Proposal: Off-Season Moves

[Anarchism]

Saad
Coleman
Haula


those are the UFA I would target, every one of which should be under 4M, but I imagine Coleman will command a price. People can recall that Holland was the one who pushed the price up on Tampa acquiring him last year, was willing to part with a first

Goalman got a choice now. No way this Texan going to the cold barren wasteland.

 

[Anarchism]

Don't buy out Neal. It's too much of a cap penalty for too long. Just ride it out for another year.

We need the space.

 

[Soundwave]

We need the space.

For what? There should be enough space to bring in a decent top 6 forward and a third line center.

Unless you can show me you have a deal in place, signed and delivered for like Patrik Laine, OK fine, but none of this "well lets do the buy out first and then see what we can do".

No, if you're anchoring the franchise with a 4 year cap penalty, you damn well better have a monster player deal lined up that can only be done with that free cap room.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Too make this work you NEED one of Benson/Mcleod too work for us right away starting next year. Preferably both.

Couldn't agree more, I was actually going to put in my post that we need two of Benson, Holloway or McLeod to fill those 3rd line/wing spots.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Think they'll try to keep Haas around as well.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind him back to rotate in on the 4th line but I didn't put any of our UFAs in there for simplicity sake.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Agree with this. I hate having this dead cap space. I would rather trade picks to move these bad contracts. I mean the arguement we always hear is "window window window". So whats the point if this is the window of having the 25th pick overall that will be ready to start on the 3rd line in 2025?

Move some of these awful contracts with picks to bad teams.

I mean why does a team take Neal for two more years at almost $6 million for only a late first? The guy can't even crack our lineup. And by the looks of it Washington just paid a 2nd to get out of 2 more years at $2.75 million of Panik. I just don't see how you get the upgrades needed to improve the team with nearly $6 million sitting in the press box on a nightly basis.

 

[Anarchism]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind him back to rotate in on the 4th line but I didn't put any of our UFAs in there for simplicity sake.

If we get the right center for the third line perhaps Haas is gone.

 

[Soundwave]

Neal will much easier to move/retain/buy out (if that has to happen) in a year.

We have enough money in the summer to get all of these done:

Top 6 winger
3rd line C
New Goalie

There isn't a pressing need IMO to buy out someone. Now like if you have a deal for a legit top end player like somehow Laine is coming, OK fine, then do it, but I would only do it in that case.

 

[Smartguy]

Don't buy out Neal. It's too much of a cap penalty for too long. Just ride it out for another year.

But it’s not another year, it’s another 2 seasons after this one? That’s a brutal anchor for 2 years in which they should start contending. Buying him out saves 3.83 for the next 2 years and is only 1.9M penalty for the 2 after that. IMO buying him out is undoubtedly going to happen.

Why would you carry 5.75 of deadweight instead for 2 more years? Only other option would be trying to get a desperate team who needs draft picks to take a first with him, but even then a first alone probably isn’t enough.

 

[Anarchism]

Some probables...

Probably RNH and Larrson both get resigned with 10-12 percent raises.
Probably Pulju is on an 18 gameish tryout on the top lines to see if he can find some hands. Lets hope he starts capitalizing on some of the oppurtunities he has had.....he has everything but finnish ....hmmm ....
No matter how much cap space we have there are too many holes to fill. The pressure to create trades has passed for this season...and we all know some ufa's wont come here at a reasonable price. Holland has a job in front of him.
He needs a starter ....one possibly two top 6 wingers....a 3rd line center ...and depending on what happens with Klefbom and Kulikov...perhaps a top 4 D. Also depending on that 3rd line center and how Benson works out perhaps he will need a 3 LW as well, hopefully one with upside.

 

[Soundwave]

But it’s not another year, it’s another 2 seasons after this one? That’s a brutal anchor for 2 years in which they should start contending. Buying him out saves 3.83 for the next 2 years and is only 1.9M penalty for the 2 after that. IMO buying him out is undoubtedly going to happen.

Why would you carry 5.75 of deadweight instead for 2 more years? Only other option would be trying to get a desperate team who needs draft picks to take a first with him, but even then a first alone probably isn’t enough.

In a year though it will be easier to move.

Doing something like retaining half the salary and sending him out for a lower pick is more tenable. Or if you really must buy him out, then the buy out only hurts us really for more additional year.

IMO you need to show me what exactly you would do with that extra money to justify it, like you have some top end player and the only way to bring him in is you need that extra cap space.

Then ok, but to do it with no specific player just to have cap space I don't like. We're still paying for f***ing Beniot Pouliot this season, that 1.3 millon in dead on top of Turris' shitty 1.6 million could've netted us a way better player than Turris.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Neal will much easier to move/retain/buy out (if that has to happen) in a year.

We have enough money in the summer to get all of these done:

Top 6 winger
3rd line C
New Goalie

There isn't a pressing need IMO to buy out someone. Now like if you have a deal for a legit top end player like somehow Laine is coming, OK fine, then do it, but I would only do it in that case.

I guess if you don't NEED the space it doesn't hurt to keep him. But I think the extra $3.8 million next year is more important to us than the extra $1.9 million is in 2024-25.

 

[Soundwave]

I guess if you don't NEED the space it doesn't hurt to keep him. But I think the extra $3.8 million next year is more important to us than the extra $1.9 million is in 2024-25.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The team could be going for a Cup in 2024-25 and that $1.9 million could stop them from landing maybe the last piece.

The thing with buy outs I hate is they're permanent too, you can't do anything to get rid of them.

