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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 6:45:17 GMT -5
I think MT has another full season before the vultures circle. However, Galchenyuk was drafted to be a 'center piece' - pun intended. If Molson thinks that Therien is stifling him and holding him back he could apply pressure.
As I said before, IMO it would be unprecedented for a playoff team to dump two of its top centers in one summer. That makes it even more unlikely. It does have to happen though. Eric Staal would cost less, but his numbers are on the decline and he's 31 in October. He'd be a bigger gamble, not to mention his ntc, and he's only got one year left before UFA. That said, Carolina is essentially in full rebuild mode ...
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 14, 2015 7:00:45 GMT -5
I just can't see us trading for a guy like Malkin. Can't speak for anyone else, but I'm having fun with it ... just can't see two players who make $9 million + on the same roster in Montreal ... Cheers.
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Post by BadCompany on May 14, 2015 7:10:01 GMT -5
If he can find an equal money/hockey deal I could see him moving Pleks and/or DD. It would sure be nice to keep Petry. I'm thinking, most likely, MB will stay the course. Another year under the belt for some of our younger guys and they'll hopefully produce more. Maybe a Hudon, Big Mac, or Scherbak will surprise at camp and add something too. Give Galch a summers supply of hgh and put him at centre at the start of camp. I would actually recommend that he do this, exactly. I know we lost in the second round, and that smarts. But I look at the way we played in the playoffs, and it was pretty much exactly the way we wanted them to play all year. Strong puck possession, outshooting other teams, physical, driving the net. We were almost there. We had some bad luck against Tampa, and the special teams, both of them, went to <insert bad word here>. That's not absolving the team or the coaching staff or management of blame; it's just pointing out how I see things played out. Which is to say, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. This was a 110 point regular season team. It was a very good team. If Bergevin does absolutely nothing this summer, and brings back the exact same players... it's still going to be a very good team. Price, Pacioretty, Subban, Gallagher... they're not going to slump, or at least not significantly so. Sure. we can't expect another Hart season from Price, but by the same token he's probably not going to turn into the next Jose Theodore either. He's still going to be very good, if not elite if you ask me. If there is a deal to be made, then sure. But I don't want Bergevin calling up other GMs reeking of desperation. In my mind he's got until next year's deadline to get that elite center/forward, and for all we know that could be Galchenyuk, or some rookie like McCarron or Scherbak. And they don't even have to be great coming out of the gate, we just need them to turn the corner next spring. I'll be quite okay with Scherbak spending five months in the AHL, and then finishing the season in Montreal like De La Rose and Pateryn did, especially he if lights it up then (for example). Gary Bettman recently said that he expects the Cap next year to be around $71.5 million, a slight increase over this year. So... * Sign Petry for $5.5 million * Sign Mitchell for $1.5 million, and if he doesn't want it, then an equivalent player for the same salary (or less) * See if you can dump Parenteau for a slightly smaller contract, like Steve Ott or Tuomo Ruutu, or trade him for a draft pick while retaining salary. I think you can save about a million on this roster spot. Projected lineup, with new contracts in red. Pacioretty, Max (4.5) - Plekanec, Tomas (5) - Smith-Pelly, Devante (0.8) Eller, Lars (3.5) - Galchenyuk, Alex (3.0) - Gallagher, Brendan (3.75) De La Rose, Jacob (0.925) - Desharnais, David (3.5) - <Ye Olde Parenteau Spot> (3.0) Weise, Dale (1.025) - Mitchell, Torrey (1. 5) - Prust, Brandon (2.5) Flynn, Brian (0.85)Beaulieu, Nathan (1.275) - Subban, P.K. (9) Markov, