Speculation: 2018 Off-Season: We fell short again... now what do we do?

[Sky04]

But even if Cooper had made adjustments, I'm not sure we could have beaten Washington. They looked like a monster. But I think it's important to remember that not so long ago they were in the exact position we're in now, coming up just short and wondering what to do about it.

And you know what happened to that powerhouse Washington core? It completely dismantled and they went through multiple coaching changes as well as a General Manager change, only Ovechkin and Backstrom remain intact from the previous Capitals group, the point is not to be like that with this team.

Flavor of the month, I would not want to be like Capitals franchise that suffered over a decade of ridicule for not being able to win and then finally get a year where things finally align, because they've had that monkey on their back for so long I still wouldn't be as scared facing them next year as opposed to the previous champs like Pittsburgh, Chicago or LA.

Chicago is more of the model franchise, have your core, move everything else around it, with a coach that plays to their strengths - their weakness is their management's poor asset usage and contract management which I don't think will be an issue for us as opposed to getting the right personnel.

 

[T REX]

Lots of great posts.

Anyone feel like this is Coopers last stand? Another ECF exit and he's done here?

 

[DFC]

Lots of great posts.

Anyone feel like this is Coopers last stand? Another ECF exit and he's done here?

I don't know if we can fire him after an ECF exit. Maybe. Anything less than that, though, and I think his seat will be warm, at the very least. I don't think it's warm now, despite my own dissatisfaction with him.

 

[DFC]

And you know what happened to that powerhouse Washington core? It completely dismantled and they went through multiple coaching changes as well as a General Manager change, only Ovechkin and Backstrom remain intact from the previous Capitals group, the point is not to be like that with this team.

Flavor of the month, I would not want to be like Capitals franchise that suffered over a decade of ridicule for not being able to win and then finally get a year where things finally align, because they've had that monkey on their back for so long I still wouldn't be as scared facing them next year as opposed to the previous champs like Pittsburgh, Chicago or LA.

Chicago is more of the model franchise, have your core, move everything else around it, with a coach that plays to their strengths - their weakness is their management's poor asset usage and contract management which I don't think will be an issue for us as opposed to getting the right personnel.

I was talking about Washington basically in the past couple of years, not the past decade. This is mostly the same core as the team that put up 120 points in 2016 and then got bounced in the 2nd round.

 

[Felonious Python]

I wonder if we can flip JT miller and something else for Mike Hoffman word is he is on the trade block. He has two years left on his contract which is good for us we don't need a long term deal we need a forward for a couple seasons still some of our kids are more ready.

yeah...we might want to pass.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Lots of great posts.

Anyone feel like this is Coopers last stand? Another ECF exit and he's done here?

Well playoffs or fired we can probably start there. I think after that would depend on how the team got eliminated. If we lost a super close series with an equal team then he will probably keep his job. If we have a repeat of this years elimination at that kind of stage, I think SY moves on. For me it depends on how our guys are playing in the end.

 

[Todd1a]

 

[Stammertime91]

This stuff about Hoffman is awful. Guy either has such low self esteem he has to stay with that woman, is afraid, or is perfectly fine being in a toxic relationship with a spawn of Satan.




Or the 1% chance he knew absolutely nothing about this. Hard pass on bringing something like that here. It would be like bringing the girl from the ring here to take the top line LW spot.

 

[Felonious Python]

I've got to wonder if this would also drop Karlsson's trade value a bit since Ottawa clearly has to move one of them.

 

[Sky04]

I've got to wonder if this would also drop Karlsson's trade value a bit since Ottawa clearly has to move one of them.

Any "decrease" in value will be driven up by the bidding war now that all teams know he's more available.

 

[Sky04]

This stuff about Hoffman is awful. Guy either has such low self esteem he has to stay with that woman, is afraid, or is perfectly fine being in a toxic relationship with a spawn of Satan.

Or the 1% chance he knew absolutely nothing about this. Hard pass on bringing something like that here. It would be like bringing the girl from the ring here to take the top line LW spot.

Not really that far a cry, she did everything between social media and the with ease of switching though accounts and hiding your activity isn't that hard. With how often the guy is away, if she's thorough enough she can easily keep it from him. Given she's been buying hacked accounts and de-activating them shows she's carefully planning these vindictive attacks. Not only that but do you think any logical person would risk their career on something like this? This is career ending if he had any part of it.

Guy is kind of given flack right now, if this news was just sprung on him he also has to go through his own verification process, not just dump his fiance he's been with for years because rumors from other people and the media came about. His initial comment was that he has nothing to say right now, then came back and said it was "150% not 'them', and 'they' are in full cooperation with the investigation" considering he was never under suspicion he's still under the mantra that him and his girlfriend are a "team." Poor guy I think he's seriously just getting played, of course she's going to deny it, she's digging herself a bigger hole and unfortunately he's going down with her.

