Speculation: Predict(Discuss) the Trades

[Porter Stoutheart]

You do realize that the Preds automatically get one pick in each round of the draft just like everyone else, right? The conservative choice is to stand pat and consider Ellis and Duchene your deadline additions. The aggressive, and probably foolish, choice is to buy.

The losers mentality is to pack it in and sell, sell, sell.

Is it still a losers mentality to sell off your spare junk, garage sale fashion? Get something, anything, for players who don't help you win. And keep hoping to win in the meantime with better, younger, hungrier players instead?

 

[triggrman]

I mean honestly, I'd sell Ellis without any reservation as I believe we have replacements, I would not sell Ekholm, we don't have replacements for him.

 

[triggrman]

Here's the players I wouldn't care if we sold off

Haula
Cousins
Richardson
Boro
Benning
Ellis

I'd give up Grimaldi if the return was a 1st, other than that, keep him.

 

[LCPreds]

I'm really not interested in getting into these playoffs as an 8 seed if it means we either stand pat or buy. If we do some selling and slide in then that's fine. I assume our odds of winning the 1st round don't change that much by selling any of our pending UFAs. I'm also not sure we get terribly worse in a small sample size if we get Ellis back and get a nice haul for Ek. It really just comes down to whether he is in the future plans past next season or not. I see no magic bullet that makes this team any better than 6-8 seed next season either.

 

[Scoresberg]

I really worry that sneaking in the playoffs to get hammered round 1 is going to delay the inevitable.

Exactly where I'm at as well. This group has been trending downwards for a few years now and it took an injury bug & bunch of younger, hungrier guys to wake them up. So, as you said the inevitable is coming.

There are definitely some big pieces which we can move and get a good haul back from them. Mainly, I'm talking about one of the defenders as we have great depth in that position right now.

I'd trade Ellis in a heartbeat and re-tool the team in that way a bit. Trade some of the UFAs also.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Is it still a losers mentality to sell off your spare junk, garage sale fashion? Get something, anything, for players who don't help you win. And keep hoping to win in the meantime with better, younger, hungrier players instead?

Here's the players I wouldn't care if we sold off

Haula
Cousins
Richardson
Boro
Benning
Ellis

I'd give up Grimaldi if the return was a 1st, other than that, keep him.

As a GM you have to have faith that the team you built is going to win but still temper that with pragmatic expectations. So, sure, selling someone to get future value isn't inherently bad. But, if Poile sells off all of the "spare junk" who plays in the case of injuries? I don't disagree with the list of people that are available for trade but you can't get rid of all of them if you still want to complete and have any kind of depth. Poile didn't sign these players so he could sell them for futures at the trade deadline. At this point you have to decide if having the guy on your taxi squad for depth purposes is worth more than the late 4-7th round pick you'll get for them.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

I don't know, I'm just completely unable to understand that whole mentality of "you have to be able to win the Stanley Cup or nothing else matters".

To me, it's fun to simply win games more than we lose them, and if we get into the playoffs and get knocked out by any of those teams it's also fun. Knocking off one of them in an upset becomes super-fun, even if we then immediately get trounced by the next team in line.

Now that said, our situation is also a bit unique in that we just have a huge number of players who have stepped up and showed they can play, and a number of depth players we signed as free agents who are easily replaced in the lineup by all those younger players. So to me, it's a completely independent line of thought. I don't think trading any of Haula, Cousins, Borowiecki, Benning, Richardson would make one iota of difference to us making the playoffs or not, or advancing a round or not. They do not matter to us one single bit. So to me, whether we are out of the playoffs, fighting for the 4th spot, or legit Cup Contenders, they can all still be shopped.

Granlund is the only one who makes a bit of a difference. I'd still trade him because I don't find he makes THAT much of a difference. But I won't be shocked if Poile holds onto him now.

I think we are in similar perspective. I don't see much difference in the team selling the guys we mentioned.

