Speculation: Future Roster Construction and Various Pipe Dreams

[Rune Forumwalker]

Stanley cup winning goalies and their top pairings... Just for reference

2013-Crawford-Keith/Seabrook
2012-Quick-Doughty/Voynov
2011-Timmy-Chara/Ference?
2010-Niemi-Keith/Seabrook

Aside from Quick, all these goalies are considered very good, not great. Defense is truly the carrying factor to championships these days.

Let's go back further:

2009-MAF-Letang/Gonchar
2008-Osgood-Lidstrom/Rafalski
2007-Giguere-Pronger/Niedermayer
2006-C.Ward-Wesley?/A.Ward?

 

[ElGuapo]

If Pevs is healthy, and you could pull off the trade with the division with Winnipeg ....

Been-Seguin-Ritchie
E. Kane-Stastny-Nichushkin
Roussel-Eakin-Garbutt
Peverley-Horcoff-Sceviour

That 2nd line could be a good compliment to one anther similar to Landeskog-Stastny-MacKinnon.

A trade for Kane is something I've been thinking about. We really don't have any real impact possiblities for 2nd line LW unless someone like Nichushkin can successfully make the transition. I know there are issues with him but man it would be tantalizing. That forward group you posted would be very good and very fast with plenty of size and grit to boot.

 

[Troy McClure]

Belfour was also terrible in the playoffs for the Hawks.

Ed Belfour took the Hawks to the Cup finals in his sophomore season.

 

[Stars99Lobo37]

Ed Belfour took the Hawks to the Cup finals in his sophomore season.

He was definitely known as a playoff choker prior to 99 though.

 

[Troy McClure]

I remembered it more as a guy who couldn't win the Cup. That's where the comparisons with Roy always took place.

 

[oconnor9sean]

I'd love for Nill to sit Gonchar down and say:

"Sergei, you suck. Now, I know I have you 2 years in that deal, but holy ****, I didn't expect you to make Jordie Benn of 2013 look like a Norris favorite. Here's the deal. You're going to be the 7th DMan next season, and even if someone gets injured, you'll be passed on the depth chart. You're more than welcome to stay and be a mentor, but you're not going to play unless the Bubonic Plague hits our back end. *Wink Wink* I hear Russia is nice from September to June. Peace out, Serg."

 

[BigG44]

I'd love for Nill to sit Gonchar down and say:

"Sergei, you suck. Now, I know I have you 2 years in that deal, but holy ****, I didn't expect you to make Jordie Benn of 2013 look like a Norris favorite. Here's the deal. You're going to be the 7th DMan next season, and even if someone gets injured, you'll be passed on the depth chart. You're more than welcome to stay and be a mentor, but you're not going to play unless the Bubonic Plague hits our back end. *Wink Wink* I hear Russia is nice from September to June. Peace out, Serg."

100% of his contract counts against the cap if he plays in the AHL or Russia. It's a multi-year, 35+ contract. I like the idea of not carrying over cash to the following season, but you're taking a major hit over the summer. With only about $20 million in cap space, you're now down to $15 ... you have to re-sign Dillon, Eakin, and Roussel. You have to sign at least one center, possibly sign a Peverley replacement and at the very least replace him internally if he can't go, and then you have no depth forwards or D on the team yet (13th F or 7th D). You also haven't improved your D yet and Connauton is a full time starter.

In other words ... cross Stastny off as a target.

 

[BigG44]

Now ... you buyout Gonchar ... you have $23,333,333 in cap space. Cole and Rome as compliance would push you to $29,333,333.

If Gaglardi wasn't kidding about money not being an issue ... it's a no brainer. Try to trade them but be prepared to pull the trigger. Trust that if Peverley has to call it quits, one of the young guys can replace him. Wouldn't mind a McKenzie-Horcoff-Sceviour line one bit.

Go shopping via trade or free agency for Fiddler, Cole, Gonchar, and Thomas replacements.

