Speculation: Armchair GM Thread - Looking to the offseason

[Porter Stoutheart]

Is there a reason to buyout Johansen and add an additional two years of his cap hit (@$2.66M) if we don't need the cap space, rather than just absorb him for two more years? Or are we just trying to get him off the roster? Center depth of Novak, Glass, Parsnip, and Sissons is really optimistic for 82 games--Johansen would be really useful to help buffer them as needed, even if we throw him on a wing a bunch.

I previously promoted the idea of buying out Johansen. When he wasn't hurt and when it looked like we'd have some troubles with the Cap next season.

But the trade deadline completely relieved the Cap pressure. And Johansen's injury made it seem like he wouldn't even fit into the Buyout window timeline anyway. So I abandoned that idea entirely.

Now that we know Johansen's injury isn't what we feared... and indeed that he could even be cleared before the Buyout window, it does bring back the potential that at least we could still buy him out. It may be technically possible at least.

However, absent the motivation of Cap pressure... I just can't see it. I don't see the team needing that extra $5.3M of Cap space badly enough to pursue the buyout. Obviously Poile wouldn't have done it to a tenured player recovering from a significant injury. I don't expect Trotz will either. Who really knows, it's a new world order now. Maybe.

Next year... I think that'll be a completely different story. Trotz made some comments in the Presser today that Johansen should certainly take as a challenge, and which indicate there may be some thoughts there. If Johansen can't play at a higher level in the coming season, then having only 1 extra year of the buyout Cap hit tagged on might seem a lot easier to take than 2 years. But we'll just have to see what he does on the ice next season first.

 

[predwings]

Preds Next Season - Attempt 2

Here's my take with a little less craziness. Probably more realistic on things. Hard to pin down how much Bunting will want from teams as a UFA so he could be on a slide scale from 2-4 million anywhere in that range. We trade a 2nd for Barrie at the draft with the Kraken and sign Livingstone and Foote to fill the bottom pair and bench spot for the defense. We get bunting, RYJO is still in the lineup though if we did LTIR him we could easily just slide someone up from MIL I have him currently on the 4th line but honestly just depends on how he returns as to where he gets slotted in. I will say it's unlikely they put Tomasino or Evangalista on the 4th so they may opt to send them down instead of putting them there and have maybe a McCarron or someone else slotted up on the 4th line with Ryjo back on the 1st or 2nd.

 

[triggrman]

I don't think Carrier gets 2.5M. he played well with Ekholm but that was pretty much it. His defensive numbers weren't good this year, and he was often injured. I'd say 2 year at 1.8M. That doubles his money and he gets 2 years to show he belongs. Livingstone looks like he has more potential to me so I wouldn't commit too much to Carrier.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I don't think Carrier gets 2.5M. he played well with Ekholm but that was pretty much it. His defensive numbers weren't good this year, and he was often injured. I'd say 2 year at 1.8M. That doubles his money and he gets 2 years to show he belongs. Livingstone looks like he has more potential to me so I wouldn't commit too much to Carrier.

I think they like him better than Fabbro (for some reason). And Fabbro got $2.5M. So I can see them giving Carrier the same. (Granted, Fabbro coming off $2.4M plays into that number for him, but I just think they like Carrier that much more).

"They" is a different person now, of course, and Carrier pretty much went down before Trotz really got on the job, so I don't know how much of the past will factor in, or how hard a bargain Trotz will drive relative to what might have been an easier give from Poile.

A complicating factor with Carrier, however, will be that he would be a UFA after 1 year, if he received just a 1 year contract. So that might result in something different for him than you'd usually expect from a guy who had a rough season, both in terms of performance and injuries. Does he bet on himself with a short-term "prove it" deal like Fabbro (or equivalently, arbitration), does he take a deal more like Lauzon for some term and security?

 

[Armourboy]

Best thing Carrier can do is get all the money he can. If that means 5 years at 2 million or 1 year at 10 million you make sure you get the total dollars. Betting on himself is not a smart move for him, too many injuries and I have a feeling once they see him away from Ekholm that sparkle they seemed to have for him is going to dull pretty quickly.

 

[LeighDx59]

Honestly? I would package Carrier with a pick to try to move up and grab Reinbacher. We have alot of depth on the right side at the moment and I think Carrier's value is the highest it could be.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Honestly? I would package Carrier with a pick to try to move up and grab Reinbacher. We have alot of depth on the right side at the moment and I think Carrier's value is the highest it could be.

I mean, Carrier got 30 pts and was +26 the season before, so there is no chance this represents his peak value.

Market value anyway. But there might not be enough ice to “pump and dump” BOTH him and Barrie in the coming season.

I think Carrier will just go the “organizational route” and take something like a Lauzon deal. He has gone through waivers and is turning 27, he has been through the wars, he can’t afford to gamble on himself like a younger high draft pick might.