Proposal: Move Berglund & MPS for futures, sign Vrbata?

[LGB51]

I know we just re-signed him. But what do you guys think of the idea of moving Berglund, and maybe MPS for the best possible futures and picks package we can find. I know there has been fans of more than a couple of teams here at HF, that have stated Berglund is exactly what their team needs, MPS would just be the price for doing business if they want Bergy. Then going after goal scoring for our third line in Vrbata, like a few of us thought we needed, to go along with our 1st/2nd C upgrade.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not very good at these deals, as I'm not the best at determining what is fair value. However I really think we need one more legit scoring threat for our third line. And shedding Bergy and MPS's contracts off our books should free up enough money to sign a proven scorer like Vrbata, and still have the money to sign Schwartz and Sobotka. Jaskin would fill MPS's spot on the roster, with Vrbata fitting perfectly in Bergy's roster spot, and be able to play with fellow countrymen Sobotka on the third line.

What do you guys think, would it work? Too stupid of a deal to even discuss (yes I realize this would be more than one deal lol)? Let me know what you guys think, lets talk

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[Celtic Note]

I know we just re-signed him. But what do you guys think of the idea of moving Berglund, and maybe MPS for the best possible futures and picks package we can find. I know there has been fans of more than a couple of teams here at HF, that have stated Berglund is exactly what their team needs, MPS would just be the price for doing business if they want Bergy. Then going after goal scoring for our third line in Vrbata, like a few of us thought we needed, to go along with our 1st/2nd C upgrade.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm not very good at these deals, as I'm not the best at determining what is fair value. However I really think we need one more legit scoring threat for our third line. And shedding Bergy and MPS's contracts off our books should free up enough money to sign a proven scorer like Vrbata, and still have the money to sign Schwartz and Sobotka. Jaskin would fill MPS's spot on the roster, with Vrbata fitting perfectly in Bergy's roster spot, and be able to play with fellow countrymen Sobotka on the third line.

What do you guys think, would it work? Too stupid of a deal to even discuss (yes I realize this would be more than one deal lol)? Let me know what you guys think, lets talk

I was in favor of signing Vrbata if we moved Berglund in a trade for that elusive top flight center. But, we got Stastny and signed Jori. At this point I think have all the quality depth we need.

I don't include Magnus in that group because he doesn't bring much that another depth player can't top. I would trade him for a later round pick, because outside if a #7 D or a 4th liner that's about the extent of his value. Plus, I would like to remove his salary from the line to give us more financial flexibility at the trade deadline.

Stastny while a very good center, is not elite. The Lethera signing continues our upgrade process, but he, as well as Lindstrom, come with significant question marks. I want Berglund for two reasons on relation to those questions. First, Berglund can slot in on wing or center. If Jori falters or needs prolonged time to get acclimated, we have someone to step on immediately (along with Sobie). Second, I still think we could use a high level scorer if the aforementioned guys struggle and possibly even if they don't. Berglund was a name many teams seemed interested in at the draft. He could be a key asset at the deadline. His size, goal scoring, defense, and positional flexibility are things that make him attractive to other teams. Those are some of the key attributes that also make him a good fit on our team.

 

[Alklha]

It's one way to go, but it would really depend on the type of contract Vrbata is willing to accept. Would he take 2 years @ $3.5m? I think that is the absolute maximum we could probably go even after moving Berglund and Pääjärvi.

I'm not against packaging them both for futures, but if we done that then I suspect we'd likely just sign Ott. I wonder if we might move them both for a young winger or defenseman in the $3m range.

 

[Blanick]

Big questions:

Is Vrbata going to want to go to a team to be a 3rd line winger?
What kind of dollar amount is he looking for?
What kind of term is he looking for?
If we were to sign him to decent term and dollar how would it affect our ability to sign our RFA both current (Schwartz, Sobotka) and future (Tarasenko). Then you know in two years Backes is UFA and is going to look to be getting paid.

