radoran

I thought he would live out every hockey player's dream and finish his career on LTIR in Arizona.

Well, I am wrong because I forgot his missed games. And if he had a legit center he might be even more impactful. But I still see him as a complimentary player, doubly so because teams who's best player is a winger typically don't consistently perform well. And I quite like Konecny.

His "nice break out year" was 61 points tied for 40th in the league, 91 players in the league had more points than he did. That's a complimentary player, not a play driver. To think that this squad doesn't need elite-level talent is to consider the past 10 years a success.

I'm sure Kevin Hayes can't wait to play in Columbus. #12teamNTC I think Hayes is willing to leave, I think he will make it as difficult as possible to do so.

I get it - as I said. And there are positives to that. But there are also guys who have said "this team is going nowhere and I want out" (for various franchises) and more often than not they've been right. And Claude Giroux was that for 10 years and is now in Ottawa. I'm saying that I don't like guys who are fat and happy on a team that has done nothing for a decade. There are absolutely guys "just collecting paychecks" in the league. I'm not necessarily saying Laughton and Couturier are that (although #14 did "just collect a paycheck" last season). But, again, the team captain took a look at the situation and bailed for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in six years. #definitelyaplayoffteam I do believe there is a potential for a "new era" but it remains potential until it is a "new era." And I don't mean a new shade of orange in the dot on the logo.

Look, I'm sorry that we're harshing on ya boi Laughts, but sometimes we gotta make the calls we gotta make.

He's really happy with where his career has taken him. He hopes to be a part of that going forward.

It is for a guy who's never hit 40 points at 27 who you're signing a year early. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. It is until you also see Sanheim and Laughton. They have long time, potentially lifetime, Flyers who have achieved absolutely nothing. And they're HAPPY about it. They WANT to be here. I get that that can be a good thing. But to be perfectly happy as a player who has been here and achieved nothing to want to sign to end your career here a year early? Anyone think Sean felt a few twinges in the back leading up to this? Because I'm told that professional athletes - top line, competitive professional athletes - want to win. And I'm seeing guys who have won bupkus being perfectly happy to sign long term with a franchise in neutral, sliding backwards (where they were at the time). I don't like that.

Chicago is adding the #1 overall pick this year and this is the rest of their forwards corps Bedard could wind up skating with an entirely new forward corps in Year Two. If they wanted... That's Seventy One Million Dollars of cap space in 2024-25. Only Murphy and Jones are (currently) under contract.

That was Occ responding to me bringing up Mittelstadt. Occ likes to covet players. We'll see where Danny goes. (I don't think Olofsson is "his type" of player, but stranger things...)

It's rumors about who might be available, that's all. Zetterberg and Datusyuk won't happen again because eyerone's Euro scouting is so much better - because of those guys. Hull was "pudgy, fun-loving, music-crazed bum" (his autobiography) and no one saw him as a dedicated player. He changed. Right, the reason he was even brought up is that he's sitting there in the 20s of 2016 and stands out (and not just because he's a giraffe). But it also took him six years to "break out" and that's time that no player Travis Sanheim and Scott Laughton get in Philadelphia.

They're not going to have a top line blue line next season. Or maybe the season after that. But Ristolainen is not an egregious buyout candidate, especially after next season. Much like Voracek, they extended a guy a year early that they didn't need to extend. Similar story with Couturier. Difference being that Couturier had actually accomplished something in this league while Sanheim remains the same (or worse) than he was when he started. You don't pay a player at 27 based on the player you want him to be, you pay him based on who he is. They essentially locked down a guy until age 35 who has 20 career playoff games and has never scored 40 points while playing for a team that's been out of the playoffs for four of his six NHL seasons. It's great to show faith in your players. Showing eight years at prime money of faith in a guy who simply didn't/doesn't/probably won't warrant it was a MacDonaldian fkup.

