What talent is missing, should RF target now?

TSportsNet

Registered User
IMO, acquiring established and consistent 25-35 goal scorers, one or two of them a few years ago, would have been a start to have the experience established to help with young players' development.

However, paying for them at what was market rate ($4-5 million/year) a few years ago wasn't in the plan.

Acquiring Williams was a late realization to doing something along those lines.

Youth movement, and locking them in eventually with these 4-6 year contracts was anticipating a handful of them become said 25-35 goal scorers.

Scoring depth among some of those players, (i.e. Rask, Lindholm, Teravainen) not necessarily happening fast enough, plentiful enough, nor consistently enough when Skinner slows (currently 4G in last 20 games), or now with Aho out indefinitely.

Scoring goals continues to be the shortfall to success, as it has been in recent years.

Peters has stated that repeatedly, and particularly more this season.

Will fans accept another missed playoff season waiting for it all to come together, particularly if no major external moves to boost scoring don't take place?

Your thoughts?
 

Lempo

Future Considerations Truther
Sponsor
Feb 23, 2014
26,670
83,005
I'm not at all sure the Trade Deadline this year is the correct time to go for a bid war and overpay, especially with any pieces that are better kept in the pipeline.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
48,174
97,102
I think it was also a case that a few years ago UFAs didn't want to come here 2-3 years ago either (even if we were willing to pay). Until the Williams deal this year, the only "high profile" UFAs that we ever signed were guys that nobody wanted (Semin and Kaberle). And a lot (most?) of forward the UFAs from 2-3 years haven't really panned out either and certainly haven't been 25-35G scorers. Here are some of the top UFAs the past 3 seasons (I'm sure I'm missing others).

2014: Stastny, Vanek, Iginla, M.Michalek, Jokinen, Molson
2015: Vermette, Belesky, Ribiero, Stafford
2016: Okposo, Backes, Lucic, Ladd, Ericksson, Nielsson, Hudler

As far as I can tell, none of those guys are 25-35G scorers and most of them aren't even 20G scorers. I'm sure there a few others, but I don't think there was a sure-fire 25-35G scorer available in UFA, that wanted to come to Carolina and that we wanted to pay. A trade was the only option. Some of the bigger guys moved recently were guys like: Marcus Johansson: 5 goals in 25 games for the Devils; Adam Henrique: 5 goals in 20 games for the Ducks; Duchene: 6G in 28 games for Ottawa, and Turris: 5G in 28 games.

The Canes best bet is to use some of their defense to make a trade for a young, NHL ready type forward on a team that needs defensive help like the Seth Jones for RyJo trade. Would love to get Puljujarvi out of Edmonton. Last 2 games I watched of his, he played great even if the points weren't there. Looks like he is starting to get it but that means the Oilers won't trade him.

So what I'd like to see that I think is "somewhat" realistic. First off, I would not buy during this trade deadline unless we are securely in a playoff spot.

1) Go hard after an impact forward who can score: JVR, E. Kane, J. Neal
2) Try to trade one our D (or D+) not named Slavin, Hanifin and Pesce for a young, impact forward. As I said, I don't think Puljujarvi is available, but Chiarelli is an idiot and they reports are they are looking to compete NEXT year. Faulk+ for Puljujarvi would be a dream but even with Chiarelli, I don't think they'd go for it, but a deal something like that.
3) Although there aren't many options, would be nice to sign a veteran defenseman to shore up our D.

Goaltending? not sure until we see how Darling does rest of this season.
 
Last edited:

Svechhammer

THIS is hockey?
Jun 8, 2017
23,437
85,960
There are deals to be made with the defense we have. We have a dearth of scoring, and while we do have some solid pieces in the farm, like Gauthier, Necas, and Kuokkanen, we won't really be seeing them together on the ice for another couple years at the realistic earliest. Considering we have someone like Bean ready and waiting to come up on defense, we are at a point where we can package someone like Faulk and a draft pick or 2 in order to get that top end elite talent at forward, preferably Center, that we need to push us over the top. Pull that kind of trade off, and our outlook for 2020 and beyond looks downright dangerous as a contending team.

Aho, Lindholm, Teravainen, Gauthier, Necas, Kuokkanen, and the add through trade as a young core plus Skinner and Staal for veteran leadership and a possibility of Zykov and Saarela to potentially contribute should allow us to compete in a couple years time. Combine that with a young, still learning together defensive core of Slavin, Pesce, Hanifin and Fleury with someone like Bean ready to come up and having a solid relatively vet presence of TVR in the fold, there is room to make the move with Faulk. At that point, you can use Free Agency to go out and effectively buy whatever talent we can add that would legitimately put us over the top.

We're not that far away, but getting there under the current schedule probably puts us 3 or so years out from legitimately going for it, and I don't think Dundon is someone to wait that long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Breakdowns

Boom Boom Apathy

I am the Professor. Deal with it!
Sep 6, 2006
48,174
97,102
RNH is a guy that seems to be having a good season, would work well in Peter's system and may be expendable given Edmonton's needs and pending cap concerns. Not a big guy, but still capable.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->