Proposal: Ottawa's offseason (TB - Sergachev, PIT - Murray & BUF - Ristolainen)

[Puikiou]

To

Erik Brannstrom (865K x 2 years)
Anthony Duclair (RFA)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#39-50)

To

Mikhail Sergachev (RFA)
Yanni Gourde (5.16M x 5 years)​

TBL gets 2 ELC years of an elite, NHL-ready, expansion draft exempt prospect. Brannstrom is a better fit to slot behind Hedman and Mcdonagh until he grabs a top-4 spot. He might also be a better fit on TB’s blueline overall as an offensively gifted player that can run a #1PP. Hedman is great, but more of a two-way player than a dazzling offensive star. While undersized, Brannstrom has sound defensive instincts and is very sturdy for his height. TBL also flips the declining Gourde contract for Duclair RFA rights, freeing up 10.5M to bridge the latter, Cirelli and Cernak. Finally, they receive the highest of three second round picks.

OTT gets the better player today and the better fit to play behind Chabot who eats up all the #1 PP minutes for the next decade. They have the cap space to sign Sergachev for 6-7M long term and gamble on Gourde in hope that rebounds with a fresh start.

Stamkos - Point - Kucherov
Palat - Cirelli - Barré-Boulet
Killorn - Johnson - Duclair
Coleman - Paquette - Goodrow
Maroon

Hedman - Cernak
McDonagh - Shattenkirk
Brannstrom - Foote
Coburn

Vasilevsky
Mcelhinney​

***

To ​

Colin White (4.75M x 5 years)
Filip Gustavsson (775K x 1 year)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#40-61)

To
Matt Murray (RFA)
​

PIT gets a young two-way center to slot behind Crosby/Malkin. Filip Gustavsson returns to the Pens to restock the goalies cupboard while DeSmith graduates to the NHL. Pittsburgh also gets the second highest of three 2nd round picks.

OTT gets a two-times cup winner looking for a payday in nets. Murray has dealt with inconsistent play and health issues recently.

Zucker - Crosby - McCann
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
Marleau - White - Hornqvist
Sheary - Bjugstad - Tanev
Blueger/Simon

Dumoulin - Letang
Pettersson - Marino
Johnson - Schultz

Jarry
DeSmith

***

To

Chris Tierney (RFA)
Rudolfs Balcers (RFA)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#41-62)

To

Rasmus Ristolainen (5.4M x 2 years)​

BUF gets a legitimate center to slot behind Eichel, a top 9 prospect with a scoring touch, the lowest of three 2nd round pick.

Ottawa provides Ristolainen a fresh start and gives him a chance to play with Chabot until Jacob Bernard-Docker is ready to take over that spot.

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart
Olofsson - Tierney - Kahun
Johanson - Thompson - Simmonds
Girgensons - Lazar - Okposo
Larsson/Balcers

Dahlin - Jokiharju
McCabe - Montour
Pilut - Miller
Hunwick

Ullmark
Hutton​

***​

Ottawa drafts:
Tim Stützle at #3
Lucas Raymond at #5
Uses the Isles 1st and #33 to move up and grab Anton Lundell as the center of the future.

Extends Sergachev at 6.5M x 7 years
Extends Murray at 7M x 5 years

Finishes the 2020-2021 season with:

Tkachuk - Brown - Batherson
Stützle - Norris - Raymond
Formenton - Lundell - Gourde
Ryan - Paul - C. Brown
Anisimov

Chabot - Ristolainen/JBD
Sergachev - Thomson
Wolanin - Zaitsev
Boro/Zub

Murray
Daccord​

Click to read more...

 

[supsens]

I don't like any of these. I don't see the point to the draft picks your throwing in.
Sens don't want that goalie
They don't want to buy everyones cap issues.

 

[Peat]

Either Colin White is a lot less valuable than I thought, or you're overvaluing Murray. It's probably the latter which is why I'd say yes despite the fact Pittsburgh doesn't really need another centre and does need to move cap - even if we just flipped him right away though, that'd probably be the best offer going.

 

[Skid]

These are brutal trades for sens. I never want to see a lineup with Logan brown as our first line centre

 

[HoseEmDown]

That will be a no from Tampa, not a hard no but still not going to work. There are parts of it that make sense but as a whole it isn't a great deal for us. Brannstrom being expansion exempt is a big plus but he's a far drop off from Sergachev. Duclair is an RFA coming off his best season so he'll want a raise. If he's getting 3M+ then the cap savings moving out Gourde isn't too much anyway. And the point in moving Gourde out would be to be able to sign Sergachev not trade him. The idea of replacing two pieces with two others who can step into the lineup right away and be a bit cheaper is appealing i just think we can get better value if we had to move Sergachev. I also don't know if the organization would want Duclair with his past history, we moved on from guys like DeAngelo, Drouin and Ingram cause of off ice issues.

