Best Remaining UFA Forward To Sign

[Slew Foots]

There's nothing left on the UFA market that can help us really. I'm not fond of signing UFAs in general...rarely works out. You overpay for declining assets...by the end of the contract, you're debating whether or not they're buyout-worthy.

I'm not sure yet if Sekac, DLR or Andrighetto are able to provide the scoring punch we need this coming season, so if I were Bergevin, I would be looking to acquire a scoring winger via the trade market.

 

[Dominator13]

Somebody needs to ban this guy.....


Danny Heatley, lol, c'mon man

Can you read? I said on a cheap 1 year contract. If he sucks we let him go, but the guy scored 50 goals twice, you can't teach that.

 

[Monctonscout]

Pierre LeBrun ‏@Real_ESPNLeBrun · 13h
Vacation tweet: if I'm an NHL club, would gamble on cheap one-year deal for Dany Heatley. Will be motivated, 20 goals potential

 

[Monctonscout]

There's nothing left on the UFA market that can help us really. I'm not fond of signing UFAs in general...rarely works out. You overpay for declining assets...by the end of the contract, you're debating whether or not they're buyout-worthy.

I'm not sure yet if Sekac, DLR or Andrighetto are able to provide the scoring punch we need this coming season, so if I were Bergevin, I would be looking to acquire a scoring winger via the trade market.

There are always guys that sign cheap and turn into great adds...they just don't jump out like some of the guys signed the first 6 hours for big money. I would bet with anybody that there is a 45-50 point guy who has yet to sign and would be a bargain.

 

[calder candidate]

Booth, David
Mueller, Peter
Setoguchi, Devin
Pyatt, Taylor
Winnik, Daniel
Heatley, Dany

They can sign who ever they want a long as it one a 1 year deal and it is less than 900K and we don't promise them a spot... It doesn't affect our cap and worst case we can just send them to the AHL.

 

[Dagistitsyn]

I'll take Heatley just because of his Parody Twitter account.

 

[teh doors]

I'll take Heatley just because of his Parody Twitter account.

that account would flip if Heatley became a Hab... I'm sure the real Dany would love Montreal

 

[tinyzombies]

They want character guys.. Heatley is devoid of character. No, a thousand times no.

And he can't skate and is old.

 

[LePoche69]

There are always guys that sign cheap and turn into great adds...they just don't jump out like some of the guys signed the first 6 hours for big money. I would bet with anybody that there is a 45-50 point guy who has yet to sign and would be a bargain.

I would say that with a young up and coming team like the habs, Peter Muller would be the more likely candidate.

 

[WestIslander]

Sign Setoguchi!!! Trade Desharnais, Moen and Budaj

Pacioretty - Galchenyuk - Gallagher
Bourque - Plekanec - Sekac
Setoguchi - Eller - Parenteau
Prust - Malhotra - Weise

 

[zzoo]

If (big IF) everyone is healthy, I'm totally fine with the current line-up, i.e. having 1 young in top 9 (either Andrighetto, Sekac or DLR). However, there's always injury. Hence we need more depth. Imagine Pac and Plekanec are hurt.

It's better to sign one more winger, but I really don't like Penner, Leino, Ott, Alfredsson.

Among the leftover, I like Ray Whitney the most. He was bad last year. But 2 years ago (short season), he had 29 pts in 32 games. And the year before, he had 77 pts in 82 games.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=5710

If not, we may take a risk with Heatley.....1 year deal only.

 

[Monctonscout]

Sign Setoguchi!!! Trade Desharnais, Moen and Budaj

Pacioretty - Galchenyuk - Gallagher
Bourque - Plekanec - Sekac
Setoguchi - Eller - Parenteau
Prust - Malhotra - Weise

What a brilliant plan, let's throw Galchenyuk off the deep end and see if he drowns!

 

[groovejuice]

For me, I think MB added some very shrewd and inexpensive additions.

At this point, I'm hoping MB is looking to trade for a top 6 winger, instead of signing a FA from the bottom of the barrel just for the sake of doing so.

With the Hawks in a poor cap position, a guy like Sharp would be ideal.

 

[tinyzombies]

I wouldn't mind picking up Penner at the deadline, but to have his floating butt on your team for a full season is a bad example for the kids. He wants to sit pretty on a scoring line and pick up easy points - only tries in the playoffs. We already have Bourque doing that (tho we haven't let Bourque play on a scoring line for a full season on his natural right side). The Ducks weren't the same after they traded Penner, even tho he's a floater. Put more pressure on their depth guys like Selanne, Koivu, Winnik, youth, etc. and they didn't deliver. But as an appendage to Getzlaf/Perry, he's still effective when floating (as many players with any skill would be). In the playoffs tho, you can put him on a top line, cuz he'll use his body. And his straight ahead speed is top level, tho he has zero agility.

 

[sandysan]

what about winnik ? he can play center and wing and fits in with our goal to get bigger if not necessarily tougher.

I'm not an expert on him, I think he played a lot of 3rd line but didnt get a lot of time in the playoffs last year.