Separate point but Wyshynski also mentioned that he's heard rumors and supposition from around the league that Poile is not going to be in the GM role next year. He didn't say what that meant, and whether he was out of the organization or in the office as hockey ops director. He took it to say that selling at this deadline was a chance to get new blood/assets in to take the roster to a fresh place. I was listening to that thinking there was no way Poile doesn't give this thing one last crank before he moves to his next spot versus folding and bowing out. I also have a hard time seeing any major changes happening with Poile unless it's something he is basically approving. I think he has been Nashville hockey for so long, most will give him the right to tell us when he is finished.

 

[Soundgarden]

I think it comes down to the price tag for me. Anybody but Josi, Forsberg, and Tolvanen could be had for the right price, with guys like Ekholm that price is going to be sky high though, but if Florida, Philly or Montreal are desperate and are offering up big pieces I think we have to consider. Jarnkrok and Grimaldi are playing well recently too, but if someone's offering a 1st you take it.

But I suspect we'll keep our core intact, possibly sell Granlund and then come to a decision on moving Ekholm/Ellis after expansion.

 

[101st_fan]

We're in a position where we're not a buyer nor a seller but where legitimate hockey trades make sense.

If I were Poile right now I listen to reasonable offers on Ellis from any team outside of our current division or the normal Central ... and overpayments from teams within our ad hoc division and usual Central. One of Haula/Cousins is moveable with the current crowd on the taxi squad, IR, and in Chicago. Boro and Benning might both be expendable if we keep Ellis ... at least one is for the right offer and that means a draft position that isn't a longshot to at least make the pro level ... 4th, maybe 5th ... a prospect that might benefit from a change of scenery.

 

[Scoresberg]

Apparently, Philly is clearing cap with the waive to make room for a major trade..

Ellis?

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Apparently, Philly is clearing cap with the waive to make room for a major trade..

Ellis?

That is interesting. They have had enough ugly showings to make a wild trade as a grasp for straws "save my ass" type of move.

 

[OldFan]

Preds have good Dmen but are questionable at forward so it makes sense when talking trade to think of letting go of some D. They will be banking heavily on young D. Fabbro ‘s growth and Carrier’s play makes that look somewhat doable but that performance is really over a short stretch. It takes good players to get back good players. That means Ellis or Ekholm. Not going to get any good return from anybody else. So, get a good F; give up a good D. There might be throw-ins but that’s basically the deal.
Now if it’s players for basically prospects/draft choices, the Preds are throwing in the towel on this season for futures.
Assumes Josi and Forsberg are untouchables. One other situation developing is Tolvanen. Is he the top 6er Preds have searched for? You know, Tolvanen, Duchene and Granlund ought to be a top line but hasn’t been. Puzzling isn’t it.
But do not trade Ekholm. If Preds didn’t have him they’d be searching for him as a great need.

 

[triggrman]

As a GM you have to have faith that the team you built is going to win but still temper that with pragmatic expectations. So, sure, selling someone to get future value isn't inherently bad. But, if Poile sells off all of the "spare junk" who plays in the case of injuries? I don't disagree with the list of people that are available for trade but you can't get rid of all of them if you still want to complete and have any kind of depth. Poile didn't sign these players so he could sell them for futures at the trade deadline. At this point you have to decide if having the guy on your taxi squad for depth purposes is worth more than the late 4-7th round pick you'll get for them.

I no, I don't mean sell all of them, all at once, those are just the pieces that I find more redundant, where younger guys are at worst even replacements.

 

[desmondtootoo]

How funny, Vignault says “two puck moving defensemen is redundant” to explain the Gottabehere waive.
We always have 6, at all times.
Poile has probably ordered his son to lash him to a chair, so he doesn’t pick up Gottagothere.

