GDT: Free Agent Frenzy / Fantasy GM - Part 5

[DonnyNucker]

Markstrom was an elite, top-5 goalie in the league last year. I think it will be very hard for the Canucks to to get that level of goaltending again this season.

Even if Markstrom stuck around it would have been hard for him to get to that level himself, much less trying to get there with a guy who has struggled recently.

I agree our goaltending will decline I just disagreed with “major.” I also was not as high on Markstrom as you are so there is that

 

[WetcoastOrca]

The fact our young core should improve is always ignored for some reason

Yeah people forget that our two franchise players are a rookie and a sophomore.
Goaltending should take a step back but the hope is that in adding a top pairing D our defense is better and gives up less shots. That type of style we saw last year relying so heavily on elite goaltending every night just doesn’t seem sustainable. With Schmidt playing 22 minutes a night we should be better.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

Markstrom was an elite, top-5 goalie in the league last year. I think it will be very hard for the Canucks to to get that level of goaltending again this season.

Even if Markstrom stuck around it would have been hard for him to get to that level himself, much less trying to get there with a guy who has struggled recently.

Maybe its just me, but I'm a bit suspicious of Markys durability going forward (from having surgery at the end of the season, to suspected groin issues during the playoffs)..As you get older, they dont necessarily get better,,?

I dont disagree though, that Marky was amazing when dialled in.

 

[m9]

The fact our young core should improve is always ignored for some reason

It's hard to quantify that unfortunately. Plus there are many veterans who may regress. JT Miller for example scoring at a 65-70pt pace would be a great season but still would be a massive regression off his career year.

The core stayed remarkably healthy last year, will that happen again?

 

[m9]

I agree our goaltending will decline I just disagreed with “major.” I also was not as high on Markstrom as you are so there is that

It's not about how high I am on Markstrom, it is literally what he was last year. The Canucks had top-5 goaltending last year, if they fall to league average that is still a "major downgrade". I am not saying goaltending is bad, it's just a reflection of how good it was last year.

 

[m9]

Maybe its just me, but I'm a bit suspicious of Markys durability going forward (from having surgery at the end of the season, to suspected groin issues during the playoffs)..As you get older, they dont necessarily get better,,?

I dont disagree though, that Marky was amazing when dialled in.

Totally agree. I'm only comparing the goaltending level last year vs what they probably will have this coming year.

I think the Markstrom decision was fine, though as mentioned in other threads I would not have signed an expensive goaltender to a 2nd year given the cap situation. They were in a tough spot, whatever decision they went with carried risk.

 

[krutovsdonut]

I agree our goaltending will decline I just disagreed with “major.” I also was not as high on Markstrom as you are so there is that

i think we should be adding another goalie to get through a tight schedule. too bad schneider is gone.

 

[Hit the post]

It's not about how high I am on Markstrom, it is literally what he was last year. The Canucks had top-5 goaltending last year, if they fall to league average that is still a "major downgrade". I am not saying goaltending is bad, it's just a reflection of how good it was last year.

Yup, Markstrom rightfully got SOME Vezina consideration (and rightly so).

 

[MS]

Yup, Markstrom rightfully got SOME Vezina consideration (and rightly so).

If he wasn't the best goalie in the NHL last year, he was 2nd best behind Hellebucyk.

Markstrom was 4th in Vezina voting but Rask and Vasilevskiy were clearly more the products of their teams, and Markstrom had better numbers than Vasilevskiy in any case.

 

[MS]

It's very dangerous to project consistent upward performance in young players.

People were penciling Pettersson in for 90 points last year before the season started ... and he basically duplicated his previous year. Horvat is no longer a young player. He is what he is. Hughes might explode ... or he also might struggle in his 2nd time through the league as every team gives him the sort of attention that Vegas did in the playoffs. Miller is unlikely to repeat his performance - I think everyone can agree on that.

We were very lucky in terms of injuries last year which is unlikely to repeat.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Goaltending should still be solid with the Holtby/Demko combo, it’s one of the better tandems in the league. We will go from having Elite goaltending to good goaltending (top 5 to to top 15). There will be a drop off, but the team should adjust accordingly knowing they can’t run and gun as much and need to play better defensively as a 5-man unit.

 

[MS]

Goaltending should still be solid with the Holtby/Demko combo, it’s one of the better tandems in the league. We will go from having Elite goaltending to good goaltending (top 5 to to top 15). There will be a drop off, but the team should adjust accordingly knowing they can’t run and gun as much and need to play better defensively as a 5-man unit.

This is possible but far from guaranteed.

If both guys perform at the level they did last year, we'll have .905-type goaltending as a team which is approaching bottom-5 in the league.

It's great that Demko looked so brilliant for 3 playoff games, but in a larger sample size during the regular season, he was decidedly average. And this is the risk of going away from Markstrom.

 

[m9]

Goaltending should still be solid with the Holtby/Demko combo, it’s one of the better tandems in the league. We will go from having Elite goaltending to good goaltending (top 5 to to top 15). There will be a drop off, but the team should adjust accordingly knowing they can’t run and gun as much and need to play better defensively as a 5-man unit.

No offense, but these are pretty much just things you want to happen based on nothing.

 

[valkynax]

oh so Thornton is going to Swiss, not Leafs.

