Rumor: Rumors & Proposals Thread | Kenny "The Gambler" Holland, You've Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em, Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Sit on Your Thumbs

[foshizzle]

Ceci isn't very good at anything. Meh. Bouchard is a elite offensive d and is improving defensively

He is actually very good defensively. The narrative that he isn’t needs to die

I was wondering this as well at the time. You need to know what you have before making big decisions.

Exactly.

 

[FlameChampion]

Stauffer also said he will be intrigued to see Sean Monahan tomorrow and said he won't be the only one (he meant Oilers management)

I don’t watch Montreal much but the last game I saw, I was more impressed with Evans than Monahan.

 

[McDoused]

Guentzel, Perry, Monahan, Tanev, and Merzlikins.

Not bad.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

You guys have such a weird love boner for the medicore (and expensive) goalie that is Merzlikins

 

[McBooya42]

This Elvis interview is wild. He hasnt played for nearly 20 days. And apparently it’s an “Organizational decision” to sit a healthy, confident, and hungry #1 goalie, it makes zero f***in sense. And I’ve NEVER heard of a coach playing an #3 goalie in place of a #1 for this long to determine “future fit”, it doesn’t make sense, coaches job is to just ice the best team and best chance to win on a nightly basis, not play armchair GM from behind the bench. Also consider that Tarasov is 24 years old, signed into next year, there is no immediate need to figure out what they have in him now. Something fishy is going on.

I said before Jarmo was hiding him to retain/save his trade value and now we hear this. Jarmo got Elvis to play a small sample of games to get his save percentage above .900 and is now too much of a wuss to risk that going down so he’s not left holding the bag on a 5.4M goalie that sucked ass last year.

That right there is an odd situation where a coach is forced to admit that this situation is completely by the GM. He likes Elvis, but has obviously been tasked to see what Tarasov can do so is being told to play him.
So odd. Get it done Holland. A 1a 1b tandem of Skinner and Elvis could be good. We need to have another goalie that can step in with experience if needed.

 

[MessierII]

You guys have such a weird love boner for the medicore (and expensive) goalie that is Merzlikins

I don’t think anyone loves as much as they see a glimmer of a chance to move Campbell and receive some semblance of an nhl player.

 

[McBooya42]

You guys have such a weird love boner for the medicore (and expensive) goalie that is Merzlikins

There's a good reason why he had a bad season last season. He's better than that.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

I don’t think anyone loves as much as they see a glimmer of a chance to move Campbell and receive some semblance of an nhl player.

Way better option would be to buyout the guy and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with retention and fewer assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Any of those would be preferable to a Neal for Lucic esque swap

There's a good reason why he had a bad season last season. He's better than that.

He's also a medicore goalie signed long term for 5M+. That worked out so well for us last time lol

 

[TheNumber4]

That right there is an odd situation where a coach is forced to admit that this situation is completely by the GM. He likes Elvis, but has obviously been tasked to see what Tarasov can do so is being told to play him.
So odd. Get it done Holland. A 1a 1b tandem of Skinner and Elvis could be good. We need to have another goalie that can step in with experience if needed.

Why’s Jarmo so afraid to play him is my worry. What’s he hiding?!

I've followed this player for a long time. He has had some significant life adversity going back to his formative years in Europe. I'll see if I can dig anything up. But he is mentally tough and resilient which are a vital, under valued and unseen attributes of successful goaltenders (see Jack Campbell for the opposite). Certainly dealing with the death of his battery mate goaltender and friend who apparently sacrificed himself to save Elvis and his family is significant real life trauma.

Personally I don't mind a fiery, competitive personality. The Wilson thing is a one-off and Merzlikens didn't shy away from confronting one of the league's most feared players. A lot of players wilt from that confrontation. He took it head on. Unfortunate it cost his team but the incident is overstated. This guy is forged tough through his life and upbringing.

