Speculation: 2022 off-season discussion

[pled]

With our luck, his back would go out on him halfway through his first season here on an uninsured contract.

Gee, that sounds vaguely familiar...

does he come with preexisting conditions I don't know about ?

 

[BB88]

the team need LD even less than new F talent

Gav would need to be moved for Lindholm to work well.

Lindholm+ Werenski would be a top tier Dcore to build around.
Top pair Dman in his mid prime for cash only should always be an option(especially in Columbus cap situation).

Tampa has Hedman, McD, Serg on their Cup runs on LD, Nashville Josi& Ekholm on LD on their Cup run, Montreal Weber& Petry on RD on their Cup run, Blues Pietrangelo& Parayko.
Werenski+ Lindholm would be similar.

That would allow Jarmo to focus solely on the F group moving forward.

Much rather Lindholm than any Trocheck type.
Just seems like a prime candidate for wasting valuable cap space in a couple of years time.

I’d only target prime talent, not anything secondary, that won’t be an issue with the roster moving forward.

Yes group
Forsberg
Hertl
Gaudreau
Lindholm

No group
Trocheck
Kadri.

Of course cheap depth on short term deals is also okay, but nothing average that ties money with real term

 

[6zag]

I sincerely hope we don't "land" Strome.

 

[pled]

Lindholm+ Werenski would be a top tier Dcore to build around.
Top pair Dman in his mid prime for cash only should always be an option(especially in Columbus cap situation).

Tampa has Hedman, McD, Serg on their Cup runs on LD, Nashville Josi& Ekholm on LD on their Cup run, Montreal Weber& Petry on RD on their Cup run, Blues Pietrangelo& Parayko.
Werenski+ Lindholm would be similar.

That would allow Jarmo to focus solely on the F group moving forward.

Much rather Lindholm than any Trocheck type.
Just seems like a prime candidate for wasting valuable cap space in a couple of years time.

I’d only target prime talent, not anything secondary, that won’t be an issue with the roster moving forward.

Yes group
Forsberg
Hertl
Gaudreau
Lindholm

No group
Trocheck
Kadri.

Of course cheap depth on short term deals is also okay, but nothing average that ties money with real term

like I said Gav probably will have to be moved. I didn't say it was impossible.

also prime talent doesn't target columbus you have to live with that.

 

[koteka]

I like the old guy center stopgap idea. Malkin and Bergeron are unlikely to move though, especially Bergeron. They're almost certainly lifers where they are. Giroux is probably done in Philly, I have a feeling he'll be going home to Ottawa though.

I am starting to wonder about Bergeron. Boston traded for and then extended Lindholm at $6.5 million. McAvoy has a big pay raise next season. They have almost $80 million tied up for next year without extending Bergeron. Maybe they trade Debrusk but that only saves $4 million. Bergeron was making $6.8 million. Maybe he wants a big end of the career payday that Boston can’t/won’t afford.

Now that Giroux has been moved we have a shot at him. Although he was very particular as to where he would go at the deadline.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I want Giroux in the worst way. I realize it's unrealistic.

Pittsburgh is going to have a hard time paying both Letang and Malkin, unless they take a major home town discount. I'd gladly take either one. Also unrealistic.

Bergeron would be an absolutely perfect mentor for Sillinger.

 

[tunnelvision]

I want Giroux in the worst way. I realize it's unrealistic.

Never say never

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I don't have any idea what Giroux's personal/family situation is or what his "why" is. But, if I'm him and making a pros/cons list about Columbus, the pros list isn't empty.

 

[Jovavic]

Provided the Panthers don't win the Cup, Giroux would still be chasing that, Malkin and Bergeron already have theirs so maybe winning another wouldn't be as important. Not knowing our cap situation and who needs raises but Jarmo should offer these aging centers something like 8x2 and see if anyone bites lol

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

Provided the Panthers don't win the Cup, Giroux would still be chasing that, Malkin and Bergeron already have theirs so maybe winning another wouldn't be as important. Not knowing our cap situation and who needs raises but Jarmo should offer these aging centers something like 8x2 and see if anyone bites lol

It will likely take substantially more than $8m to get one of these types in Columbus. I'd think $8m would be a home town discount. Probably more in the range of $10-10.5m x 3. We have the cap space to do it as of right now. I wouldn't go longer than 3 years on any of them unless it was just a creative situation to maipulate the Cap.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

In a flat cap world, it's hard (not impossible) for aging Veterans to get paid market value AND chase Cups. The teams that look like Cup contenders on paper, usually are up against the cap.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I've been thinking a lot about what to do in free agency and trades this summer. I assume others have been too, so I started this thread to discuss those thoughts. I hope that's ok with the Mods.