 

[Empoleon8771]

That Penguins-Senators trade is bad for both sides, that's way overpaying for Murray and I think taking on White's contract would cause problems for the Penguins down the road.

 

[Gabrielor]

How would feel about Tierney + NYI for Monotur?

Sabres would likely be interested in that deal. Risto would probably cost slightly more.

 

[Flyer lurker]

Sens are going to add 10m in cash from trades one and three. Stop torturing yourselves that Melnyk will spend $. He won't. Saying that
offer 1) Best of a lot of poor offers for Serge on here and props for putting out a legit offer. If TB ended in cap hades I would see Cirelli gone before Serge.
offer 2) A little on the high side Sens are giving up. But I get it and not bad.
offer 3) Sens trading for Risto and watching him walk in 2 years is wrong strategy x 10000.

 

[Fatass]

Young Big, hard to play against, skilled point, producing D men like Serg and Risto don’t come cheap.

 

[Puikiou]

I don't like any of these. I don't see the point to the draft picks your throwing in.
Sens don't want that goalie
They don't want to buy everyones cap issues.

The key to a successful rebuild is having elite pieces up front (which more often than not come at the top of the draft) and a balanced back-end.

Look at LA and NYR. They began rebuilding at the same time or after the Ottawa. Yet, they are far ahead of the Sens in terms of readiness to compete.

That's because they have foundations in net (Quick/Petterson, Lundquist/Shesterkin/Gergiev) and foundations on the back end (Doughty, Trouba/Fox/Miller).

Ottawa has Nilsson and Hogberg in net. Both are backup/replacement level.

Mandolese and Soogard are full of promises, but those are just that. Promises. No one knows how long it'll take for them to be fulfilled, if ever. Daccord has an NHL future, but there is nothing wrong with having a proven, cup winning veteran mentor him.

We have one guy worth a damn on the blueline. Chabot. That's it. Ottawa's negligence of the backend has always been their biggest mistake. Even in the cup run days, there were Karlsson and Methot. Then it was an expired Phaneuf, Ceci, Claesson, Wideman, Boro.

JBD and Thomson are promising. But again, promises. There is once more nothing wrong with bringing in proven NHL veterans to mentor and shelter the kids on the blueline.

How can a rebuild be successful if the prospects injected in the lineup are scared of making mistakes? There are two guys in net that can't be trusted to make saves on a nightly basis. There is one guy on the blueline that can stop a rush and transition the puck effectively. His own game is still growing.

How is that not a recipe for disaster?

Ottawa needs to take a step forward sooner or later. A winning environment has to start being cultivated. You're adding a young, mobile two-way star on the blueline. A proven top four guy that can put up points and might just need a fresh start to really flourish. A two times cup winner in net that has proven that he can deliver under the most extreme pressure.

This allows the elite kids up front to roam free and take chances they otherwise wouldn't since there's competence behind them. It creates a foundation. How is it so terrible?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I don't say this all the time but in this case I really hope the Sens just stay the course. Including what they get from the draft this year they have an impressive stable of young talent they can nurture into a long-term contender. Only really weakness I see is potentially in goal but that can be shored up. Really like the look of their team moving forward.

 

[Puikiou]

These are brutal trades for sens. I never want to see a lineup with Logan brown as our first line centre

Brown is only slotted on the first line because at some point, he has to be given a chance to be that guy and run with it.

Tierney, Pageau, White all got their chances to play top minutes and proved that they're middle six guys.

If Brown takes it, Ottawa has a 6ft6' top six playmaking center. If he doesn't, Stutzle moves to center earlier as the offensive star while Lundell is slowly developed as a Koivu/Kopitar type.

