Rumor: In-season Proposals, Rumors, Free Agents & Roster Moves (related topics) LXXXIV

[Avsboy]

Have you seen Chicago's bottom pairing?

Their top 4 can handle it.

 

[cgf]

So just throwing it out there, but Tampa might have to move a defenseman this summer to make some space. Matt Carle is the name getting thrown around, because of his high cap hit. Does anyone think the Avs would show interest, if they could send something like Nick Holden's contract back the other way?

I'd rather keep Holden at his cap hit than eat Carle at his.

 

[cgf]

Call me crazy but I would pick Stuart and Holden over Cumiskey, Rundblad, and Timmonen at his age. At least Holden and Stuart can handle abuse.

I'm with you. Unfortunately EJ is not Keith, Barrie isn't Hammer, we haven't signed Oduya yet, and Bigras isn't Seabrook.

 

[Avs_19]

I'm with you. Unfortunately EJ is not Keith, Barrie isn't Hammer, we haven't signed Oduya yet, and Bigras isn't Seabrook.

Bigras might be the next Keith tho!

 

[cgf]

Bigras might be the next Keith tho!

In time EJ, Barrie and Bigras could rival Keith, Hammer and Seabrook, I'm lower on seabrook than many, but they sure as heck don't do that yet, and by the time they do I really hope at least one of Siemens/Geertsen/Wood has pushed one of Holden/Stuart off the third pairing.

 

[Bender]

i'm ok with re-signing hejda but it has to be under 5 years at his current cap hit.

This was from way earlier but uhm...WHAT???

I'm ok with possibly re-signing Hejda but the MAXIMUM amount of years HAS TO BE 2 and it would need to be for lower than his current cap hit because of his age. So something like $2.5M on a ONE or TWO year deal. The guy is gonna be 37 next month and you'd be ok with signing him until he's 41???

Explain yourself!!! Was it a typo? Were you hacked? On crack?

For the past 10 years there has been at least 1 2way guy (a lot of those teams are solid defensively at each C position). And besides Pitt, each team has had a Selke caliber guy. I think this list just shows how important it is to have a2way guy in the top6.

I highly doubt Duchene ever becomes a 2way guy. He will make a great play here and there, but defense is about consistency. It's been how many years, and he is still close to the worst defender on the team. And it's not about saying screw defense. It's not like he just floats around and bails from the Dzone too soon looking for offense (like Kessell/Ovi from last year). He just isn't a good defender.

MacK might turn into a decent defender. But there is still a lot of uncertainty there still. Too much for my liking.



I certainly wouldn't describe his D as fine (aka average), especially for a C. He lacks IQ, which at this point isn't going to get much better. He lacks patience and starts chasing the puck leaving his man wide open for easy scoring chances. He is kind of timid on the puck and along the wall. He doesn't really understand how to use his body to gain proper position in front of the net and in the slot. And for how amazing his hands are with the puck he doesn't have that active of a stick defensively.

Crosby is well ahead of both those guys.

Mack is still quite young though. He can still improve a lot. But I doubt Duchene improves much more.

I'm sorry but I'm severely annoyed with comments like this because it's just not accurate. Lacks IQ...what on earth are you talking about??? Players who are 'just not a good defender' or 'lack IQ' don't get selected to an Olympic team (not to mention CANADA'S) and put in a defensive role...just for fun. He didn't RENT DEFENSIVE HOCKEY IQ for that tournament, rewind it and return it to the store. He played the role he was asked and he played it well too because that's what he focused on and because he was ABLE to do it.

Speaking of roles, on the Avalanche he's been asked to be the premier point producer on the team and he knows that. That's what he needs to do. He's not being asked to sacrifice his offense to provide better D, at least not at this point. So why the hell are you judging him like that was the case? He doesn't have an innate built-in two-way game like Toews or ROR like it's 2nd nature but it doesn't mean that with time, he can't change his role as per the demands of the team.

1; extend EJ, Mack and Barrie; 2; extend ROR; 3; sign a top 4 dman.

Sounds good to me



We just severely disagree on Dutchy's defensive zone play. I don't disagree with his stick being less active than you'd expect, but I have much less complaints about his positioning because he got caught chasing a lot less when he knew he had to be covering for Iggy than when he knew that he had ROR covering for him. If he had a partner who was a dominant offensive force, like Rads could be next to Duchene, I think Matty would have little problem focusing even more on his two way game which I think is already much better than you're giving it credit for.

The comp for Matty was Yzerman when he came out, and that's exactly how yzerman's career went, he started off a defensive liability and offensive dynamo who started to round out his game in his mid 20s.

