The latest on the Ducks, Rangers, Senators and Bruins.
Off-season keys for the Ducks and Rangers.
Rangers backup Cam Talbot could attract interest in this summer’s trade market.
ESPN.COM: Craig Custance lists his three off-season keys for the Anaheim Ducks and New York Rangers, who are the latest teams to be eliminated from the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. For the Ducks, Custance recommends re-signing center Ryan Kesler and defenseman Francois Beauchemin plus trading little-used defenseman James Wisniewski, who was acquired at this year’s trade deadline. For the Rangers, a long-term deal for RFA center Derek Stepan, exploring trade options for backup goalie Cam Talbot and promoting assistant GM Jeff Gorton to replace Glen Sather.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I concur with Custance. Kesler will be a UFA next summer so there’s time to get an extension (perhaps four years at $5.5 million per) in place, while Beauchemin will also be an affordable short-term re-signing. Wisniewski’s $5.5 million cap hit (though his actual salary drops to $3 million in the final year of his deal in 2016-17) could, as Custance suggests, make him attractive for teams needing to reach the cap floor that lack experienced blueline depth.
Stepan’s going to get a long-term extension worth around $6 million per season. Talbot could fetch a low-first round or a second-round pick, as there are several clubs (Edmonton, San Jose, Buffalo, perhaps Dallas) in need of depth between the pipes. The Rangers lack a first-round pick in this year’s draft so I can see them using Talbot as a trade chip in hopes of addressing that issue.
Possible destinations for Anderson or Lehner.
OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch looks at possible trade destinations for goalies Craig Anderson or Robin Lehner, as one of them (likely the 23-year-old Lehner) will be dealt this summer. He lists the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers as the clubs “seriously seeking a saviour”, while the Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blues and Toronto Maple Leafs fall into the “maybe, maybe not” category. Other goaltenders potentially available this summer include NY Rangers backup Cam Talbot, Carolina’s Cam Ward, San Jose’s pending UFA Antti Niemi, St. Louis’ Brian Elliott and Vancouver’s Eddie Lack.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: I agree with Garrioch that Lehner’s the likely trade candidate. Despite Anderson’s injury history, he’s a proven starter, and with Andrew Hammond re-signed and Matt O’Connor in the pipeline, Lehner seems the odd man out. Besides, if I were a Senators fan, starting next season with a Lehner-Hammond tandem doesn’t inspire confidence. Lehner has yet to prove he’s ready to become a reliable starter, while Hammond (despite his late-season heroics) lacks NHL experience.
Offer sheet for Hamilton?
BOSTON HERALD: Steve Conroy reports Bruins GM Don Sweeney should prepare for the possibility RFA defenseman Dougie Hamilton might receive an offer sheet from a rival club. Though Conroy acknowledges the rarity of offer sheets, the lack of quality depth in this summer’s UFA market could prompt a club with plenty of cap space to target a cap-strapped club like the Bruins.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: An offer sheet is unlikely but one shouldn’t fully dismiss the possibility. Hamilton certainly makes a prime target.
If somebody gives Hamilton an offer sheet, the bruins should take it and not match.
Unless that team is Arizona or Buffalo, Boston should probably match. A mid-to-late first round pick for an unproven talent isn’t nearly as fun of a gamble when you can see the future of your blueline being the asset in question
$5,046,586 to $6,728,781 = First-, second-, and third-round pick
$6,728,782 to $8,410,976 = Two first-round picks and a second- and third-round pick
I think Boston should consider it strongly if it is a bottom third league team.
Sabres have 3 NHL-ready right handed defenseman, no interest in Hamilton – only if he was a right winger
Of all those goalies mentioned If I was a team looking for one the top guy I’d go after would be Lack. It would be simply stupid for Vancouver after moving Schneider and Luongo in that bungle and then move Lack. They had Lack in behind those two and for the life of me while it was happening I could not figure out why they had so much trouble deciding to move Luongo for a bag of pucks do to the deteriorated relationship and go with Schnieder and Lack. Now after moving two Quality Goaltenders they are rumoured to be moving one of the better backups in the game who I believe will be a starter and go with Miller?
