Injury Report: Spurgeon out for the year

[57special]

After tonight’s loss Guerin seriously needs to start talking to guys about if they’d be open to moving.

I get it from a fan's perspective, and even a team perspective, but the player's wanted those clauses for a reason. They have wives and kids who are settled in here, and promises have probably been made to them about not uprooting the fam anymore, changing schools, losing all their friends, etc..

It's much easier for a young player like Greenway or Addison to move, not so much the vets. Guerin has removed on Country Club and replaced it with another, grittier, less talented one.

 

[MuckOG]

Giving up anything close to anything of value would be a mistake.

Agree, especially not anything of value in the future (ie draft picks, prospects, etc.)

 

[MNRube]

Can we weaponize the cap space to take an expiring from a contender in exchange for futures?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Can we weaponize the cap space to take an expiring from a contender in exchange for futures?

Up to a ~$5M player, yes.

 

[f7ben]

I get it from a fan's perspective, and even a team perspective, but the player's wanted those clauses for a reason. They have wives and kids who are settled in here, and promises have probably been made to them about not uprooting the fam anymore, changing schools, losing all their friends, etc..

It's much easier for a young player like Greenway or Addison to move, not so much the vets. Guerin has removed on Country Club and replaced it with another, grittier, less talented one.

Yup , I don’t expect Zucc or Foligno moved but Hartman and Gudreau along with Fleury, Maroon , Duhaime , Dewer and anyone else aside from Boldy Kap Rossi and Faber should be asked to move.

I’m fine with Spurg on LTIR. I honestly have been happy with Mids and Bogo. Goligoski and Merril should be told they’ve played their last game in a wild sweater and if they want to be moved the team will try and make that happen. Gus’s value is negative at the moment so might as well keep him.

 

[MNRube]

Up to a ~$5M player, yes.

Tyler Myers at $6M (1M retained) makes sense

 

[BigT2002]

I'll be honest, this is a blessing in disguise IMO. This team has been in deep need of a rebuild and to shave off many of the players that were never being considered because the team was always "in the hunt" for the Division or high seeding. Once Parise/Suter were unloaded, it was an emphatic "we're gonna be bottom feeders" rhetoric even on this board (not to mention what many of the pundits were saying). Don't believe me, go back and look at the threads during the buyouts. It was almost universal that the team needed to rebuild while in cap hell until the contracts offloaded.

Then Kap came over and somehow the collective team started punching above their respective weight class. Didn't hurt that Chicago started to spiral along with St. Louis and Winnipeg after all three of them were pretty darn pronounced in the last 5 years. So then came the dreaded rental players and moving pieces to field a semi-respectable team with at least 3 lines and 2 D pairings with better-than-average goaltending.

This year has been a complete kick in the teeth for everyone. Between the players that were moved on from, to key injuries to core players, and having to field so much of the lineup with the "retirement home" players Geurin was adamant to steer away from or IA players who most likely were not prepared for the Show.

It sucks for Faber, just as it was for Kap in his Calder year that the team is fluttering. But in the end, this team hasn't had a Top 5 pick since 2005. It wouldn't be the worst thing to refill the cabinets a little.

 

[TaLoN]

Never been worth his contract.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

A true rebuild through turnover is not necessary in my opinion, the core of this team is there, but there are some significant pieces missing still.

For offense we are missing a top tier possession/zone entry player, you hope Kap can get back to being an option for this when he has gotten his legs fully back, but MarJo is the only solution right now and the more the better. Shooting/finishing talent is also a major need, we have very few ranged threats compared to the rest of the league, Panarin, Robertson, and Hintz pulling up at the blue line and sniping it on us every time we play them is just a tool we do not have a response to currently.

Celebrini would bring both of these elements at the level needed IMO, would be a tremendous leap forward in our team if we did have him, but that’s so slim of a possibility.

On Defense, we are essentially missing a full middle pairing currently, and I would say we need a #3 and #5 minimum still to be contender status even with Spurgeon next year. To clarify my numbers, I’m talking about line carrying quality players. Soucy is a #5 for example. Ideally you have another top line guy but I think Brodin Faber is strong enough if you have capable depth through the 6 spot, at least for a few years.

Goalie is a crap shoot but theoretically in a great spot. We do need to draft or trade for another one at some point here though even if it’s just minor leagues, we will need bodies there and Gus’ next contract will be interesting.

We will have cap room through growth to fill some of these slots and maybe the prospect pool helps too, I am not fully sold, but I think the path to contention is a lot clearer for this team than the current bottom feeders in the league.

 

[thestonedkoala]

The biggest issue is if Guerin honestly thinks this team is still in he playoff hunt.

 

[MuckOG]

The biggest issue is if Guerin honestly thinks this team is still in he playoff hunt.

...or it Craig Leipold does.