Speculation: Armchair GM Thread - 2021-2022 IV

[Volica]

I find it funny that you read an article saying Buffalo is f***ing up the situation and you somehow blame Brad?

Like, don't get me wrong, my appreciation for Brad is at an all time low, but the fact NOBODY has traded for him points less on Brad and more on Adams.

I'm not blaming Brad, per se, I'm more pointing at where this team is and what he has to do.
Unlike teams like Anaheim, LA or even the Rangé, there's no pressure to make a trade for Eichel. If Anaheim makes a deal for him, it doesn't matter if he starts tomorrow, next week, or in December. They're window doesn't open with Eichel in the lineup. They're still looking like a team that won't win many games. They're essentially Buffalo in a better climate.

Minny and Calgary are in completely different situations.
The window is right now (no matter that it really isn't, let's be honest), and having Eichel miss time out of the lineup does hinder their ability to, well, win. Considering the price it'll likely come at, where we might lose a player like Andersson, Dube, Valimaki or Mangiapane in the deal; playing without those guys in the lineup, while at the same time playing without Eichel in the lineup is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Sparky93]

Maybe Mr Big Oil vetoed it because $10 million dollars.
They're obviously going to try to Sutter their way deep into the playoffs like Montreal. With a squad of lesser thans. Squad doesn't look so bad right now actually...

Who knows. Might just be his broken neck.

 

[Rubi]

If the Flames do end up trading for Eichel I'm pretty sure that its going to be a complicated deal involving at least 3 teams. As time moves forward and teams become less flexible with regards to cap space, I become less and less hopeful.

 

[herashak]

Still don’t see why a trade for eichel has to happen in the off-season, Eichels stuck for 4 years. Getting a chance to see Zary/Pelletier/Dube/Mang/Monahan for part of the season might be better before unloading 3 of them.

 

[Iggys Dome]

Friedman said that the Flames are in the middle of this Eichel thing on his podcast yesterday..I mean we already knew that but it’s something

 

[Fig]

Weird concept, but what if there's a bit of delay because perhaps the teams want to iron out the deal a bit more PLUS multiple teams are OK with placing Eichel on the LTIR for a bit of the beginning of the season? For instance, he will be ready to show up at training camp, but not really to participate heavily. His expected return is then around October to December. Which if prorated + LTIR means around 2-3 mil of cap savings? (ie: 20-30% of season at 10 mil).

ie:

Ducks: Internal cap, not ready to contend. Eichel as LTIR for prospect development is OK and the real cash (if insured) and cap savings is beneficial to ownership.

Flames: No internal cap, ready to contend. Eichel as LTIR for team gelling/development without Eichel and then supercharge after he returns and is sheltered as 2C is OK. Plus, Flames use Eichel to leverage LTIR space while reducing real cash (ie: if insured) for 2022 season to allow for more flexibility for 2022 TDL. Knowing this, Eichel also kinda knows the team isn't built around him as they're required to contend without him/with less talent and gets a solid reset from his time in Buffalo?

Is this concept even plausible? If so, I could potentially see a situation where the trade happens a few weeks before training camp, Eichel then goes to surgery after trade, gets to know new team mates for training camp while watching and learning new system, comes back to team sheltered in late 2021, ready to go by early 2022. This also means that it complicates the trade situation and perhaps benefits the acquiring teams if they can play around with some of the cap structures of the deal this way (kinda like a performance bonus type of consideration, but more LTIR/Insurance related?)

 

[DFF]

I seriously doubt the Flames have the future pieces to get Eichel. You all cream over Phillips and Kylington but they are not that good, Zary and Pelletier are not blue chip neither

They are just stringing Treliving along for fun.

Not much left, I would sign Tatar to inject some offense….yah yah he has his problems but he is probably the best available at this point

 

[JurassicTunga]

Get it done, Brad.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

This is my evil plan. I have done no math to support this from a salary cap perspective. Nor do I know much about the surgery Eichel may need.