If I was Edmonton I would put in an offer sheet for Hamilton just for the reason that Boston took their draft pick for hiring the guy they fired.
A team needs to have it’s own picks to make an offer sheet to an RFA. Under the compensation rules in the CBA any where between $3,364,391 & $8,410,976 requires at 3rd round pick to be included. Edmonton doesn’t have theirs. It went to Anaheim in the Scriven’s trade. They could try to reacquire it, it’s now in TB from the Eric Brewer trade.
doesn’t the offer sheet period happen AFTER this years draft. therefore Oil could put in an offer sheet for Hamilton.
Oil are required to give up a 3rd for signing mclellan and a second for chiarelli but Edm has say which year out of the next three those picks are surrendered.
Bruins would have to match any offer from Oil because they have a very good chance of picking up more pieces this summer and just might compete for a playoff spot , making those picks less valuable.
Cant wait for this years draft ,its a deep one.with the weak UFA s available there could be more moves this year via trade. will teams be willing to part with their number 1 pics this year to acquire a good player its going to be interesting . I think some teams will .what if they offer next years 1st and it becomes a lottery pick
been on the fence with Hamilton…probably looking for close to 5 mil a year, good player on the O and will only get better as he gets older, on the D still learning, gives up the puck a lot in his own end & despite his size lacks taking the body consistently on the D…B’s are going to have to move players to clear cap space to sign him…1 or 2 from the group of Krejci,Lucic,Marchand,Eriksson,Smith,Kelly,Chara & Seidenberg will have to be traded…..very tough situation for new GM Sweeney he has a lot of work to do.
It would be ironic if PC in Edmonton signed Hamilton to an offer sheet considering he’s the one who put Boston in the salary cap strangle hold they find themselves.
Gm’s pay what they have to. But players are responsible to. Watch what happens to Chicago. Toews and Kane, both good players. Decided that a 10 million dollar pay day is more important to them then trying to build a dynasty team.
Any one who has played hockey started off because it’s a fun game to play. Even as a pro hockey player, you are still PLAYING hockey. If they were truly driven to win the cup and not just to become bigger millionaires. They would have given their team a break and been content with being mere 7 million dollar a year players.
The only way any team will ever build a dynasty again in the salary cap era. Is for elite marque players to take less money to keep their teams together. (Joe Thornton did it) And build a dynasty team. Millionaire players have to decide what is more important to them. Either way they will still be millionaires. But with a little vision and a true desire to be apart of something special. They can could keep their teams together, win more cups, and still be millionaires. Making more money then most fans could ever hope for.
Or they could take the big contracts, and over burden their teams. 28% of your payroll to two players is just to much to remain competitive in the long term.
Taking less money and keeping your team together does not mean the will win cups every year. They may not win another one. Therefore, going with the high dollars is the best way to go. I am sure you would go the same route.
If your team is going to the final almost every year, then yes it can equate to more cups. No guarantees of course, but you have no chance by gutting your team when they have to dump players to give the star more money and replace the outgoing players with a lesser player.
For you and a lot of players, its greed not cups I guess.
By Wayne’s Gretzkys own admission, he figures if he had resigned in Edmonton instead of being traded to LA so he could get a bigger contact then what Edmonton could pay, they would have won another 4 or 5 cups in Edmonton.
But instead, he took the money and never won another cup.
Watch what happens in Chicago. The closest thing to a dynasty in recent times, is about to go through it.
Hawks dont need to ” gut “their team to remain elite. DChamp is right less money does not equal cup success. Oilers may or may not have won another 4 or 5 Cups. Hawks will be fine.
When someone is one of the best at what they do, they deserve every cent they earn. Fans are selfish saying players are only thinking of themselves, like fans or media or any one other than them or their families, really have their backs. It’s up to management to manage the pool money of money and allocate it properly not up to the players to take less to “help” the team…the team can help itself with proper management.
