Armchair GM III

[101st_fan]

Which is why this stat is shit.

It is a horribly named stat. If they named it something along the lines of "quality shots" then it would hold up based on how it is calculated. Shooting from more quality areas doesn't necessarily translate to more goals. Forsberg could shoot from a club level men's room and score more goals than I would from the low slot.

 

[OldFan]

Analytics? Ok but aren’t there just possibly a few too many.

 

[Scoresberg]

One trade I've pondered over the last little while is Phil Myers to Calgary for Juuso Välimäki.

It is becoming quite clear that Myers isn't in the coaching staff's favor and there's zero reason to pay the man almost $4 mil (next year) when he's getting outplayed by guys like Tennyson, Harpur and Benning.

It's also that we are pretty set on the right side of the top-four with Fabbro and Carrier. Benning is a good 6D on that right side, so it's becoming hard to see where Myers fits in.

Välimäki is a promising young defenseman with size and mobility and he's an LHD. He's not a dynamic offensive defenseman who would fit perfectly behind Josi and Ekholm on the left-side.

Similar to Myers, he's not in favor of Sutter and co. in Calgary and is playing in the AHL right now, where he clearly does not belong anymore.

He will be a very good defenseman in the NHL some day, and I think we should capitalize on this opportunity.

 

[Predsanddead24]

I don't know enough about Valimaki to have strong opinions about his potential but that kind of feels like trading a project we're partway through to one where we are starting fresh again. I'm not sure what the full strategy with Myers is from the coaching staff but from my perspective he's starting to turn the corner into an every day type of player so I'm not sure I'm ready to already give up on him. Also, for at least the rest of this season I think that Boro has locked down that 3rd LD slot so we don't really have a place for Valimaki anyways. If Boro goes in the offseason then maybe this is a move I'd look into but I don't see it as a useful midseason trade.

 

[weeze]

Sissons is sometimes easy to overlook in the mix, but those games where he was our #1 center in the first Covid outbreak... I mean, he nailed that #1C slot too. I wouldn't be too quick to say that Jeannot isn't already playing on our #2 line most nights, even while still with Trenin and Sissons. Trenin has almost as many goals as Tolvanen and Kunin put together.

I agree about Sissons totally! The guy has has played whatever position he was told and has played it well! Can play ALL 4C positions if need be and has, plays with grit and is a hard nose player you need and we need with our style we play now.

 

[Scoresberg]

I don't know enough about Valimaki to have strong opinions about his potential but that kind of feels like trading a project we're partway through to one where we are starting fresh again. I'm not sure what the full strategy with Myers is from the coaching staff but from my perspective he's starting to turn the corner into an every day type of player so I'm not sure I'm ready to already give up on him. Also, for at least the rest of this season I think that Boro has locked down that 3rd LD slot so we don't really have a place for Valimaki anyways. If Boro goes in the offseason then maybe this is a move I'd look into but I don't see it as a useful midseason trade.

Yeah, offseason trade obviously works out better.

This trade would be kind of like Toews/Bura trades Colorado has done. Capitalize on a player who has not found his place on another team.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Well, and I figure we'll eventually learn the "real story" with Myers. If there is one. If Valimaki was a game-ready RHD maybe it would sound more interesting in the present tense.

 

[triggrman]

There has to be something off the ice going on, Benning has been straight garbage lately. He wa easily the worst player on the ice against Seattle

 

[hockey diva]

Benning has the goat pictures...

 

[Softball99]

My observation matches what's being said about figuring out what we have D wise. But as far as Meyers and to a lesser degree Harper are not as usable when we have top 4 out because they require a strong partner to cover inexperience/talent and with Ekholm and Fabbro down experience was needed. Benning was ok with Josi before but I'm hoping maybe plug Myers in for Benning since he won't just play D paired with anyone not name Boro. Carrier and Ekholm only please

 

[triggrman]

I thought Myers looked really strong in his last few outings, which is why I was confused he was benched.

 

[GoldOnGold]

Was Tolvanen benched last game?

 

[triggrman]

Was Tolvanen benched last game?

COVID

 

[GoldOnGold]

COVID

Thanks, wasn't sure which one it was. I do think he's been really up and down this year.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

Tennyson is sick...let the boy play

 

[nine_inch_fang]

For all you trade happy people you'll be thrilled to know that the couple idiots at the Athletic that keep writing about klingberg being traded are still trying to force Nashville into the mix.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

For all you trade happy people you'll be thrilled to know that the couple idiots at the Athletic that keep writing about klingberg being traded are still trying to force Nashville into the mix.

