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

[TampaJay]

No point breaking everything down for this guy, if he can't see that many points himself he's got a vendetta. Usually love entertaining a good argument, this isn't one.

I wasn’t too thrilled about the Tanev idea, but after reading the posts from the guy you are talking about, if picking up Tanev causes him to become a fan of some other team, I think I’m all in on the Tanev idea.

 

[RegularSznAllStars]

Not saying SY has been perfect, but no GM is. How about getting Erik Cernak for an expiring B. Bishop contract ? Cernak was a +30 with the Crunch. Big RD's are hard to find and he has a chance to be real good.

I think he led the crunch in plus minus by a lot too. Kid definitely has some promise. I have said it fifty times, but he was more impressive at the rookie camp last year than serge. I am excited to see him in camp this year.

 

[These Are The Days]

See see we are in great shape we can extend mcdonagh with Kucherov and point easy

I'm going to be honest, I'm on the fence about McDonagh. I very highly doubt he will be used on the power play if at all. And if he just goes and scores 5 goals and 24 points and in return wants this big, huge contract then forget it. I'm not interested in McDonagh getting something like a $6.75 million AAV lifetime deal that's blessed with NMC/M-NMC/NTC/M-NTC as well and I don't care how much the cap goes up. f***in A we're only paying Hedman something like $1.25 million more than that as it is and we already know Stralman's gonna do that next year and defend nearly as well. But if McDonagh blows our socks off then that's an entirely different story. To state the obvious a lot hinges on next year

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Not saying SY has been perfect, but no GM is. How about getting Erik Cernak for an expiring B. Bishop contract ? Cernak was a +30 with the Crunch. Big RD's are hard to find and he has a chance to be real good.

If they are hard to find, why are we trading one?

 

[Stammertime91]

If they are hard to find, why are we trading one?

Wait...what?

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Wait...what?

I read that completely wrong. Long day trying to be nice and get Vancouver fans to back off Tampa and Tanev.

 

[DFC]

Yes and again I think Miller has the least risk involved in any name that's being brought up, a 5 year deal with Miller brings him to 30 years old, you essentially get a big forward with size for his entire prime for 5m~, historically are these not the best 5 years for a player of Miller's mold? I would bet on that contract performing to value over the remaining 6 years of Johnson or Killorn. Miller is more likely to hold value long term then either of those guys.

Genuinely curious how you would evaluate Miller's value going forward. He isn't going to get max term I think 5 years is a safe bet which like I said would essentially be his entire prime which he could walk at 30. Unlike Johnson (signed till 32) or Killorn (33) he's been healthy and seen production increase every year he's been in the league for 6 consecutive seasons with the last 3 years being around the 55-60 point range. Considering his skillset and size he's not a player who relies heavily on speed it's reasonable to assume he hasn't hit his prime yet and along with a top-6 role in Tampa with PP time.

Even if we wanted to move on from him a year or 2 down the line it'd be easier then Johnson who has a full NTC after this season, given injury history and fluctuating levels of play Johnson is a big gamble going forwards. Ideally I'd trade Johnson this off-season while he's coming off his first healthy season in 5 years and the market for depth centers is high this summer, and look for anyway to move Killorn the next couple years.

I think there's a 50-50 chance we move Johnson, and I wouldn't be opposed to that either, assuming the return addresses a need.

I think Miller will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 5x5.5 (Maybe a bit more with the cap moving up). My concern with him is what we saw in the playoffs, which is pretty much exactly what NY fans told us to expect. So I just don't like getting locked into term for yet another guy, especially another guy with a history of disappearing when it counts. We have our core locked up, and I think we're in a good position to bring in short-term contracts here and there to give us flexibility moving forward.

I'd just rather capitalize on Miller's value than pay him. We're still going to spend that money every year. I'd just choose the Devil We Don't Know in this situation.