Lol. Never said they didn’t deserve it. Not getting into that debate. My point is, players have to make a choice if they want to try and build something special like a dynasty. And I am sure that 7 million instead of ten million would not be a great hardship.
Or they can continue the cycle. Take the big money, lose your team mates and friends to trades to control the cap, and be less competitive.
Without that commitment from your players. 4 or 5 cups in a 6 year span will never happen again. That is what I am saying.
Either way they are still millionaires, and I don’t begrudge them that.
But if their desire is to win more cups, it’s something that has to be considered.
Your talking out of your A$$ JAOF. Toews and Kaner deserve every penny they will get paid and it has nothing to do with building or destroying a potential dynasty.
@hockey guru
We will see. Rumours of Seabrook, Sharp, Crawford being available in a cap relief trade this summer. Not all at once, but some one is moving this summer. Time will tell who.
Then if you go back to 2010 when Chicago won the cup. What happened, they lost Byfuglien,Versteeg, Eager, Sopel, Fraser, and Ladd for contract space. Took 2 years to recover and win again in 13. If they didn’t have to dump those players to clear cap room. They might have had a 4 year dynasty.
As your core grows older, it just gets tougher. They have around 28% of next years cap invested in two players. Seabrook is a FA next summer, so another big contract coming up. Which accounts for some of the rumours surrounding him.
So you move Sharp. You can still resign Oduya. Still have money to resign Saad. When Seabrook becomes a possible UFA there may be an issue. However Bickell is also a UFA then. They still could purge this off season yes, but they dont have to.
Just to add… how fair is it that the thing you trained for all your life is almost impossible to get to the highest level and if you do you’ll be lucky if you last 10yrs…so in your early 30’s the only thing you know how to do is over. What then?
Well I guess they will have to make do with their millions. Pretty enviable spot really. Nothing to cry about.
Chicago is going to be okay because they draft and develop well. The same thing that happened after their first cup win. Yes they had to lose guys like Ladd, Byfuglien, etc. but then in came Shaw, Hjalmarsson, Crawford, etc. Just like if they win this time. Likely to lose Sharp, Versteeg (again), etc. but in will come guys like McNeill, Danault, Hartman, Teravainen (already there), etc. Dale Tallon started something wonderful there and Stan Bowman has kept it rolling. Truly think that Dale Tallon is one of the best GM’s in the game and it was unfortunate he made the error with the restricted free agents in Chicago that caused his firing. Chicago is the premier team in the league and them making the finals again proves it. Yes they will lose some players as all championship teams do but they are going to be fine because they draft and develop well, have an amazing coach and management and have a good core that just needs complimentary players (Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook [who they won’t lose]).
I think it’s time for Jeff Gorton to take over for Sather as well. Sather has been better the last few years, but I wonder if it’s someone like Gorton in his ear as a voice of reason. I also think NY should throw a 7-8 year deal at Stepan to keep his cap hit a little lower than 6.0 per. I absolutely HATE deals more than 4-5 years. But in this case I think it will be necessary, and Stepan is still young enough to make it work.
It will be interesting to see who the Oilers go after for a goalie. Edmonton needs a proven number one to start the season. For that reason, Lehner to Edmonton makes no sense to me. He is not a proven number 1. If the Hamburglar and Lehner wouldn’t install confidence in the Ottawa fans. How could the duo of Lehner and Scrivens be any more appealing for Oiler fans? We need a proven number one goalie, period.
I agree with what you’re saying. But where will they find an actual proven starter? Judging by this year UFA list, it certainly won’t be there.
Niemi?
I think that will depend on our new coach and what his opinion is of his old goaltender. I am leaning towards a trade myself.
Or better yet, how about the Oilers forfeit their first round pick for making a complete mockery of the NHL’s draft system. Or have the league take it from them under the “ineptitude” clause.
