Free agency day two

[yave1964]

Woulda started this earlier but the damn wife and the grandkids drug me off to a pumpkin patch.

 

  By the way do you say pumpkin or punkin? Personally i say giant waste of time, lol. Good lord i sound like a grumpy old man.

 

Anyway....

 

Overnight a HUGE domino with implication fell, Krug signed a long term deal with the Blues virtually certain now that Pietrangelo will sign elsewhere. Krug, Bortuzzo, Faulk and Parayko make a hell of a top four andGunnarson/Scandella are still around.

 

Greiss to the Wings on a two year deal. Stop gap, decent goalie never gets the credit he deserves as a serviceable solid goalie. Not in love with him but the price was right.

 

Craig Smith to the Bruins, i have always liked him. You dont notice him, he never makes mistakes, just goes about his business, solid in all three zones and at the end of the year he has 20-24 goals like punching a clock.

 

Corey Crawford to the Devils, meh, i have always compared him to Osgood, he excels on good teams, he will stink on a bad team. Surprised on the term/money because IMHO Blackwood deserves a crack at the bulk of the net.

 

The best shut down defender on the Market Tanev signed with the Flames to replace Brodie. Great signing for the Flames.

 

About it so far, will check in a few hours to see if Hall is a Jacket or not which Columbus media is losing their mind reading tea leaves hoping he comes there. 

 

[FD19372]

Isn't Parayko still a free agent, or did I miss something?  He would look good in orange and black.

Edited October 10, 2020 by FD19372

[yave1964]

1 minute ago, FD19372 said:

Isn't Parayko still a free agent, or did I miss something?  He would look good in orange and black.

Parayko is signed long term with the Blues, i think he has either two or three years left, Pietrangelo is an UFA and the big piece that everyone is wondering what he is doing.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Didn't realize we had a "Day Two" thread... lol.
Sorry bout that @yave1964...and HEY!! Be nicer to your wife and her pumpkin patch adventures, will ya!!?? 

Anyways, I will recap what I put in the other thread (maybe we can close the other one to avoid confusion....will leave it up to you Yave...it's your baby)...

---- Craig Smith. I like. Swiss Army knife player, does lots of little things, and some big things, really well. Isn't a liability. Doesn't solve the Bruins upper end scoring issues, but he won't hurt them and is usually good for about 30-35 pts a year...maybe 40.

---Jordan Greenway. Stays on with the Wild. 23 yrs old, 6'6, 230, teased Wild fans with flashes of scoring and big bodied play....just wish he would "play big" more often....maybe he will. Not too much pressure in Minnesota right now as they rebuild and he fits right into that mode.

---Andreas "Resistance Is Futile" Borgman..... former Leafs D-man, signed by the Lightning as a depth signing for their AHL affiliate, perhaps as a callup if the Lightning suffer an injury to their blue line.
Nothing terribly exciting, but, can't complain at the two way 700k NHL/250 AHL contract.

 

---Tomas Greiss to the Red Wings.
Stevie Y is at it again. Getting decent players to fill in gaps while he sorts through the rubble and slowly but surely builds his Cup contender. His formula so far in rebuilding the Red Wings is starting to look eerily similar to how he started reshaping the Lightning when he first arrived there.
Good sign for all you Detroit fans.

Anyways, Greiss...solid netminder, though he will be challenged playing behind the lesser defense of the Wings opposed the Islanders, but I think he helps make the Wings overall more competitive...even if they do end up losing more than they win this coming season.

----Wayne Simmonds to the Leafs.
To add grit, toughness, attitude....something the Leafs sorely need.
A lot will be asked of him...almost seems unfair, but if any, ANY of his style can rub off on some of the Leafs players and he can stay healthy to be a factor, it just may be a decent signing for Toronto.

---Krug to St. Louis.
Swapping out AP for Krug....money is probably where the Blues want it (Krug's cap hit is now what AP's was last year, $6.5M), though I still think AP is the more well rounded defenseman....though it is rumored his asking price was in the 8M range.
If Krug plays to his abilities, and stays healthy, however, the Blues can be quite satisfied with this signing.



 

[JR Ewing]

 

 

Smart move on Barrie's part. He'll wrack up PP time with McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins, get his 50 points, and then some poor sucker GM will pay through the nose in 2022.

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And Stevie Y continues on with his rummaging to find good d-men...

Troy Stecher to the Wings... 26 yrs old, 2yrs, 1.7M AAV.
Decent defender.
Should help shore up some of what ails Detroit in coverage.

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

Yeah i fired up a day two thread before realizing you had been keeping the torch is the misc signings thread from yesterday. I shoulda checked first, because as usual you did a magnificent job of keeping up with things.

 

 Here is one for ya, Tyler Johnson tot he Wings? Yzerman loves him and his work ethic, would be a huge upgrade over the ghost of Frans Nielsen at 2C.

 

@JR Ewing

 

LOVE the Barrie signing. Simply a perfect fit. Oilers 29th in goals by defnders and i believe 26th in points from the back end. Just a great add.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, JR Ewing said:

 

 

Smart move on Barrie's part. He'll wrack up PP time with McDavid, Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins, get his 50 points, and then some poor sucker GM will pay through the nose in 2022.