 

[krutovsdonut]

oh so Thornton is going to Swiss, not Leafs.

i think needs to prove he can still play and stay in game shape

 

[mriswith]

It's very dangerous to project consistent upward performance in young players.

People were penciling Pettersson in for 90 points last year before the season started ... and he basically duplicated his previous year. Horvat is no longer a young player. He is what he is. Hughes might explode ... or he also might struggle in his 2nd time through the league as every team gives him the sort of attention that Vegas did in the playoffs. Miller is unlikely to repeat his performance - I think everyone can agree on that.

We were very lucky in terms of injuries last year which is unlikely to repeat.

I mostly agree with you but I will nitpick Pettersson.

His rookie season he was unknown and was given ample time and space for the first half of the season to do whatever he wanted, which is why at that point he was pacing 90 points and 40 goals and then dropped off a cliff after the all star game where teams keyed in on him and made him the focal point of their game plan and he wasn't able to break through during the season. I thought he was injured back then because the production was so drastically different, but after watching last season I think it's due to being noticed and focused.

Last season from preseason onwards it was clear that the opponents game plan was shut down Pettersson and ignore the rest of team because they generally suck. This was a big part of why Miller was so effective because Pettersson created enormous space for him on the ice to do whatever he wanted. Despite now being the focal point of every opposing team and coaches game plan, constantly stapled with two checkers by the other team, Pettersson still produced the same. To me, that's a huge improvement from last year where he struggled to figure this out post all star game, I strongly disagree that he stagnated.

Agreed on all the rest though. I think a lot of people have forgotten what we were like last season and are in for a rude awakening when Markstrom isn't out there making 3-5 five alarm saves every night.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Jimmy Vesey finished 4 yrs at NCAA Harvard, dissed the Preds, who drafted him, and went free agent and settled for the Rangers. After 3 seasons of 27, 28, and 35 points he was traded to the Sabres for a 3rd round pick. Sure impressed the Rangers.

After another meh season, 20Pts in 64 GP, Buffalo decided not to re-sign him and he became a free agent once again this off season.

On 10/11 he signed a 1yr-show me $900K contract with the Maple Leafs. That's 3 teams in what will be his 5th pro season, all in the NHL. Interesting bit of nepotism in this latest signing. His father works as a scout for the Leafs. Comets might see him with the Marlies if he doesn't impress tres quick.

 

[krutovsdonut]

Maybe its just me, but I'm a bit suspicious of Markys durability going forward (from having surgery at the end of the season, to suspected groin issues during the playoffs)..As you get older, they dont necessarily get better,,?

I dont disagree though, that Marky was amazing when dialled in.

i hate to bag on the guy, but i am skeptical he will play the same in front of a calgary defence with a different goalie coach, although maybe tanev will be his lucky shamrock. it seemed like it took years to get marky in a comfortable reliable zone here and to me he's always been fragile with those early goals. i am not convinced he can hold his form and think he should never have left a perfect situation here.

 

[Fatass]

i hate to bag on the guy, but i am skeptical he will play the same in front of a calgary defence with a different goalie coach, although maybe tanev will be his lucky shamrock. it seemed like it took years to get marky in a comfortable reliable zone here and to me he's always been fragile with those early goals. i am not convinced he can hold his form and think he should never have left a perfect situation here.

Love ‘em both, but Marky’s play will drop off, and Tanev will be injured much of his four years.

 

[bandwagonesque]

If you compared how much 21-year-old skaters generally improve over a couple of seasons with how much 30-year-old goaltenders generally decline, I'm pretty sure it would come down on the side of the 21-year-olds.

 

[MS]

If you compared how much 21-year-old skaters generally improve over a couple of seasons with how much 30-year-old goaltenders generally decline, I'm pretty sure it would come down on the side of the 21-year-olds.

Nobody has argued that that wasn’t the case?

 

[TraderJim]

We have more depth than those teams had. I think Hughes, Elias and Bo will continue to improve. Boeser had a pretty rough year so can’t imagine he won’t improve barring injury. I could see Miller regressing

I don't really disagree with anything you said. I just hope we aren't relying on the young guys to improve just to stay competitive because the depth has been depleted. Pencilling in Hoglander and Podz. is a recipe for disaster.

 

[tradervik]

Here's a crazy idea: If the money tap is still open, the Canucks can create room by waiving the deadwood earning above $1,075,000 and replacing them with minimum wage players. In the extreme case, they bury Eriksson, Beagle, Baertschi, Sutter, Roussel, and Benn; sign 6 guys at minimum wage; and gain $2,250,000 million cap space.

 

[DonnyNucker]

Here's a crazy idea: If the money tap is still open, the Canucks can create room by waiving the deadwood earning above $1,075,000 and replacing them with minimum wage players. In the extreme case, they bury Eriksson, Beagle, Baertschi, Sutter, Roussel, and Benn; sign 6 guys at minimum wage; and gain $2,250,000 million cap space.

That’s pretty damn crazy. Will you help Aquilini out financially? Subsidize the team for lost gate revenue?

 

[tradervik]

That’s pretty damn crazy. Will you help Aquilini out financially? Subsidize the team for lost gate revenue?

I'll create a GoFundMe donation page.