Team is better.

 

[Zrhutch]

Now ... you buyout Gonchar ... you have $23,333,333 in cap space. Cole and Rome as compliance would push you to $29,333,333.

If Gaglardi wasn't kidding about money not being an issue ... it's a no brainer. Try to trade them but be prepared to pull the trigger. Trust that if Peverley has to call it quits, one of the young guys can replace him. Wouldn't mind a McKenzie-Horcoff-Sceviour line one bit.

Go shopping via trade or free agency for Fiddler, Cole, Gonchar, and Thomas replacements.

Team is better.

Cole->Setoguchi
Gonchar->Stralman
Fiddler->...Glennie? Tough one
Thomas->Montoya

Bewm
Bewm
Bewm
Bewm

 

[BigG44]

The glaring one is Glennie is not an improvement on Fiddler, and now your centers are Seguin-Eakin-Horcoff-Glennie.

That's a major step back, and Glennie plays wing in the AHL. He played center a small amount of time last year.

I also don't think Setoguchi is an upgrade over Cole ... who I actually like. You're likely going to get similar production which isn't probably good enough for the Top 6. Cole's replacement could simply be Ritchie, but I kind of want to see him get a bit more seasoning in the AHL.

 

[Frozen Failure]

The glaring one is Glennie is not an improvement on Fiddler, and now your centers are Seguin-Eakin-Horcoff-Glennie.

That's a major step back, and Glennie plays wing in the AHL. He played center a small amount of time last year.

I also don't think Setoguchi is an upgrade over Cole ... who I actually like. You're likely going to get similar production which isn't probably good enough for the Top 6. Cole's replacement could simply be Ritchie, but I kind of want to see him get a bit more seasoning in the AHL.

if Horcoff is 100% he is the 4c. Seguin-x-Eakin-Horcoff. You sign literally any center who can put up 50 and win FOs and not look out of place to that #2 role at a minimum.

Benn-Seguin-Nichushkin/Chiasson/Ritchie?ufa
ufa/Nichushkin - ufa - Chiasson/Ritchie/ufa
Roussel-Eakin-Garbutt
McKenzie-Horcoff-Sceviour/Glennie
Sceviour/Glennie

Goligoski-Daley
Jordie Benn-Dillon
KConn-Nemeth

Or you go get really lucky and find a D-man who can slot in higher than Goose and move everyone down, but good luck with that.

 

[Johno]

Holy overreaction Batman!

Crucify Kari after his first playoff performance?

Ready to pretty much trade Dillon after his sophomore year and first in the playoffs?

Get your ***** together stars fans. Seems that most fans would've been happier with the team if they hadn't made the playoffs...

Dallas has drafted two Ilves players recently in Jyrki Jokipakka and Aleki Makela. You know the scouts have seen the guy.

Since it seems he's primarily a winger that prefers RW, he may not have a spot among Nichushkin, Chiasson, Sceviour, and Garbutt, unless one of them gets moved. That said, Detroit and even Dallas in the past heavily pursued Finnish and Swedish undrafted talent. The year Dallas landed Brunnstrom, Detroit signed Finnish star Leino.

Chiasson most likely gets moved for upgrade for the blueline and moving Nuke to LW could be a great move to make since we don't have that much LW depth and he does play there. Also Ritchie will play in the NHL next season or 15-16 the latest, and could slot to the top line. So Keränen wouldn't be a bad choice for the 2nd line RW. Only needs that 2C...

 

[beepeearr]

You know, after the last couple of weeks of play, I kind of want to see the Stars experiment with Daley in the off season and see if he can play left wing. He's fast, his breakaway goals have been awesome, why not? I like Daley, but I really want to see the D corps get a little more balanced either in Handedness or Size. From distance his shot always goes wide, but most of his best offensive play this year has come on the breakaway or whenever he has snuck down or carried the puck low. We know hes good on getting into the zone. Basically, I want to improve the D, and you cant do that without subtracting a couple of our current D, but I wouldn't mind finding a way to keep Daley on the team.

