League News: NHL Talk - (News n' Scores n' Stuff) - 2020 Offseason Edition - Vol. 10

[Hivemind]

The almighty Nate Schmidt goes for a 3rd round pick.

Vegas was in an epic cap crunch. They couldn't even sign Pietrangelo until they moved Schmidt, because they would have been above the 110% salary cap allowance for the offseason. I think everyone knows Schmidt is worth more than that in a normal market, but Vegas had zero leverage.

 

[IvanMalison]

WTF, we should have picked up schmidt for a 3rd. Way better than Justin Schultz at 4m. Jesus christ.

 

[searle]

Schmidt for a 3rd would def feel better than getting Dillon and Schultz for $8m.... Rolling with Schmidt and TVR would have been a win in my books

 

[Ovechkins Wodka]

It’s going to be real easy to root for the Canucks in the west having Beagle Holtby and Schmidt now

 

[trick9]

Vegas was in an epic cap crunch. They couldn't even sign Pietrangelo until they moved Schmidt, because they would have been above the 110% salary cap allowance for the offseason. I think everyone knows Schmidt is worth more than that in a normal market, but Vegas had zero leverage.

They were, but still that speak to volumes that even with how valuable cap space is these days, most teams still don't think Nate Schmidt is a top-pairing D like some think here. Otherwise they would have offered more than a 3rd round pick and made it work cap wise.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

It’s going to be real easy to root for the Canucks in the west having Beagle Holtby and Schmidt now

They're easy to root for but tey're probably going to be significantly worse than last year. Even with the addition of Schmidt they're worse on the blueline with the losses of Stetcher and Tanev. Holtby is a significant downgrade from Markstrom. Toffoli also just signed in Montreal. Before the Schmidt trade they were having an awful offseason, now it's just bad. Still time to fix things but not looking good for Benning this summer (fall?).

The unfortunate thing is that Benning saddled the talented young core with a bunch of terrible contracts which has made it almost impossible to fill out the roster and take the next step as a contender. Ericksson, Sutter, Ferland, Beagle, Baertschi, and Roussel are making ~$26mm combined against the cap this year and only Baertschi doesn't have some kind of NMC/NTC. Real ugly.

 

[Hivemind]

They were, but still that speak to volumes that even with how valuable cap space is these days, most teams still don't think Nate Schmidt is a top-pairing D like some think here. Otherwise they would have offered more than a 3rd round pick and made it work cap wise.

Thanks to the flat cap, there's only 13 teams with $6M+ in cap space right now. And several of those have internal caps and/or are in rebuilding phases. All of those teams have at least 3 roster spots left to fill, with as many as 7 open spots. Those teams also have their own RFAs to sign. So, for instance, the Islanders $8.9M in cap space is a lot less once they sign Barzal.

It was a buyers market for Schmidt. If they had traded him before the UFA buying frenzy took place, they would have likely got a lot more value. But they didn't have a guarantee they were going to land Pietrangelo at that point.

 

[caps4cup]

They were, but still that speak to volumes that even with how valuable cap space is these days, most teams still don't think Nate Schmidt is a top-pairing D like some think here. Otherwise they would have offered more than a 3rd round pick and made it work cap wise.

Not many teams are willing/able to take on that much money without sending any salary back in return, or Vegas retaining.

 

[Langway]

I would have thought Boston would have been in on Schmidt after losing Krug. Or maybe Columbus now that the UFA market is pretty bare. The Devils couldn't have figured it out? You'd think Vegas would have rather moved Schmidt to the East or at least outside the division so it does go to show how hard it is to move big money.

Some of those teams with space are also probably waiting on getting paid assets to take money so it does chill the market but I still would have expected more of one for a skater on Schmidt's level.

 

[Hivemind]

I would have thought Boston would have been in on Schmidt after losing Krug. Or maybe Columbus now that the UFA market is pretty bare. The Devils couldn't have figured it out? You'd think Vegas would have rather moved Schmidt to the East or at least outside the division so it does go to show how hard it is to move big money.

Some of those teams with space are also probably waiting on getting paid assets to take money so it does chill the market but I still would have expected more of one for a skater on Schmidt's level.

Boston was the one that stuck out to me as well.

