Remaining UFA to Sign or PTO

[bosn111]

There are still some enticing names on the UFA market. It makes things more interesting when camp is only a few weeks away.

 

With the Flames needing to make at least one trade to free up cap space for Tkachuk, and the Valimaki injury, who could be some UFAs to sign or offer PTOs to in order to facilitate a move?

 

Looking at capfriendly the players that jump out at me are:

 

Griffin Reinhart a 25 year old former 4oa 6’4 217 left shot D. Oilers let him walk. We all know the quality of Oiler prospect development. At a low cost show me contract, he would at least help fill out the AHL team if he can’t make the big club. 850k x 2 fair price at this point? If he gets cut and grabbed on waivers, wouldn’t be a bad thing at that price.

 

Joe Morrow same idea. Former 23oa, 26 yo 6’0 196 left shot D. He got 1 mil last season, but this late, go cheaper 800-850k should get it done.

 

PTO’s as these guys likely need more cash would go to: 

 

Adam McQuaid 32yo RD

Dan Girardi 35 yo RD

Marc Methot 34 yo LD

David Schlemko 32 yo LD

Ben Hutton 26 yo LD

 

The reason I go the PTO route is that they add competition. If young guys do better, you just cut them at no cost. If they play well, give them a contract. It also leaves space to make a move. McQuaid or Girardi could open a Brodie trade. The others cover the Valimaki injury. Once Valimaki is healthy, they become trade able with at least some vet value closer to the TDL. Or they allow Valimaki the season to heal and no worries. Signing out of a PTO also likely means a lower cap hit.

 

At RW I would invite Devante Smith-Pelly, Lee Stempniak and Jimmy Hayes. LW PTO for Vanek, Sheehan, Prust, Reider. Centres don’t have much interest in UFAs though Zacha or Kempe in trade somehow could be nice.

 

If any of these players could free up trades of Brodie and Frolik at low cost cap hits, then I would do it. While I still have faith in Kylington, Bennett and Mangiapane, If any of these others beat them out for spots, so be it. Competition for positions never hurts.

 

Thoughts?

[travel_dude]

Reinhart was selected by Vegas in the expansion draft and they let him go.

I would only ever be interested in an AHL contract, just because we have so little there.

Even then, I would be more inclined to look at someone that could become a NHL player someday and not block spots.

 

None of those D really excite me, but then I just don't want an older guy that can't skate.

Admit I don't know if any of them have that issue.

 

Sheehan might be worth a shot, but I think someone is signing him before camp.

Reider used to be a target for me, but he singlehandedly lost the Oilers the chance at the playoffs.

No goals.  Maybe they misused him, but the less ex-Oilers the better.

As it is we have too many.

 

DSP might be a reasonable target, but do any of the kids have a better ceiling?  Tuulola?

[GM_3300]

21 hours ago, bosn111 said:

There are still some enticing names on the UFA market. It makes things more interesting when camp is only a few weeks away.

 

With the Flames needing to make at least one trade to free up cap space for Tkachuk, and the Valimaki injury, who could be some UFAs to sign or offer PTOs to in order to facilitate a move?

 

Looking at capfriendly the players that jump out at me are:

 

Griffin Reinhart a 25 year old former 4oa 6’4 217 left shot D. Oilers let him walk. We all know the quality of Oiler prospect development. At a low cost show me contract, he would at least help fill out the AHL team if he can’t make the big club. 850k x 2 fair price at this point? If he gets cut and grabbed on waivers, wouldn’t be a bad thing at that price.

 

Joe Morrow same idea. Former 23oa, 26 yo 6’0 196 left shot D. He got 1 mil last season, but this late, go cheaper 800-850k should get it done.

 

PTO’s as these guys likely need more cash would go to: 

 

Adam McQuaid 32yo RD

Dan Girardi 35 yo RD

Marc Methot 34 yo LD

David Schlemko 32 yo LD

Ben Hutton 26 yo LD

 

The reason I go the PTO route is that they add competition. If young guys do better, you just cut them at no cost. If they play well, give them a contract. It also leaves space to make a move. McQuaid or Girardi could open a Brodie trade. The others cover the Valimaki injury. Once Valimaki is healthy, they become trade able with at least some vet value closer to the TDL. Or they allow Valimaki the season to heal and no worries. Signing out of a PTO also likely means a lower cap hit.