I just think other teams are going to come with better answers to the questions above. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing Paajarvi moved to open up space but I want to see Berglund have a full year with someone who is a playmaker. He has always been more of a shooter than a playmaker, unfortunately since we have had limited playmakers he has always been slotted with other shooters (Perron, Stewart). However when you look at the most productive parts of his career is what when he is on a line with Oshie who is surprise surprise more of a playmaker. I am perfectly fine going into the season with what we have so long as we can sign Schwartz and Sobe with our 6mil left. If not I would look to trade Paajarvi or Leopold long before Berglund.

Signed,
The Last Berglund Supporter.

 

[Dbrownss]

I've actually moved to the keep Berglund camp. We've signed 2 play making euros to play on what will most likely 3rd line. Our team isn't getting tougher and when Berglund decides to use his big butt, he can be pretty imposing. His value won't get any worse by the trade deadline. Maybe we can sit on this situation till training camp and see how our rookie dman are doing...forgo signing a 7th dman and use call ups unless Carlo just wants to be a team player again. Dump Leo, that should be enough to keep S&S.

 

[LGB51]

I should have added this to the OP but oh well, anyway this is what the lineup would look like that I had in mind.

Schwartz - Stastny - Tarasenko
Vrbata - Backes - Oshie
Steen - Lehtera - Lindstrom
Sobotka/Lapierre/Jaskin - Lapierre/Sobotka - Reaves/Jaskin

Porter, Jaskin,

J-Bo - Petro
Gunnar - Shatty
Jackman - Cole

Leo

1a.) Elliot
1b.) Allen

 

[Falco Lombardi]

As long as it doesn't affect our ability to sign Schwartz/Sobotka, I'm fine with keeping Berglund or signing Vrbata (if term and money work).

But I want Schwartz and Sobotka taken care of first.

 

[Blanick]

I should have added this to the OP but oh well, anyway this is what the lineup would look like that I had in mind.

Schwartz - Stastny - Tarasenko
Vrbata - Backes - Oshie
Steen - Lehtera - Lindstrom
Sobotka/Lapierre/Jaskin - Lapierre/Sobotka - Reaves/Jaskin

Porter, Jaskin,

J-Bo - Petro
Gunnar - Shatty
Jackman - Cole

Leo

1a.) Elliot
1b.) Allen

A guy named Steenalizer demoting Steen, our only 30 goal scorer down to the 3rd line to play with two unproven new signings just to appease Vrbata....

For shame.

 

[LGB51]

It's one way to go, but it would really depend on the type of contract Vrbata is willing to accept. Would he take 2 years @ $3.5m? I think that is the absolute maximum we could probably go even after moving Berglund and Pääjärvi.

I'm not against packaging them both for futures, but if we done that then I suspect we'd likely just sign Ott. I wonder if we might move them both for a young winger or defenseman in the $3m range.

My whole thing is I want more of a scoring threat on the 2nd/3rd line (I believe we truly need it) which is not Ott. Not to mention Ott probably wants close to that number himself. More scoring depth (20-22 goals) is equal to Vrbata not Ott. I wouldn't want any salary coming back in the trade either. The whole point of this proposal is to get a piece or 2 useful for the future of the big club, and to clear cp space to sign Schwartz and Sobotka to their raises.

If we included Leopold in the deal, then I wouldn't mind trading for a young D-man, a 2nd/3rd round pick & maybe young goalie or winger prospect. Or a young D-man/Winger and a and a 1st/2nd.

 

[LGB51]

A guy named Steenalizer demoting Steen, our only 30 goal scorer down to the 3rd line to play with two unproven new signings just to appease Vrbata....

For shame.

I don't really consider it a demotion, anymore than I consider moving the Backes line down too the second. Steen and Lindstrom are very good friends, and have very good chemistry together so I'm told. Plus from what I also hear Lehtera is very good at distributing the puck.

