What Needs to Happen This Offseason?
- Thread starter The Merchant
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dahrougem2
Registered User
What this front office needs to do, specifically the coaching staff, is leave.
What this roster needs to do is get smarter and less mentally fragile.
Unfortunately, neither will be happening and I'm prepared for the worst heading into next season with very, very low expectations.
What this roster needs to do is get smarter and less mentally fragile.
Unfortunately, neither will be happening and I'm prepared for the worst heading into next season with very, very low expectations.
Not really sure. Trade Varlamov and go with Pickard. With saved up cap-space sign good top-4 defenseman. Otherwise keep the same team and hope Zadorov and Rantanen, Bigras can play at higher level next season.
Or fire the coach.
I dont think we need huge chances, because I think Rantanen/Bigras/Zadorov could make difference next season. We just need to get rid of some dead weight, like Iginla/Stuart etc and then we should be in good situation.
Or fire the coach.
I dont think we need huge chances, because I think Rantanen/Bigras/Zadorov could make difference next season. We just need to get rid of some dead weight, like Iginla/Stuart etc and then we should be in good situation.
InjuredChoker
Registered User
it depends on so many things. what kind of offers possible FAs like radulov could take, what barrie wants etc.
i'm ok with trading barrie, EJ and/or varly for various reasons. ok with big FA splash for radulov. i'm also ok with mostly standing pat, giving few of the younger players a bigger chance and add a top 6/9 F or two.
i'm ok with trading barrie, EJ and/or varly for various reasons. ok with big FA splash for radulov. i'm also ok with mostly standing pat, giving few of the younger players a bigger chance and add a top 6/9 F or two.
Alex Jones
BIG BOWL 'A CHILI!!
Personally don't really know right now, there are a lot of holes in this team. I wouldn't be opposed to blowing it up, there are issues that may take several years to fix.
klozge
Avs
Coaching change, please. Nothing matters as long as Roy is coaching this team. Avs haven't had an experienced NHL head coach for ages and it shows.
Cousin Eddie
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Tommy Shelby
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We need a better coaching staff. A coach that has NHL experience for once would be nice. Haven't had that since Q.
Our "core" is too mentally fragile to ever go anywhere, they should all be shipped out before they can taint Rantanen, Bigras, Zadorov and Pickard. If MacKinnon ever learns to stop being so disengaged without the puck and to play D, then he can stay. Otherwise he will never be a dominant player in this league and should be shipped out before other GMs realize this.
Barrie for Hamonic needs to happen. We're never gonna be good in our own end if half our defensemen are well below average defensively. Sure his points are great and all but he needs to be paired with a Beauchemin to not be a liability defensively.
Get rid of Holden for the love of God. As soon as possible. Barrie-Holden is not a defensive be pairing good teams would ever have. That is Toronto-level, tank job bad (Hunwick-Reilly)
I'm at the point now where I won't care who gets shipped out as long as it isn't Rantanen or Bigras.
Our "core" is too mentally fragile to ever go anywhere, they should all be shipped out before they can taint Rantanen, Bigras, Zadorov and Pickard. If MacKinnon ever learns to stop being so disengaged without the puck and to play D, then he can stay. Otherwise he will never be a dominant player in this league and should be shipped out before other GMs realize this.
Barrie for Hamonic needs to happen. We're never gonna be good in our own end if half our defensemen are well below average defensively. Sure his points are great and all but he needs to be paired with a Beauchemin to not be a liability defensively.
Get rid of Holden for the love of God. As soon as possible. Barrie-Holden is not a defensive be pairing good teams would ever have. That is Toronto-level, tank job bad (Hunwick-Reilly)
I'm at the point now where I won't care who gets shipped out as long as it isn't Rantanen or Bigras.
Bone Breaker
Registered User
I think the coaching (not just Roy, but everyone not named Allaire) should change.
I guess what will happen though is a big trade and possibly a big splash on the FA. I could see them dealing a core player for a similar return as ROR and then going nuts after Radulov (offering 7+ to him), for example.
out of the core, if we were to trade someone, I'd look at EJ and/or Varlamov.
I guess what will happen though is one of Barrie/Duchene going, which is an error imo. despite they improved their trade skills, don't think we would get an appropriate return on these players.
