Confirmed with Link: [NSH/NJ] Subban (No salary retention) for Santini, Davies, 2019 2nd, 2020 2nd

[Smashville Stroke]

Hamonic, Stone, Tanev, Brodie, Daley come to mind. Some more likely to be moved, some more expensive than the others, but they all share two things. They're RD and they have one year left.

Looking at how Poile wanted no retention, someone with one year left so that deal would be off the books next year makes sense.

3 of those are on the Flames. Not sure they would be interested in Bonino or Smith. Most of those also have modified NTC. They are all around the cap number that would make sense though.

I’m just not ready to guarantee that Fabbro can handle the 25 minutes or so per game that he will get playing with Josi. If he’s with Ekholm and they keep them around 18-20, then I would feel better about his workload, but I think Josi might be his best option as a partner. Ellis/Ekholm worked well before, and I would like to see them get that chance again.

 

[Legionnaire11]

According to FOX17, Subban won the Norris with the Preds. Our local sports coverage is so embarrassing.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

His numbers were terrible even compared to his own teammates. That's probably where lots of the criticism comes from. Statistically, he was substantially worse than every single other defenseman on that bad team, and pretty much everyone in the entire league for that matter. That's what showed in my advanced stats. Also, he was very often a healthy scratch and/or dropped down to the AHL over the past 2 seasons on that mostly bad team. Optimism is great, but there's none to be found in the case of Santini.

I guess they can afford to wait and see though. The buyout cap hit is pretty cheap at around $250k, but they don't have much time left to take that route. Even if he just doesn't make the team in the fall and gets sent down the buried hit is only double that, so neither situation really should put any dent on the team's ability to sign another UFA.

Just go ahead and chase Boyle or Perry in addition to adding Duchene, and it's probably ok if you are $1M over the cap all summer, because there isn't going to be any pressure when you know you can just waive and demote Santini in training camp.

I wonder how much he even helps the Ads though... looking back through his history his stats page doesn't look very impressive even in the AHL, or going back through college to the NTDP. He was somewhat highly touted as a prospect at an earlier age, but I can remember liking Savage better on that team and he wasn't touted at all and never really went anywhere either. Maybe we don't even really want Santini taking icetime away from our developing prospects in Milwaukee?

 

[Deluded Puck]

I’m a huge Subban fan, was devastated when Montreal traded him, but if I’m David Poile I make this trade all day everyday. He’s been injured a lot and having 4 defencemen that good becomes a luxury when you’ve had the offensive struggles the Preds have had.

Your roster was too bottom heavy and Turris wasn’t going to bring in anything. Might as well go all in whilst Rinne is still good to go and go for Duchene. Josi, Ekholm and Ellis is still a cup winning caliber top 3.

 

[LCPreds]

having 4 defencemen that good becomes a luxury when you’ve had the offensive struggles the Preds have had.

Problem is I think the remaining d Corp is overrated based on general perception from 2 years ago. We shall see.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

Problem is I think the remaining d Corp is overrated based on general perception from 2 years ago. We shall see.

* ding ding ding *

 

[Gh24]

If Ellis and Ekholm are paired again and become the d pair they were in the past, it's all good. I think they compliment each other very well.

 

[Soundgarden]

Yeah, I'm still bummed we didn't at least try to go back to Ekholm-Ellis when we were struggling this year.

 

[Enoch]

The "no salary retention" is misleading, but it is technically correct. We are taking on a 1.5 million dollar contract for two years. Yes, this is less than 3 years. Yes, we could buy it out, but we are essentially taking a 3 million dollar bad contract that we have to do something with.

Analytics do not like Santini at all.

 

[Gh24]

The "no salary retention" is misleading, but it is technically correct. We are taking on a 1.5 million dollar contract for two years. Yes, this is less than 3 years. Yes, we could buy it out, but we are essentially taking a 3 million dollar bad contract that we have to do something with.

Analytics do not like Santini at all.

I suppose you can read the "no retention" as manageable (move, bury, buy out) cap hit rather than something we're stuck with.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Yeah, I'm still bummed we didn't at least try to go back to Ekholm-Ellis when we were struggling this year.

My vague recollection is that there was a too-brief look that we celebrated prematurely about here... ? But then of course it never lasted, again. Maybe I'm misremembering.

One just gets the sense that those guys want to play together, and nobody seems to have the heart to tell them they actually suck together.

 

[Deluded Puck]

Problem is I think the remaining d Corp is overrated based on general perception from 2 years ago. We shall see.

For me, if I was running your club, it’s a risk worth taking. Indeed we shall see.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

According to FOX17, Subban won the Norris with the Preds. Our local sports coverage is so embarrassing.

Least they were in the same ballpark. The Kings (with the Sacramento Kings logo) and their elite defenseman Brad Doty would kill for that level of local news coverage embarrassment.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Problem is I think the remaining d Corp is overrated based on general perception from 2 years ago. We shall see.

This exactly. The team is going to need most/all of the following to transpire:
1) Ellis rebounds in some fashion and rediscovers a willingness to battle again. He coasted last year - still put up decent-looking numbers that might have fooled people who just read the stats, but the way he has played since the start of the 2018 playoffs he looks like one of those soft PP-specialist D that would normally get a lot of flak from most fanbases - his reputation has insulated him from some of that, but he really has to turn it around.

2) We can't afford an injury to Ekholm or Josi. Fortunately they have been pretty robust, knock wood.

3) Fabbro needs to be better than he has any right to be as a rookie.