 

[5th Line Fanatic]

I'll be the first to admit, my thesis has totally changed after seeing this season play out and watching what Jarmo is doing. I assumed this was a tear it down to the studs, collect lottery picks, and spend the next 3-5 years rebuilding through the draft. That is obviously not what Jarmo intends, so I'm not going to be giving any thought about what that process might look like.

I believe Jarmo and the team think they can make the playoffs as soon as 2023, while continuing to build through the draft, make smart trades, sign an occasional UFA that makes sense $/term, and develop young players (don't rush the kids, but make sure we have room for them to grow).

We have plenty of cap space in 2022-23. The cap won't likely be an issue for us for the next three years, until the kids start needing bigger deals. So for me, the first thought would be evaluating who is part of the future and who isn't. The following players need new contracts this summer and a decision needs to be made: Laine, Roslovic, Bemstrom, Guance, Kukan, Gerbe, Boqvist, Carlsson, Harrington, Korpisalo, Berube, Tarasov. Of those, I'd definitely like to keep- Laine, Roslovic, Boqvist, and 2 of Korpi, Tarasov, and Berube. I'd probably sign Bemstrom and Guance for depth. The rest I could take or leave.

I see the 2022-23 lineup looking something like this:

Voracek ? Laine
Bjorkstrand Sillinger ?
Jenner Roslovic Nyquist
? Kuraly ?
Extras-Chinakov, Robinson, Danforth, Johnson, Marchenko, Texier, Guance, Bemstrom

Werenski ?
Gavrikov Boqvist
Bean Peeke
Extras- Bayreuther

Elvis
?
?

Looking at the Offense, assuming we keep Roslovic and Laine, I see 4 ?'s. Three of those are on the wing, so I assume we have in-house fixes. The top line center is what I'm most concerned about. I don't think anyone on our roster is ready to be a #1 Center on a team that wants to make the playoffs. I'd like to see us find a veteran C that we can bring in via UFA or trade to play against other team's top lines every night. Someone good at faceoffs would be preferred. My dream scenario is Claude Giroux on a three year deal. But, I could also get behind a younger player who may need a change of scenery like Dylan Strome or someone similar. I'm sure there are other players who fit this mold, but as we all know, these players are very difficult to acquire. Can Kent Johnson be that guy? I certainly don't think KJ is going to be ready for that next year or maybe ever. I just don't see him as a classic top line NHL center mostly do to his size/build. That's ok, he could be a very effective playmaking winger (like Voracek) who wouldn't have to defend the Big Boys every night. There are some big time veteran UFA Centers this year in addition to Giroux, including- Malkin, Bergeron, and Getzlaf among others. I'd like to see us use our cap advantage to pursue one of these players aggressively. I am keenly aware of our history when it comes to UFAs, but I also know we have money to spend and a spot on the top line between Voracek and Laine to offer.

On Defense, I only have one real ?, but it's a big one. Who is our top line RD? I assume Ceulemans goes back to Wisconsin, so I didn't factor him into this mix. As with #1 C, I don't think we have a real good fit to play along side Werenski in our current mix. I'd like to see us pursue a big minute munching RD either via trade or UFA. I'm not too concerned about offensive production here, but someone who can be defensively capable for 20+ min/night. Extra offense would be a bonus.

I haven't really dug deep into to the UFA list yet, but the headliners are Letang and Klingberg. I'm not sure we are ready or need to bring in a headliner. But I wouldn't mind looking a little further down the list at a guy like Josh Manson, Justin Braun, or our old friend Anton Stralman as a stop gap. More than likely RD looks like a place to use some draft capital to make a hockey trade. This is where a guy like Chychrun might make sense. Another player who I wouldn't mind trading for is Connor Murphy. I'm not sure if he's in Chacago's long term plans or how serious his concussion issues are, but he'd be an upgrade on what we have for sure. BTW, he's from Columbus.

In net, I have one concern and 2 ?'s. The concern is Elvis and his play this season. For the sake of this exercise, I'm going to assume he bounces back with a better defense and a year removed from the Kivi tragedy. The questions are who backs him up. I've long been of the opinion that an NHL team should never overspend on a goalie, they are all nuts and sooner or later they crack. So, I'd do Korpi a favor and sign him on a cheap one year deal to back up Elvis and get healthy. I can't see him getting an NHL deal otherwise this year. Next, I'd sign Berube to a cheap deal in case Korpi isn't ready or quite honestly sucks again. Then I'd like to see us re-sign Tarasov and let him get healthy and play big minutes in the AHL. Finally, I'd like to see us add another developmental goalie later in the draft.

