Trade, FA & Rumour Thread

[WolfHouse]

I think Copp is back in the top 6 when Dubois moves to C, which I hope is soon. Oh wait. If Stats goes to 3C, then yes. If he plays top 6 LW then Copp is still back with Lowry.

Like many others, I don't think Copp is really a top 6 winger. But it is quite common for a player like him to play top 6 for the other things he brings. Copp can add both defensive awareness and forechecking to a line that is light on those things and still score a bit.

I agree the 3rd line with MP and Apples on the wings was playing well

MP - Thompson - Lewis is not a slow 4th line. Only Thompson is slow. But that line is better with Harkins at C and Thompson in the PB.

The definition of top six has changed in the league... there are commonly role players/play drivers in the top 6 now. Copp has just enough offence that he can survive in the top six and cover for offensive players. Would love to see Copp-Dubois-Ehlers but Stats will be that winger and Connor will move back to top line.

The 4th line is slow because the C wins the draw and then doesn't move - this locks the other two forwards down.

I just think its a shame that Harkins' FO% is really very good and we just don't have faith in our own guys.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think both likely get signed elsewhere. Jets have some young guys champing at the bit. Let the kids in.

How about we re-sign Perreault to a cheep 1 yr deal as the new grizzled vet? Better him than a Thompson type.

Drop all of Thompson, Perreault and Stastny and we have room in the top 12 for Harkins, Vesalainen and Gus. We don't even have a 13th F at that point. And I really don't think Gus is ready. He should be playing with the Moose right now.

We will probably lose a forward in the XD. Then there is doubt about both Lowry and Copp long term. Lose Harkins to Seattle, Lowry to UFA and we are a man short even if we retain both Stats and MP.

 

[WolfHouse]

NHL Trade Deadline Big Board: Mattias Ekholm, Jack Eichel and 26 others who could be dealt

Player	Team	Age	Contract Status
Mattias Ekholm	Predators	30	One more year at $3.75M
Jack Eichel	Sabres	24	Five more years at $10M
Chris Driedger	Panthers	26	$850,000. Pending UFA
Filip Forsberg	Predators	26	One more year at $6M
Rickard Rakell	Ducks	27	One more year at $3.789M
Clayton Keller	Coyotes	22	Six more years at $7.15M
Dylan Strome	Blackhawks	23	One more year at $3M
Brandon Sutter	Canucks	32	$4.375M. Pending UFA
Mikael Granlund	Predators	29	$3.75M. Pending UFA
Kyle Palmieri	Devils	30	$4.65M. Pending UFA
Alex Wennberg	Panthers	26	$2.25M. Pending UFA
Sam Bennett	Flames	24	$2.55M. Pending RFA
Luke Glendening	Red Wings	31	$1.8M. Pending UFA
Brandon Montour	Sabres	26	$3.85M. Pending UFA
Jonathan Bernier	Red Wings	32	$3M. Pending UFA
Bobby Ryan	Red Wings	33	$1M. Pending UFA
Jake Virtanen	Canucks	24	One more year at $2.55M
Tanner Pearson	Canucks	28	$3.75M. Pending UFA
Dustin Brown	Kings	36	One more year at $5.875M
Casey Mittelstadt	Sabres	22	$874,125. Pending RFA
Jonathan Quick	Kings	35	Two more years at $5.8M
Alex Goligoski	Coyotes	35	$5.475M. Pending UFA
Ryan Dzingel	Senators	28	$3.375M. Pending UFA
Taylor Hall	Sabres	29	$8M. Pending UFA
Victor Rask	Wild	27	One more year at $4M
Ryan Murray	Devils	27	$4.6M. Pending UFA
Adam Henrique	Ducks	31	Three more years at $5.825M
Jake Bean	Hurricanes	22	$863,333. Pending RFA

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Ekholm really would help us out... make it happen Chevy. Not sure that the Preds haven't finally got their act together though...

No way CHI is trading Strome - they are in the mix this year and over-achieving

Most of these names seem pretty 'iffy' as to whether they are actually on the board...

