled with speed. So that kinda implies we need a 3C and 4C. A consistent Rozie is a 3C at worst. Lewis was a strong 4C. We struggled a bit on the wings the way those two lines were constructed. No playmaker on line 3. Lucic and Ritchie on line 4. They struggled when they played. Did some things well, but struggled in other parts of the game. Ideally, Lucic moves on and we find a taker for Monahan. In a perfect world, Monahan comes back and is able to produce, but we simply can't afford him while trying to stay the same or get better. If we managed to clear those two players, I would like to get Namestnikov, simply as a utility player. A bit more utility than Jarnkrok. Shouldn't cost the farm. That would give us some flexibility for building the 4th line. For trades, there isn't a lot that I can come up with. Dube for Puljujarvi. Valimaki for Dunne.

This is a bit of an aside, but I am waiting to see two players on the Heat roster next season. Kuz and Poirier. Apparently, Poirier has improved his defensive game. He has been lighting up the Q already. If he can progress in the AHL, we might have something. Kuz is a big steady guy, not flashy but supposedly good defensively. Am I the only one that sees two gingers that look similar? Poirier and Commodore.

I would have thought he was some kind of good luck charm. But he actually seems to be more of a always a bridesmaid kinda guy. He has his cup, but that was two decades ago.

Yes to the above. I was converned about going from a steady Eddy (TJ) to Car Crash Kenny. I was okay with 60 games of Tanev though. Not 82, then 9 out of 12. Much longer runway to work with in the season. And yes, Hughes was exactly why I knew he would be that good with us. The Nucks made so many bad decisions, I wouldn't say they let Tanev go because of injury. They had more expensive problems that Benning was making mistakes on. They went backwards in nets because they were afraid of losing Markstrom or Demko for nothing. Good teams know how to solve those problems. Nothing against Demko. He's great. Back to the summer at hand. Chabot instead of Hanifin or Kylington. One has to go. Hanifin's salary closer to $8M, so it helps balance it out. No to Tkachuk for Chabot. Hanifin, Dube + for Chabot, then we are talking.

Oh well, I can't say I have been to many 60' beaches. Maybe Queensland, the pre-Liquor Dome spot for chicks with cars. My beef with beaches is the good ones are too far or too foggy for part of the summer. The water finally gets warm(er) in the summer and stays that way until October. I probably spent the first 18 summers at Cavendish Beach in PEI. About 2 KM long I guess, with th next three beaches (Rustico, Stanhope, Dalvay) being another 5 or so miles. 20, if you were lucky in the water until August, then jellyfish. No wonder Quebec is so pissed. St' Lawrence river is about the best they get. Just kidding. Every province has something to draw people, but I keep asking people here, where's the beach. They think I mean beef. Fresh seasfood, 24 hour drive to the nearest ocean, just sayin'. Glad you found a place you like. I don't mind EDM, but please send some plow operators that know what it means to play a street. Car may rust out a little faster back east, but holy crap, it was months before I actually saw the base pavement on city streets here. Plow the snow fater everyone droves over it. Plow till it's smooth and shiney. Snow and repeat. Are streets meant to be white in color in winter and black in summer?

We were lucky with injuries last year. Is Tanev any less likely to miss a bunch of time? He was never a full season guy before. If he has repetetive injuries of the same body parts, then stay away. Otherwise, they are accidents.

I don't see that being an issue. Hanifin competes for moving the play and isn't (IMHO) smart with his decision making. Ideally, you bring in Chabot to replace Hanifin. Unfortunately, that may not be possible, depending on who is on his 8 team list. But if you are bringing in $8M, you need to send out almost as much, if not more. Maybe you can get away with Monahan + Hanifin + Valimaki. They send Brannstrom and we flip him for Poolparty.

Beaches? In the middle of the country? Okay, I guess. Always found the concept of a beach on a freshwater lake to be kinda odd. But Ontario is spoiled by having some of the best lakes in the country, so you got me there. Guess the Yanks said you can keep Sarnia but you have to take half of Lake Erie. Not much of an insult. Perhaps they walked around Sarnia and decided naw, not worth it. It's a great big country and I've only lived in two cities.

At the very least Monahan is a TDL asset that could get back to decent form. But the cost to keep him is losing Lucic.

From what I get, they are wanting to move Zadina. Is that your understanding? I think DET would benefit from Monahan, but then I would have to become more of a Wings fan.

