I think hes smart enough to realize that guys like Parayko and Pietrangelo were a big reason they lost and those guys are both very mobile. Edmundson and Bortuzzo were a total liability.The Backes contract is looking like a huge anchor. That's Sweeney. And they lost to a team with bigger, slower defensemen, so I worry he'll try to emulate that.
Leafs are no playoff lock. Made the playoffs by 1 point, losing key contributors and one or two of Fla, Mtl, NYR, NJD are likely to playoff.The biggest issue with those odds are that the Bruins at #2 will probably have to beat #4 and #1 to just get back to the ECF.
Actually four points. And just like how I expect the Bruins young players to get better, the Leafs young players will also get better. Barring season ending injuries to guys like Matthews, I would pencil them into the playoffs.Leafs are no playoff lock. Made the playoffs by 1 point, losing key contributors and one or two of Fla, Mtl, NYR, NJD are likely to playoff.
Technically 4 in the Atlantic but 1 overall. One of Kapanen or Johnsson is gone for cap reasons and Gardiner/Hainsey are gone. They are not a regression candidate (I expect them to do about 100 again) but the progression candidates are many and two are Atl foes. This applies to the Bruins too. Montreal was one of the best teams in the league and the youngest team but had *no powerplay* at all and is loaded with prospects. Florida should reload.Actually four points. And just like how I expect the Bruins young players to get better, the Leafs young players will also get better. Barring season ending injuries to guys like Matthews, I would pencil them into the playoffs.
No actually 4. If Toronto finished with 3 less points (97), they still would have made the playoffs over the 9th place team (Montreal with 96). It doesn’t matter that Montreal is in the same division in this case.Technically 4 in the Atlantic but 1 overall. One of Kapanen or Johnsson is gone for cap reasons and Gardiner/Hainsey are gone. They are not a regression candidate (I expect them to do about 100 again) but the progression candidates are many and two are Atl foes. This applies to the Bruins too. Montreal was one of the best teams in the league and the youngest team but had *no powerplay* at all and is loaded with prospects. Florida should reload.
It does for projections. Toronto would be the odd man out with a Montreal progression.No actually 4. If Toronto finished with 3 less points (97), they still would have made the playoffs over the 9th place team (Montreal with 96). It doesn’t matter that Montreal is in the same division in this case.
Yes I agree. Pitt and NYI are good bets to miss if you had to. Carolina is really good.You’re also discounting other regression candidates that are in way worse positions than Toronto, like Columbus, the Islanders, Carolina, and Pittsburgh [duck]. Unless they totally botch the Marner negotiations the way they did with Nylander, Toronto’s fine.
Also, unless Georgiev wins the Calder AND Vezina next year, I don’t buy the Rangers as a rising star yet.
If they continue to get solid goaltending, yes. But that’s not guaranteed. Mrazek and McElhinney are both UFAs, and even if one comes back to battle with Scott Darling, no one in that carousel would give me confidence. They’re a regression team just because they got better goaltending than at any point in the past decade, and I still don’t trust it.Carolina is really good.
He’s still relatively cheap and has upside. He’ll probably command $2.5 per year which is fine for a good 3rd line wing that could score 20 goals if things broke right for him, and is defensively responsible. Keep him while he’s in that dollar range, the. when he gets to UFA replace him with the next young cheap bottom 6 guy. Good drafting and development organizations should have no problem replacing a Danton Heinen every 5 years.What is it about Heinen that keeps him off the "can be moved to save $$ for others" list? Is he really a lot less ordinary than he appears to me?
He is a guy you can play almost anywhere. He can play left and right wing, top 6 and bottom six. He’s good defensively. He’s not untouchable but I also wouldn’t call him ordinary.What is it about Heinen that keeps him off the "can be moved to save $$ for others" list? Is he really a lot less ordinary than he appears to me?
I’m all for possession stats, but there has to be force behind it. If your CF% is about 55% but your HDSCF% is 40%, it’s empty possession.Carolina is an analytics darling so it's really all about how you feel about shot quality vs quantity.
Adding future bad contracts isn’t going to help the situation.I'm surprised that no one has been talking up Wayne Simmonds. The Bs just got pushed around in the SCF. Shouldn't "find someone who can skate a top 6/top 9 shift who also creates space for himself and his linemates" be high on the priority list?
And the Blues forwards, especially the first 2 lines, were more speed and skill oriented than perhaps expected.Changing the roster because one random team (barely) won with a poor formula because the refs decided to call the games like it's another era is not smart. Don't be results oriented off a sample of one. Speed and skill wins in today's NHL, stick to the plan.
The skill of ROR and Tarasenko (streaky player) is a bit overshadowed because of the level of plug on their 3rd and 4ths, for sure.And the Blues forwards, especially the first 2 lines, were more speed and skill oriented than perhaps expected.
if you retain and give them a lottery ticket, you can surely find a team on his MNTCIf you can find Team X for that Backes deal you are a hero.
Where to begin.Early Thoughts:
Trades
Bruins
Backes 1.5 mil retained
Zboril attached
Team X
4th round pick
Bruins
Miller
Team Y
4th round pick? 5th?