1. Flames acquire Eichel for futures. (Pelletier, Zary, 1st 2022, 1st 2023)
2. Eichel gets his neck surgery, put on LTIR. The Flames are "cautious" about his return.
3. Flames keep key roster guys like Monahan, sneak into the playoffs.
4. Pull the ol' Tampa Bay, Eichel comes back for the first round series. (or late in the season?)
5. Worry about salary cap in 2022 offseason

Gaudreau - Eichel - Tkachuk
Mangiapane - Monahan - Lindholm
Dube - Backlund - Coleman
Lucic - Gawdin - Pitlick

 

[InfinityIggy]

This is my evil plan. I have done no math to support this from a salary cap perspective. Nor do I know much about the surgery Eichel may need.

1. Flames acquire Eichel for futures. (Pelletier, Zary, 1st 2022, 1st 2023)
2. Eichel gets his neck surgery, put on LTIR. The Flames are "cautious" about his return.
3. Flames keep key roster guys like Monahan, sneak into the playoffs.
4. Pull the ol' Tampa Bay, Eichel comes back for the first round series. (or late in the season?)
5. Worry about salary cap in 2022 offseason

Gaudreau - Eichel - Tkachuk
Mangiapane - Monahan - Lindholm
Dube - Backlund - Coleman
Lucic - Gawdin - Pitlick

This plan is entirely unrealistic because you don't have Monahan playing with Gaudreau.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I seriously doubt the Flames have the future pieces to get Eichel. You all cream over Phillips and Kylington but they are not that good, Zary and Pelletier are not blue chip neither

They are just stringing Treliving along for fun.

Not much left, I would sign Tatar to inject some offense….yah yah he has his problems but he is probably the best available at this point

I like Tatar, but I'm incredibly leery about a team that already struggles in the first round getting him.

 

[InfinityIggy]

If we don't get Eichel (which we will), it'll be Max 1C Domi instead.

 

[DCDM]

This plan is entirely unrealistic because you don't have Monahan playing with Gaudreau.

 

[Bond]

I seriously doubt the Flames have the future pieces to get Eichel. You all cream over Phillips and Kylington but they are not that good, Zary and Pelletier are not blue chip neither

They are just stringing Treliving along for fun.

Not much left, I would sign Tatar to inject some offense….yah yah he has his problems but he is probably the best available at this point

If they are competing with that leaked ask from Vegas than they can beat it. The only teams left that have been in on it are the Rangers, Ducks, and Minnesota. The Rangers and Ducks have higher end prospects but if they were on the table Eichel would have been gone already.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

This plan is entirely unrealistic because you don't have Monahan playing with Gaudreau.

Yes... That's the problem with it.

 

[Volica]

This board is predicting Calgary as a bottom team in the league with our current makeup.
It makes sense.

We lost a top 4D, didn't add much there to help with that departure.
We got a decent top 6 forward in Coleman, and some depth, but nothing to put us over the top.

If this team isn't committed to a rebuild, they need to push the chips in for Eichel.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Nearly spit out my drink

 

[TheHudlinator]

This board is predicting Calgary as a bottom team in the league with our current makeup.
It makes sense.

We lost a top 4D, didn't add much there to help with that departure.
We got a decent top 6 forward in Coleman, and some depth, but nothing to put us over the top.

If this team isn't committed to a rebuild, they need to push the chips in for Eichel.

Unfortunately/fortunately even after losing Gio I don't think we will be a bottom 10 team, as much as this team underachieves they still have more than enough talent to not bottom out.

 

[GAMO1992]

Unfortunately/fortunately even after losing Gio I don't think we will be a bottom 10 team, as much as this team underachieves they still have more than enough talent to not bottom out.