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Raymond
Brown - Norris - Batherson
Formenton - Lundell - Gourde
Ryan - Paul - C. Brown
Anisimov

Chabot - Ristolainen
Sergachev - Thomson
Wolanin - Zaitsev
Zub

Murray
Daccord​

 

[Jerkbait]

To

Erik Brannstrom (865K x 2 years)
Anthony Duclair (RFA)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#39-50)

To

Mikhail Sergachev (RFA)
Yanni Gourde (5.16M x 5 years)​

TBL gets 2 ELC years of an elite, NHL-ready, expansion draft exempt prospect. Brannstrom is a better fit to slot behind Hedman and Mcdonagh until he grabs a top-4 spot. He might also be a better fit on TB’s blueline overall as an offensively gifted player that can run a #1PP. Hedman is great, but more of a two-way player than a dazzling offensive star. While undersized, Brannstrom has sound defensive instincts and is very sturdy for his height. TBL also flips the declining Gourde contract for Duclair RFA rights, freeing up 10.5M to bridge the latter, Cirelli and Cernak. Finally, they receive the highest of three second round picks.

OTT gets the better player today and the better fit to play behind Chabot who eats up all the #1 PP minutes for the next decade. They have the cap space to sign Sergachev for 6-7M long term and gamble on Gourde in hope that rebounds with a fresh start.

Stamkos - Point - Kucherov
Palat - Cirelli - Barré-Boulet
Killorn - Johnson - Duclair
Coleman - Paquette - Goodrow
Maroon

Hedman - Cernak
McDonagh - Shattenkirk
Brannstrom - Foote
Coburn

Vasilevsky
Mcelhinney​

***

To ​

Colin White (4.75M x 5 years)
Filip Gustavsson (775K x 1 year)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#40-61)

To
Matt Murray (RFA)
​

PIT gets a young two-way center to slot behind Crosby/Malkin. Filip Gustavsson returns to the Pens to restock the goalies cupboard while DeSmith graduates to the NHL. Pittsburgh also gets the second highest of three 2nd round picks.

OTT gets a two-times cup winner looking for a payday in nets. Murray has dealt with inconsistent play and health issues recently.

Zucker - Crosby - McCann
Guentzel - Malkin - Rust
Marleau - White - Hornqvist
Sheary - Bjugstad - Tanev
Blueger/Simon

Dumoulin - Letang
Pettersson - Marino
Johnson - Schultz

Jarry
DeSmith

***

To

Chris Tierney (RFA)
Rudolfs Balcers (RFA)
CBJ, DAL or NYI 2nd rounder (#41-62)

To

Rasmus Ristolainen (5.4M x 2 years)​

BUF gets a legitimate center to slot behind Eichel, a top 9 prospect with a scoring touch, the lowest of three 2nd round pick.

Ottawa provides Ristolainen a fresh start and gives him a chance to play with Chabot until Jacob Bernard-Docker is ready to take over that spot.

Skinner - Eichel - Reinhart
Olofsson - Tierney - Kahun
Johanson - Thompson - Simmonds
Girgensons - Lazar - Okposo
Larsson/Balcers

Dahlin - Jokiharju
McCabe - Montour
Pilut - Miller
Hunwick

Ullmark
Hutton​

***​

Ottawa drafts:
Tim Stützle at #3
Lucas Raymond at #5
Uses the Isles 1st and #33 to move up and grab Anton Lundell as the center of the future.

Extends Sergachev at 6.5M x 7 years
Extends Murray at 7M x 5 years

Finishes the 2020-2021 season with:

Tkachuk - Brown - Batherson
Stützle - Norris - Raymond
Formenton - Lundell - Gourde
Ryan - Paul - C. Brown
Anisimov

Chabot - Ristolainen/JBD
Sergachev - Thomson
Wolanin - Zaitsev
Boro/Zub

Murray
Daccord​

Penguins decline... mccann is already better and will cost less in that slot... if murray goes it's for D help..why cant anyone understand this!!!! The pens already have a deep forward group including the best 4th line in hockey... they need young D help...

 

[Puikiou]

That will be a no from Tampa, not a hard no but still not going to work. There are parts of it that make sense but as a whole it isn't a great deal for us. Brannstrom being expansion exempt is a big plus but he's a far drop off from Sergachev. Duclair is an RFA coming off his best season so he'll want a raise. If he's getting 3M+ then the cap savings moving out Gourde isn't too much anyway. And the point in moving Gourde out would be to be able to sign Sergachev not trade him. The idea of replacing two pieces with two others who can step into the lineup right away and be a bit cheaper is appealing i just think we can get better value if we had to move Sergachev. I also don't know if the organization would want Duclair with his past history, we moved on from guys like DeAngelo, Drouin and Ingram cause of off ice issues.

Thank you for the constructive feedback!

Duclair has been excellent in Ottawa. The Sens are like TB when it comes to players with attitude/off ice issues. With Duclair, there has been none.

He's speedy, at times electric and very capable of creating offense on his own. So much so that the biggest knock on him would be that he needs to use his teammates more. Huge shot and a potent secondary scoring threat. A powerhouse like Tampa could be the perfect landing spot for him.