I guess what will happen though is a big trade and possibly a big splash on the FA. I could see them dealing a core player for a similar return as ROR and then going nuts after Radulov (offering 7+ to him), for example.
out of the core, if we were to trade someone, I'd look at EJ and/or Varlamov.
I guess what will happen though is one of Barrie/Duchene going, which is an error imo. despite they improved their trade skills, don't think we would get an appropriate return on these players.
Gigantor The Goalie
Speak for the Goalies
Add Radulov and stay the course. Trading any of the core will be a step back and will keep causing us to take steps back.
hockeyfish
Registered User
Holden and Mitchell need to go. The play dies every time the puck is on their stick, and they do next to nothing when it's not.
hockeyfish
Registered User
If there is a Barrie for Hamonic trade to be made, it's a 100% no brainer. Play him on his off side along with EJ if you must.
Sell Varly before the value drops any further. Should net a good top pairing D that plays defense. Use the savings (if any) to sign another F in addition to those that need new contracts, along with Barrie if he does not price himself out.
Picks in net with a better D in front of him wont need to be as spectacular as Varly used to be (recently, flashes != season, or even full games). That, coupled with a more effective front 9, and we can win more games.
Before people get all up in arms about me bagging on the "best goalie in the game" again...Yes I have watched him plenty. Yes I see him make some special saves. Yes he does things no goalie should be able to. But I feel that (Picks + Beauch+EJ+Barrie+kids+Vlasic) > (Varly + Beauch+EJ+Barrie+kids+Holden). Not sure who we would actually be able to get, but that is my line of thinking. If the return is not there, then try something different.
Picks in net with a better D in front of him wont need to be as spectacular as Varly used to be (recently, flashes != season, or even full games). That, coupled with a more effective front 9, and we can win more games.
Before people get all up in arms about me bagging on the "best goalie in the game" again...Yes I have watched him plenty. Yes I see him make some special saves. Yes he does things no goalie should be able to. But I feel that (Picks + Beauch+EJ+Barrie+kids+Vlasic) > (Varly + Beauch+EJ+Barrie+kids+Holden). Not sure who we would actually be able to get, but that is my line of thinking. If the return is not there, then try something different.
hockeyfish
Registered User
One unusual idea I recently had, which would make for an interesting and innovative dynamic around the team, would be to bring in a "co-head coach." There is a lot of good Roy still does. By all accounts, he is really good with the players. And he certainly is great in dealing with the media. But he seems to be a poor evaluater of talent, can't make a good lineup, and struggles when it comes to the Xs and Os of strategy. Bring in someone to handle the nuts and bolts of the team and let Roy handle the bigger picture and all the PR crap. It's crazy, but I think it's the only way Roy can succeed.
I would keep the core intact. Duchy (25), Lande (23), Mackinnon (20) all have their best years ahead of them. Trading Duchene, I don't think we would get a player of equal value with a similar contract. Landeskog isn't going to carry this team offensively but he is our best 2-way player and plays all situations (PP/PK). Mackinnon isn't going anywhere. A 20 year with his potential you don't move.
The defense is what needs major improvement. The Beauchemin signing helped but because we only had 3 defensemen capable of playing in the NHL he logged way too many minutes and his played fell off towards the end of the season. We will see how much gas he has left next year.
I wouldn't hate Holden if he was on the 3rd pair. He just isn't a top 4. If he plays as a physical #6 in limited minutes I would be ok. Barrie is good but I don't think he is worth breaking the bank for. If he prices himself too high I could possibly see him being traded but it would have to be for a Defenseman. I hope we are able to get him back because breakouts were horrible without him.
Bigras I'm happy with so far. He needs more ice time. Zadorov should be called up immediately. Let him play these final games in the top 4 pair and see what he looks like. Bump Holden to the 3rd pair and we never see Bodnarchuck/Redmond the rest of the year. Gelinas doesn't look to be more than a 3rd pairing guy right now. He is just way too dumb to play big minutes. Sheltered minutes away from top lines and maybe some PP.
EJ is the guy that puzzles me. He flashes at times and has played well for stretches but always seems to make terrible mistakes. He's a very good #2 masquerading as a #1. Plus his injury history makes me nervous. If a team was looking to win right now and had an Elite D-prospect they were willing to move to get EJ to make a run at the cup I would do it but I doubt that happens.