 

[Novacain]

Honestly, this is a pretty bad idea IMO.

-Berglund and Paajarvi aren't getting us a good enough prospect to warrant trading them.
-If we do trade Berglund, it's for cap relief. We won't be adding anything to replace them.
-Even if we do this, Vrbata is going to want more cap then Berglund and Magnus are relieve, which means we will have about 5-5.5 mill to sign Sobotka and Schwartz. That's not enough IMO.

Just trade Leo and re-sign Cola to a 1 year deal for about a mill.

 

[Jack Bandit]

The only way I'd trade Berglund right now is if some team got stupid and offered a first rounder in next year's draft for him. That's only because it would give us financial breathing room and a significant asset. We'd be selling pretty low at the moment, so I agree that it makes sense to see what he can do with some playmakers for an extended period of time.

Some Swedes develop slowly, so he may be an absolute beast next year. It's also no secret that he was rumored to be trade bait, and the fact that he likes being on the Blues makes me think he's going to be seriously motivated this season.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

With the depth we've got now, I prefer to hold on to Berglund if at all possible. I want to see what he can do with a steady position and some line mates that work well with him. Plus, Vrbata will cost quite a bit.

 

[Chojin]

Berglund is a solid player. So what if he's not the next Mats Sundin? He's worth the money he's getting paid now, and I still feel like he'd flourish in a role that doesn't require him to distribute the puck.

I really don't think Vrbata would be much of an upgrade.

 

[erderuft]

First of all, I am firmly entrenched in the do-not-trade-Bergie camp, so I would be a little bit disappointed if he was traded. Let's put that aside for now, though. Was it ever made known what Bergies no-trade clause looks like?

 

[2 Minute Minor]

Honestly, this is a pretty bad idea IMO.

-Berglund and Paajarvi aren't getting us a good enough prospect to warrant trading them.
-If we do trade Berglund, it's for cap relief. We won't be adding anything to replace them.
-Even if we do this, Vrbata is going to want more cap then Berglund and Magnus are relieve, which means we will have about 5-5.5 mill to sign Sobotka and Schwartz. That's not enough IMO.

Just trade Leo and re-sign Cola to a 1 year deal for about a mill.

Does anybody want Leopold?

 

[Novacain]

Does anybody want Leopold?

I would say "teams trying to hit the cap floor", but his NTC Mmight stop that quick.

 

[Alklha]

First of all, I am firmly entrenched in the do-not-trade-Bergie camp, so I would be a little bit disappointed if he was traded. Let's put that aside for now, though. Was it ever made known what Bergies no-trade clause looks like?

Not known yet, but it can't become valid until next summer. He can be traded anywhere over the next 12 months.

 

[Majorityof1]

Berglund is a conundrum for me and I vacillate wildly between the trade him/don't trade him camp. To me he has pros and cons:

Pros:
-Known quantity on ice and in the locker room; seems well-liked
-Great puck possession and good defense
-Heck of a shot
-I think he'd make a better winger than center, so he will improve
-Can slot at center is injuries are an issue

Cons:
-He doesn't play his size
-He is inconsistent
-He often lacks confidence
-His insane puck possession never leads to anything.
-His numbers have been dropping
-His salary is a bit high for what he brings

Other factors:
-We are tight against the cap. We need to clear at least $1 mill to comfortably sign RFAs but more would be nice to for other moves eg injury, TDL
-He is our most valuable trade-piece that we would give up (w/o massive overpayment)
-His trade valuable is still at a low-end for him as he is coming off a bad season
- His no trade clause kicks in next year

So the issue for me is, what does trading him do for us? Is it cap relief? Can we upgrade? If we can upgrade we do it. Signing Vrbata is an upgrade. I don't care where you put him. However, Vrbata, unfortunately is rumored to be looking at $4-5M. That is out of our range. I still think Army should make that call if he hasn't. I'd definitely add Vrbata at just under $4M for short term if possible and trade Berglund and MPS to clear the space ($4.9M). I just don't see Vrbata signing for that given what Free agents are raking in.

