DaveG
Noted Jerk
At least the good thing is that we get more Leafs/Canes threads all the way up to the draft this june. The next thread will be about how close the two teams were to a trade and it will be revisited this summer
Speculation: Leafs interested in Hurricanes RHDs
- Thread starter justafan22
- Start date
Carolina's reported interest in Zucker gives me reason to be even more skeptical of this Johnsson/Kapanen for Pesce outlet in the event of a difficult negotiation narrative the Toronto media has tried to push in recent weeks. A budget team prioritizing a cheap forward has been the justification for the motivation behind a move like that. Carolina being willing to acquire a player making $6.25 mil next season pokes a huge hole in that logic.
There are Top 6 forwards that Carolina can acquire that won't involve Pesce or Hamilton directly or indirectly. Maybe that's picking up the discussion on Zucker. Maybe that's getting involved in the impending Miller trade. Maybe that's pursuing a 2nd tier free agent like Zuccarello, Nyquist or Dzingel. The Canes don't have to trade with the Leafs.
There are Top 6 forwards that Carolina can acquire that won't involve Pesce or Hamilton directly or indirectly. Maybe that's picking up the discussion on Zucker. Maybe that's getting involved in the impending Miller trade. Maybe that's pursuing a 2nd tier free agent like Zuccarello, Nyquist or Dzingel. The Canes don't have to trade with the Leafs.
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No question the Canes are likely to spend more money next year than they did this year, but they're more than "a middle 6 forward" away from where they want to be.
Zucker was likely viewed as a Ferland replacement. They're still going to be looking for a high-end offensive guy, and likely do not have the dollars or appeal to attract a guy like Panarin. Duchene maybe, but again, the dollars are likely to be close to double Nylander.
Presumably, while the Canes have said they are willing to spend more, they aren't going to go from the cheapest team in the league to a cap team...most likely somewhere in the middle.
Jerkob Slavin
Likable Jerk
Don't discount Martin Necas who is likely to be in play next season. Also, Svechnikov continues to get better every game as he gets acclimated to the NHL.
I think the acquisition of Nino calmed our urgency to replace Ferland. Both are big guys that go to the net, which is exactly what this team needed. We'd love to bring back Ferland, but he's going to need to accept either big money or extended term. Big money for long term is likely to result in Milan Lucic v2.0.
Agreed. I think if Carolina can start putting a consistently competitive team on the ice, they'll get back to pulling 17k-18K per game. This would put us somewhere in the middle of the pack and will give Dundon the confidence to spend a little closer to the cap.
Imagine there are about 30 teams that might have a interest in one of the four Canes RHD. Leafs are going to dump some of their cap, so maybe Hamilton, Pesce and Faulk aren't a fit for the Leafs.