 

 

I was hoping TB would try and get Barrie on a Shattenkirk-like one year deal....but just shy of 4M would have been impossible for the Bolts....maybe at just shy of 2M like Shatty was getting, but not at almost 4.

At any rate, I will agree....smart for Barrie, could be good short term for the Oilers...... the Edmonton PP just got that much more lethal.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Been so busy havent been keeping up.

 

Donato for a 3rd? Yaaaaay

 

Dubnyk for our tandem? Wtffffff? Lol

[J0e Th0rnton]

Also. We have a kid named Bobby Orr on the mooseheads lol.

 

Bobby Orr.  His parents had high expectations

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

19 minutes ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

Also. We have a kid named Bobby Orr on the mooseheads lol.

 

Bobby Orr.  His parents had high expectations

 

Oh yea....no pressure...none at all... 

[yave1964]

Mikka Koivu to the CBJ for one year at 1.5 million.

 

  Now look, i am willing, more than most to say when i feel a player is signed or traded to a favorite team of mine to say it was a lousy deal, this is simply not that. For the Jackets in particular it is one hell of a deal.

 

  Koivu as a player has atrophied, his skill level is nowhere near what it once was but as any fantasy owner will tell you the one thing he can still do is win faceoffs with the best in the game. I think anyone who plays fantasy hockey has added him as a late week add to win the f/o cat only to cut him on Monday. Most of us more than once.

 Last year PLD was the only reliable center for the Jackets and his faceoff numbers, ugh. Boone Jenner had good faceoff numbers but is really a banging winger forced to play in a centers body, while newly added Max Domi was nearly as dreadful as Dubois. 

 

1C Dubois 44.6 faceoff pct. THAT WAS HIS CAREER HIGH.

2C Domi  48.9 ALSO A CAREER HIGH.

3C Koivu 53.1 A SOLID PERCENTAGE, HIS CAREER AVERAGE IS 54.6 HE HAS BEEN ABOVE .500 EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST 13 SEASONS.

 

So in short, if you are expecting Koivu to suddenly rediscover the fountain of youth and score 55-60 points ever again you will be disappointed. He is brought in to take defensive zone faceoffs, to kill penalties and to take critical offensive zone faceoffs when down by a goal late. 35 points, solid defense, great faceoff pct at critical times. That is what he brings and for the money he is damn worth it. Anyone who has listened to Torts rant about nobody who can play center on his team (he has done so for at least two years since Dubinsky went down)has to think that next year Tortorella will turn over a new leaf and stand smiling all happy on the bench at all times.

 

  Nah, that part isnt true. He will find something, lol

[yave1964]

@JR Ewing

 

Just saw that Mike Smith resigned. not sure what you think of that.

 

I hav never been a fan of Smith because of his penchant for falling to the ice when he needs a whistle, acting as if he were shot through the chest with a hundred and ten mile an hour slapper and a gurney and a priest are needed. Then Lazarus esque he rises once his gassed team has caught their breath to applause from the stands and 'guts it out' staying in the game. 

 

 Just once, i would love to see a ref with the guts to call a delay of game when he does this schtick. One time. 

 

 That said, he isnt the worst goalie out there (see Howard, Jimmy) and he came cheaper than a lot of other options so there is that. Plus, like i have said repeatedly, i like Koskinen more than most.

[EmptyShelf]

He does not win near as many face-offs since they changed the rules.  He also skates slower than the midpoint of a senior men's league.  You will see no fire, few points, and very little sticking up for teammates.  By month two, you will be hoping he is a healthy scratch.  Sorry, but Koivu is toast.  Even with all of the misguided hometown loyalty in MN and personal relationships with the owner and the Country Club (Parise and Sutter), the Wild passed on giving him even one more year.  THAT should tell you something.

[yave1964]

Austin Watson, a tough as nails bottom six winger was dealt by the Preds to the Senators a few minutes ago, Possible the Preds are shedding a bit of salary to make room to make a run at one of the big boys, rumored to be Hall.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

Mikka Koivu to the CBJ for one year at 1.5 million.

 

  Now look, i am willing, more than most to say when i feel a player is signed or traded to a favorite team of mine to say it was a lousy deal, this is simply not that. For the Jackets in particular it is one hell of a deal.

 

  Koivu as a player has atrophied, his skill level is nowhere near what it once was but as any fantasy owner will tell you the one thing he can still do is win faceoffs with the best in the game. I think anyone who plays fantasy hockey has added him as a late week add to win the f/o cat only to cut him on Monday. Most of us more than once.

 Last year PLD was the only reliable center for the Jackets and his faceoff numbers, ugh. Boone Jenner had good faceoff numbers but is really a banging winger forced to play in a centers body, while newly added Max Domi was nearly as dreadful as Dubois. 

 

1C Dubois 44.6 faceoff pct. THAT WAS HIS CAREER HIGH.

2C Domi  48.9 ALSO A CAREER HIGH.