I don't think it's even worth mentioning any hope for the 3rd pairing to give us more than they have... that's just not realistic, we know there's nothing Hamhuis, Irwin, Weber, or Santini are going to do to salvage anything. They're ok #6/7/8/9 guys maybe, but don't have any upward mobility in the mix. We're still going to have to shelter the bottom pair.

The D looks vulnerable to me.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

This exactly. The team is going to need most/all of the following to transpire:
1) Ellis rebounds in some fashion and rediscovers a willingness to battle again. He coasted last year - still put up decent-looking numbers that might have fooled people who just read the stats, but the way he has played since the start of the 2018 playoffs he looks like one of those soft PP-specialist D that would normally get a lot of flak from most fanbases - his reputation has insulated him from some of that, but he really has to turn it around.

2) We can't afford an injury to Ekholm or Josi. Fortunately they have been pretty robust, knock wood.

3) Fabbro needs to be better than he has any right to be as a rookie.

I don't think it's even worth mentioning any hope for the 3rd pairing to give us more than they have... that's just not realistic, we know there's nothing Hamhuis, Irwin, Weber, or Santini are going to do to salvage anything. They're ok #6/7/8/9 guys maybe, but don't have any upward mobility in the mix. We're still going to have to shelter the bottom pair.

The D looks vulnerable to me.

It's a brave new world. All those posters clamouring for years that "you can't win with 4 elite defenders," guess we'll see if there's anything to that. I think Ellis is getting slept on and is going to have a good rebound year. I would put him back with Ekholm and try to start the year with Fabbro playing alongside Josi (or else do something completely wacky and put Weber or the more defensive-minded Santini with Josi and go Fabbro/Hamhuis and roll 3 d-lines).

 

[TK]

It's a brave new world. All those posters clamouring for years that "you can't win with 4 elite defenders," guess we'll see if there's anything to that. I think Ellis is getting slept on and is going to have a good rebound year. I would put him back with Ekholm and try to start the year with Fabbro playing alongside Josi (or else do something completely wacky and put Weber or the more defensive-minded Santini with Josi and go Fabbro/Hamhuis and roll 3 d-lines).

Santini playing 20+ minutes a night with Josi, sign me right up. I'd actually really like to see that, but I enjoy chaos. I think lots of people around the league would tune in also. Like how everyone rubbernecks a car crash.

 

[Dadof5boys]

This exactly. The team is going to need most/all of the following to transpire:
1) Ellis rebounds in some fashion and rediscovers a willingness to battle again. He coasted last year - still put up decent-looking numbers that might have fooled people who just read the stats, but the way he has played since the start of the 2018 playoffs he looks like one of those soft PP-specialist D that would normally get a lot of flak from most fanbases - his reputation has insulated him from some of that, but he really has to turn it around.

2) We can't afford an injury to Ekholm or Josi. Fortunately they have been pretty robust, knock wood.

3) Fabbro needs to be better than he has any right to be as a rookie.

I don't think it's even worth mentioning any hope for the 3rd pairing to give us more than they have... that's just not realistic, we know there's nothing Hamhuis, Irwin, Weber, or Santini are going to do to salvage anything. They're ok #6/7/8/9 guys maybe, but don't have any upward mobility in the mix. We're still going to have to shelter the bottom pair.

The D looks vulnerable to me.

Agree 100%

 

[Scoresberg]

A lot in our defense for next year hangs on Ellis for sure. A lot.

If Santini really is that bad, I don't think we need to add a legit top-4 D but a solid depth d-man like Gunnarsson etc.

 

[GoldOnGold]

I actually have no idea who will be our #4 guy out of the gate. Fabbro is obviously the hope in the medium-to-long term, but it's a bit much to have a guy with a total of 10 NHL games step into that role directly without any trouble.

Santini might be the guy we try first, but everything I've seen about him makes that seem like an iffy idea.

Weber has been Josi's partner internationally for ages, we could try that.

No to Irwin.

 

[Armourboy]

I actually have no idea who will be our #4 guy out of the gate. Fabbro is obviously the hope in the medium-to-long term, but it's a bit much to have a guy with a total of 10 NHL games step into that role directly without any trouble.

Santini might be the guy we try first, but everything I've seen about him makes that seem like an iffy idea.

Weber has been Josi's partner internationally for ages, we could try that.

No to Irwin.

I'm actually hoping Santini and Davies impress enough we just send Irwin packing.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

I'm actually hoping Santini and Davies impress enough we just send Irwin packing.

i hope we ship irwin out regardless. he's always been awful.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

i hope we ship irwin out regardless. he's always been awful.

I vaguely remember thinking... was it 2 years ago? 3? Irwin was kind of ok. But he tailed off for sure the last 2 seasons.

Anyway, I think we all know he's just sitting there until something better comes along. I don't have a sense that Carrier has done anything to make him a candidate to be claimed on waivers, but I guess if I did think there was any danger I'd be ready to put Carrier in the #8 spot on the D and just send Irwin packing.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I'm actually hoping Santini and Davies impress enough we just send Irwin packing.

Nothing I see in Santini's stats makes me actually have any hope for him, sadly. Davies is more interesting, but I gotta think he needs to get his feet wet in Milwaukee as a pro first. Milwaukee should be a more fun team to watch now with more prospects there than has lately been the case.

 

[Sens]

You guys are sleeping on Davies... I’m so excited to watch the Preds fan base begin gushing over his talents in a couple months

 

[Roman Yoshi]

I'm actually pretty excited for Davies. I doubt he makes the team this year but I'm pretty high on him after talking with some people in college hockey.