 

At RW I would invite Devante Smith-Pelly, Lee Stempniak and Jimmy Hayes. LW PTO for Vanek, Sheehan, Prust, Reider. Centres don’t have much interest in UFAs though Zacha or Kempe in trade somehow could be nice.

 

If any of these players could free up trades of Brodie and Frolik at low cost cap hits, then I would do it. While I still have faith in Kylington, Bennett and Mangiapane, If any of these others beat them out for spots, so be it. Competition for positions never hurts.

 

Thoughts?

They should pick up someone like Schlemko a proven defenseman for the LS given Valimaki being lost for the season. Kylington can definitely be worked in around Schlemko. You mention bringing in players to free up Brodie and Frolik for trades but I have to believe most trade talks have happened involving these two. I almost think BT would be better off trading Jankowski and Czarnik to keep Frolik around. All 3 likely don't have a future past this season.

[cross16]

No interest in Reinhart personally. His skating is not NHL calibre and his hockey sense does not make up for it. In many cases I agree that you write of certain past performance due to Oiler development but this isn't one. He's just not a very good player. 

 

Some of the PTOs I would be interested in depend on what BT does with Frolik etc but I have some interest in:

 

Joe Morrow

Devante Smith-Pelly, (i'm actually interested in a contract for him)

Jamie McGinn

Stefan Noesen (some speculations Dallas is already interested)

 

That would be it for me in terms of both PTO or UFAs. Some of the names I left off are just guys I don't see signing here (McQuaid, Marleau for example) or will get more money than i would pay. 

 

[Carty]

50 minutes ago, cross16 said:

Devante Smith-Pelly, (i'm actually interested in a contract for him)

 

Definitely worth consideration...    Good chance he could be had for under $1 mil...   He won't likely put up a lot of points, but he could still contribute with his style of game...

[bosn111]

I agree that most of the guys I listed are long shots, but with prospect camps starting this week and main camp starting soon, these guys all are currently without contracts. If they want to play, they will need to drop their price soon. Otherwise they may be headed overseas. It doesn’t hurt to offer PTO and see how it goes.

[travel_dude]

You didn't list Gardiner, obviously one of the more highly rated guys unsigned.

Paajarvi might be a guy to look at.

Nothing special, but at least he scored 11 goals last year.

About the same clip as Czarnik (over 80 games).

[JTech780]

Smith-Pelley and Sheahan would probably be my top two picks for PTO's. Rourke Chartier would another but that would be to get him to Stockton.

 

Hutton would be an alright pick up, but I think their is enough interest in him, that he would price himself out of consideration.

[jjgallow]

I am not sure the big names available are necessarily the best players available right now.

 

Griffin is interesting only if we think we can do better with our Reinhart connection....

 

I'd ask the question why we don't look at freely available players nobody took a chance on for no apparent reason.

 

How about a PTO for this guy?  https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/245565/conner-mcdonald

 

 

[LouCifer]

On 9/3/2019 at 6:18 PM, jjgallow said:

How about a PTO for this guy?  https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/245565/conner-mcdonald

 

 

 

I’d take him just for his name! We could troll Edmonton with it and he’d have to wear 97 of course. 🤣

[robrob74]

13 minutes ago, lou44291 said:

 

I’d take him just for his name! We could troll Edmonton with it and he’d have to wear 97 of course. 🤣

 

Haha! Maybe number 96 or 98, since he’s McD2

[bosn111]

Gardiner, Sheehan and Thornton have all now signed contracts. Some individuals thought that any team losing out on Gardiner might look at Brodie. I would think that the only D still on the market in the same level as Brodie would be Girardi. Methot and McQuaid play different styles, Phaneuf is on the downhill slide and Hutton simply is not at the same level at this time, though could continue to improve. As such, does this add more value in trade for Brodie? I would still take a good long look at trying to bring in Girardi or McQuaid and moving out Brodie for some cap space / forward help. Signing either of them this late, based on last years salary and incomplete seasons, likely due to injury, I would expect either to come in at 2.5 cap hit or less. I believe that adding either of them to play bottom pair with Kylington would make a far more balanced D lineup with Veteran and young guy.

 

Giordano / Andersson

Hanifin / Hamonic

Kylington / McQuaid (Girardi, Schlemko)

 

Even if we could add McQuaid for 2.5, Morrow for 1.5 (swap Kylington and Morrow as 6/7), and trading Brodie, you still save the team 650K plus in cap hit. Glad they gave DSP a PTO. The Flames could make some noise again this year.