Because of those alleged past issues, the tax situation in TB and the fact that he's just now coming into his own as a consistent offensive winger, he wouldn't have much leverage for a payday yet.

Anthony Cirelli: 4.5M x 3 years
Erik Cernak: 3.5M x 2 years
Anthony Duclair: 2.5M x 2 years

Seems doable, no?

 

[Gurglesons]

Either Colin White is a lot less valuable than I thought, or you're overvaluing Murray. It's probably the latter which is why I'd say yes despite the fact Pittsburgh doesn't really need another centre and does need to move cap - even if we just flipped him right away though, that'd probably be the best offer going.

He is a lot less valuable than you think.

 

[majormajor]

I also don't know if the organization would want Duclair with his past history, we moved on from guys like DeAngelo, Drouin and Ingram cause of off ice issues.

Just correcting this one point. Duclair doesn't have off-ice issues. Aaron Portzline did an article about Duclair when he went to Columbus and he interviewed everyone he could going back several organizations. Everyone absolutely loves Duclair as a teammate. He's a really popular guy.

His "issue" was more in playing a risky offensive style and not being diligent defensively. He's improved that stuff a lot though over the last couple years, I'm not sure if it's really an "issue" anymore, he's about as good defensively as plenty of other players.

 

[majormajor]

I think these are good moves from Ottawa's end.

The one thing I didn't like was "Extends Murray at 7M x 5 years". That's just way too much. Murray is too inconsistent to be worth anything more than $5m long term.

 

[Peat]

He is a lot less valuable than you think.

What do you think his value in just picks/prospects would be?

 

[Cynick]

This isn't the offseason (if there's still such a thing as an offseason) for Ottawa to make moves like this. Stay the course. Evaluate all the young kids for another year. See where we're at then and figure out who to bring in. I say this recognizing that a guy like Serg is not available all that often so opportunities to trade for a player of his stature may not be there next year but the Sens need more time to see who will be the core of this team.

 

[Gurglesons]

What do you think his value in just picks/prospects would be?

I think the Trochek trade is a good reference. Wallmark type, Priskie type and maybe a throw in roster player like Haula. I don’t think he’d return a 1st and a prospect.

I think Gus and White is a lot for Murray. But I think that is more Gus not being as low as his AHL season might make him seem.

 

[Puikiou]

This isn't the offseason (if there's still such a thing as an offseason) for Ottawa to make moves like this. Stay the course. Evaluate all the young kids for another year. See where we're at then and figure out who to bring in. I say this recognizing that a guy like Serg is not available all that often so opportunities to trade for a player of his stature may not be there next year but the Sens need more time to see who will be the core of this team.

Sergachev is 22. Murray is 26. Ristolainen is 25.
Two-way star. Legitimate #1G. Huge, physical, point producing top 4D.

These are not Oduyas and Hainseys and Legwands. They are young veterans that not only fit with the core, but become part of the core for the next 8 to 12 years.

 

[cwede]

Maybe the Pens deal is almost fair.

 

[Peat]

I think the Trochek trade is a good reference. Wallmark type, Priskie type and maybe a throw in roster player like Haula. I don’t think he’d return a 1st and a prospect.

I think Gus and White is a lot for Murray. But I think that is more Gus not being as low as his AHL season might make him seem.

I don't actually know what I thought White was worth tbh, but I think what you're detailing there - plus Gus and a 2nd - is indeed a lot. I don't think Rutherford's getting a better offer than that. Or an equal offer most like.

 

[Alan Wake]

Actually don't hate the Tampa deal as much as I thought I would. Don't think I'd accept, but it makes me think at least.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Just correcting this one point. Duclair doesn't have off-ice issues. Aaron Portzline did an article about Duclair when he went to Columbus and he interviewed everyone he could going back several organizations. Everyone absolutely loves Duclair as a teammate. He's a really popular guy.

His "issue" was more in playing a risky offensive style and not being diligent defensively. He's improved that stuff a lot though over the last couple years, I'm not sure if it's really an "issue" anymore, he's about as good defensively as plenty of other players.

Well he's been on 5 teams already in his career. Cooper ran Drouin out of town because he wasn't diligent defensively. There's too much risk to bring a guy like that into the team. Gourde is one of Coopers most reliable players who he leans on a lot in tough situations. The cap savings moving Gourde out for Duclair at 2.5 or 3M is great but if he's not a fit and wouldn't be used properly it doesn't make sense.