Speculation: Wingers

CandyCanes

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Jan 8, 2015
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I'll be very surprised if Raanta signs for only 2 years. This is his shot at a big contract; someone will offer it. If no one else does I think Arizona will and he stays there.

Well hopefully the league learned from Francis's mistake. I'd also be willing to give Raanta a like 1 year $6 mill deal, just so we could see if he's a fit. We gotta figure this goalie position out and we can't throw another long term contract on another question mark goalie again.
 

MinJaBen

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Well hopefully the league learned from Francis's mistake. I'd also be willing to give Raanta a like 1 year $6 mill deal, just so we could see if he's a fit. We gotta figure this goalie position out and we can't throw another long term contract on another question mark goalie again.

Pipe dream.

First, I doubt Raanta makes it to UFA. Everything he and the Yotes are saying points to them both wanting to get a deal done, so I'm assuming that it will happen. I bet you see a very similar contract to Darlings (4x4M) or maybe even Anderssen's (5x5M)...he's had a really good season behind a shaky team.

If you don't want to throw another long term (>3 years) contract at a "question mark goalie", you are only going to get what you pay for in UFAs, or you need to trade for an RFA (Grubauer) or veteran(???) where the contract options are more in your control or already set....and you will pay out the nose in assets. I'd feel very comfortable giving Raanta the same contract we gave Darling or trading for Grubauer (Fleury + 2nd) and giving him a 2 year $5M per year contract as a show me. Otherwise, I am prepared to see a Darling/Ward tandem again with Ward getting a contract we all won't like.
 

CandyCanes

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Kovalchuk is not worth it. He is old and overrated and he will be overpaid. I would stay far away from him.

I'm trying to figure out how Kovy is overrated? What makes him overrated? He was a top 10 player in the NHL for quite a while. And he's still a very productive player. Over the last two seasons he's playing at a 1.24 PPG pace in the KHL. I'll bet money he will come back to the NHL and produce around 60 pts a season for at least a few more years. Who knows what the price will be, but if the price ends up being right I'm all for him.
 
Jun 21, 2016
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I'm trying to figure out how Kovy is overrated? What makes him overrated? He was a top 10 player in the NHL for quite a while. And he's still a very productive player. Over the last two seasons he's playing at a 1.24 PPG pace in the KHL. I'll bet money he will come back to the NHL and produce around 60 pts a season for at least a few more years. Who knows what the price will be, but if the price ends up being right I'm all for him.
He was, he is not anymore. Don't look at the KHL numbers, they are bullshit, that league is bullshit, SKA - team where he is playing- is built without any league rules and stacked up with all the best Russian players outside of NHL. He is lazy, he has attitude problems, his hands are not what they used to be and he is going to be 35 years old next season.

He was great, he is nothing like that anymore.
 

CandyCanes

Caniac turned Jerkiac
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He was, he is not anymore. Don't look at the KHL numbers, they are bull****, that league is bull****, SKA - team where he is playing- is built without any league rules and stacked up with all the best Russian players outside of NHL. He is lazy, he has attitude problems, his hands are not what they used to be and he is going to be 35 years old next season.

He was great, he is nothing like that anymore.

Yeah I get that. But I still think he's likely a 60 pt guy in the NHL.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

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I think it really depends what kind of speed Kovy still has. The NHL is becoming faster and faster and he hasn't been in the NHL for 5 years now, and will be 35 to start next season. Guys like Eric Staal and Pavelsky are 33 and still producing at a high level and we know Kovy has the skill and the shot, the question will be the speed. If he can still skate well enough and is motivated and healthy, he'll put up points. He can't be any slower than guys like Rask or Williams though, right?

Anyhow, I highly doubt he'd even consider Carolina. I think it's a cup contender or a big market (NY) team.
 

Canes

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I just looked up Kovalchuk's stats against us, 37 goals and 37 assists, 74 points. Most compared to any other team. He also destroyed the Panthers and Lightning, and to a lesser extent the Capitals. Basically no team in the old division could really stop him.

I wouldn't mind him as at least he gives us another right handed shot on the PP that's not Derek Ryan, but we're most likely not going to overpay what it cost to get him to sign here anyway.
 

Boom Boom Apathy

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I just looked up Kovalchuk's stats against us, 37 goals and 37 assists, 74 points. Most compared to any other team. He also destroyed the Panthers and Lightning, and to a lesser extent the Capitals. Basically no team in the old division could really stop him.

I can still see visions of him taking that 1 timer on the PP and dropping onto his right knee as part of the follow through of his shot.
 

CandyCanes

Caniac turned Jerkiac
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Based on what?

The fact that he was a PPG+ player during most of his tenure in the NHL. And he's still putting up elite #'s in the KHL, which history has shown a lot of that can transfer over to the NHL (Though not all & I understand he's playing on a stacked team).

I just have a hard time imagining him going from a current 1.25pts a game in the KHL this season to only .5pts a game in the NHL. I really think he can be a 60pt guy still in the NHL. Just like Jagr, but Jagr came back at an even older age.
 

bleedgreen

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Brodeur was quoted recently about Kovalchuk, when asked particularly about his attitude. He said he was one of the better teammates he had ever had. Said he was a leader on and off the rink, that he was caring about the lives of his teammates and had an excellent work ethic.

Just had to chime in as Kovalchuk is one of my favorite players to watch. His “intangibles” have always been questioned, which never made any sense If you really watched him play during his nhl career.

I don’t think he’s a fit for us, so I’m not even going down that path in my head. I do think he’ll score goals, though he’ll probably do it primarily on the pp, as I don’t know how much his skating has actually dropped off. Based on the olympics I think his shot looked just fine. He’s the best pure shooter I’ve seen in my lifetime, so it would have to drop off considerably for him to not still be an acceptable goal scorer.
 

Canes

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I can still see visions of him taking that 1 timer on the PP and dropping onto his right knee as part of the follow through of his shot.
My favorite Kovalchuk moment:


He didn't quite drop to his knee here, but it still was one of his patented PP goals, and as an added bonus he points at Crosby in the box.
 

bleedgreen

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A different lazy Russian says hi.
Ovy's shot has never been the equal to Kovy's. Ovy's a better all around goal scorer, I won't waste time arguing that, but that's the distinction I make between the two. Pure shot. I put Hull over Ovy as well in this particular but distinctly different category. Ovy is a grip it and rip it guy mixed with raw athleticism to score amazing goals. I'm talking about precision, technique and a variety releases regarding pure shot. If you're going to argue an equal I would say maybe Hull, but I think Kovy has him.

Ovy is the best all around goal scorer of this generation, and deserves his place amongst the best ever. I'm talking about something different though I know similar.
 
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RodTheBawd

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Ovy's shot has never been the equal to Kovy's. Ovy's a better all around goal scorer, I won't waste time arguing that, but that's the distinction I make between the two. Pure shot. I put Hull over Ovy as well in this particular but distinctly different category. Ovy is a grip it and rip it guy mixed with raw athleticism to score amazing goals. I'm talking about precision, technique and a variety releases regarding pure shot. If you're going to argue an equal I would say maybe Hull, but I think Kovy has him.

Ovy is the best all around goal scorer of this generation, and deserves his place amongst the best ever. I'm talking about something different though I know similar.

Wooooosh. I was referring to a different lazy Russian that had a beautiful shot that fell off the face of the earth.

Laine is going to be in your distinctly different category in due time. I view him as almost a hybrid Kovy/Ovi, more the former than the latter.
 

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