To Jeff: it hurts you that McDavid is going to be an Oiler lol is okay eventually you will stop crying 😉
LMAO. It amazes me people think other fans are envious over the Oilers success……ummmmm draft success?
@Striker,
Niemi is probably the best guy out there. This list goes to hell after him. But there is also going to be some competition to fill this need. SJ, Dallas, Edmonton, Buffalo, possibly St. Louis will all be looking at starters, and a boat load of teams, Philly, NYI’s, Arizona, Boston, Calgary (starter or back up?), Columbus, Pittsburgh,Tampa will be looking at back ups. I don’t know if I like Edmontons odds of landing Niemi.
The X factor in there might be McLelland. What type of relationship did he have with Niemmi. And what is his opinion of him as a starter.
I think it will have to be a trade. Don’t want to speculate who. I have read a few different rumours on who might be available. But a lot of sports writers write biased trade proposals and rumours. A lot of it is garbage. More fluff then substance. And for that reason, I don’t want to debate their merits one way or another.
Example. A Boston writer wrote about Lucic for Eberle. That sounds great from a Boston perspective. But why would any team trade a player signed to five years for one signed for 1 year. And next year
Lucic is looking 6.5 to 7 mill for 6 years. Hard players can deteriorate very fast as they get older, and that is to much money and term for a player of his age playing his style. That’s probably why his name is in a trade rumour. Not that Edmonton doesn’t need a Lucic. Just not at the price he is looking for.
I disagree in part as I don’t think they need a proven starter. Bishop wasn’t proven when Tampa picked him up. Schnieder wasn’t proven wether New Jersey picked him up. I do agree Lehner is far from ready to be a starter. The Sens seem to have started giving up on him themselves with the Additions of Hammond and O’Connor,
However Jones and Lack are the goalies I’d target, Niemi makes sense but I’d want a younger guy who is ready to grasp a starter roll. Perhaps they can pick up Lehner as a backup then let their two goalies go. Niemi and Lehner may work though.
Add in Dubnyk as well. Wasn’t really proven. Teams gave up on him. ( we know who ) Jones scares me a bit, like Bernier before he got dealt. Niemi, the fire may be gone. Talbot may be ready. People say he is better because he played for the Rangers but its Sv% that I look at. Jones 15 gms played .906 SV%. Talbot 36 gms .926 SV%. FYI Niemi 61 gms .914 Lack 41 gms .921. Cant see VAN trading to EDM so unless you get a deal for an elite goalie I’d target Cam Talbot.
That’s why Schneider went to NJ and not Edmonton. The asking price to Edmonton was much higher then what NJ paid.
I would being trying to make a trade for veteran for right now to help this group along. Maybe another prospect as well, And groom a young goalie.
They just signed a Finnish Goalie and Brossoit is in the system.
Brossoit has only played one game but showed very well. Making 49 saves, letting in 2 goals with a .961 save percent. And who knows how the Finnish goalie will turn out.
I still like Bernier and feel like Edmonton’s experience with Dubnyk. A good goalie on a pathetic team equals a bad goalie. The moment Bernier finds himself on a good team. Be it Toronto in a few years or anyone else next year he will start turning opinions in his favour.
However this is just my opinion all. No facts so no need ripping on it.
I don’t know if Bishop is a quality starter or proven guy. Big, huge guy. But slow on reaction imo. Lateral movement is very slow imo.
Also not sure they don’t need a proven starter. Haven’t they rolled the dice on “potential starters” enough times over the past few years? But also agree with Georges comment below, Not sure ANYONE will be a “proven” guy without building that back end 1st.
It’s show time and I am not sure Bishop is ready for prime time. We will find out what he’s made of over the next two weeks.
Honestly I think Chicago will rip him to shreds. I think it will be a GREAT series…..not necessarily long (Chicago in 5). And I’m saying all this being a LONG time Tampa fan….Well part time Tampa fan.