This is 100% accurate and right on the money. Steve Yzerman didn't play a lick of defense until he was like 26 years old. It doesn't mean that he COULDN'T, it just means that his focus was elsewhere (offence). It took time (and Scotty Bowman) for him to adapt his game and realize that he could still put up 70-80 points and play a solid 2-way game and that would help his team more than if he focused on only the offensive side of the game. (they also needed to have the supporting cast to allow him to do that [Larionov, Fedorov] took some of the offensive burden off of his shoulders)

Matt Duchene turned 24 only 5 months ago. Within the next few years, we'll see how it shakes out but I expect him to continue to get better overall as a player. (not necessarily points-wise but overall)

I'd rather let MacK be our superstar RW ala Patrick Kane or even one could argue Stamkos recently, keep Hishon in the fold a little longer, and get ROR locked down by paying him justly as a 2C.

Even overpaying ROR a bit would likely have more positive impact per $$ than signing Radulov IMO.

edit: before people freak out: was comparing roles and not necessarily talent in the first line

I would disagree. Overpaying for ROR likely causes future cap problems down the line and I firmly believe that if X=whatever we could get by trading ROR, then :

X+ eventually Radulov >>>>> ROR signed long-term

I don't think it would take $7M+ to sign Rads and he'd be an amazing fit on the team.

 

[Avsboy]

The only thing I know about Duchene is this: get the man some D support and the powerplay points will pile up, and he will explode. I don't care about his defensive game. He doesn't have to improve his 5 on 5 offensive production. I care about his powerplay game.

 

[henchman21]

Eventually MacK will be really good defensively (the tools are there) and Duchene will only get better from here in that area (he is worlds better than he was 3-4 years ago). Long-term the Avs will have some good 2 way centers, with or without ROR. Obviously for next year, ROR is the only one you can really count on.

 

[Avs_19]

Chambers is on the case!

Alexander Radulov played junior for coach Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts and is coming off a league-leading 71 points for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. This report from NBC Sports Network says Radulov’s agent has been contacted by the Avalanche, inquiring about Radulov’s possible return to the NHL.

The Avs have not confirmed or denied this rumor. When they do comment, I will update here.

Radulov has 102 points (47 goals) in 154 NHL regular-season games, all with the Nashville Predators. He was the Preds’ first-round pick in 2004 (15th overall) but has played most of his pro career in the KHL. He turns 29 in July.

Radulov, who shoots right, is the KHL’s No. 1 all-time leading scorer with 427 points.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2015/05/28/alexander-radulov-return-to-nhl-rumor-unconfirmed/21444/

He doesn't know what hand Radulov shoots with but I'm sure he'll get a comment from the Avs and break this thing wide open.

 

[henchman21]

I honestly believe that a high school intern could do a better job than Chambers sometimes...

Hell of an update there Chambers...

 

[boz]

trade chambers for Sadowski...probably have to compensate Eklund with some membership signups though

 

[hockeyfish]

I honestly believe that a high school intern could do a better job than Chambers sometimes...

Hell of an update there Chambers...

Hey now, it's flat out amazing he woke up from his mid day nap long enough to write that.

 

[AslanRH]

I would disagree. Overpaying for ROR likely causes future cap problems down the line and I firmly believe that if X=whatever we could get by trading ROR, then :

X+ eventually Radulov >>>>> ROR signed long-term

I don't think it would take $7M+ to sign Rads and he'd be an amazing fit on the team.

What I meant by "slightly" overpay and as a 2nd line center, meaning not as a winger/center complementary player which is what I think anything under 6.5m would be is that I think he is a 6.5-6.75m player, so paying him 7m would be my slight overpayment.

I do not think even 7m would significantly impact the salary structure or cause much cap problems when they are tossing around contracts to Stuart and Berra, which although smaller, will play just as much a role in the cap. 2016-17 is my only major concern.

If they were to part with Tangs or Iginla and fill that spot with Rads I'd be all for it, but I think ROR will be a better investment than Rads when it comes to being a fit and a winning piece to the core.

Might also just be my limited opinion of Radulov, but I have concerns about how he'd fit within the dynamic of the team more than I have concerns about his fit on the ice.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Hey the ECHL beat writer for a team we may not be affiliated with anymore said the Avs are holding their org meetings next week and Will had knee surgery (check the AHL thread if you want to read the article). But thanks Chambers, keep combing twitter for your content. I'm sure next he will put out a blog about the Avs drafting Zacha.

Chambers "updated" his blog. Says he shoots left now and Martineau said it's just speculation. Riveting.

 

[trip trancid]

Hey now, it's flat out amazing he woke up from his mid day nap long enough to write that.

Write? What makes you so sure it wasn't CTRL+Ced and CTRL+Ved?

 

[StayAtHomeAv]

This was from way earlier but uhm...WHAT???

I'm ok with possibly re-signing Hejda but the MAXIMUM amount of years HAS TO BE 2 and it would need to be for lower than his current cap hit because of his age. So something like $2.5M on a ONE or TWO year deal. The guy is gonna be 37 next month and you'd be ok with signing him until he's 41???