 

[Dallasman]

Dillion playing injured too I'm sure hurt his abilities in his two game playoff apperance.

Kari, well, I'm still not 100% sold on him but he needs to be better and the defense in front of him needs to be better too.

 

[Hull Fan]

Kinda radical but:

Kari, Chiasson, the 14th for 5th, Anderson Lee

Fills center hole, nets better pick, then sign 2 goalies instead of 1.

 

[Frozen Failure]

Kinda radical but:

Kari, Chiasson, the 14th for 5th, Anderson Lee

Fills center hole, nets better pick, then sign 2 goalies instead of 1.

Anders Lee, you mean?

 

[Bkennedy*]

Kinda radical but:

Kari, Chiasson, the 14th for 5th, Anderson Lee

Fills center hole, nets better pick, then sign 2 goalies instead of 1.

No no no no no no thank you. Kari is still a freaking top 10 goalie easily and we don't even have a backup on the roster.

This isn't even something to look twice at.

 

[BigG44]

I get being upset with Kari, but you're going to be pissed when you realize that two random goalies are going to be even worse behind Dallas' defense ... something I think many people are realizing that the assets to improve where they need too just aren't available.

Unless you're signing an older Miller who looked even worse behind a damn good D .... you don't make the playoffs next season without Kari Lehtonen.

I want to be Detroit ... but they aren't there yet. You can't just sub in random goalies. We don't have Lidstrom and Rafalski.

 

[Hull Fan]

Yes anders lee. Stupid autocorrect. I did say it was radical. There's reason for major pause but say hiller & montoya as a tandem isn't awful. May be more 60/40 than 85/15 split we had with Kari. NYI is in a position to do something stupid to get a goalie. If Nill can get the right player along with their pick he needs to consider it. DalCole is legit and would fill that lw spot soon. Not to mention either lee or nielson, depending on nyi's concern about money would be huge going forward. I'm not strongly advocating it but did want to toss the idea out there.

 

[TheGuyFromThere]

I was pulling for him when he was drafted, but if Al Montoya plays 30+ games for the Stars in a 60/40 split backing up any goalie we get or currently have, we go back to hoping our ball gets picked in the lottery.

 

[glovesave_35]

I was pulling for him when he was drafted, but if Al Montoya plays 30+ games for the Stars in a 60/40 split backing up any goalie we get or currently have, we go back to hoping our ball gets picked in the lottery.

He was great this year playing in 28 games for Winnipeg. He would be a great option for the backup position.

 

[TheGuyFromThere]

I'll admit to only seeing him about 5 times this year, it must have just been the games I watched because he let in soft goals that weren't exactly confidence inspiring.

 

[Hull Fan]

I pulled a name out of the hat. If you prefer Elliott that's fine. All I'm saying is a more even tandem along with a better offense could be one solution if there's no big fix available on defense.

 

[TheGuyFromThere]

That's fair, I just think that with the number of quality goalies that are in the league already it'd be harder to get really good value out of Lehtonen if the Stars went through the trade route. Personally, I'd rather sign one of the UFA's as a competent back up then move from there. The idea of trading Lehtonen then hoping we can sign Hiller (for example), or signing Hiller then trying to trade Lehtonen from a position of weakness where everyone knows he'd be the odd man out is a little sketchy. See what he can do without being the most overworked goalie in the league, then decide if the FA pool is the way to go for a new starter.

 

[Henderson33]

If Jonas Gustavsson hits FA I could see Nill pursuing him, he was in Detroit when they brought him in 2 seasons ago so he must be familiar with him. He hasn't played bad this season, better than any backup the Stars had over the past few seasons.

Wouldn't be my first choice but he's not my last either. If only Nill signed Khudobin last off-season