We badly could use the 1.3 million from Pouliot and 2.5 million from Sekera. If we had that money now and passed on say Turris, we could have signed Toffoli last summer on a very team friendly price.

That would've solved a lot of the problems this team has.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The team could be going for a Cup in 2024-25 and that $1.9 million could stop them from landing maybe the last piece.

The thing with buy outs I hate is they're permanent too, you can't do anything to get rid of them.

We badly could use the 1.3 million from Pouliot and 2.5 million from Sekera. If we had that money now and passed on say Turris, we could have signed Toffoli last summer on a very team friendly price.

That would've solved a lot of the problems this team has.

I mean yeah you never know, but i'd still wager the extra ~$4 million next year will be more important IF Holland is setting up for the moves I hope he is. I agree with your point that you at least need to have an idea where the money is going for it to be worthwhile.

 

[Smartguy]

In a year though it will be easier to move.

Doing something like retaining half the salary and sending him out for a lower pick is more tenable. Or if you really must buy him out, then the buy out only hurts us really for more additional year.

IMO you need to show me what exactly you would do with that extra money to justify it, like you have some top end player and the only way to bring him in is you need that extra cap space.

Then ok, but to do it with no specific player just to have cap space I don't like. We're still paying for f***ing Beniot Pouliot this season, that 1.3 millon in dead on top of Turris' shitty 1.6 million could've netted us a way better player than Turris.

3.83M is a lot of money in a flat cap this season. People were lauding Holland a few months ago for bringing in Turris, Puljujarvi, Kahun for walking away from AA. If Holland were once again to go bargain hunting halfway through FA with 3.8M he could essentially build an entire new third/fourth line.

I would agree don’t save that money to just go throw more money at someone worse, but that’s why you hope you have a competent GM, but IMO that is a lot of solid depth for 4M.


Paying Neal 5.75M to sit in the press box next year is not a good solution when your trying to move forward.

I could also certainly see the Oilers doing something similar with Koskinen and retaining money to move him in a similar style

 

[Pointteen]

Neal to LTIR?

I bet we could trade Russell on his next contract. I know we kept him for Seattle but, if Kulikov looks good then whatever. Figure it out.

Would anyone take Koskinen for a year?

 

[Smartguy]

I put this elsewhere but probably belongs here. We have around 24M in space before we sign FA’s. This is how I would spend that money. And like I put above, Neal should be bought out and I would look long and hard and retaining on Koskinen to get out from his last season.

SAAD(3.5-4M)- McDavid - Puljujarvi
RNH(5x5) - Draisaitl - Yamo 2X2
Coleman(3M)-Haula(2M)- Kassian
Neal - Turris- Archibald

Nurse - Larsson(5M)
Klefbom - Bouchard
Kulikov(2.5M)- Russell
Lagesson
Driedger(3.5M)
Koskinen
Stalock


I would move Bear out for a similar FWD, and I would move Jones to Seattle via expansion

 

[Soundwave]

Neal to LTIR?

I bet we could trade Russell on his next contract. I know we kept him for Seattle but, if Kulikov looks good then whatever. Figure it out.

Would anyone take Koskinen for 2 years?

You can't just arbitrarily put a player on LTIR like that I don't think. There needs to be a clear medical reason why they are there.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Neal to LTIR?

I bet we could trade Russell on his next contract. I know we kept him for Seattle but, if Kulikov looks good then whatever. Figure it out.

Would anyone take Koskinen for 2 years?

A Neal to Robidas Island scenario is definitely the ideal scenario. I don't think there is anything there though unless the post-COVID symptoms are worse than we know, which would be really to bad if it were the case.

 

[Anarchism]

Yes we need to buy out Neal for multiple reasons. Yes there are players to resign and lots of holes to fill.
The question is given our less than perfect locale 'can Holland fill this many holes in one off season"? Don't think he has it in him.

 

[Pointteen]

You can't just arbitrarily put a player on LTIR like that I don't think. There needs to be a clear medical reason why they are there.

And Neal hasn't been the same player since he got COVID. His lungs may be done.

 

[GOilers88]

Neal to LTIR?

I bet we could trade Russell on his next contract. I know we kept him for Seattle but, if Kulikov looks good then whatever. Figure it out.

Would anyone take Koskinen for 2 years?

He's only on the books for one more season

 

[Soundwave]

Yes we need to buy out Neal for multiple reasons. Yes there are players to resign and lots of holes to fill.
The question is given our less than perfect locale 'can Holland fill this many holes in one off season"? Don't think he has it in him.

He's needs to get a top 6 winger and a new goalie primarily.

The market for wingers was better last summer unforutnately so he needs to be on his game for that.

The market for goalies is pretty good though actually ... good up and coming guys like Ullmark and Dreidger may be there, experienced guys like Andersen and Bernier, maybe Graubauer too. The Oilers should have some options.

 

[Pointteen]

He's only on the books for one more season

Thank God

 

[Anarchism]

He's needs to get a top 6 winger and a new goalie primarily.

The market for wingers was better last summer unforutnately so he needs to be on his game for that.

The market for goalies is pretty good though actually ... good up and coming guys like Ullmark and Dreidger may be there, experienced guys like Andersen and Bernier, maybe Graubauer too. The Oilers should have some options.

As we seen this last UFA period we werent the only ones looking for a goalie and when the chairs were filled we didn't have one. Holland if i remember correctly talked to three different agents. Now if we can fix our defense before he goes shopping he will have a better chance.
But we need a 3C perhaps a 3LW as well. and if Pulju doesnt put up some points soon he will end up back on 3RW and we will need a 1RW as well.