The Devils have an internal cap. Columbus has been shedding salary this off-season, so it seems like they might as well.

 

[BiPolar Caps]

Las Vegas is quickly rising to the level of the Penguins on my hate meter!

And I will be rooting for the Vancouver Capitals in the west.

 

[Ridley Simon]

None of us really understand the full extent of the financial issues COVID is playing on teams. Small market teams (= little TV $$$) are in deep trouble without gate revenue.

we are all acting like it’s normal times for trades and FA’s. That’s simply a poor outlook for where things are.

 

[tenken00]

And down goes Boston



Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak have surgery - TSN.ca

 

[Hivemind]

The Colorado Avalanche are still my favorite Western team (Grubauer + Burakovsky + 90s/2000s nostalgia), but Vancouver is my new #2 out West

 

[ovikovy817]

And down goes Boston



Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak have surgery - TSN.ca

Depends when starts the season and if it will start

 

[um]

It’s going to be real easy to root for the Canucks in the west having Beagle Holtby and Schmidt now

didn't even think of that... I guess they're my west team now.

 

[Empty Goal Net]

Golden Knights owner Bill Foley hints at all-Canadian division next season


During an appearance on the radio in Las Vegas, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley dropped a bombshell. When asked about his team facing Nate Schmidt, who was just traded to the Canucks, Foley responded: 'Yeah, but they're going to be playing in the Canadian division.'

Bill Foley hints at all-Canadian division

If that's the case - and it makes some sense if they expect covid to be hanging over us thru the end of the RS - then how would the league draw the lines for the US side of things? Will the Caps be back in something resembling the Southeast, or will they be grouped with the NY/New England teams?

 

[Kalopsia]

Golden Knights owner Bill Foley hints at all-Canadian division next season


During an appearance on the radio in Las Vegas, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley dropped a bombshell. When asked about his team facing Nate Schmidt, who was just traded to the Canucks, Foley responded: 'Yeah, but they're going to be playing in the Canadian division.'

Bill Foley hints at all-Canadian division

If that's the case - and it makes some sense if they expect covid to be hanging over us thru the end of the RS - then how would the league draw the lines for the US side of things? Will the Caps be back in something resembling the Southeast, or will they be grouped with the NY/New England teams?

If something like that happened and they just went geographically, I think being in a “Northeast” division would make the most sense. Boston, Buffalo, NYR, NYI, Devils, Pens, Flyers, and Caps is probably the most compact division they could make from US-only teams.

 

[HTFN]

If something like that happened and they just went geographically, I think being in a “Northeast” division would make the most sense. Boston, Buffalo, NYR, NYI, Devils, Pens, Flyers, and Caps is probably the most compact division they could make from US-only teams.

Agreed but it's the NHL and a chance to ruin divisions, so I feel about as confident that one of those teams manages to end up in the Western Conference somehow

 

[Ridley Simon]

Agreed but it's the NHL and a chance to ruin divisions, so I feel about as confident that one of those teams manages to end up in the Western Conference somehow

Oh stop, you.

that said, I live in SF, CA....... so if the Caps would need to play a lot of games vs the Sharks, I wouldn’t complain.

 

[HTFN]

Oh stop, you.

that said, I live in SF, CA....... so if the Caps would need to play a lot of games vs the Sharks, I wouldn’t complain.

I can't tell if that would be better or worse, knowing that they'll be around more than ever but nobody's allowed inside to see it.

 

[txpd]

The return of the Patrick Division

 

[HTFN]

Actually, thinking about this idly, it’d be sort of neat to prepare bubbles with East and West coast teams, and then switch the locations halfway (or don’t, no home fans so whatever, but maybe operating costs matter)

if the season is already destined to be weird, steer into it and give everyone more exposure to other markets if you’re playing in relative bubbles and time/scheduling is less of a factor

 

[Hivemind]

Agreed but it's the NHL and a chance to ruin divisions, so I feel about as confident that one of those teams manages to end up in the Western Conference somehow

If they're playing in bubbles, they don't need to worry about conferences. Each bubble becomes its own self-contained "conference."

 

[Langway]

Oh my. One less RD available for other teams. Seems like Hamonic will remain out West, leaving only Vatanen otherwise.