Blue Goose
Registered User
Other than that... McPhee really needs to be patient with the forwards and not flip the key forward pieces until the deadline. Those guys are what will make the 2018 draft, and it's why he went for futures with some of the other moves. If we're lucky Neal and Perron will have very strong early season production and from there we're in business.
I think the best possible option for us would be a top line of Perron - Ship - Neal.
Even though he hasn't played in the NHL, I would imagine Ship would be the best playmaker to help pump up Perron and Neal's numbers to make them attractive trade pieces. Plus, both of those guys play well on their off-wing, which is what Ship had in the KHL with Gusev and Dadonov - my hope is that this could lead to greater success from the line as a whole.
I all but guarantee Ship sees at least one, if not all three of those guys cycled on his wings.
With the center depth, and good faceoff ones too (outside of Karlsson) I see March going to the wing. There he can focus on trying to score 30 goals again and not worry as much about the defensive responsibilities of a center.
I would bet Ship was promised a solid, extended chance with our top wingers as a factor in coming over. The two year contract was no coincidence...he wants to produce and get paid $$$$$
That's not going to happen with the wingers in the tier below those 3.
Absolutely agree.
I like March on the wing as well, but that's only because I'd like to see him get traded sooner than later. He played very well on the wing with Jagr/Barkov last year, so that would be his best opportunity to get better numbers and increase his trade value.
Although, I honestly believe his trade value is never going to be any higher than it is RIGHT NOW. He had a breakout year last season, and he's on a very cheap expiring contract. His value at the trade deadline should be good, but he'd also be looked at as a rental. Whereas if you look at his value NOW, I think there are LOTS of teams who would want him for the entire season, especially since his cap hit isn't really going to affect their bottom line. My fear is that playing on a mediocre expansion team is only going to see his numbers - and his trade value - decrease, so I'd just as soon move him before he ever plays a game in Vegas, in order to preserve the value he has now. It's the ultimate example of "selling high", and he'll be into his 30's by the time we start competing - plus, he'll likely want to get PAID on his next deal.