As for our goalie situation, that is a strength for this team. Everyone is down on Varly right now but he has been our best player for the past 3 years when healthy. He gets hung out to dry over and over again by this team and bails them out repeatedly. If he was playing on a team that was sound defensively he would be a Vezina finalist. Pickard has progressed nicely, I like him a lot. I hope he gets to start at least half of the games to finish out the season. If he plays well and continues to look like a #1 starting goalie I think we would have a nice trade chip.
To help fix this team for next year I would trade a goaltender for a defenseman. I'd prefer to move Pickard because Varly has a larger track record but if the right deal came along I could see Varly traded. Berra is a capable backup so I would be fine moving forward with him as our #2 until his contract expires. Whatever they do it must help fix this teams horrible defense.
The defense is what needs major improvement. The Beauchemin signing helped but because we only had 3 defensemen capable of playing in the NHL he logged way too many minutes and his played fell off towards the end of the season. We will see how much gas he has left next year.
I wouldn't hate Holden if he was on the 3rd pair. He just isn't a top 4. If he plays as a physical #6 in limited minutes I would be ok. Barrie is good but I don't think he is worth breaking the bank for. If he prices himself too high I could possibly see him being traded but it would have to be for a Defenseman. I hope we are able to get him back because breakouts were horrible without him.
Bigras I'm happy with so far. He needs more ice time. Zadorov should be called up immediately. Let him play these final games in the top 4 pair and see what he looks like. Bump Holden to the 3rd pair and we never see Bodnarchuck/Redmond the rest of the year. Gelinas doesn't look to be more than a 3rd pairing guy right now. He is just way too dumb to play big minutes. Sheltered minutes away from top lines and maybe some PP.
EJ is the guy that puzzles me. He flashes at times and has played well for stretches but always seems to make terrible mistakes. He's a very good #2 masquerading as a #1. Plus his injury history makes me nervous. If a team was looking to win right now and had an Elite D-prospect they were willing to move to get EJ to make a run at the cup I would do it but I doubt that happens.
As for our goalie situation, that is a strength for this team. Everyone is down on Varly right now but he has been our best player for the past 3 years when healthy. He gets hung out to dry over and over again by this team and bails them out repeatedly. If he was playing on a team that was sound defensively he would be a Vezina finalist. Pickard has progressed nicely, I like him a lot. I hope he gets to start at least half of the games to finish out the season. If he plays well and continues to look like a #1 starting goalie I think we would have a nice trade chip.
To help fix this team for next year I would trade a goaltender for a defenseman. I'd prefer to move Pickard because Varly has a larger track record but if the right deal came along I could see Varly traded. Berra is a capable backup so I would be fine moving forward with him as our #2 until his contract expires. Whatever they do it must help fix this teams horrible defense.
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UncleRisto
Not Great, Bob!
I'd think about the Varly move since that's an actual decision that's coming up but I reckon a package of futures/lesser assets is where it's at for trades like that.
A Co-head coach would never work. There would be a power struggle at all times. With Roy's competitive nature and explosive personalty it would blow up.
Nihiliste
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I think you've gotta go back to the well with this core again. It's easy to say blow it up, but is anyone really ready for another few years of being at the bottom?
I'm not convinced this group is good enough, but the focus should be on trying to draft well, and trying to add another top 4 dman - not sure if that's possible though. We have to give our younger group of Bigras, Zadorov, Rantanen, Compher, Pickard a chance to make an impact. I'm not at all convinced our core is good enough, but I don't think you can say blow it up unless there are another couple of years with no progress.
I'd love to see a total overhaul of front office and coaching staff, but it's not going to happen, so I'm not going to bother. It's not even like this group is that bad, relatively speaking - they're obviously better than the EL/Sherman/Sacco years. The other problem is you've gotta wait for the right guys to be available. When we brought in Sakic, there was a chance to get Jim Nill. That was a mistake. We could have brought in guys like Boudreau or Trotz in the past. That would have been smart. But the guys worth firing our current group for aren't available at the moment anyways. And unfortunately, these guys aren't going anywhere until they decide to leave.
I'm not convinced this group is good enough, but the focus should be on trying to draft well, and trying to add another top 4 dman - not sure if that's possible though. We have to give our younger group of Bigras, Zadorov, Rantanen, Compher, Pickard a chance to make an impact. I'm not at all convinced our core is good enough, but I don't think you can say blow it up unless there are another couple of years with no progress.