Last year was a statistical outlier for Merzlikens. He wasn't good but he was also recovering mentally from a life altering fatal event. He acknowledged his poor season; recommitted to staying in C-Bus off-season instead of competing for Latvia (not Belarus) at World Championship (which he took major criticism from its citizens); and has successfully reset his quality game.

Oil are stuck with an unmovable Campbell contract so it's hard to imagine how an acquisition could work without franchise crushing compensation with precious few assets Edmonton might dole out. As I've posted previously, Kekelainen's play is to retain salary with a team that can afford giving an asset(s) without having to pitch an absolute toxic contract like Campbell's back.


EDIT: Here's one article with some context Charismatic Elvis Merzlikins is a fast-driving Blue Jackets prospect on the road to maturity
He’s overcome the disappearance and death of his father, Vjaceslav. He’s endured years of emotional and financial hardship. He’s escaped the temptations and dangers of the mean streets in Riga, Latvia, that claimed the lives of childhood friends. He’s worked through bouts of immaturity with the understanding he’s not a finished product.

Merzlikins has emerged from all of it — without a scratch. He’s as unique as Lugano, a city on the Italian border that has both snowfall and palm trees.

“Elvis back in the day was a black sheep,” his mother said. “All people didn’t watch him seriously because they didn’t believe that he can be something one day. Just me, my older son and our grandma we knew it and we believe that Elvis (would) be what he is now.”

Thanks for that. It’s an interesting backstory and he sounds like an interesting fella. I’m not sold on acquiring him though, but I will say i like him as a player more than the deal that it will take to acquire him. I see the talent and I will take your word on his resilience and mental toughness, but the deal itself makes very little sense to me.

 

[TheNumber4]

I don’t watch Montreal much but the last game I saw, I was more impressed with Evans than Monahan.

If Monahan doesn’t score from 10 feet out, are we even sure he dressed that game?

 

[TheNumber4]

You guys have such a weird love boner for the medicore (and expensive) goalie that is Merzlikins

It’s the highlight reel. Those splits he can do and that wingspan(legspan) are an impressive piece of athleticism. That said; the numbers show he lets in his fair share regardless of that ability. Are we not seeing softies squeeking in on him that don’t show up on the reels? Probably, at least last year he admitted a lot of goals were on him and he let the team down.

 

[tinfish]

You guys have such a weird love boner for the medicore (and expensive) goalie that is Merzlikins

I'm not sure anyone really likes Merzlikins. I think it's more that that would be our only way out of Cambells contract without major additions

 

[TheNumber4]

Way better option would be to buyout the guy and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with retention and fewer assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Any of those would be preferable to a Neal for Lucic esque swap


He's also a medicore goalie signed long term for 5M+. That worked out so well for us last time lol

I like the buy out option personally. Like we save 3Mish in the first 3 years, which allows us to shop for a goalie. There’s goalies out there that can play stellar at that price tag or less. Just comes down to good goalie scouting (which haven’t even had until we hired a goalie scout this year). The in years 4-6 it’s only 1.5M dead cap, but that’s peanuts considering the ever increasing cap now that escrow is paid off.

 

[MessierII]

Way better option would be to buyout the guy and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with retention and fewer assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Any of those would be preferable to a Neal for Lucic esque swap

You can’t just use the cap space on someone good because it’s mid season. Buyout to me should be the absolute last option. 6 more years of dead cap is not preferable to anything.

 

[TheNumber4]

A package of Nick Jensen and Charlie Lindgren could be had for the right price I think if the Caps fall off from playoffs contention. Any interest?

Lindgren has been great this year (.928) and is signed for 1.1M for one more year. Great fit cap wise and personnel wise as a 1B/1A to Skinner.

Jensen has also been an analytical darling as a shutdown D. Had his best years with Orlov. Paired with Nurse, we’d have an elite shutdown pair. Signed for 2 more years at 4M per.

These guys wouldn’t be rentals… so the cost would be high. But I’d consider a package of Broberg, XB, 1st++ to make it happen and some caps fans would accept.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Why’s Jarmo so afraid to play him is my worry. What’s he hiding?!