 

[Stormbreaker]

TSN's Darren Dreger provided a larger list of teams he believes to be in the mix for Ilya Kovalchuk.
"I'm going to give you a list of teams that I believe are interested in Ilya Kovalchuk," Dreger told TSN 690 in Montreal on Tuesday. "And I'm going to qualify that level of interest. Detroit, as I tweeted earlier today, definitely made a push. The St. Louis Blues have interest, Anaheim, Dallas, the New York Islanders. I'd put that group as potential dark horse teams. And then beyond that, probably more solid contenders include the likes of San Jose and Los Angeles, and I'd put the Boston Bruins in that group and maybe the New York Rangers as well. So there are a total of nine teams." He's a big-name player who can add scoring, so it's not surprising that he is garnering plenty of interest.

No mention of TB fwiw

 

[Master P]

No mention of TB fwiw

Probably for the best

 

[DFC]

The hoffman story is pretty insane.

I'm not sure karlsson is realistic now that we have McDonagh. Has the full almost-deal with Vegas been reported? Is it something we could compete with?

 

[Todd1a]

No mention of TB fwiw

That’s because leaks don’t get out from yzerman ever

 

[Stammertime91]

That’s because leaks don’t get out from yzerman ever

You're right. We just leave our plans on draft tables.

 

[Todd1a]

You're right. We just leave our plans on draft tables.

Buffalo 2015 lol

 

[DFC]

Buffalo 2015 lol

The real reason Bowness got fired.

 

[CupsOverCash]

The hoffman story is pretty insane.

I'm not sure karlsson is realistic now that we have McDonagh. Has the full almost-deal with Vegas been reported? Is it something we could compete with?

A thing that could get interesting about Karlsson is that he is up for UFA next offseason. A team that trades for him would probably like to know that he will come back before giving up assets for him. This is something that could make it possible for us. Keyword could lol. We would have to outbid a team that he is willing to re-sign with. If he wants/prefers to play here that could give us an advantage. I dont think we will land him. I think we have a much higher possibility signing him in FA next summer than any trade this year. Even then SY would have to have his wizardry handy to get something done. I think McDonagh trade made it less likely we trade for him.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

If by some complete fluke of nature we acquire Karlsson and still manage to fail at winning the cup, Cooper's head will be paraded through Channelside and left on a pike in thunder alley for all to remember.

Hedman - Stralman/Girardi
McDonut - Karlsson
Sergachev - Girardi/Stralman

We would be the definition of a rich kid's NHL Ultimate Team on NHL 18/19.

 

[OurlordAndSaviorKuch]

I have been holding off on this for awhile to let myself mourn the death of another great season. I don’t know what we do almost the entire team disappeared against the caps and we just didn’t seem to want it. Also an amusing though but two times in a row that we have lost in the ecf the team that has beaten us has become the eventual champion. That is sickening. Maybe bring in EK for a rental year? I mean it can’t hurt Sens are sure to trade him with this Hoffman drama going on.

 

[These Are The Days]

I find it highly doubtful that we'll have both McDonagh AND Karlsson together. If we actually managed that we'd cap hell ourselves harder than the Hawks because I don't see how McDonagh doesn't ask for 8 years and Karlsson 7. The amount of cap coming off the top would have to be something like Stralman (4.5 million), Coburn (3.7 million), Girardi (3 million), Callahan (5.8 million), Johnson (5 million). That totals $19 million and that's not including the fact we'll have to re-sign Point, Kucherov, Gourde AND the fact that we're not totaling other contracts currently up like Miller and Domingue. Despite the fact I think it would make us a better team (I think in a perfect world we keep Stralman) I don't see Yzerman committing to that many players at the same time. A man can dream though

2020

Hedman-Sergachev
McDonagh-Karlsson
Cernak-Foote

 

[Todd1a]

A thing that could get interesting about Karlsson is that he is up for UFA next offseason. A team that trades for him would probably like to know that he will come back before giving up assets for him. This is something that could make it possible for us. Keyword could lol. We would have to outbid a team that he is willing to re-sign with. If he wants/prefers to play here that could give us an advantage. I dont think we will land him. I think we have a much higher possibility signing him in FA next summer than any trade this year. Even then SY would have to have his wizardry handy to get something done. I think McDonagh trade made it less likely we trade for him.

plus we can resign McDonagh for way less then EK

 

[Fabiobest]

First trade of this post season.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I'm so sorry guys.

Pray he doesn't end up on your NHL roster.