At this point I'm not super stoked about anyone who is left including setoguchi and heatley. At the very least we need an elcheepo 5 minute guy and likely a guy who can play top 6 with size and grit on the wing. If we chase these types of players we will need to do it through trades.

 

[hototogisu]

I wouldn't mind picking up Penner at the deadline, but to have his floating butt on your team for a full season is a bad example for the kids. He wants to sit pretty on a scoring line and pick up easy points - only tries in the playoffs. We already have Bourque doing that (tho we haven't let Bourque play on a scoring line for a full season on his natural right side). The Ducks weren't the same after they traded Penner, even tho he's a floater. Put more pressure on their depth guys like Selanne, Koivu, Winnik, youth, etc. and they didn't deliver. But as an appendage to Getzlaf/Perry, he's still effective when floating (as many players with any skill would be). In the playoffs tho, you can put him on a top line, cuz he'll use his body. And his straight ahead speed is top level, tho he has zero agility.

The problem is that then you have to give up assets to get him. Not like it'll cost much, but it's still more than the zero assets it would cost today to get him.

I'm not a big fan of Penner myself but I'd rather only spend cash on him now than to wait and give up a pick or something for him.

 

[FuzzyWuzzy]

Has Mueller become a christian priest yet?

 

[Dominator13]

What a brilliant plan, let's throw Galchenyuk off the deep end and see if he drowns!

Dude, it's his 3rd year now. It's about time we start testing waters with him IMO. How long are we going to handcuff his talent?

 

[BPD Habs Fan]

I wouldn't offer anybody more than a 1 year term, anyway. If there's a flyer to be taken on Setoguchi, Moss, Booth, whoever and they'll take 1-year term on the "show me" type of contract, it really can't hurt.

We have 1 "open" roster spot, in that filling it with a signing only bumps waiver-exempt prospects out, while still leaving 2 rookies on D. And it looks like we might have over $5M in cap space remaining. It's a "free player". Sometimes that helps if you hit injuries and need the depth, or sometimes it lets you trade depth for extra picks later on. Who knows. It's "free money" atm, though, so I don't think we should be reluctant to spend it... provided it's just a 1-year term with no future commitment or impact on the team.

I disagree. You need to have cap room during the season and it's only LTIR where you get cap relief. If you have a guy out for a couple of games that still goes against your cap.

Only way I'd add now is if we had deals to dump players like Budaj and Moen. Personally I'd like Heatley on a 1 yr bonus laden contract (have no clue if you can actually do that) and I'm sure he'll play his guts out looking to cash in one more time.

 

[hototogisu]

Dude, it's his 3rd year now. It's about time we start testing waters with him IMO. How long are we going to handcuff his talent?

"Third year" but in reality, 123 games - a season and a half of actual NHL game experience. Still no reason to rush.

 

[tinyzombies]

what about winnik ? he can play center and wing and fits in with our goal to get bigger if not necessarily tougher.

I'm not an expert on him, I think he played a lot of 3rd line but didnt get a lot of time in the playoffs last year.

At this point I'm not super stoked about anyone who is left including setoguchi and heatley. At the very least we need an elcheepo 5 minute guy and likely a guy who can play top 6 with size and grit on the wing. If we chase these types of players we will need to do it through trades.

I like Winnik, but he's a mid-range third liner imo - I could be wrong. Kind of a bonehead, so he can't play in the top 6. Not an expert on him, I watch the Kings more, but remember him messing up plays around the net all the time. He can make a pass tho, tho he's not very creative as you can imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a decent possession player cuz of his passing and grit.

 

[Monctonscout]

Dude, it's his 3rd year now. It's about time we start testing waters with him IMO. How long are we going to handcuff his talent?

Testing the waters is putting him at center on a 3rd line where you control the matchups and don't face top defense pairs, not sticking him with your 39 goal scorer and expecting the kid to feed him while learning the defensive and faceoff aspect of playing center in the NHL...I'm sure something like this is in the Toronto Maple Leaf/Edmonton Oilers/Columbus Blue Jacket Handbook on how to ruin young players.

When have they ever "handcuffed" his talent? They put him on LW so he would have more offensive freedom and less other responsibilities. If anything they have promoted his talent at the expense of other aspects of his game.

 

[le_sean]

I like Winnik, but he's a mid-range third liner imo - I could be wrong. Kind of a bonehead, so he can't play in the top 6. Not an expert on him, I watch the Kings more, but remember him messing up plays around the net all the time. He can make a pass tho, tho he's not very creative as you can imagine. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a decent possession player cuz of his passing and grit.

So like Bourque, minus the laziness.

 

[Le Tricolore]

And he can't skate and is old.

He's 33... not really that old.

 

[tinyzombies]

So like Bourque, minus the laziness.

No, I see him as more of a passer and Bourque a shooter. He's a better possession player with more grit than Bourque. Bourque is really a second line right winger imo (tho maybe a poor one cuz of his effort, agility, ?). Winnik is a third liner (if that) BECAUSE of his effort. I wouldn't mind Winnik over Moen - he'd be great on the fourth line. But he's probably too expensive or the Ducks would have done that.