AvsGuy
Hired the wrong DJ again
I'll take a draft picks only return before Ekholm and it's not even close.
I'll take a draft picks only return before Ekholm and it's not even close.
The Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2016 say hello.Because some people would rather suck for the next 2 years and have a shot at the Stanley Cup in 5 years than being a bubble team for the next 5 years.
Personally, I think he actually solves it. Especially if he's playing with EJ. A true top pairing that could play 25 minutes per night for the next few years is something not a lot of teams have.Does he actually solve it, or does he just come closer to solving it than EJ / Barrie / current-Zads?
I've liked Ekholm for a long time now. I'd easily trade Matt Duchene for him.Maybe we're overvaluing him, but I'm incredibly high on him. His possession stats have screamed #1D for a few years now. His offensive production is definitely something I'd like to see improve a little but he's still averaging 30pts per 82 games over the last 2 years which is solid, though not great. That's while being one of the 5-10 best in the entire NHL at suppressing shots in that same time frame which I think evens out actual production.
Plus the eye test passes with flying colors. a 6'4 defenseman shouldn't physically be possible to be as smooth out there as he is. I love his game and even with his playoff hype I still think he's one of the NHL's hidden gems.
You don't build a team of all youngsters, but when your core is that of guys who are U23 then it really doesn't make sense to add a 27 year old to the core, especially when you still need to find another youngster with a more potential.
This is the type of trade a team makes to complete a roster, not one at the start of a rebuild.
The Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2016 say hello.
Duchene for Ekholm would be pretty fantastic. Love Ekholms game and he'd immediately be a huge boost to our Defense. Unfortunately I cant see Nashville ever trading him or anyone else in that Top 4.
Fabbro + Kamenv + Sissons + 2018 1st would be amazing as well, but cant see Duchene returning that good of a futures package either. He's just not that good and not that valuable.[/QUOTE]
To Joe Sakic he is! Really hope Duchene is gone by tomorrow.
This team needs a #1D, plain and simple. Ekholm is not in the mold of Karlsson/Doughty/Hedman/etc but he sure as hell is closer to them than EJ is.
He solves the biggest need this team has and will solve it for the next half-decade. What more do people want?
Duchene for Ekholm would be pretty fantastic. Love Ekholms game and he'd immediately be a huge boost to our Defense. Unfortunately I cant see Nashville ever trading him or anyone else in that Top 4.
Fabbro + Kamenv + Sissons + 2018 1st would be amazing as well, but cant see Duchene returning that good of a futures package either. He's just not that good and not that valuable.
To Joe Sakic he is! Really hope Duchene is gone by tomorrow.
Columbus got 19 year old Jones out of Nashville for RyJo. Just saying.
Ekholm-EJ would be a lower-end but still a legit NHL caliber top pairing. Both on the wrong side of their primes. What a waste.
Some of you need to realize that you can't just draft players and hope the team magically gets better. You can't just expect the team to wake up one day and say "hey, now we're a playoff team." If they keeping losing then they are just going to **** the next group of kids over here as well. Another 2-3 years of this crap and MacKinnon is going to inundated with losing, so will Rantanen, so will Zadorov, etc. Go ask the Edmonton Oilers how that strategy worked out. Why the hell so many people are all aboard the 'moar draft picks' and 'tank for Dahlin' bandwagon is beyond me. Picks bust, picks take years to turn out. At best they get an 18% shot at Dahlin. If the Avs get a chance to get a 27 year old top pairing calibre, left handed defensman signed for 5 more years, you take it. If Nashville offers Ekholm for Duchene, you take that every day all day over picks from the Isles or other crap like that.
The idea that by sucking for 2 more years the team can then become a cup contender 3 years after that is more of a fantasy than reality. Bidding on 'next years pick' is all teams like the Oilers and Avs have done for years. Ekholm would be a brilliant pick up - way better than Hamonic in every conceivable way.
The team needs to become a 'mediocre playoff team' before we can talk about being cup contenders. They were literally just one of the worst teams in league history. There are 5 steps between where they are now and genuine cup contender status. Let's try to take the first ~2 steps first before we talk about 4 and 5.
Ekholm isn't on the wrong side of his prime either. That's ridiculous.
He just turned 27, and has only been in the league for 4 seasons. He's probably only just entering his prime at this stage. Dmen of his style and caliber usually play from like 26-31/32 as the prime years, and are still extremely effective into the mid 30s.
Ekholm would be a quality Top 2 guy for us at least for another 5 years, and a quality Top 4 guy for 7-8 years. Easily worth the pick up if he were to become available.
Same thing applies to Ellis, Josi, and Subban. If Nashville is willing to move any one of those 4 for Duchene, we SHOULD do that trade 10/10 times.
I swear some people here would rather suck forever and live off the "potential success" a draft pick may bring.
Fixed. I don't think Poile is touching that top 4 nor should he.
I've liked Ekholm for a long time now. I'd easily trade Matt Duchene for him.
1 more season...where we won't be good even if we brought in Ekholm & Radulov, and Soderberg went back to caring...= forever; good to know.
Some of you need to realize that you can't just draft players and hope the team magically gets better. You can't just expect the team to wake up one day and say "hey, now we're a playoff team." If they keeping losing then they are just going to **** the next group of kids over here as well. Another 2-3 years of this crap and MacKinnon is going to inundated with losing, so will Rantanen, so will Zadorov, etc. Go ask the Edmonton Oilers how that strategy worked out. Why the hell so many people are all aboard the 'moar draft picks' and 'tank for Dahlin' bandwagon is beyond me. Picks bust, picks take years to turn out. At best they get an 18% shot at Dahlin. If the Avs get a chance to get a 27 year old top pairing calibre, left handed defensman signed for 5 more years, you take it. If Nashville offers Ekholm for Duchene, you take that every day all day over picks from the Isles or other crap like that.
The idea that by sucking for 2 more years the team can then become a cup contender 3 years after that is more of a fantasy than reality. Bidding on 'next years pick' is all teams like the Oilers and Avs have done for years. Ekholm would be a brilliant pick up - way better than Hamonic in every conceivable way.
The team needs to become a 'mediocre playoff team' before we can talk about being cup contenders. They were literally just one of the worst teams in league history. There are 5 steps between where they are now and genuine cup contender status. Let's try to take the first ~2 steps first before we talk about 4 and 5.
The Edmonton Oilers from 2007-2016 say hello.
Personally, I think he actually solves it. Especially if he's playing with EJ. A true top pairing that could play 25 minutes per night for the next few years is something not a lot of teams have.
I've liked Ekholm for a long time now. I'd easily trade Matt Duchene for him.
I disagree. You don't have a U23 team and throw everyone to the wolves. The Sabres damn near ruined Nikita Zadorov that way. Ditto the Oilers with Justin Schultz. Ekholm not only gives us a true top pairing defensemen for 5 years, he allows the slow(er) development of Zadorov, Bigras, Makar, Meloche, and Timmins. They will come into professional hockey knowing they have shelter and don't have to face the McDavid's/Getzlaf's/Johansen's/etc on a nightly basis from the get-go.
I didn't say throw them to the wolves.
That's exactly what's going to happen on this team, though.