Porter Stoutheart
We Got Wood
- Jun 14, 2017
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Nothing concrete yet but where there's smoke, there's fire. We're clearly exploring options to improve our top-6 now with teams in cap troubles.
I have no doubt Poile will have kicked the full set of tires. From the UFAs like Hoffman, to the TB situation, and now onto the Vegas one.
But I'm still content with just holding the line on only taking one of these guys if they are basically "for free". Marchessault has been pretty good the last few years - within the chemistry he had established on his team - but another 5'9" winger dropped into our less welcoming environment for a scoring forward? I'm not sold. 4 years is still a long time. I wouldn't give up anything of note for him, anyway. A 3rd round pick, B prospect, etc. In which case, if that means talks go nowhere... no problem.
I suspect that Tampa will find their solution if they execute that Zetterberg trade and get their RFAs dirt cheap. No freebies there. Hoffman seems to be waiting on somebody else, not us. No freebie there. If Marchessault is likewise crossed off the list... I'm ok with that too. It's a shortened season of chaos coming up, with an expansion draft thereafter. Trying out a 2nd line of Tolvanen/Tomasino/Trenin - Duchene - Kunin doesn't faze me. If there's ever a time to run an experiment with youngsters and save some money, this has to be about the most opportune time ever.