Oh and Chicago may tear up Bishop not because Bishop sucks but rather because Chicago is the closest thing to a dynasty the league has seen in some time.
You know Toews and stuff. The reason I think Karlsson deserves the Norris on ottawa as he doesn’t get the pleasure of having Seabrook or Keith on his D unit. Nor does he have Toews, Kane, Sharp or Hossa on the forward units.
I fully expect Crawford and Bishop to be lit up alot next series. Run and Gun seems to be written all over the ice for this next one. The american fanbase who loves goal scoring will be in for a treat.
Bishop made it to the Stanley Cup finals and shut out the Rangers the last game. That in my eyes is proof. I realize he is not as good as the Ranger Goalie. There is a reason he is called the king. You’d think Quick would have that title.
I also think Stralman has proved himself after the Rangers let him go.
The handshake at the end of that series was one of the more interesting. With Stralman, Callahan and St. Louis.
The difference is, the Sens are a playoff team – the Oilers are not and even with the addition of a “proven # 1 goalie”- even Niemi – they are not going to become a playoff team unless they shore up their wonky D at the same time. To do that, they will have to relinquish at least one of those young Fs – and still have to find 35 more point and climb over 5 teams to get TO the playoffs. Lehner-Hammond would be a risk to Ottawa’s continuing presence as a playoff team whereas Anderson-Hammond gives them a touch more security as things stand now. But Lehner is a BIG goalie, still very young as goalies generally go, with all kinds of upside and if and when they do deal him we could very well be pointing to that trade sometime in the near future as having been a big mistake. Edmonton needs to take chance at this stage of their development and not repeat what they did when offered Ben Bishop by Murray – offering back an aging pending UFA.
Agreed the D needs improvement. But you build from the net out. Plenty of forward talent.
They need
1-starting goalie
2-a top 2 d man
3-a power forward
As a minimum in my opinion this off season, to push this team along. They won’t win a cup with that. But the growth can start then.
a trade with LA for Dustin Brown and Martin Jones might make sense then. As long as they are giving up very little if taking Browns full cap hit.
Dustin Brown (Kings keep $2.5 M per of his cap hit) and Martin Jones to Edmonton for
Scrivens, Klefbom and Oilers 2nd round pick.
Not Klefbom. He is a stud. Was our best D man by then end of the season. And has way to much upside to him. I really don’t see him being traded. Marincin , but not Klefbom.
And when you look at Martin’s stats with only 34 NHL games under his belt, he is not a proven starter. If we started with him in a backup role to a veteran starting goal tender with Brossoit and Laurikainen on the farm, I think the Oilers could be set there. But I don’t see Martin as a starter.
I think the Oilers need a veteran goalie to bring a calming influence to the team.
Giving up Klefbom would be way too much.
A 2nd pick should be all. Brown is ok but this is a way to get out of a salary cap problem for LA?
I love the idea of Jones and Brown to Edmonton as it addresses some of Edmonton’s needs as well as rids LA of Brown’s contract. However if Edmonton is bringing in Jones it might be nice to keep Scrivens (1 year left on contract) as insurance in case Jones faulters (I personally like his size and potential). Edmonton likely wouldn’t give up Klefbom but would likely give up Marincin and Brossoit (as long as Jones was coming back) along with some picks.
Oilers make the playoffs next year if they get a legit starter. Overtime losses, early weak goals creating our d to press and one goal games will change. New pro coach that isn’t trying to turn forwards in to dmen. Not saying they don’t need another veteran d but a decent shot blocking/hard hitting d would make a big difference too
Even if the starter was a 42″ x 78″ inch hunk of plywood there is NO way the Oilers make up 35 points and climb over 5 teams – all of which will be doing their own improvements – to get to the playoffs with only the addition of a “legit starter.” And getting one is going to have to involve the trading of at least one of those young stud Fs as there’s no such animal on the UFA list. Then you have to improve the D – drastically – and you won’t get help there without a) tossing out offer sheets or b) again trading for quality – which is going to cost more of their assets at F.