I've liked Klingberg as a player at times, but he would be a huge step backward for our team right now. He's great at walking the line and generating offense, but... it's not like our PP is lacking, and we definitely don't need a guy who is going to be me-first looking to pile up points for a new contract. Total non-option for our current team and system. I wouldn't take him for free for us. And like Dallas would trade him within the division anyway.

If I was looking for anything it would be a cheap bottom-pairing guy from a team that is truly out of the playoffs. Maybe Ilya Lyubushkin from Arizona. I haven't seen Justin Braun play lately, but as a Gudbranson-like veteran 3rd pair acquisition maybe Braun could be considered if he's not "done". But I'm not giving up anything more than a mid-late draft pick for any player.

 

[Scoresberg]

Crazy that we have Myers, Tennyson and even Harpur in the depth department for our defense and people are still looking to add some players.

 

[Kat Predator]

Crazy that we have Myers, Tennyson and even Harpur in the depth department for our defense and people are still looking to add some players.

Allard, Davies, and Farrance as well.

Of course, if somebody like Parayko could be had for a gift card, that'd be something to consider.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Crazy that we have Myers, Tennyson and even Harpur in the depth department for our defense and people are still looking to add some players.

Except:
1) The coaching staff won't play Myers.
2) Harpur seems to have reverted to minor league form.
3) Tennyson is... ?

It's hardly crazy... this is an identifiable potential weak spot. Carrier and Fabbro are carrying big loads and we've been over-using Benning on the right side. If we lose Carrier or Fabbro at any point, I'm not confident we have things covered.

"Covered" in the sense of being a strong NHL playoff team. Obviously we have warm bodies galore to throw into the mix, plus more prospects in Milwaukee. Plenty of those. But that's not what I'm talking about.

 

[Scoresberg]

Except:
1) The coaching staff won't play Myers.
2) Harpur seems to have reverted to minor league form.
3) Tennyson is... ?

It's hardly crazy... this is an identifiable potential weak spot. Carrier and Fabbro are carrying big loads and we've been over-using Benning on the right side. If we lose Carrier or Fabbro at any point, I'm not confident we have things covered.

"Covered" in the sense of being a strong NHL playoff team. Obviously we have warm bodies galore to throw into the mix, plus more prospects in Milwaukee. Plenty of those. But that's not what I'm talking about.

1) Trade Myers for somebody who the coaches CAN play. He has value around the league, shouldn't be a big of an issue to flip him
2) Harpur as the 9D will do.
3) Tennyson is a fine depth defenseman. About the type you can get for a low-round pick from the market.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

They aren't going to trade Myers so why even discuss it?

 

[Legionnaire11]

I'm still in the camp of standing pat, unless someone wants to just hand us a halfway decent player for nothing. I'm good with riding what we've got and seeing where things shake out in the end. There might be some frustrating moments here and there but this team has shown it can beat anyone, they've shown they can get hot and go on a run and it looks like they're a wildcard team at worst. So just take that lottery ticket to the playoffs and see how far it gets you, but don't sacrifice the future while the retool looks like it's headed in the right direction.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Well, there is too much uncertainty right now to truly do anything significant. I'm just talking about a 5th round pick for a proven NHL bottom-pair RD, as an insurance policy.

But we don't have enough info here in the peanut gallery. A lot to me depends on Myers. Since we have no idea whatsoever what's going on with him... IF the only thing is the coaching staff working with him, we don't even know what they think his status might be.... is he "almost there", "nowhere close", "he'll never get there", etc. Or there's something else wrong that we have no idea about. We don't know if Tennyson can really hold up. We don't know if Fabbro/Carrier are injured by the end of March or not.

But I think what I'd be doing as a GM is laying my contingency plans NOW. Watch some of those players who might be target candidates. Maybe even touch base with their GMs about the cost. And if it turned out somebody was cheap enough right away, it couldn't hurt to lay down that 5th even if it turned out not to be necessary. But more likely keep monitoring the situation up to March 21.

There's no total urgency just yet. But prices likely aren't going down over the next 8 weeks. If a cheap enough insurance policy presented itself, I'd consider it.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

We should stand pat and focus all of Poile's attention on kidnapping Forsberg and getting him to sign a sub $8M dollar deal.