They can - and should - retain half of both and get what they can for them. Past salary dumps have cost to accomplish. And Hayes can reject 12 teams. If they can't find a taker for Hayes, I'd buy him out. Less so with Ristolainen, but after next year we'll revisit the convo. (Along those lines, why the h-e-double-hockey-sticks do Deslaurier and Sanheim have NTCs???) Briere said he believed Hart was goalie of the future on the same radio show he made headlines for saying he'd consider trading Hart for the right offer. People can have both opinions Jones recently told The Daily Faceoff about defense: “The blue line, to me is the most important thing. We want to have a really advanced back end.” Which relates back to Ristolainen for four more years and Sanehim for eight while actively interested in moving their top defenseman. There's a lot of cleaning up to do. If Sanheim doesn't live up to that contract, it's more of a problem than it isn't. Cleaning starts in earnest after the Cup is lifted.

I do that deal today. I hope San Jose bites.

I think San Jose says no. If the winner of a trade is the team that got the best player, the player at #4 c/should be the best player of that group.

LA's 4th that they got in the deal was traded for the return of Simon Gagne. True story.

For all the Bob love, I don't think Flyers fans would have had the patience to get to this point when the $10M goalie put up 3.23/.900 in his first year with 3.07/.901 in the playoffs (0-4). Then 2.91/.906 with a 5.33/.841 playoffs. And even this year was 3.07/.901 in the regular season and lost his job down the stretch to Alex Lyon. Dude is having his one hot impactful streak in four years at $10M a pop with two more to go. Obviously if they win the Cup this year, it's "worth it" but Carter Hart had better numbers - on worse teams - in two of the four years and his one playoff appearance (2.23/.926) came when Bob was 3.07/.901. I'd say behind an even slightly better defense, Hart looks much better. I'll wager that's why Jonsey is talking about building the defense and Danny is saying Hart is the likely goalie of the future.

He's not "a problem" - he's an asset. If you can maximize value in an asset, you do it. Do you trade Hart for McDavid? Bedard? If so, then we're just talking about the appropriate price for an asset. If not... Having an "elite" goalie on a team going no where makes you Montreal. And this team is likely going nowhere for at least a couple years now.

Spending draft capital to remove problems means you don't have the draft capital to build on long term. An example is not having a 2nd rounder for the next two drafts. A bigger example is Tronno with five picks in the first four rounds over the next three years. The Leafs at least we're pursuing actual playoff success but their long term prospects are certainly hindered by their draft situation. That makes a deal where you get significant draft capital back more attractive. Thankfully, the Flyers don't really have the draft capital to spend on moving players and doing a rebuild "the right way" so it's actually more likely that the "problems" stay on the roster until they age out. They don't expect to make the playoffs next season so there's less of an imperative to "do something" RightNow.

Right Tavares has a full active NMC. If he's going somewhere, it's because he wants to go.

Why does Tavares want to leave Tronno? And Matthews' NMC doesn't kick in until July 1.

The whole concept would be that the Leafs need to move Matthews or risk losing him for nothing. (also, too, that that's not all that's involved) Their own experience with the guy currently wearing the "C" for them should be instructional in that regard. They also have Nylander coming up after next season, Tavares and Marner the next year, and have $9M in cap space this year. And this is a team that believed they were two years away five years ago...

I think idle speculation about the possibility of two teams fitting each others' needs isn't outrageous, but I take your point - especially since I'm pretty clear I don't think the Flyers have the assets to acquire Matthews even with Hart (without losing other pieces they don't want to lose). Hart is also on an expiring contract, but is a RFA with arbitration. Your numbers indicate his arbitration case wouldn't be strong, but if he blossoms in Tronno they can still keep him and create space by moving Matthews. Leafs must get "something" for Matthews if he doesn't extend before July 1. The possibility (likelihood?) that he walks is too much to lose if you're Tronno. Hart, Provorov, Florida's #1 next year for Matthews, Muzzin, Mikko Kokinen, and holy crap the Leafs' draft pick situation is even worse than the Flyers'... As I've said, I don't see it actually happening, but when teams are in rock-and-hard-place position, they do things.

He was an all star! He had the second most points of his career! He almost scored 20 goals! He was only -22! He did a great job of implementing Vigneault's system! C'mon now, some team with a couple of top Boston College prospects and cap space will get him to mentor the kids as they come up. Oh, wait...