Well, to be fair, if Marky has another season like he did during the middle of last season, then we're probably not looking too hot. Especially with an, arguably, worse D core

 

[JPeeper]

If Eichel isn't traded in the next couple weeks Buffalo's return is either going to be pretty shit or he ain't getting traded this off season and Buffalo/him are going to waste an entire season over this medical argument.

Like what is the point in not trading him? He's not suiting up for your team and the longer this drags out the worse the trade packages become.

Similarly if you're the Flames, ANOTHER year with the same group? f*** right off.

It was mentioned earlier and I blew it off, but maybe the issue is Monahan. If Buffalo is on his NTC list (let's face it, Buffalo is on EVERYONES NTC) and he is vetoing a trade there, then the Flames have to facilitate another trade with a team that he can be traded to to get his salary off the books.

With Monahan included in an Eichel trade Flames only gain under $3 mil in cap hit. If Flames only give up futures and cheap young guys (Mangiapane/Dube) and take on Eichel's full $10 mil then the Flames have less than $2 mil in space to sign 3 d-men.

 

[lightstorm]

1. Gut the team to trade for Eichel. Monahan, Mangiapane, Zary, 2nd
2. Eichel doesnt play in 2021/22
3. Gutted team finishes bottom 3 in the league
4. Draft Wright
5. Roll with Eichel, Wright as your top two Cs from 2022/23 onwards

 

[Mobiandi]

A lot of people on the mainboard are convinced that Adams is about to pull a Sakic-Duchene masterclass out of his ass to avenge the ROR return. But the reports that are coming out now about the Sabres willing to retain on Eichel lead me to believe that Buffalo is definitely hiding something on their end of things. Eichel is Eichel so if everything was on the up and up, he'd have been moved by now. Buffalo is twisting themselves into a pretzel to squeeze teams for a big return that will likely not even be that franchise-altering at this point

However, it would be a problem if he gets traded in our division and it gets revealed that Treliving wasn't willing to trade a non-Gaudreau/Lindholm player or asset

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

If Eichel isn't traded in the next couple weeks Buffalo's return is either going to be pretty shit or he ain't getting traded this off season and Buffalo/him are going to waste an entire season over this medical argument.

Like what is the point in not trading him? He's not suiting up for your team and the longer this drags out the worse the trade packages become.

Similarly if you're the Flames, ANOTHER year with the same group? f*** right off.

It was mentioned earlier and I blew it off, but maybe the issue is Monahan. If Buffalo is on his NTC list (let's face it, Buffalo is on EVERYONES NTC) and he is vetoing a trade there, then the Flames have to facilitate another trade with a team that he can be traded to to get his salary off the books.

With Monahan included in an Eichel trade Flames only gain under $3 mil in cap hit. If Flames only give up futures and cheap young guys (Mangiapane/Dube) and take on Eichel's full $10 mil then the Flames have less than $2 mil in space to sign 3 d-men.

This is how I feel. Essentially do what we need to do to move Monahan, gets the assets and make the deal with Buffalo for Eichel.

Ideally we move Dube, but I think Mangi may need to go back at the roster player.

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

Unfortunately/fortunately even after losing Gio I don't think we will be a bottom 10 team, as much as this team underachieves they still have more than enough talent to not bottom out.

We won't be a bottom 10 team because we lucked out by playing in an awful division. The fact that we lost Giordano doesn't have me concerned. After Vegas, the teams from 2-8 could arguably fight for the last 2 spots lmao

 

[JPeeper]

Looking past '22 if we don't get Eichel, we may not bottom out next year, but could for Bedard/Michkov in '23.

Anaheim will be getting Zegras next year, Drysdale will have more experience and their other young guys will get better. LA could be getting Turcotte and Byfield this year and were already making strides last year in improving + they just added Danault. San Jose is the team in the toughest spot, they'll be getting a top 5 pick in '22 me thinks and probably '23 as well.

If Hanifin and Andersson don't continue to improve the Flames could be looking good for '23 in terms of drafting.