That leaves us with trading or keeping Berglund without an upgrade. Then I would keep him. We have two unproven (in the NHL) European players that was are all relying on for decent playing time. If they don't develop quickly we can use Berglund. We can also get him some ice time with a decent playmaking cebter and allow him too use his shot to get some goals. If he is on pace for 25 goals and 20 assists at the deadline, we can either keep him or trade him for a big rental (Bobby Ryan, or Spezzza if things don't work in Dallas).

For cap space I think we move Leopold's 2.25M somehow, even buying it out if we can't trade it. Then we sign an older vet looking for one last shot (Salo or gill of they have any left in the tank) or a young guy looking to prove himself for cheap (Del Zotto), for like $750k and save $1.5M. This allow us to trade Paajarvi and Berglund later in the season depending on how they perform, what we can get, and what cap space we need.

 

[Novacain]

The "salary is a bit high" talking point is silly. His salary lines up right with other players who produce like him: that's just hockey now a days.

 

[Vladys Gumption]

With the moves we've made, I don't think Vrbata is necessary or needed. We've addressed a lot of our depth issues. Berglund fits in nicely on the third line, and honestly I'm kind of intrigued to see what he could do with Sobotka, especially if Oshie slides down to the third line.

 

[Majorityof1]

The "salary is a bit high" talking point is silly. His salary lines up right with other players who produce like him: that's just hockey now a days.

He was given a prove it contract giving him one year to show he was worth more than we were paying him. He played horribly putting up a career low with decent minutes and was a ghost in all aspects of the game for much of the season. Then he got a raise. He is being paid as a 40-50 point guy. He might not be that anymore. How is that not a talking point?

Edit: To prove the point, Berglund makes $3.7M and had 32 points. Oshie had 60 and makes $4.175M

 

[2 Minute Minor]

He was given a prove it contract giving him one year to show he was worth more than we were paying him. He played horribly putting up a career low with decent minutes and was a ghost in all aspects of the game for much of the season. Then he got a raise. He is being paid as a 40-50 point guy. He might not be that anymore. How is that not a talking point?

Edit: To prove the point, Berglund makes $3.7M and had 32 points. Oshie had 60 and makes $4.175M

Armstrong also made reference to an injury Berglund played with. Its possible there is more to the story than we know. I thought he had a separated shoulder late in the season, but maybe that was just the culmination of an earlier injury? Not sure, but I see what you're saying.

I see this as Armstrong indicating he DOES think Berglund is better than his stats from last season. I tend to agree, and especially wonder if he is on the wing what those stats will be. I'd hate to lose his puck possession and defensive play. If you subtract too many effective system players, you jeopardize whether its the same Blues team able to play the same way.

 

[Majorityof1]

Armstrong also made reference to an injury Berglund played with. Its possible there is more to the story than we know. I thought he had a separated shoulder late in the season, but maybe that was just the culmination of an earlier injury? Not sure, but I see what you're saying.

I see this as Armstrong indicating he DOES think Berglund is better than his stats from last season. I tend to agree, and especially wonder if he is on the wing what those stats will be. I'd hate to lose his puck possession and defensive play. If you subtract too many effective system players, you jeopardize whether its the same Blues team able to play the same way.

I think Berglund is better than his stats last season indicated too. I often thought he must have been hurt. However, that doesn't mean his salary it is not an issue to discuss. I don't want to trade Berglund unless we definitely upgrade and don't handcuff ourselves further with the cap. I definitely don't want to toss him just to clear space. I think he can be a good third line winger with a decent center. He could also be really good. But that doesn't mean there isn't risk.

 

[BlueBeard]

Until I see Lehtera have success on NHL ice trading Berglund is 100% off the table for me, especially if the money you clear out is going to sign another winger. Don't be shocked if Lehtera is the one that ends up on wing and not Berglund.