GDT: 2021 Free Agent Frenzy

[Ray Martyniuk]

Pretty much every actual expert has Seattle in the top 3 free agency. That says a whole lot about a lot of things.

Loved the way Free Agency turned out especially after all the slimy GM's trying desperately to F..k Seattle over! Go Suck an egg Sakic,Poile,Zito...and nice drafting by Montreal yikes

 

[gstommylee]

Exactly, through trade or drafting are really the only ways of getting a good center. Either a potential #1 or #2

It's why accumulating draft picks and assets are so important. In the Kraken's case, lets hope Beneirs turns out to be a top two center.
However, it sure would be nice to go into next years draft, which projects to be a good one, with more ammunition. But that's been addressed
at length already.

1. A team can add a few draft picks to a potential trade as a sweetener to make acquiring a center happen.
2. With additional picks a team can trade up in the draft to acquire a falling center prospect.

So you rather be in cap hell year after year after year just to have extra picks that end up not turning into much...

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

Love how depleted the Lightning have become over the last few days and then they add C Perry,LMFAO

 

[Ray Martyniuk]

So you rather be in cap hell year after year after year just to have extra picks that end up not turning into much...

Not sure what you are getting at

 

[gstommylee]

Not sure what you are getting at

He was referring to wanting more draft picks and i was saying that taking bad contract for meh draft picks is not worth putting the team into cap hell by taking said bad contracts.

we had before FA window 31.6m of open cap space. All Seattle had to do is take 4 high bad contracts at the expansion draft and boom cap hell and no FA market signings.

 

[jbron]

So you rather be in cap hell year after year after year just to have extra picks that end up not turning into much...

Never mentioned anything about cap hell. And for sure not year after year or spending to the cap. Where did you come up with 4 high bad contracts? Remember that the Kraken have right now and extra 2nd in 2023 and an extra 4th in 2023 and other than their basic picks next year and the year after, that's it. Seattle drafted Beneirs. Lets all hope he develops into at least a #2 center in a few years. It was a solid pick and a building block for the future. I think it would be safe to say presently, that the Kraken are still in need of help down the middle and top 6. Please tell me just what assets the team presently has to go get a #1 center if available through trade? As opposed to having extra picks to move up building through the draft.

 

[gstommylee]

Never mentioned anything about cap hell. And for sure not year after year or spending to the cap. Where did you come up with 4 high bad contracts? Remember that the Kraken have right now and extra 2nd in 2023 and an extra 4th in 2023 and other than their basic picks next year and the year after, that's it. Seattle drafted Beneirs. Lets all hope he develops into at least a #2 center in a few years. It was a solid pick and a building block for the future. I think it would be safe to say presently, that the Kraken are still in need of help down the middle and top 6. Please tell me just what assets the team presently has to go get a #1 center if available through trade? As opposed to having extra picks to move up building through the draft.

You want a 1C or a winger that can score a lot? Those aren't going to come cheap at all and we don't even have the assets to spare to even get them....

 

[Piffle]

Actually 1C that are available are extremely rare and don't just end up on the FA just like that. If a team doesn't want a 1c capable talent they trade them.

I never said anything about a UFA signing. I realize they don't come easy in FA.

And I realize teams don't usually trade them either. That's why I said I'd be pleasantly surprised.

 

[GM Armchair]

So you rather be in cap hell year after year after year just to have extra picks that end up not turning into much...

Not only that but nothing to watch on the ice. Make Seattle a destination players want to come to. Not one that they want to ignore right off the bat.

 

[Soul Rebel]

Really bummed Pius Suter signed with Detroit. Meh....

 

[Miracle on Ice]

Pius Suter would have been a nice addition here. I'm curious to see where Krejci will sign! Would probably be a good addition top our top 6, but he wants to stay in Boston!

 

[Gniwder]

Pius Suter would have been a nice addition here. I'm curious to see where Krejci will sign! Would probably be a good addition top our top 6, but he wants to stay in Boston!

He's already stated that it's Boston or retirement. They're trying to make cap space for him, DeBrusk may be the odd man out,

Pius played juniors with Bertuzzi and Fabbri. Looks to me like he wanted to play with them, and he got a decent deal. Detroit needs all the talent they can gather.

 

[StarterHart]

Pius Suter would have been a nice addition here. I'm curious to see where Krejci will sign! Would probably be a good addition top our top 6, but he wants to stay in Boston!

He's already stated that it's Boston or retirement. They're trying to make cap space for him, DeBrusk may be the odd man out,

Pius played juniors with Bertuzzi and Fabbri. Looks to me like he wanted to play with them, and he got a decent deal. Detroit needs all the talent they can gather.

Looks like we have an answer on Krejci

 

[Gniwder]

Looks like we have an answer on Krejci

Thanks for the update.

He sounded homesick in most of these interviews, so not a big surprise.

