Confirmed with Link: Derek Stepan: 1year, $1.35 million

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Very confused at the fit here. He’s not a 4th line center. He can slide into the top 9 with an injury though. Just weird for both player and team on opening night.

I’m not confused. $1.35M. Seems like a perfect fit.

 

[Bunch of Jurcos]

The "Third Man" (goalie) is Henrik Lundqvist, isnt it?

"Yeah but whose side is he on?" asked Bobby the brain Heenan.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Looks to me like they're going for a two-way third line for defensive matchups and a rangy, physical fourth that can cycle the puck.

Fast-Staal-Stepan
Martinook-Lorentz-Leivo

Makes a ton of sense to me, but I'm just some moron who's wrong about these things often

The trade board doesn't have anything positive to say about him at this point. His statline has certainly declined from his prime. This is a vet 4C contract.

If he's being brought in to play wing in the Top 9 (is he even capable of that?), that implies that they've punted on not just upgrading the forward group, but even bringing it up to last year's level, 4 days into free agency. If that's the narrative, it's a frightening one.

 

[Roboturner913]

The trade board on this website is rarely going to have anything positive to say about an average player over 30. And in general that place should be avoided like it's COVID.

As for the rest, I choose to have faith in the team's current management because they've been awfully right about an awful lot of shit the last few years. If they think Stepan can replace McGinn as a middle sixer, who am I to say they're wrong? I'm just some idiot on a message board making guesses.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Lmao guys play this game with me

Take a mental guess at how old you think Derek Stepan is.

Then go Google how old he actually is.

I did bad.

 

[Roboturner913]

32?

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

32?

You did better than me.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

The trade board on this website is rarely going to have anything positive to say about an average player over 30. And in general that place should be avoided like it's COVID.

As for the rest, I choose to have faith in the team's current management because they've been awfully right about an awful lot of shit the last few years. If they think Stepan can replace McGinn as a middle sixer, who am I to say they're wrong? I'm just some idiot on a message board making guesses.

In terms of how he looks on the ice, who else do you turn to? You can just look at Stepan's declining numbers if you want. His cheap 1 year deal is further evidence of what he is at this point.

Jake Gardiner makes me pass on blind faith, but to each their own.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Lmao guys play this game with me

Take a mental guess at how old you think Derek Stepan is.

Then go Google how old he actually is.

I did bad.

34?

edit: nope googled it. 31. Bad guess

 

[Negan4Coach]

The trade board on this website is rarely going to have anything positive to say about an average player over 30. And in general that place should be avoided like it's COVID.

As for the rest, I choose to have faith in the team's current management because they've been awfully right about an awful lot of shit the last few years. If they think Stepan can replace McGinn as a middle sixer, who am I to say they're wrong? I'm just some idiot on a message board making guesses.

I'm an idiot on a message board and even I know that this guy is not going to replace Brock. Are you kidding me?

 

[A Star is Burns]

I'm an idiot on a message board and even I know that this guy is not going to replace Brock. Are you kidding me?

Perhaps he has an abnormally large member? Wonder what the analytics say about that.

 

[Borsig]

more garbage.

I guess he's supposed to be cheaper than Ginner? Id rather have kept Ginner.

 

[bleedgreen]

Lots of meh. We’ve needed depth so I get why they’re doing this but like I’ve said I prefer the homegrown kind. I do think Drury will benefit from AHL time. PP, PK, top six role, last minute of the game, maybe even wearing a letter.

If this is that so be it. If he plays well and we bomb here’s another 4th round pick or something coming back at the deadline.

 

[Wolfpuck]

We’re filling out the bottom part of our lineup with lots of meh. At least it’s veteran meh? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[HisIceness]

I honestly didn't even know he was playing in Ottawa.

I mean, I don't hate it but these signings are giving me JR vibes, like when he brought Stephan Yelle and Mike Komiserak among others aboard. We had hopes they'd be decent filler but nah.

Could be worse I guess but honestly I'd of rather just found a way to keep Brock.

 

[HisIceness]

Lmao guys play this game with me

Take a mental guess at how old you think Derek Stepan is.

Then go Google how old he actually is.

I did bad.

I'm 33 and he's younger than I am so that's good, I guess.

 

[Roboturner913]

Jake Gardiner makes me pass on blind faith, but to each their own.

"Blind faith?"

Nobody said anything about blind faith, I'm just looking at their hits to misses ratio.

 

[Roboturner913]

I'm an idiot on a message board and even I know that this guy is not going to replace Brock. Are you kidding me?

You don't know shit. And I don't know shit either. And anybody else on this message board pretending otherwise is just fooling themselves. Stepan could be told to pack his shit and get out on the first day of training camp. Or he could be the second coming of Matt Cullen revitalizing his career at age 30+ after a few years of crappy production. We just plain old don't know, unless you've got a time machine.

 

[Roboturner913]

Perhaps he has an abnormally large member? Wonder what the analytics say about that.

gonna need to see his advanced girth per 60

 

[DougieSmash]

Instead of wasting the kid as a 4th line PK-er, give Drury some time in AHL to develop in the first few months. He's way too talented to start as a body on the 4th line.

I like this signing honestly. Stepan could step as a good veteran between Marty and Lorentz. Sound like adequate 4th line. If rebounds, could be slotted as a winger (Staal-Fast line).

 

[Roboturner913]

I'm also wondering if they see a little bit of Foegele in Lorentz. He could totally be a physical winger on the Staal line and then Stepan is the 4C

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Lmao guys play this game with me

Take a mental guess at how old you think Derek Stepan is.

Then go Google how old he actually is.

I did bad.

He lied about his age all the time! One time, Gary Bettman came in here, and sat in this chair. I say, "Gary, you hang out with Derek Stepan. Just between me and you, how old is Derek Stepan?" Know what Gary told me? He said "Hey, Derek Stepan is a hundred thirty-seven years old." A hundred and thirty-seven years old!

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Instead of wasting the kid as a 4th line PK-er, give Drury some time in AHL to develop in the first few months. He's way too talented to start as a body on the 4th line.

I like this signing honestly. Stepan could step as a good veteran between Marty and Lorentz. Sound like adequate 4th line. If rebounds, could be slotted as a winger (Staal-Fast line).

I think that's the Canes' thinking here. They want Drury to dominate the AHL before getting promoted to the big club.

 

[Lempo]

So what are we now, the home of wayward former Rangers?

I mean, fine, I guess. He's cheap.

Playsible deniability for the Tony D signing.

 

[spockBokk]

Still digesting this signing.

In terms of saving some cap space by going with vets. I suppose you could look at it like they took the $2M they were spending on a Foegele or McGinn and turned it into 2 veteran bottom 6 players (Leivo and now Stepan) vs just 1 while saving another $750k on what it would have taken to extend just one of McGinn or Foegele.

I like the potential versatility of Stepan, if he isn’t completely cooked. Another guy to take right side faceoffs is valuable on special teams. I just hope the second outcast they’ve acquired from last year’s OTT team is better than the first one (Paquette) who turned out to be a raging turd.

The bottom 6 is almost set. They still really need a LW to slot next to Trocheck or Staal that they can count on for 40pts or more. Tatar is still out there, but I don’t see how they add another forward without subtracting from the current roster, in one way or another. My guess now is that scoring help, if they do anything, will come via trade.