Prospect Info: HFCBJ Summer 2021 Prospect Rankings: #15

[Hello Johnny]

Relatively small, agile, LH forward from the Q, #11 on his back. I'm getting bit of Abramov vibes.

Add Malatesta

Brendan Gallagher is more of the comp I see personally. Didn't play in the Q but is small and wears #11

I'm split between him and Richard. I think I voted Richard last time but I'm gonna go Malatesta this time around.

 

[rotsbu]

Add Rysavy

 

[cslebn]

Add Richard

 

[JohnnyJacket13]

Add hjorth. He’s being criminally overlooked in these threads.

 

[majormajor]

Add hjorth. He’s being criminally overlooked in these threads.

Okay, what are we not seeing?

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I wouldn't say I'm concerned about it, no.

D are harder to project and take a long time to break through. They are often more like bird-shot than rifle-fire, if that makes sense. Take a bunch of them in the 2nd round and hope that one or two hit.

And I like our odds with that group of D.

I said this earlier about the three recent high draftees - Cuelemans, Svozil and Knazko - that we really only need one of them to become a full-time NHL defender. More than that isn't a problem, or it's the good kind of have, but I've been thinking the same with the glut of defenders in 15-20+. I'm certainly not rooting against any of them succeeding, but it's not organizationally necessary for them all to do so.

 

[majormajor]

I said this earlier about the three recent high draftees - Cuelemans, Svozil and Knazko - that we really only need one of them to become a full-time NHL defender. More than that isn't a problem, or it's the good kind of have, but I've been thinking the same with the glut of defenders in 15-20+. I'm certainly not rooting against any of them succeeding, but it's not organizationally necessary for them all to do so.

Right. At the moment it looks like we project to have 3 top 4 D-men in the coming years - Werenski, Gavrikov, and Boqvist. All we need is one more. And it doesn't even have to come from those three kids you mentioned. Here's some possibilities:

1) One of Ceulemans, Svozil, or Knazko. (Our top 3 D prospects who haven't played in the NHL yet).
2) Andrew Peeke. Still very young.
3) Jake Bean. Same thing.
4) A guy we draft in the next couple years. A guy like Jiricek would be a safe bet for top 4 RD.
5) Trade. Ideally we won't have to go that route but many of us have commented about the expected logjam up front, so we'll have something to offer.
6) UFA. There's no shortage of cap space in the short or medium term. Maybe we'll grab the next Adam Larsson type.

 

[stevo61]

Add hjorth. He’s being criminally overlooked in these threads.

Id be surprised if he becomes a good AHL D at this point

 

[koteka]

Right. At the moment it looks like we project to have 3 top 4 D-men in the coming years - Werenski, Gavrikov, and Boqvist.

Gavrikov is a UFA after next year. I fully expect Gavrikov to be gone at the trade deadline next year. If not this year. I think Bean is the eventual Gavrikov replacement until someone else steps up and takes the 2nd line left D job.

 

[majormajor]

Gavrikov is a UFA after next year. I fully expect Gavrikov to be gone at the trade deadline next year. If not this year. I think Bean is the eventual Gavrikov replacement until someone else steps up and takes the 2nd line left D job.

Ok. Why?

 

[koteka]

Ok. Why?

Because he is going to be a UFA. Because we have tons of left D with more left D in the pipeline. Because he is on a great contract with a $2.8 million cap hit now, so I am sure other teams are eyeing him. The way his contract is structured he’ll make $4.2 million next year, so he’ll want a raise from that. What are we willing to pay to keep him? Because he turns 28 at the start of his next contract. Are you going to be able to give him the term he’ll want? Is it wise to do so? Because his best friends on the team left.

Gavrikov with retention might be our best trade piece at the deadline this year depending on how Nyquist, Domi, and Laine bounce back.

 

[Viqsi]

Next up.

 

[majormajor]

Because he is going to be a UFA. Because we have tons of left D with more left D in the pipeline. Because he is on a great contract with a $2.8 million cap hit now, so I am sure other teams are eyeing him. The way his contract is structured he’ll make $4.2 million next year, so he’ll want a raise from that. What are we willing to pay to keep him? Because he turns 28 at the start of his next contract. Are you going to be able to give him the term he’ll want? Is it wise to do so? Because his best friends on the team left.

Gavrikov with retention might be our best trade piece at the deadline this year depending on how Nyquist, Domi, and Laine bounce back.

If you can sign him to a $5m x 4 or thereabouts I'd rather do that than trade him. He's a remarkably good shutdown defender that is very mobile, the type that can make a kid like Boqvist look good. He seems to be an exemplary leader and would make a great mentor for the incoming Russians.

That and I just don't see the point in trading every D-man over the age of 24. Yes we have a good LD pipeline but we have no particular need to replace Gavrikov. There's no shortage of cap space to pay him and he's really good at what he does.

 

[koteka]

If you can sign him to a $5m x 4 or thereabouts I'd rather do that than trade him. He's a remarkably good shutdown defender that is very mobile, the type that can make a kid like Boqvist look good. He seems to be an exemplary leader and would make a great mentor for the incoming Russians.

I really like Gavrikov. I don’t disagree with anything you said about him. I think you have correctly pegged what he is worth the Jackets. But I don’t think he will sign for 4 x $5 million and I don’t think we should offer him more than that. So I think he’ll be out of here when is contract is up. Therefore, I think trading him is inevitable.

 

[majormajor]

I really like Gavrikov. I don’t disagree with anything you said about him. I think you have correctly pegged what he is worth the Jackets. But I don’t think he will sign for 4 x $5 million and I don’t think we should offer him more than that. So I think he’ll be out of here when is contract is up. Therefore, I think trading him is inevitable.

I would certainly ask him his opinion on that before resorting to any trade.

 

[koteka]

I would certainly ask him his opinion on that before resorting to any trade.

Me too. And I expect his agent will say something like 7 x $6 million. He won’t get that much, but I anticipate him wanting to see what he could get in free agency.

I also think the trade could come this year because his cap hit is great, especially if we retained.

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But the bottom line is I think he will want more term and money than Jarmo is willing to give a defensive 2nd pair left defensemen, so Gavrikov will be traded at some point.