He was quoting me in his tirade, which is fine, but misdirected. As a displaced Maritimer, I don't even like fish. I don't eat cod cheeks or flipper pie, that's for the Newfies. Love the beach, but hate going to the beach in the fog. Love lobster, but prefer the spiny garbage eaters from PEI. What is a quaint place to visit is hell to live. I went back during the pandemic (a lot) and follow local politics. What a bunch of virtue-signaling, appologize for everything, freeloaders. Oh, they are a friendly bunch, but don't walk the wrong way in a grocery store. Don't be caught driving outside your neighborhood or have people show up at your house. Hide under the bed and hope someone pays you to stay away from work. Please lock us down again. I don't really have any trash for those in the Sarnia area. Never been there, only know people from TO or Kitch/Waterloo. Ottawa is full of whiny biotches. Toronto is where crime goes to school. Living in EDM may not be a treat, but at least I can watch a Flames game at a normal time. And I can watch all the Oiler flags quietly go away after yet another loss.

If we want Chabot, then we need to send them Monahan ++ to make it work for us. Monahan + Hanifin, if you like. Add from there, but don't strip the team.

It's a tough choice for this summer for me. Hanifin was good regular season. Kylington was awesome for half the year. Zaddy and Guddy pretty darn good and made our identity known. Would a year of growth from Kyl offset the not getting any better Hanifin? Hanifin and Kylington have opened a few eyes out there. Their ceiling (in my mind) are basically the same; 3/4D. I'm not as big a Chabot fan as others. Looking for a 2/3D at worst. Don't want to use Tkachuk to get there. We don't have a replacement. Ruuta might be a replacement for Guddy if he doesn't sign. Or even a short term replacement for Tanev. Other than that I want a top D.

Don't drag me into your war of words. LOL. I am comfortable know I was 4th without used the playoff cheat code (Oiler players).

Is Corey Perry the new James Neal of playoff teams? Whereever he goes, misery follows. Neal leaves Pitts and they win a cup. He goes to NAS, they lose in the finals. He goes to Vegas, they lose in the finals. He goes to CGY, we lose round 1. He goes to EDM, they lose in round 1. Perry goes to Dallas, they lose in the finals. He goes to MTL, they lose in th finals. He goes to Tampa......

The QO has to be issued by entry draft date (July 7-8). If a player has not signed the QO, that player can be signed to an offer sheet. The dates are a little messed up due to the late season start. In the old world, a player can sign an OS starting July 1st. One would expect that to be the date of free agency, July 13th. The offer sheets are so rare, so I doubt it's much of a worry. To me, the most likely outcome is Gaudreau signs by July 13th and Tkachuk after that. Tkachuk will file for arbitration, along with the other guys. It will just move BT along in getting them done. Not sure if there is a lot of talk between JH's agent and BT. An offer presented and waiting for a counter. As long as BT went in with a strong offer, it should go well.

Like I said, I have no issues with Zaddy, but there was 82 games before the playoffs. They didn't use Zaddy with Tanev for a reason. Would prefer to keep him around.

I don't get the love affair with Zaddy. He was good for us in a sheltered role. He wasn't great in an expanded role. Don't get me wong, I would love to bring him back. Him and Guddy made players crap their pants. Maybe this doesn't cut it, but I would only do Monahan + Hanifin for Chabot. Maybe add a pick or prospect. Losing Tkachuk and only getting a stud D-man doesn't help us. Enough. We lose 40 goals. We get back the equivalen scoring as Hanifin.

Things never seem to match what one expects. LA was close to getting home ice as 2nd in the Pacific. The Ducks were rolling then gave up at TDL. VAN is in a bit of a quandry as to what identity they are. Vegas has a good cast of players that can easily compete for 1st. But they have difficult decisions to make. They bought some cap flexibilty, but they don't gain any deadline cap. What they start with in October is what they are at game 82. EDM is interesting to watch with Kenny at the head. Hasn't fixed the goalie situation and even if Smith retires, he has big problems. What made them a playoff team is a player that gets $7M on the market. Maybe I underestimate the market, but I don't see Barrie giving them cap in a trade. Pooly, Yammer and McLoud just make it worse. Difficult to sign them all. Have to buy out Kassian. Won't get much of the same team back under the cap. If they manage to sign Kulak, dump Kassian and Barrie, sign the RFA's, are they even close to the same team? I just don't see it. Keep Kane and dump Puljujarvi and Yamamoto and Barrie. 1/2 a team.

Or they are like the Flames last year.

Considering neither of those teams are contenders or close to being one, why does Gaudreau ever sign there? Sign to play with Torts on a team that was a mess? They need to get rid of JVR just to have room. And to actually get a goalie. Sign with NJ? Young team on the rise, give them at least 3 years.