 

[desmondtootoo]

Preds have good Dmen but are questionable at forward so it makes sense when talking trade to think of letting go of some D. They will be banking heavily on young D. Fabbro ‘s growth and Carrier’s play makes that look somewhat doable but that performance is really over a short stretch. It takes good players to get back good players. That means Ellis or Ekholm. Not going to get any good return from anybody else. So, get a good F; give up a good D. There might be throw-ins but that’s basically the deal.
Now if it’s players for basically prospects/draft choices, the Preds are throwing in the towel on this season for futures.
Assumes Josi and Forsberg are untouchables. One other situation developing is Tolvanen. Is he the top 6er Preds have searched for? You know, Tolvanen, Duchene and Granlund ought to be a top line but hasn’t been. Puzzling isn’t it.
But do not trade Ekholm. If Preds didn’t have him they’d be searching for him as a great need.

You are horribly realistic. Shame on you. Trade a good D for a good F.....Blasphemy !

 

[triggrman]

You are horribly realistic. Shame on you. Trade a good D for a good F.....Blasphemy !

Yeah, David Poile would never try to do something like that, right.......

 

[nine_inch_fang]

Yeah, David Poile would never try to do something like that, right.......

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I no, I don't mean sell all of them, all at once, those are just the pieces that I find more redundant, where younger guys are at worst even replacements.

Other teams won't even want half of them anyway. So it's not like we'd ever succeed in actually trading like 5 of them. But we can try. And end of the day if we got a few extra dartboard picks for 2 or 3 of them, that's a win IMHO.

 

[PredsV82]

Question: There are talks in Montréal that Ekholm is available.. Is he?

Nope. Not now that the Preds are in a playoff spot

 

[PredsV82]

Greg Wyshynski threw some cold water on the small pulse Nashville has shown the last couple weeks. He basically said to all the fans that think "what if", then yes maybe you have a chance to beat Tampa/Carolina in Round 1, but then you have to beat the other in Round 2, then you get to play Colorado/Vegas Round 3 if you can make it that far. It's a fun thought to have, but I still have no confidence that this team can even compete with anyone in Round 1.

This is me planting my flag for selling. As much fun as watching these young guys try to put together a run has been; I really worry that sneaking in the playoffs to get hammered round 1 is going to delay the inevitable. I don't think we have to do anything crazy, but in my mind the UFA's with value and the dime a dozen Cousins/Haulas/Boros/Bennings need to go for whatever offer we get. The team won't look that different aside from Granlund being out of the top 6.

Sorry this is just wrong. If we can make the playoffs, we keep the good players who are getting us there. Anything can happen once you get the the playoffs



If Poile wants to pick up some 5th round picks for the spare UFA, fine, but I think hed rather keep the depth.

 

[PredsV82]

Apparently, Philly is clearing cap with the waive to make room for a major trade..

Ellis?

Isnt Ellis still on IR? Who makes a massive trade for a guy not even ready to play?

 

[Ana Crusis]

How would you nashville fans feel about a ryan ellis vs travis sanheim deal ?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

How would you nashville fans feel about a ryan ellis vs travis sanheim deal ?

I don't think I'd see too much point in that. I don't know Sanheim very well, but even though he's bigger and younger, is he not also LD? And his contract is up for renewal?

So to me, assuming he was slotted 3rd pair LD behind Josi and Ekholm, that doesn't really help our team much. We have our own young LDs coming up who will be much cheaper.

If I was trading Ellis it would be for a different kind of asset. A top draft pick, a forward prospect, preferably.

 

[desmondtootoo]

A bit of a closed loop, mutual admiration society in those 2 posts, don’tcha think ?

Yes, Poile traded away Weber for Subban, then Subban for nothing. Girard for nothing. Suter just left.

I was really thinking of something different, like trading a good dman for an actual, no kidding, good F that scores some goals for us.

Youse guys is funny. George Thorogood -
“He funny she funny everybody funny .... now you funny too”

 

[Enoch]

All of the 1 year guys should be up to be dealt

Honestly, most of the guys brought in this year are available

Ellis should be available in a hockey trade.

You don't trade Ekholm IMO.