As bad as the season turned out. They were closer then the record indicates. 30 some odd 1 goal losses, and half a season lost to the wrong coach.
A legit goalie and another D to go with our new coach and Gm will go a long way. Really looking forward to next season already lol. It’s going to be an interesting summer for Oiler fans imo.
By my count 22….. 1 goal losses….but I’ve had a few drinks….I could be 1 or 9 off.
Also 14 wins off 1 goal games….possible some of them don’t go their way?
29 losses of 2 goals or more. 17 of which were 3 or more goal losses. And 7 of which by 4 or more.
Some of the games were 1 goal games till an empty netter. So technically you are correct. But you get what I am saying.
I do get what you’re saying. But if 1/2 of the 1 goal wins were taken away, and half of the one goal losses were given back….it’s a wash in the end isn’t it? Unless we are talking all 22 – 1 goal losses go Edmontons way, and they maintain the 14 – 1 goal wins? But the odds of that are astronomical.
NIEMI.
The Oilers should target Bryan Bickell this summer given he should come at a cheap price (mid pick/prospect) has a lot of experience, and is a good power forward who can sometimes have scoring upside.
The Oilers should then try and target Ottawa with Robin Lehner and Jared Cowan/Patrick Wiercoch as they aren’t going to find a top 2 guy, but can get young guys with upside.
UFA I would sign Ray Emery, Jonas Gustavsson, or Antti Niemi to play with Lehner. There are a couple decent defensive options in UFs as well, but you won’t find anything like a #2 available. Need to insulate and wait for Klefbom & Nurse to mature.
Last season was not good, but it was not as bad as it looked from the outside. And management and coaching is finally fixed. I was not saying they would have made the playoffs on those games alone. Just saying it was not as bad as it looked.
” … not as bad as it looked …” Why does that sound familiar? Hmmmm. Oh yeah … the same mantra heard at the end of each season for the past decade wafting from down around southern Ontario.
If Calgary and Colorado can jump 30 points in one year, then so can Edmonton. Not saying it will happen, but all the pieces are srarting to come together. Chiarelli, McLellan and McDavid. Pick up cheap veteran like Ward for a 3rd and sign Sekera and Franson. Not elite but certainly competent.
This is an extreme optimistic thought. Yes, it is possible they jump to the playoffs. But really, what are the odds? You name 2 teams that have made that leap, how many haven’t? Realistically, Edmonton took a step backward again this year, Not Forward. IMO people are making WAY too much over McDavid. He is NOT what will cure their ills. Unless of course he can play d or goalie?
The summer hasn’t started. And MAYBE they land a goaltender and a d-man or 2 that can help. Until then, I’ll remain on the pessimistic side of their success in the near future.
They had the wrong coach. If they had Nelson from the start, it could have been a lot closer to making the playoffs last season. Now we have new management, a new experienced coach, and Connor. If we can pickup a starting goalie and a D man, this team will be ready to grow.
And the guy who was hired to do an audit and the man that Chiarelli reports to is Bob Nicholson. Bob Nicholson is the man who ran hockey for the past 14 years.
The Oilers are in good hands finally.
Bon Nicholson ran Hockey Canada. Messed that up
For the past couple of years teams have been doing it actually.
Here is 2014-2015 turn around alone
2014 Florida Panthers draft #1 – 2015 91 points 38-29-15 record
2014 Calgary Flames draft #4 – 2015 eliminated in 2nd round
2014 New York Islanders draft #5 – 2015 make the playoffs
2014 Vanoucver Canucks draft #6 – 2015 make the playoffs (w/over 100 points)
2014 Winnipeg Jets draft #9 – 2015 make the playoffs
5 teams in the bottom 10 teams in the league last year made major strides in improving and only ONE of them drafted a player who played in the NHL. Colorado & Ottawa made such turn arounds in the past few years as well. The biggest difference between all these teams in Edmonton … 1. Edmonton is stacked with more raw talent 2. They have made serious front office strides to change the entire culture of the organization 3. They are drafting a talent that is better then any talent the other teams acquired.