Explain yourself!!! Was it a typo? Were you hacked? On crack?





I'm sorry but I'm severely annoyed with comments like this because it's just not accurate. Lacks IQ...what on earth are you talking about??? Players who are 'just not a good defender' or 'lack IQ' don't get selected to an Olympic team (not to mention CANADA'S) and put in a defensive role...just for fun. He didn't RENT DEFENSIVE HOCKEY IQ for that tournament, rewind it and return it to the store. He played the role he was asked and he played it well too because that's what he focused on and because he was ABLE to do it.

Speaking of roles, on the Avalanche he's been asked to be the premier point producer on the team and he knows that. That's what he needs to do. He's not being asked to sacrifice his offense to provide better D, at least not at this point. So why the hell are you judging him like that was the case? He doesn't have an innate built-in two-way game like Toews or ROR like it's 2nd nature but it doesn't mean that with time, he can't change his role as per the demands of the team.



This is 100% accurate and right on the money. Steve Yzerman didn't play a lick of defense until he was like 26 years old. It doesn't mean that he COULDN'T, it just means that his focus was elsewhere (offence). It took time (and Scotty Bowman) for him to adapt his game and realize that he could still put up 70-80 points and play a solid 2-way game and that would help his team more than if he focused on only the offensive side of the game. (they also needed to have the supporting cast to allow him to do that [Larionov, Fedorov] took some of the offensive burden off of his shoulders)

Matt Duchene turned 24 only 5 months ago. Within the next few years, we'll see how it shakes out but I expect him to continue to get better overall as a player. (not necessarily points-wise but overall)



I would disagree. Overpaying for ROR likely causes future cap problems down the line and I firmly believe that if X=whatever we could get by trading ROR, then :

X+ eventually Radulov >>>>> ROR signed long-term

I don't think it would take $7M+ to sign Rads and he'd be an amazing fit on the team.

Wow, obviously I hit a nerve.

You put way too emphasis on some supposed role he had in the Olympics.

So when Duchene let's his man get behind him backdoor, that's just because of the role he is being asked to play? When Duchene leaves his side of the ice to try and get the puck when that side/player is already cover, by 2 people no less, that's the role he is asked to play? When he attacks the puck behind the net from the slot, with his stick in the air, allowing a pass into the crease, that's just the role he is being asked to play?

I'm judging him like I would judge any other forward. I don't know why you think he should be judged differently just because he is expected to put up points. Everyone is expected to play D. There are no cheaters in this system.

But you are just furthering my point. Anyone who needs to focus so hard on D that they are actually hurting/sacrificing themselves offensively, well, said player isn't a good defender.

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

I highly doubt Duchene ever becomes a 2way guy. He will make a great play here and there, but defense is about consistency. It's been how many years, and he is still close to the worst defender on the team. And it's not about saying screw defense. It's not like he just floats around and bails from the Dzone too soon looking for offense (like Kessell/Ovi from last year). He just isn't a good defender.

MacK might turn into a decent defender. But there is still a lot of uncertainty there still. Too much for my liking.

I find it hard to agree with you when you go from saying Duchene isn't a great defensive player to saying MacKinnon might become a decent one. So far from my point of view Duchene has been head over heels better defensively years 1-2 versus years 1-2. And today Duchene backchecks really well, gets himself into a good position to make a difference out there defensively and skates it out of the zone really well.

He's not a defensive stalwart by any means, but as far as 2-way play goes, he's quite close to being able to be considered a 2-way forward. Were it not for his offensive leanings and his occasional defensive lapses, he'd be a solid 2-way forward. Instead he's still maturing that side of his game and as we've seen with forwards, the defensive side of the game comes with experience. He's certainly not even close to the worst forward on the team defensively.

 

[Foppa2118]

People seem to be looking at the cap part wrong. Carle's cap hit is 5.5. We all know he really isn't worth that... but if you can dump one of the bad contracts on the backend, then it is almost the same as Tampa retaining salary on Carle (which they might be game for as well). Swap out Holden and you only have a 3.85m increase on cap hit (not doing any better on the UFA market for that money). Send Stuart there and it is only a 1.9m increase. If you could send one of those contracts out in the deal or get $1m retained... you make a deal for Carle.

I think a $3.85M increase is probably too big for a rather one dimensional D man though personally. Bigras has a shot at being better at everything that Carle does in the not too distant future. He costs $843k the next three years, and would likely start in the same spot in the lineup that Carle would, next to Stuart.

Carle's not really a top pairing guy, and he's not a good fit for Barrie. The money's one thing, but I don't think they can afford to tie up a roster spot for the next three years on someone that can't play next to EJ or Barrie.

 

[Frenchy]

the new thread is up , you have a few minutes to quote comments from the old thread and post in into the new one, if you wish to do so .

New thread