Bottom line- I think we are on the right track, but I'd like to see us make 2 significant moves this off-season to acquire at least short term solutions at 1C and 1RD. Would love to know whom you all think might be available at those spots.

 

[MoeBartoli]

I wish I had a crystal ball to see how big a jump Sillinger can make next year. That’d help me in prioritizing a few decisions Without losing sight of the bigger picture strategy.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

We have plenty of cap space in 2022-23. The cap won't likely be an issue for us for the next three years, until the kids start needing bigger deals. So for me, the first thought would be evaluating who is part of the future and who isn't. The following players need new contracts this summer and a decision needs to be made: Laine, Roslovic, Bemstrom, Guance, Kukan, Gerbe, Boqvist, Carlsson, Harrington, Korpisalo, Berube, Tarasov. Of those, I'd definitely like to keep- Laine, Roslovic, Boqvist, and 2 of Korpi, Tarasov, and Berube. I'd probably sign Bemstrom and Guance for depth. The rest I could take or leave.

I see the 2022-23 lineup looking something like this:

Voracek ? Laine
Bjorkstrand Sillinger ?
Jenner Roslovic Nyquist
? Kuraly ?
Extras-Chinakov, Robinson, Danforth, Johnson, Marchenko, Texier, Guance, Bemstrom

Werenski ?
Gavrikov Boqvist
Bean Peeke
Extras- Bayreuther

Elvis
?
?

Like you, I've been thinking about this a lot. Even through all these months I'm still internally debating with myself about "how close are we" to competing again.

Of all the guys you mention who need contracts, I think the ones most likely to return are Laine, Roslovic, Boqvist, and Tarasov. I think they could keep Gaunce around as some insurance too but that one is a hit or miss opportunity.

I think they'll probably qualify Carlsson too. He's been OK and is a former first rounder. We don't have much depth defenseman anymore so keeping him around as a cheap 7th guy makes sense to me while they wait on Christiansen to continue progressing.

That leaves Bemstrom, Kukan, Gerbe, Harrington, Korpisalo, and Berube. I think its fairly obvious Gerbe and Harrington are gone. They either haven't played at all (Gerbe) or not much (Harry) to warrant staying.

Berube and Korpisalo probably depend on one another. On one hand, keeping Berube to help Tarasov on the farm would be a good move. However, it also might be better to just let Tarasov and Greaves battle it out down there for playing time. They already have the veteran mentor down there in Thiessen so that role isn't exactly needed either. However, I do think its very possible (if not likely) that we bring Korpisalo back on a 1 year deal to back up Elvis. He'd be extremely cheap and looking to prove himself. The only thing that gives me pause on that is how injury prone both of them appear to be, and you can't do that with your goaltending.

As for Bemstrom, I think there's been signs of life recently. I don't think we'd let him go and lose his rights, obviously we'd still qualify him, but would he rather return to Europe? If so, then that makes our decision much easier. If not? Then you keep him around and let him battle it out with the kids. That's in his hands, but I wouldn't imagine on us moving on from him unless he's some sweetener in a trade.

I completely agree on the need for a top RD. I don't know if that's available, but a veteran stopgap for 1-2 years up there with Z would really make life easier for us.

I see our lineup next year as:

Nyquist-Jenner-Laine
Voracek-Texier-Bjorkstrand
Johnson-Sillinger-Roslovic
Robinson-Kuraly-Danforth

EX: Chinakhov, Bemstrom, Marchenko

As you can see with this group, we have three(or two) high end people we need to make room for. I don't see any scenario where Marchenko, Chinakhov, or Johnson are not on the team next year. So that means we have to trade some of the glut in order to get them in the lineup

To me, that means the following forwards are likely trade bait (regardless of if I agree with it or not):

Roslovic, Robinson, Bemstrom, Texier

Roslovic is the easy one. We're obviously going to keep him around by means of a QO, but will he stay on a new contract? I think he's probably our best skater as a forward, even more so than Robinson, and he brings a dynamic we need. His production has been pretty solid even when he wasn't playing much, and now he's even on the PK. His game is growing, and could be a mistake to move on from. But if he's used as a piece to get a higher end center or defenseman, you have to consider it right?

Robinson is a cost effective energizer bunny 4th liner. I like him, but with the people pushing he might be on the way out. I wouldn't get rid of him however.

Bemstrom as I mentioned could be trade bait or Europe bound. But he could also stay around. I have no idea if he's Cleveland eligible next year and he probably wouldn't take too kindly to it anyway. This one is a weird one.

Texier it could be because of the same reasons as Roslovic. His game is growing, but there are people on his heels and his injury history is a bit concerning. He's a good player with more to give, and he was starting to really get moving prior to his recent injury/family trouble.

