If the ducks retain him to 2.9-4 range I think he becomes super appealing to a lot of teams, and that 2nd year becomes a big bonus.
Super versatile and a good locker room vet…. I think the devils and avs make most sense. Bruins and canes up there too.
Devils I’m not sure arent ready to make all in type moves tho, prob happy just to make the playoffs.
Really just a matter of whether the Ducks are willing to go there, tying up the retention for 2 years. Plus, spending the actual cash. But if the return for Henrique is good enough, seems like it'd probably be worth it.
I'd certainly reckon he's worth more with retention than their prized summer "flipping Klingberg" project.
At $4M...ehhh, that second year is probably "okay". At $3-3.5M though, it does start to become a potential bonus. Especially for teams wanting cost-certainty going forward, or not quite ready to go "all-in" with pure rentals this year.
A lot of teams that would certainly make sense for him at that point.
The Avs to me, absolutely fit like a glove. It'd give them exactly what they need, with some cost-certainty and they don't have to go hunting for a #2C again next year. They've got the pieces to support him and a pretty glaring need for a guy like him.
But the real appeal of Henrique is that he's super easy to integrate into a lineup. If you can get the cap number down to something that fits, as a player...he's so easy to plug in wherever you need. So pretty much any playoff team could use him.
-Devils, that extra year might be appealing if they think this is just the beginning of their window opening. But i feel like he's not exactly what they might be looking for. Seems like they might be after more of a "high end finisher", where they already have a version of Henrique in Haula.
-Bruins, i can see the appeal of adding that versatile depth to load up for a last run with Bergeron/Krejci...and then have at least
something in place for next year, if they are in fact done after this.
-Carolina, they've also tended to be partial to guys who aren't pure rentals. But like the Devils, seems like they might be more in the market for a guy to do what Pacioretty was supposed to, as a top-end offensive player. Maybe they go out and get both, as they could certainly use another middle-6 guy who can play center like Henrique. Get that offensive player in a separate deal?
-Dallas, to me would be the other really good, natural fit. They've got a pretty noticeable hole in their Top-9 that a guy like Henrique would fill nicely. Would fit with some of the flexibility they seem to like in their lineup outside that "top line" to reshuffle things day-to-day.
-Edmonton, is the real wildcard to me. I think Henrique would get a real top notch target for them, if the cap can be whittled down enough, and/or Puljujarvi jettisoned the other way to make it work. He'd kinda kill several birds with one stone for them. A guy who could easily flow with things whether they want him at Center if they're stacking up McDrai and still want to be 3 deep down the middle, or easily shift to the wing otherwise. Take some defensive zone draws, kill some penalties, bring some responsible play wherever they put him. Plus, an extra year of reasonable salary would help with their situation on that front as well. Weirdly seems like they're more interested in Klingberg instead though...so...
But really...he'd fit on any playoff team. It's just a matter of whether the return gets big enough for Anaheim to commit to the retention next year too. With Horvat and ROR gone, and Toews semi-retired now...i do think there's a chance that ratchets up a bidding war to where it'd make sense.
The other consideration is obviously...do the Ducks
want to remove a guy like Henrique? Or do they want to just keep the guy and let him continue to be an insulating piece and set a positive example for the young guys?
. Nevermind!