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The definition of top six has changed in the league... there are commonly role players/play drivers in the top 6 now. Copp has just enough offence that he can survive in the top six and cover for offensive players. Would love to see Copp-Dubois-Ehlers but Stats will be that winger and Connor will move back to top line.

The 4th line is slow because the C wins the draw and then doesn't move - this locks the other two forwards down.

I just think its a shame that Harkins' FO% is really very good and we just don't have faith in our own guys.

I never liked the Thompson signing. But once Harkins and Vesa demonstrated that they could play in the NHL and we acquired PLD, he should have been sent to the taxi squad - never to return unless we had 2-3 injuries. But Mo gonna Mo.

IF there was a rationale for playing him at the start of the season, it is gone now, 3 times over. He isn't even a good PK'er.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

We need a big unit to partner JoMo until Samberg is ready. Doesn't have to be some crazy 8x8 contract that runs till the guy is 40 and cripples the franchise for a generation. Just an upgrade over Poolman/Demelo.
I'd rather a 1st for a rental than riding it out this year then screwing ourselves over for the next 8 years when by all accounts Samberg should be right there ready to go.

Samberg is not looking like a top pair D either. More like yet another 2nd pair Dman.

Use your assets to get rentals and you don't have the assets to get what you actually need.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

A top 2 guy in the NHL just means he one of the 62 best defenceman in the NHL. Is pionk that? I’d say so. His offence is top end and he’s been decent defensively this year.

5v5 p/60
Pionk - 1.31
Makar - 1.23

He is looking more like a #2 Dman so far this year. Lets see if he can keep it up.

 

[Neuf]

Eichel is on the board for deadline? That just seems incredibly unlikely. Although it's the Athletic, so it's not even about "IS EICHEL LEAFS?!" type of headlines that would be dominating the clicks this time of year.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

FWIW
View attachment 400331

Interesting comparing Pionk to Ekblad.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Last year he had great numbers and this year he’s looking good, But before that?
I just don’t have faith that Pionk can hold this pace..... if I’m wrong, great, Jets win.... but I don’t think I am.

It may seem a bit strange considering his age, but he is playing significantly better this year than he did last. Last year was significantly better than the year before. The year before that he was thrown to the lions, playing top pair on a young team just starting its rebuild.

Going back to his earlier career it was always good except that he was about 2 years behind his peers. But his development has continued at a good, steady pace right up to the present. The 2 years behind explains why he was never drafted. He was much sought after when he left NCAA to turn pro.

It all adds up to a perfect picture of a late bloomer. The good thing is that his development has been consistent. It is not like he suddenly started looking better at 25 YO. It is just that he is still improving at an age when most would have leveled off.

I find it a little hard to believe that he is performing like a legit 1st pair D because I had pigeon-holed him last year as a 2nd pair player who relied on the PP to score. But that is on me, not on him.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

There are only 8 defenceman that average over 25 mins a game over the past three seasons. At your definition, there would be only a handful of #1s and a few #2s in the league.

I think it’s indisputable that Pionk has been a top 30 defenceman this season. Elite offence, average defence. Will he keep up this level of play? Hard to say. Sometimes we forget he is younger than Morrissey though.

Not sure that indisputably top 30 is quite accurate. Top 62, yes. With the offense he has had, he is probably well above the bottom of the #2 Dmen. I would guesstimate somewhere in the 40-45 range.

He would have been in the same draft class as Morrissey. It is easy to see why he wasn't drafted in his first year of eligibility. He played mostly high school hockey - not unlike Samberg except for size. But he should have been worth a 7th rd flyer in D+1 and even more so in D+2. We could have had him for free in '15 instead of Matteo Gennaro.

If we also had skipped the Hayes trade, who would NYR have given us for Trouba? Just a fantasy question.

 

[10Ducky10]

To be a 1RHD he would have to be in the top 31 RHDs wouldn't he?
Not saying he isn't, just a question.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think with a Vezina goalie and the great forwards we have a super high end expensive D is not really necessary or practical at this time. But we do need depth. Significantly more. Heinola and Samberg will help but another piece would help greatly. A Pesce or Ryan Pulock would be ideal. However they are very difficult to obtain as well.