For defense I see it as

Werenski-??
Gavrikov-Boqvist
Bean-Peeke
Carlsson, Bayreuther

 

[VT]

It will be very important if Carlsson (if he stays), Bean and Boqvist will be stronger so they can play better at the boards, in front of the net.

We have two real centers - Sillinger and Kuraly. Although Boone isn't playing bad either. About Texier, it's questionable if he can be an NHL level center.

So, IMO, we need to get a 1/2C (with our wingers, the important thing is that he has good faceoff skills, can play without the puck and has good hockey vision, the rest will take care of theirself) and a RHD.

 

[Mikey09]

It will be very important if Carlsson (if he stays), Bean and Boqvist will be stronger so they can play better at the boards, in front of the net.

We have two real centers - Sillinger and Kuraly. Although Boone isn't playing bad either. About Texier, it's questionable if he can be an NHL level center.

So, IMO, we need to get a 1/2C (with our wingers, the important thing is that he has good faceoff skills, can play without the puck and has good hockey vision, the rest will take care of theirself) and a RHD.

So there is no need to skating, playmaking ability, two-way play, overall defensive awareness and more skills for 1/2C?

 

[Cowumbus]

Regarding the off-season, Kadri would be a great fit but he’s going to want WAY too much money I think.

Regarding the glut of forwards, this is what I was saying when I wasn’t a fan of the Danforth extension.

 

[Cowumbus]

be careful penciling in Marchenko and Johnson. I’d rather have them be ready than be rushed.

Maybe we can see what we have in KJ13 this year though.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

be careful penciling in Marchenko and Johnson. I’d rather have them be ready than be rushed.

Maybe we can see what we have in KJ13 this year though.

Jarmo mentioned them by name at the press conference last Monday as players they expect to be here next year. The last time I remember him doing that for prospects was Texier and Bemstrom who made the team the next year. Obviously they have to make it still but I think they have good odds

 

[Cowumbus]

Jarmo mentioned them by name at the press conference last Monday as players they expect to be here next year. The last time I remember him doing that for prospects was Texier and Bemstrom who made the team the next year. Obviously they have to make it still but I think they have good odds

And both Texier and Bemstrom have struggled at times.

 

[VT]

So there is no need to skating, playmaking ability, two-way play, overall defensive awareness and more skills for 1/2C?

Except skating and good moving, I admit, I forget, I summed all of this in hockey vision, good play without the puck, because nobody can do all of this without it. I'm not extra good at English, so I'm abbreviating some things. Btw, the fact that every player in TOP 6 can't have hands like a rock is obvious, or does that need to be written as well? Like that every center has to be able to connect his wingers.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

And both Texier and Bemstrom have struggled at times.

Yes but the point wasn’t about whether or not they would struggle

 

[majormajor]

On Defense, I only have one real ?, but it's a big one. Who is our top line RD? I assume Ceulemans goes back to Wisconsin, so I didn't factor him into this mix. As with #1 C, I don't think we have a real good fit to play along side Werenski in our current mix. I'd like to see us pursue a big minute munching RD either via trade or UFA. I'm not too concerned about offensive production here, but someone who can be defensively capable for 20+ min/night. Extra offense would be a bonus.

I haven't really dug deep into to the UFA list yet, but the headliners are Letang and Klingberg. I'm not sure we are ready or need to bring in a headliner. But I wouldn't mind looking a little further down the list at a guy like Josh Manson, Justin Braun, or our old friend Anton Stralman as a stop gap. More than likely RD looks like a place to use some draft capital to make a hockey trade. This is where a guy like Chychrun might make sense. Another player who I wouldn't mind trading for is Connor Murphy. I'm not sure if he's in Chacago's long term plans or how serious his concussion issues are, but he'd be an upgrade on what we have for sure. BTW, he's from Columbus.

I have a guy in mind that is better than the RD you mentioned. Artem Zub.

If Ottawa can't extend him this summer, then he'll be traded. He's an excellent shutdown guy but with better offensive talent than say, Gavrikov. I think he is the ideal type to pair with Werenski.

 

[majormajor]

Regarding the off-season, Kadri would be a great fit but he’s going to want WAY too much money I think.

Regarding the glut of forwards, this is what I was saying when I wasn’t a fan of the Danforth extension.

If Kadri would take a two year deal would you do it? $9m per?

We have the cap and a lot of clubs don't. Personally I just don't want to go long term with him, that's my only concern. If ownership is willing to spend, I'd take a 2 year deal.

If Danforth gets outplayed by 12 other forwards and they demote him, or they just want to demote him for any reason, then his cap hit goes away. Not much downside there.