[The_People1]

On 9/3/2019 at 4:18 PM, jjgallow said:

I am not sure the big names available are necessarily the best players available right now.

 

Griffin is interesting only if we think we can do better with our Reinhart connection....

 

I'd ask the question why we don't look at freely available players nobody took a chance on for no apparent reason.

 

How about a PTO for this guy?  https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/245565/conner-mcdonald

 

 

 

Lol Brilliant find.

[The_People1]

51 minutes ago, bosn111 said:

Some individuals thought that any team losing out on Gardiner might look at Brodie.

 

Not sure if that's true anymore because Gardiner didn't exactly get his $7M x 7.  Teams simply ran out of cap room and/or went another direction.  Interest in Gardiner from other teams may have been limited... like literally, just Edmonton.  And maybe Vancouver.  

[cross16]

Trading Brodie made a lot of sense when you had 2 young options to replace him. In order to justify losing Brodie I think the return ask would be high and I don't think his value would have gone up at the same right.

 

Can't really trade Brodie unless you get a dman who can take a decent amount of minutes back in the trade or a real upgrade at center. i don't think either are likely. 

[LouCifer]

Admittedly, I don’t know a lot about DSP, and haven’t watched him much. However, I saw what DSP did for Washington in the playoffs when they won their cup, and it turns out I may have a skewed view of his effectiveness. 

 

I respect what Todd Cordell writes about the flames. This is what he had to say:

 

RW - Devante Smith-Pelly

I don't see Smith-Pelly as someone who can help the Flames. He has averaged 14.8 points per 82 games over the last three seasons and he's extremely inefficient at 5v5. You're not getting production from him. What you're getting is a big time anchor. Last season he posted a -9.5 CF% Rel, -10.27 xGF% Rel, and -24.11 GF% Rel at 5v5. 

In other words, the Capitals controlled a significantly smaller portion of the attempts, expected goals, and actual goals with Smith-Pelly on the ice. Does he play with some bite? Sure, but so does Sam Bennett. So does Milan Lucic. So does Matthew Tkachuk. There's not a need for it.

 

Washington took Hathaway from us to essentially replace DSP, and the above article gives me pause that perhaps DSP comes with more warts than anticipated. 

[jjgallow]

17 hours ago, lou44291 said:

I respect what Todd Cordell writes about the flames. This is what he had to say:

 

RW - Devante Smith-Pelly

"Does he play with some bite? Sure, but so does Sam Bennett. So does Milan Lucic. So does Matthew Tkachuk. There's not a need for it." 

 

He would not have been my first choice either.  A lot of other fantastic PTOs out there.

 

that said,   "there's no need for it" when referring to presence, i take some issue with.

 

Listing 3 tough players out of 20 as a reason for not needing toughness is more a highlight of the other 17, imho.

 

The fact that he listed off 3 Lefties, however, makes the right handers stand out even more.

 

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, jjgallow said:

 

He would not have been my first choice either.  A lot of other fantastic PTOs out there.

 

that said,   "there's no need for it" when referring to presence, i take some issue with.

 

Listing 3 tough players out of 20 as a reason for not needing toughness is more a highlight of the other 17, imho.

 

The fact that he listed off 3 Lefties, however, makes the right handers stand out even more.

 

 

 

I agree. There are not many that have that type of game. The Flames aren’t necessarily soft but they’re not putting fear into other teams. I honestly think they try to overcompensate for their lack of size and it can tend to get them off of their game. Example: the SJ game.

[LouCifer]

On 9/7/2019 at 5:52 PM, jjgallow said:

 

that said,   "there's no need for it" when referring to presence, i take some issue with.

 

 

I’ll agree with you there JJ as I do believe “presence” remains a factor in hockey. However, I question “at what cost?”

 

consider me a fan of what I saw DSP do in the playoffs with Washington, but his numbers suggest we’d be putting ourselves at a significant disadvantage every time he steps onto the ice... now, I’m not sure who his most frequent line mates were in Washington to achieve those abysmal stats, but, are we pairing him with anyone better here? I’m not certain we are. 

 

It doesn’t hurt to take a free look at a player of course. I just hope we don’t get enamored with a single facet of his game.