Pesce and Pulock are exactly the kind of high end D men we do need. A mix of size and skill, defense first.

One of them (or similar) to play with Morrissey and (I hope) Samberg rising into the same mold to play with Pionk and I think we are well set.

Not sure about the 3rd pair. Maybe Heinola plays the right side with Stanley on the left. 3rd pair seems a little low for what we hope Heinola becomes and it still might be a little optimistic for Stanley. Then there is Niku. He keeps earning 1 more game and 1 more game. He has a lot more mobility that Stanley has but I don't think he and Heinola would make a very good pair.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Yeah there aren’t many legit #1’s. That’s my point and why our D has become quite underrated. Sort of like NFL starting QB’s. There’s about 10 guys who are difference makers and the rest you are hoping they don’t hurt you but there’s 32 guys who are “NFL starting quarterbacks” literally...there aren’t 32 who are good.

There ARE 31 #1 Dmen in the NHL. Your lack of respect for 20 or so of them doesn't change that fact. It is an absolute. They are the 31 best Dmen in the league and no, we would not all agree on who they are. Also irrelevant. There ARE 31 Dmen who are better than the rest.

I think a confusion factor may be that they are not evenly distributed around the league. Some teams have 2 of them and some have none. And there may be some number, 5-8-10-15, who are in a group a little above the rest of the top 31. That does not mean that #25 is not a true #1 Dman.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The way he has played this season, it is extremely generous to classify Morrissey as a #2-3 d-man.

I think that is a little hard on Morrissey. Look at who he has played with. D partners matter. And look at the TOI he has spent with those partners.

We may be waking up to the fact that he is not quite the player we thought he was. I think it is going too far to suggest that he is < a #3.

He should have been with DeMelo, "but", you say, "DeMelo hasn't been as good as expected either". Well, look at his usage too. He is being tasked with supporting the rookies.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

With the 2021 draft looking like it may not be pushed back a year due to player retention concerns, this year, more than ever, am I the most comfortable with moving our 1st for some legit D help. If that D is legit and has term, I say you see how the season plays out and maybe leave Demelo exposed and call it a day. Samberg and Heinola, at this part of the season - most likely won't be major players on our blue line, especially given Paul's reluctance to take 88 out of the lineup.
Sure the expansion draft complicates things, but I think it comes down to two options. 1 - play it safe and shelter ourselves the best we can for the draft or 2 - add a significant piece for a run (if we continue our pace here). So are we more concerned with giving ourselves the best possible chance to win? or are we more concerned about the expansion draft?
I have the confidence that our scouting staff could find a gem in the 2nd-4th round given the lack of hockey played the past now two seasons for prospects.

I don't think the expansion draft is the deciding factor. We are going to have to lose a middling player of some kind no matter how we do it.

I don't know what you mean that the draft may not be postponed due to player retention concerns. What are player retention concerns?

Personally, I don't really care whether it is postponed or not. The only factor I see is less certainty in our first and 2nd picks due to the Covid disrupted season. But I am neither more nor less willing to part with our first as a result.

If we could get a legit D with term who would actually make an improvement, I wouldn't hesitate to trade our 1st - and add to that as necessary. That Dman coming available is the problem.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I don't think his age is a worry but his fragility seems to be.

Maybe. But he missed the first part of this season with Covid, not an injury. It is not as bad as it may seem.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Just listened to PoMo on a podcast recorded Wednesday. He basically said until it stopped working. Hinted at swapping PLD and Stats

Think it stopped working as of Sat.

I think its all about winning right now. Which is why you likely don't see Beaulieu out of the lineup. I am kind of liking our top 3 lines anyways

My priority would be getting a D that stablize our top 4 and not be just a rental. Would it be worth it to get a Brent Burns here?

If it is about winning right now, the consensus here seems to be that Beaulieu should sit. Though with Poolman out, sitting Beaulieu might be tough.