Thanks for that. It’s an interesting backstory and he sounds like an interesting fella. I’m not sold on acquiring him though, but I will say i like him as a player more than the deal that it will take to acquire him. I see the talent and I will take your word on his resilience and mental toughness, but the deal itself makes very little sense to me.

Respect your opinion. Agree that I can't imagine how this could work with Campbell's contract.

 

[AddyTheWrath]

You can’t just use the cap space on someone good because it’s mid season. Buyout to me should be the absolute last option. 6 more years of dead cap is not preferable to anything.

And if Merzlikins ends up being as bad as Campbell? His buyout is worse, you know.

 

[MessierII]

And if Merzlikins ends up being as bad as Campbell? His buyout is worse, you know.

It takes a lot to be as bad as Campbell. Not an easy task. Guy has played for one of the biggest tire fire organizations in the league his entire career. It’s more likely he is rejuvenated and plays better than the opposite. That’s just my opinion though.

A lot of people like to just look at stats and numbers but hockey and especially goaltending is so much more than that. I argued with people on here two summers ago who thought Georgiev was a terrible option because he had bad numbers as a back up in NY. Colorado ended up picking him up and look at the season he gave them.

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

Stauffer also said he will be intrigued to see Sean Monahan tomorrow and said he won't be the only one (he meant Oilers management)

So you're now a huge fan of Monahan because of a rumour linking him to the Oilers?

 

[TheNumber4]

So you're now a huge fan of Monahan because of a rumour linking him to the Oilers?

McMonahan has joined the forum?

I kid kid Tony haha.

 

[McBooya42]

Holloway gets a goal tonight playing C (but on the PP)

 

[GhostfaceWu]

A package of Nick Jensen and Charlie Lindgren could be had for the right price I think if the Caps fall off from playoffs contention. Any interest?

Lindgren has been great this year (.928) and is signed for 1.1M for one more year. Great fit cap wise and personnel wise as a 1B/1A to Skinner.

Jensen has also been an analytical darling as a shutdown D. Had his best years with Orlov. Paired with Nurse, we’d have an elite shutdown pair. Signed for 2 more years at 4M per.

These guys wouldn’t be rentals… so the cost would be high. But I’d consider a package of Broberg, XB, 1st++ to make it happen and some caps fans would accept.

Lindgren is 30 years old with a whopping 75 games played if we were to give up that type of return for him and a slightly better Ceci than Holland should be put out to pasture.

 

[TheNumber4]

Lindgren is 30 years old with a whopping 75 games played if we were to give up that type of return for him and a slightly better Ceci than Holland should be put out to pasture.

Sometimes goalies hit their stride right around this age. Can’t argue with his performance this year 12.3 goals saved above expected and a .928. Those are elite numbers. And the cap hit makes him even more valuable. We could buy out Campbell, and SAVE money on our goaltending tandem.

Is Jensen only marginal upgrade on Ceci. Like 2 years ago he was one of the best shut down D in the league. I doubt Ceci ever sniffs that kind of performance. He’s not my ideal candidate for a Ceci upgrade, I’d rather the upgrade have more puck movement and offence but if we go the route of a shutdown pair, I think he fits nicely. Assuming his game hasn’t fallen off a Cliff that is.

Edit: reading the Caps board now, I may have overestimated the value of Jensen actually. It’d be more like XB+2nd+1st. Can save Broberg for another deal.

 

[soothsayer]

Way better option would be to buyout the guy and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Or trade him with retention and fewer assets and use the cap space on someone good.

Any of those would be preferable to a Neal for Lucic esque swap


He's also a medicore goalie signed long term for 5M+. That worked out so well for us last time lol

That mediocre goalie still has better stats than the Oilers' current starter ... He would easily be a 1B. Yes, and overpaid one, but I would take that every day of the week over a guy who is barely an AHL backup right now.

 

[mkatcherin00]

Perry's a scum bag. I hope we sign him

I heard Gazolla tell Neilson that his people have told him Perry is not interested signing in Canada