Family man:
Bruins’ David Krejci: ‘I want to play, but I don’t want to be away from my family for two or three months’

Wants the kids to learn Czech:
Bruins will have a 'real honest conversation' with David Krejci

With a total career earning of $70M, he's probably not hurting for money and just wants to raise kids in his home country.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Not many interesting names left really. Maybe take a flyer on Kase hoping that he is healthy (super cheap deal). Everyone on that roster just looks like a depth forward maybe other than Tatar.

 

[LokiDog]

Not many interesting names left really. Maybe take a flyer on Kase hoping that he is healthy (super cheap deal). Everyone on that roster just looks like a depth forward maybe other than Tatar.

Cizikas is actually interesting. He can definitely anchor a third line and has some skill beyond the role he had in NY. It fits with the MO of what we're building and could allow us to move one or two of the forwards we drafted in a package with Souy/Dunn. It would depend entirely on his contract demands, because I think he wants Coleman type money, in which case it's a hard pass... but he definitely fits the "identity" that this roster has so far of being tough to play against and good defensively.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Cizikas is actually interesting. He can definitely anchor a third line and has some skill beyond the role he had in NY. It fits with the MO of what we're building and could allow us to move one or two of the forwards we drafted in a package with Souy/Dunn. It would depend entirely on his contract demands, because I think he wants Coleman type money, in which case it's a hard pass... but he definitely fits the "identity" that this roster has so far of being tough to play against and good defensively.

I had read earlier that we had shown interest in Cizikas but he wants to stay on the Isles.

 

[4Twenty]

Not many interesting names left really. Maybe take a flyer on Kase hoping that he is healthy (super cheap deal). Everyone on that roster just looks like a depth forward maybe other than Tatar.

Nick Ritchie would compliment the smaller forwards the Kraken have imo. Can play on any line.

 

[CNYCrunchfan1]

We definitely need depth, God forbid anyone goes down early, and no Gourde at the start. They better not wait much longer.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

We definitely need depth, God forbid anyone goes down early, and no Gourde at the start. They better not wait much longer.

I do agree that we certainly need depth. But I do not think there is a big hurry. If we don't pick help up in FA, there is always the trading option to explore .. IF GMRF chooses to do so.

 

[LokiDog]

I do agree that we certainly need depth. But I do not think there is a big hurry. If we don't pick help up in FA, there is always the trading option to explore .. IF GMRF chooses to do so.

Yep, there will be cheap depth available as team's figure out whose making their rosters, and guys who get squeezed also will hit waivers before the season starts. And there's decent depth options are UFA who aren't as big name as that list. If you just need a couple reliable depth pieces, there's options. No rush.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Yep, there will be cheap depth available as team's figure out whose making their rosters, and guys who get squeezed also will hit waivers before the season starts. And there's decent depth options are UFA who aren't as big name as that list. If you just need a couple reliable depth pieces, there's options. No rush.

Right. Depth options can be a problem where teams overpay for them. The expansion draft pretty much fixed that for us. Our group of forwards currently need:

1. Injury call-ups
2. True top-6 F (preferably C).

(1) can be filled with current FA's available and/or trades. (2) is pretty much all on trades now. And given the current lack of trades GMRF has made, I am not sure if he goes that route or not. Not saying that to be negative but just an observation. True, Geekie and Twarynski is our current group of #12-14 forwards. All of them have seen very limited NHL games and are RFA's that need to be re-signed.

Will be interesting to see if GMRF feels confident with our current roster as far as the top-6 goes or he actually tries to make some trade(s) to strengthen that position.

 

[LokiDog]

Right. Depth options can be a problem where teams overpay for them. The expansion draft pretty much fixed that for us. Our group of forwards currently need:

1. Injury call-ups
2. True top-6 F (preferably C).

(1) can be filled with current FA's available and/or trades. (2) is pretty much all on trades now. And given the current lack of trades GMRF has made, I am not sure if he goes that route or not. Not saying that to be negative but just an observation. True, Geekie and Twarynski is our current group of #12-14 forwards. All of them have seen very limited NHL games and are RFA's that need to be re-signed.

Will be interesting to see if GMRF feels confident with our current roster as far as the top-6 goes or he actually tries to make some trade(s) to strengthen that position.

I agree, but Geekie has significantly higher upside and I think he probably edges Bastian and Blackwell, who was barely an NHL player at all until he got to play with Panarin at age 28. Trust me as a Rangers fan, guy is all heart and a good utility guy, but I’d much rather have Blackwell as the 13th forward than block a kid like Geekie who needs to play in the NHL to develop. Geekie just turned 23 10 days ago and has put up 93 points in 130 AHL games the past couple years. He has nothing left to prove there. Blackwell is really likable and will work his tail off, but he doesn’t need to be a regular. He’s the perfect spare.

 

[NiagaraKraken]

I had read earlier that we had shown interest in Cizikas but he wants to stay on the Isles.

Cizikas would be a good add, more Center depth.

 

[Miracle on Ice]

Maybe Marcus Johanson could be a good depht signature for us. He have a couple of nice season. He is only 30 yo. I could see him have a type of ''show me'' contract of 1 or 2 years with the team.