Is Brent Burns still any good?
Even if he is, another 4 years after this one at 8 mil would be a killer. Who would we need to move out to accommodate his contract?
He has a trade list of only 3 teams. I don't think we need to be too concerned.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

Think it stopped working as of Sat.



If it is about winning right now, the consensus here seems to be that Beaulieu should sit. Though with Poolman out, sitting Beaulieu might be tough.

Is Brent Burns still any good?
Even if he is, another 4 years after this one at 8 mil would be a killer. Who would we need to move out to accommodate his contract?
He has a trade list of only 3 teams. I don't think we need to be too concerned.

Coaches look at it differently. We are winning with this lineup and that is all that is important to a coach because its his job to win

Winning and being better stats wise is some kind of fan creation. ITS UNSTUSTAINABALE! I think winning in general is unsustainable in pro sports sometimes I think people would rather have good metrics and lose

Burns is basically a Buff. Roves all over the ice but he is a gamebreaker for sure. I just don't know how long he can remain that way at his age and its unlikely he moves anyways

 

[gojetsgo]

 

[Whileee]

I would be somewhat surprised if the Jets aren't somewhat interested in Savard. Beyond everything else, he's good buddies with PLD.

An issue will be the quarantine period, so if the Jets are to make a move, probably sooner than later.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Coaches look at it differently. We are winning with this lineup and that is all that is important to a coach because its his job to win

Winning and being better stats wise is some kind of fan creation. ITS UNSTUSTAINABALE! I think winning in general is unsustainable in pro sports sometimes I think people would rather have good metrics and lose

Burns is basically a Buff. Roves all over the ice but he is a gamebreaker for sure. I just don't know how long he can remain that way at his age and its unlikely he moves anyways

Any team can win with 1 bad player. Surely that doesn't mean that professional coaches are not aware that the player is bad. Maurice is trying to shelter Beaulieu by tying him to Morrissey, reducing Morrissey's effectiveness. I'm sure he would prefer to shelter Beaulieu by playing him on the 3rd pair. But with Poolman out, that means playing him with a rookie. So top pair minutes it is.

With first Stanley and now Niku playing reasonably well, Beaulieu should sit as soon as Poolman is healthy.

Burns was a Buff. Better offensively and worse defensively though. Last year his offense fell off a bit and so did his already weak defense. Has he rebounded a bit this year, or has he continued to slide?

I would be very leary of his contract in the event he would waive to come here. Not out of the question if he wants to win. But that contract takes him to 40 YO.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I’d rather pay Lowry than stas. He seems more consistent. Lowry both drives play better and defends a much better 3c long term.

IF Stastny is re-signed it will be for a lot less money than Lowry costs and he would likely play 2 or 3 LW.

Stastny may still be able to get more money somewhere else. In that case I don't think there is any chance of us signing him. But, I really doubt anyone offers him big money either. He is clearly not the player he was 3 or even 2 years ago.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think Stastny is likely as good as gone (unless we can fit him in?) and we'll go with Scheifele - Dubois - Lowry as the 1-2-3 and then whoever on the 4th (Harkins, Gustafsson, cheap UFA).

Next year's version of Thompson for the 4th line. Chevy will arrange a race. 4 guys over 36, one lap around BMTSP ice. Loser gets a contract.

Edit: Jim Slater is only 38. Hasn't played anywhere for 2 years so will be nice and rusty. I heard he was good in the room. Glue guy and has history with the org.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Except Stasny will take 1-2 years Lowry won't. What are you doing with Perfetti if we sign Lowry and have 3 c's locked up? Lowry isn't taking less than 4 years

I think Lowry probably gets 4 yrs, but 3 is not out of the question. He is not the type of player who can usually get a lot of term.

Pretty sure no one offers Stastny more than 1 year.

Perfetti develops as a C but plays W for the Jets. But if he is succeeding as a C it enhances his trade value. Or we trade a C when the time comes.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Play Perfetti as a winger as he is not beating out Schief or pld. Perfetti if he’s as good as we think is a waste on the 3rd line. Copp can also play 3c. But ppl are talking bout trading for a rw well Perfetti has become that.

Except that Perfetti is a LW if he is not a C.