 

[DFC]

That was extraordinary, to get out of that contract and get an early pick. Lightning drafted Yan and Cirelli in the third round that year.

And Brewer was a liability by that point. We thought he had negative value.

 

[Todd1a]

I'm going to be honest, I'm on the fence about McDonagh. I very highly doubt he will be used on the power play if at all. And if he just goes and scores 5 goals and 24 points and in return wants this big, huge contract then forget it. I'm not interested in McDonagh getting something like a $6.75 million AAV lifetime deal that's blessed with NMC/M-NMC/NTC/M-NTC as well and I don't care how much the cap goes up. ****in A we're only paying Hedman something like $1.25 million more than that as it is and we already know Stralman's gonna do that next year and defend nearly as well. But if McDonagh blows our socks off then that's an entirely different story. To state the obvious a lot hinges on next year

I really think mcdonagh with his injury this year was a major factor in him not playing as well. I’d wait and watch him next season I for sure expect him to be better.

 

[DFC]

I really think mcdonagh with his injury this year was a major factor in him not playing as well. I’d wait and watch him next season I for sure expect him to be better.

And defensemen sometimes can't jump right into a new system and perform mid-season. Everybody's gonna be at Square 1 with the new D coach, so I think we need to wait and see how things shake out. I don't think it's unthinkable that a guy like Stralman could have a bit of a bounceback year, under a better system.

 

[Sky04]

And defensemen sometimes can't jump right into a new system and perform mid-season. Everybody's gonna be at Square 1 with the new D coach, so I think we need to wait and see how things shake out. I don't think it's unthinkable that a guy like Stralman could have a bit of a bounceback year, under a better system.

What? Stralman had a fantastic year and this was already a bounceback from his previous year. I'm pretty sure Stralman's play was constantly praised this season despite not being on the scoresheet.

 

[DFC]

What? Stralman had a fantastic year and this was already a bounceback from his previous year. I'm pretty sure Stralman's play was constantly praised this season despite not being on the scoresheet.

Yeah, but nobody's considering him a top-30/45 D anymore, which was the case pre-broken leg.

 

[Rschmitz]

I'd still easily take him over Tanev

 

[These Are The Days]

I think there's a 50-50 chance we move Johnson, and I wouldn't be opposed to that either, assuming the return addresses a need.

I think Miller will get somewhere in the neighborhood of 5x5.5 (Maybe a bit more with the cap moving up). My concern with him is what we saw in the playoffs, which is pretty much exactly what NY fans told us to expect. So I just don't like getting locked into term for yet another guy, especially another guy with a history of disappearing when it counts. We have our core locked up, and I think we're in a good position to bring in short-term contracts here and there to give us flexibility moving forward.

I'd just rather capitalize on Miller's value than pay him. We're still going to spend that money every year. I'd just choose the Devil We Don't Know in this situation.

Completely agree on this. Even if we do not use the saved money elsewhere this year, the afforded cap flexibility is still critical going forward. That's not to say we're going to have cap problems as much it is to say we're going to have a lot of decisions to make about who is and is not coming back on our defense after next summer when so many of them are due for new deals on top of new contracts for Point and Kucherov

 

[Todd1a]

I'd still easily take him over Tanev

why do we need another defenseman really ? our defenseman group should be at least top 5 best group in the league next season as it stands. we need kids to fill out the last 6th spot not coburn.

 

[TeslaCoilFan]

Yeah, but nobody's considering him a top-30/45 D anymore, which was the case pre-broken leg.

Part of that overall consideration is probably due to Strålman's drop in points from those first two career years with us and post broken-leg. But that's primarily due to him not being on the PP any longer (about 1/3 of his points were PPP those two seasons) and having to be the defense-first mentor for Sergachev for almost 3/4 of the season. Defensively he had a terrific season. Among those around HF who appreciate defensive defensemen, he still has a solid reputation.