Edmonton has every potential to make the jump to the playoffs, do they have needs to address? Yes, of course they do and a #1 goalie is certainly among them and they have options available to them. They also have options available to them to add bigger forwards to the bottom 6 and to get (probably not an elite defenseman) but a defenseman that can help.
They also have an absolute wealth of young talent and picks to deal from that they no longer need. With a new front office and staff running the show, a culture change taking place, and a growth wealth of talent the Oilers are dealing from a strong position this offseason and have the potential to turn it all around. Everyone has been waiting for Edmonton to go out and do this and now that they have everyone is all like, pfft won’t make a difference. It is mind boggling.
Florida didn’t make the playoffs. 25 point jump not 35. But still came up empty. Added Louongo, Ekblad and a bunch of young players coming together.
The NYI’s…..also played half or more of the season without Tavares….Boychuk, Leddy Halak added with a healthy Tavares? I think Stevie Wonder can clearly see why they improved….Also they made the playoffs the year prior to Tavares going down, they didn’t go a decade of not showing up….close….but not a decade.
Vancouver was a team in the finals a few years back that took a giant leap backwards under Torts…(surprise surprise) But have been a solid playoff team for years……
Calgary …..20 point jump in the standings….not 35…..Some of that success clearly based on Colorado returning to the bottom, LA faltering, SJ Faltering….etc.
Edmonton has none of the qualities that most of the teams you are comparing them to……?
Do you see the difference here?
I see a hater who can’t accept when a team is making strides and finally the strides the FANS and media have been calling for for several season.
If I’m Chiarelli I look at a 3 year plan to fix what ails Edmonton. 3 years & the young D will be ready to make a significant contribution they just need a mentor.
I trade for Graubauer from Washington. He wouldn’t be that expensive & I play him with Scrivens for now & bide time until Graubauer shows he’s able or something better comes along.
I trade for Spurgeon from Minny, offering up Pittsburgh’s 1st. He’s a solid #2, although a smurf. I sign Sekera as my #1 UFA target, 5 years at or near 5 million, not because I want to spend that much money on this type of Dman, but because that’s what it may take to get it done. He’s a solid #3 & I sign Jackman to a 3 year deal to mentor these kids & help stabilize the defense. Other than Klefbom at D all the other kids go to the minors until injuries or trades dictate opportunities. I start developing these kids properly not rushing them to the NHL.
Failing Grubauer, Lack would be a great option & although not ideal trade partners being in the same division both teams could benefit from this type of deal if a fit can be found.
& I don’t mean Edm can’t make the playoffs potentially in the next 3 years. If Edm could find a solid #1 goalie & 2 top 3 Dman they could compete for a playoff spot which is no easy feat in the west. 2 very good teams in SJ & LA missed the playoffs. Colorado & Dallas aren’t getting any worse either. Your going to need to play very well in the west to make the top 8 & I just can’t see Edm doing that next season. Can they be in the running, competing? Sure but it’s going to take time for this team to learn the new system & at some point the kids at forward need to learn to play some semblance of 2 way hockey. What ails Edm isn’t only goaltending & D issues. Their young stud forwards have a ton to learn about what it takes to win in today’s NHL.
Im fine with rumor’s and general smart trade ideas, it’s the overvaluing of players this time of year that drives me nuts. So for the rest of the board, please take note that most of the well edumacated Sens fans DO NOT believe that Robin Lehner is worth 7 first round picks, two 2nd rounders and Jordan Eberle.
Maybe.
MAYBE a 2nd round pick.
And that’s generous.
Carry on.
Edmonton needs a #1 dman get Chara from Boston
Cost shouldn’t be too high Boston needs the cap space.
Reunite him with Chia. Kelly could be added also a two way center to help with teaching the young guys how to backcheck.
I believe this type of move would help both teams now.