I'd love to see a total overhaul of front office and coaching staff, but it's not going to happen, so I'm not going to bother. It's not even like this group is that bad, relatively speaking - they're obviously better than the EL/Sherman/Sacco years. The other problem is you've gotta wait for the right guys to be available. When we brought in Sakic, there was a chance to get Jim Nill. That was a mistake. We could have brought in guys like Boudreau or Trotz in the past. That would have been smart. But the guys worth firing our current group for aren't available at the moment anyways. And unfortunately, these guys aren't going anywhere until they decide to leave.
The most important thing that needs to happen is them figuring out why this team is so mentally fragile. Is it the coach? Is it the captain? Is it the inconsistency of core players like Duchene, EJ and Varly? I really don't know. But that is what really needs to be fixed.
We also really need to fix the defense. We need smarter players. And probably need a new scheme.
We also really need to fix the defense. We need smarter players. And probably need a new scheme.
Nihiliste
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Absolutely, positively a coaching change and better defense. They can score goals, all they need is a good coach with some smart defensive or balanced system and couple of better d-men
When you think about it, all that mentioned above is not a lot to ask, but this organization being stubborn as they are and going with keep it within the family crap, i don't see those changes made anytime soon, at least not the coaching change
When you think about it, all that mentioned above is not a lot to ask, but this organization being stubborn as they are and going with keep it within the family crap, i don't see those changes made anytime soon, at least not the coaching change
Tralfamadore
Don't Panic.
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I think we need to ask if coaching really is the problem. No doubt we have improved but often this team looks the exact same as when Sacco was coaching.
I'd seriously question anyone who says it's our top end forwards. Especially seeing as how the team did the same damn thing without our top two.
What I do find interesting is how well this team played with both Bigras and Zadorov in the lineup when EJ was out.
They went strait back to being a tire fire when he came back, and the defense was reconstructed back into what it had been before.
Personally I think our biggest issue is still just our defenders. Nick Holden needs to be one of those guys getting 8-13 minutes a night not 25 minutes when everyone is healthy. Once that is the case, it means someone has over taken him or replaced him. If Holden is not overtaken by Bigras or Zadorov next season, we'll continue to be mediocre IMO.
The same thing with Mitchell really, your fourth line center should not be in the top tier as far as minutes played when everyone is healthy. I blame Roy more for how much he plays Mitchell and Comeau, rather than how much Holden plays. If he does not feel like he has a better option yet next to Barrie, the defensive usage is more forgivable IMO.
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Tralfamadore
Don't Panic.
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Can we score goals though? We're in the bottom half of the league in terms of scoring. We have the same gf/g as the freaking coyotes. That's embarrassing considering we supposedly have "skill" players.
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tigervixxxen
Optimism=Delusional
This team shouldn't be evaluated until they are dressing, and playing, a proper defense. Until Bigras, Zadorov and Rantanen are regular contributors. The problem I've said all along is this team is talent poor. The org still can't generate their own depth and have to resort to waivers and trades to get pieces in. They need to get a draft class outside of lottery picks contributing.
What needs to happen? Stay the course for the most part but I understand something is going to happen. I wouldn't blow the core up, it's too early for that and it's pretty tough to expect 6 guys to carry and turn mediocre pieces into something. They should be closely evaluated, however. Roy needs to get some experienced assistants. Army has lasted long enough. They need to find a way to get more assets and draft picks back. I have my doubts our crap can be turned into anything, but try. Commit to playing Bigras, Zadorov and Rantanen in real roles next year. Sign some Fing prospects, close the deal to get some new talent in the org and take care of the best existing ones. It's not something big but they have a lot of work to do.
What needs to happen? Stay the course for the most part but I understand something is going to happen. I wouldn't blow the core up, it's too early for that and it's pretty tough to expect 6 guys to carry and turn mediocre pieces into something. They should be closely evaluated, however. Roy needs to get some experienced assistants. Army has lasted long enough. They need to find a way to get more assets and draft picks back. I have my doubts our crap can be turned into anything, but try. Commit to playing Bigras, Zadorov and Rantanen in real roles next year. Sign some Fing prospects, close the deal to get some new talent in the org and take care of the best existing ones. It's not something big but they have a lot of work to do.
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