This string is a great 3 act play:
I'm not 100% opposed to bringing Tanev back, but the terms of the deal will be crucial. He's already declining, is oft injured, and will get worse. I'd prefer to target someone younger, with upside.
Agreed. Demelo would be a great Tanev replacement. Young-ish, probably undervalued, and has great results next to prominent partners (Chabot, Morrissey).
Aaah the coup-de-grace. For all the above reasons, Benning targeting a reasonable and affordable option like Demelo is a non-starter.
to put it another way, when one or a few of OJ, rathbone, rafferty, woo, and maybe even tryamkin enter the lineup, who do you want them learning the fundamentals of NHL defending from? it's not edler or myers.
at the same time, which player do you want taking on way too minutes and being overextended on our right side? it's not myers or stecher.
I'm not 100% opposed to bringing Tanev back, but the terms of the deal will be crucial. He's already declining, is oft injured, and will get worse. I'd prefer to target someone younger, with upside.
I'd like to add someone young in Free agency. I feel like DeMelo is the perfect candidate.
Agreed. Demelo would be a great Tanev replacement. Young-ish, probably undervalued, and has great results next to prominent partners (Chabot, Morrissey).
Demelo would be a fine target here, but I'd be shocked if Benning had any interest.
Jim Benning targets virtually always fall into 1 of 3 groups :
1) Overpayment for overrated 'name' player (Myers, Eriksson, Sutter, Miller, etc.)
2) Overpayment for grit/toughness/Cup rings (Prust, Dorsett, Beagle, Roussel, etc.)
3) Overpayment for busting prospect that Benning/Weisbrod really liked as a teenager (Pouliot, Granlund, Baertschi, etc.)
Or some combination of the above 3. Gudbranson sorta fit all 3 categories.
Demelo is a late-round pick who had a mid-20s breakout as a high-IQ defensive defender on a bad team. Isn't big. Doesn't hit hard. No big hockey card stats. No mean streak. No Cup ring.
There has never been any player linked to the organization who fit this sort of profile. I'd be shocked if they had significant interest in this sort of under-the-radar moneypuck late bloomer.
Conversely, overpaying for a 'name' Tyson Barrie who put up great hockey card stats but would be a terrible fit here would be classic Benning.
Aaah the coup-de-grace. For all the above reasons, Benning targeting a reasonable and affordable option like Demelo is a non-starter.