3C Koivu 53.1 A SOLID PERCENTAGE, HIS CAREER AVERAGE IS 54.6 HE HAS BEEN ABOVE .500 EVERY YEAR FOR THE PAST 13 SEASONS.

 

So in short, if you are expecting Koivu to suddenly rediscover the fountain of youth and score 55-60 points ever again you will be disappointed. He is brought in to take defensive zone faceoffs, to kill penalties and to take critical offensive zone faceoffs when down by a goal late. 35 points, solid defense, great faceoff pct at critical times. That is what he brings and for the money he is damn worth it. Anyone who has listened to Torts rant about nobody who can play center on his team (he has done so for at least two years since Dubinsky went down)has to think that next year Tortorella will turn over a new leaf and stand smiling all happy on the bench at all times.

 

  Nah, that part isnt true. He will find something, lol

 

I thought for sure Koivu would retire, but I guess he still has that bit in him that makes him want to keep competing.

As long as he is kept on the bottom six and not pressed into large minute allocations, I think he will be fine with the Jackets. Health co-operating as well.

For all the nutty narrative about him by some in the MN fanbase, even if it were true, I can't believe that he thinks going to Columbus, under the fiery Coach Tortorella, that he is just gonna "cruise on through" the season.
He is there to play. Not to sip lattes.

As you said, his face off numbers are still good, won't cough the puck up on a regular basis, and his possession game is still good enough to where he can help in defensive situations.
And if given capable wingers on the bottom six and not covered too well, he should still chip in some scoring.

Yes, his speed has taken a nose dive, but if properly matched up on the ice, the Jackets as a team should be able to account for that.
As long as he is in the lineup, it should allow Torts to slot the other centers and wingers a bit better.

I will wish him good luck in Columbus.

Edited October 10, 2020 by TropicalFruitGirl26

[yave1964]

Trade between the Hawks and the Avalanche.

 

Colorado sent rugged d-man Zadorov who has been a career underacheiver  along with prospect turned suspect Anton Lindholm to the Hawks for Brandon Saad and non factor Dennis Gilbert.

 

  Essentially this deal is the steady but unspectacular Saad for the underacheiving Zadorov. Both clubs hope that a change of scenery will get more out of them.

 

  I know Chicago is looking to shore up their back end but i have never been a Zadorov fan. He likes the rough stuff, is not afraid to hit, is not afraid to block shots and get dirty but takes some really dumb penalties at bad times. Saad is a consistent scorer, 20 plus goals in five of the past six years, both teams addressed needs, Chicago got defense depth and Colorado is trying not to have to rely as heavily next year on the top line so it is a good deal for both.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Louis Domingue... 1 yr at 700K for the Flames.
Calgary collecting goalies over there?

They have Rittich....sign Markstrom to big money, and now Domingue.
This can't be confidence boosting for Rittich at all.....

Domingue might start for the AHL affiliate....seems to be his thing whenever he gets sent somewhere, his starting point if you would.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

3 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Trade between the Hawks and the Avalanche.

 

Colorado sent rugged d-man Zadorov who has been a career underacheiver  along with prospect turned suspect Anton Lindholm to the Hawks for Brandon Saad and non factor Dennis Gilbert.

 

  Essentially this deal is the steady but unspectacular Saad for the underacheiving Zadorov. Both clubs hope that a change of scenery will get more out of them.

 

  I know Chicago is looking to shore up their back end but i have never been a Zadorov fan. He likes the rough stuff, is not afraid to hit, is not afraid to block shots and get dirty but takes some really dumb penalties at bad times. Saad is a consistent scorer, 20 plus goals in five of the past six years, both teams addressed needs, Chicago got defense depth and Colorado is trying not to have to rely as heavily next year on the top line so it is a good deal for both.

 

You know, I like Brandon Saad, but I am thinking this deal perhaps favors the Hawks a bit.
Saad was traded once before, as you know, to your Jackets, and he didn't do as well as he did playing for the Hawks previously.

My point with that is, Saad, while a good forward, seems to rely heavily on having star forwards to play that make HIM better, rather than he making lesser players better.
Would the Avs breakup their fantastic top line in order to accomodate Saad in there somewhere? Or will Saad have to make due as a 2nd liner and help elevate some of those guys? That will remain to be seen.

Zadorov is big, Neanderthal-like, and yes, cement headed at times....but he is also now 25 going on 26....the traditional age when big defensemen really start to find their strides.
I mean, if the man is a complete dunce, then that won't matter, but if he can tame his game just a hair, Chicago may have ended up with a pretty frightening, solid liner....which is ALWAYS harder to come by than say, someone of Saad's ilk.

[JR Ewing]

3 hours ago, yave1964 said:

@JR Ewing

 

Just saw that Mike Smith resigned. not sure what you think of that.

 

I don't like the signing, but reports had Holland in on the other notable goalies that signed in other cities. He tried, wasn't able to work out anything, and then circled back to Smith. The signing gets worse if/when he plays more than 25ish games, imo.

 

Edit - I'm glad that the contract is only for one year, so at least Holland isn't stuck with any kind of term. It's the only real saving grace for me.

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by JR Ewing