Bruins
Krug
Team Z (feel like Florida works here)
Two 2nd round picks (Boychuk-ish deal)
RFA
McAvoy 7/50.75
Carlo 4/18
Heinen 3/7.5
UFA
Johansson - have to be smart, sadly gone
Acciari - gone, Wagner/Kuhlman slot in at RW4
Promotions
Vaakanainen LHD2
Studnicka RW3, groom him as a future C ala Seguin. DeBrusk and Heinen both made the jump, give Studnicka the chance. He almost made the team last year.
Heinen-Coyle-Studnicka
Need
RW2. Josh Anderson could be available depending on what CBJ does
Jordan Eberle is an UFA
Taylor Hall is likely available and can play the right side as a left shot.
These moves/signings leave you with 11 mil for a RW2 and deadline.
Belichick doesn’t operate in a world of guaranteed contracts and no move clauses. It’s comparing apples to watermelons.I hate saying this out loud, but is it crazy to think the Belichickian move would be to package the Backes or Krejci contract with Bergeron for a 2nd line scorer and 1st round pick type haul, and sign a Panarin ?
12.8m out with Backes/Bergy, and Panarin at what $10m?
(I just threw up in my mouth typing this)
This would probably save me a lot of money because I might never bother watching sports again if it happened.I hate saying this out loud, but is it crazy to think the Belichickian move would be to package the Backes or Krejci contract with Bergeron for a 2nd line scorer and 1st round pick type haul, and sign a Panarin ?
12.8m out with Backes/Bergy, and Panarin at what $10m?
(I just threw up in my mouth typing this)
Yes, it's crazy.I hate saying this out loud, but is it crazy to think the Belichickian move would be to package the Backes or Krejci contract with Bergeron for a 2nd line scorer and 1st round pick type haul, and sign a Panarin ?
12.8m out with Backes/Bergy, and Panarin at what $10m?
(I just threw up in my mouth typing this)
I'd put O'Reilly up there as well.If you’re not getting a 1C back, a Bergeron for Panarin swap doesn’t even make sense, in my opinion. Teams don’t win Stanley Cups without great two way centers.
Top center on the last ten+ Cup champions:
Backstrom
Crosby (3x)
Toews (3x)
Kopitar (2x)
Bergeron
Datsyuk
Getzlaf
Not really any 2020 Krejci players on there. Bruins need Bergeron to maintain his form to remain contender.
Ultimately, the best course of action on Krug may well be to just keep him and treat him as their own rental. I was fully on board with trading him before this past season, but his importance to the PP in the playoffs especially can't be understated. Whatever he brings back with one year left will in all likelihood not provide equal / greater value to just keeping him and using his cap space to pay for DeBrusk's RFA raise in the summer of 2020.This is a really entertaining discussion. I just want to add that they dont need to solve the top 6 winger problem right now, they can do it midseason.
As for Krug, I'm glad it is not my decision. It all depends on the return, of course.
It seems like every offseason we have a trade Krejci campaign. I don’t really get it. It made some sense to consider trading him last offseason in the million-to-one chance they landed Tavares, but he has more value to the Bruins than what he’d bring in a trade. He’s coming off an excellent year. The team doesn’t have the center depth to withstand trading him, and your not getting an better option back in a trade. Bergeron is about to turn 34 and has played 64 and 65 games the past 2 years and ended this postseason with some kind of injury. What are we doing at C if Krejci’s gone and Bergy goes down?Bergeron is going nowhere, that much is sure.
I do think they need to take feelers on Krejci, especially as he can be traded to 15 teams as of July 1st. The second line was inconsistent throughout the year. They shored it up somewhat with Johansen, but he's likely gone.
He’s a UFA then anyways. The draft is June 2021.I had a horrifying yet plausible thought on my commute in this morning:
The Bruins might expose Rask to the expansion draft for Seattle. Much like the Pens did Fleury for VGK.
It's impossible to overstate how much shit Rask is getting from both traditional and social media right now for the mortal sin of being human in Game 7. There's so much crap being thrown at him that I think it's entirely possible that the braintrust might talk themselves into thinking he can't win the big one, much like the previous brain trust talked themselves into dumping Seguin for a pile of magic beans because he was young and stupid.
They may take a look at his age and contract when Seattle's up and figure "Well we didn't win with him, we sure can not win without him, and he's $7 million."
I don't think this is a crazy scenario, even though we don't have any type of starter-in-waiting.
They’ll probably extend him, but that is a conversation for next offseason. They don’t have anyone in the organization banging down the doors to take over.Oh OK. So we'll lose him anyway but not to Seattle. Cool cool.
I also don’t get the trade Krejci talk. He’s overpaid but still their 4th best forward clearly ahead of Debrusk.Whatever he brings back with one year left will in all likelihood not provide equal / greater value to just keeping him and using his cap space to pay for DeBrusk's RFA raise in the summer of 2020.
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I think this is correct. I also think that if the season doesn't go well, Krug is the sort of player who could be very easily moved, for real value, at the deadline.Ultimately, the best course of action on Krug may well be to just keep him and treat him as their own rental.