BTW, it's a small sample size, but Stråls did beat out Tanev in one HF poll.
https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/chris-tanev-vs-anton-stralman.2503093/

I actually wouldn't mind too much if Yzerman added Tanev. Yes, he's had a bit of an injury history and isn't a huge point getter, but we've got a nice bit of offensive firepower in our defense already and it would be nice to have another guy with solid defensive skills.

Since I don't think McDonagh is going to get much PP time next season with Heddy and Sergy ahead of him, Mac's point totals will take a hit. Hopefully with a new D coach and being with the team from training camp on, Mack can have a better overall season with this team.

 

[DFC]

Gotta think we'll have a clearer picture of the off-season plan by tomorrow night. Or saturday. Fun times.

 

[Rschmitz]

why do we need another defenseman really ? our defenseman group should be at least top 5 best group in the league next season as it stands. we need kids to fill out the last 6th spot not coburn.

I don't disagree with the spirit of your question. I think this is a matter of Yzerman looking for ways to improve the team where possible. Not because he needs to, but because he can.

 

[CupsOverCash]

why do we need another defenseman really ? our defenseman group should be at least top 5 best group in the league next season as it stands. we need kids to fill out the last 6th spot not coburn.

Well with a new system they may be set at D. I think SY is looking at all options to make the team better. I wont argue if he grabs a top 4 RHD.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

I'm one of the few here that like Tanev a lot. I think he would do wonders here parked with any of our Left side D. But not for some of the unreasonable offers being thrown out there by Vancouver fans. His injury history is a massive factor that needs to be taken into account also. As a player, I think he is one of the best shut down d in the league but the odds of him not playing due to him slipping on a banana peel and hurting himself is too high to take the risk.

 

[DFC]

While we might not NEED a defenseman, I wouldn't mind upgrading on girardi. We have at least two forwards who could realistically move, and you have to think a righty D is still at the top of sfy's wishlist.

 

[Boltswin]

No, you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t post. I stated an opinion, it was called ridiculous, so I backed it up. If you don’t like the direction the discussion has taken then don’t read the thread until the topic changes again, but I’m not going to take orders from you.

I am not necessarily agreeing with your opinion, but I agree that you should be able to express whatever your opinion is

 

[Master P]

I think we are fine with what we have on defense. The only move i'd like to see is getting a big power forward type player. The only thing this team is missing is toughness.

 

[Stammertime91]

Yeah but who is leaving or sitting? We currently have Hedman, Stralman, McDonagh, Sergachev, Coburn and Girardi. 6 full time NHLers that aren't entirely bad. I don't see Yzerman moving Girardi when he was good throughout 92/99 games this season and Coburn, without checking, has just 1 year left at 3.7M. Who goes? Coburn? If so, that means we would need a lefty, or we throw Sergachev down to bottom pairing minutes - again - and ride with McDonagh on the 2nd pairing. I'd rather not. I don't think we need to acquire a defenseman this year. Getting a defenseman for the sake of bettering this group seems in vain. It really does. The fact that Yzerman even is interested in Tanev worries me. We have a solid top 4 and a bottom pairing of Coburn and Girardi. That's got potential to win a cup. Under a different system on the backend, it could get better (or worse) but I'm not concerned with their abilities. They need a "Get it the f*** out of your zone" system, not a 60 game RHD. And no disrespect to Tanev, he's great but we really don't need him.

We need to get bigger up front. That's about it. Let Girardi and Coburn play off their final years, and explore the kids in Cernak and Foote next season for lower cap hits.

 

[BoltSTH]

If the new D coach is OK with Sergechev moving to the right hand side (which he says he prefers), then our top 4 are set with Hedman-Sergachev McD-Stralman, with X-Giradi. If not Segechev is stuck on the 3rd pair. It is an upgrade on KoekKoek/Giradi/Coburn third pair that is needed. Tanev is a nice luxury, but I rather gets some picks back for Johnson, KoekKoek, to keep feeding the pipe.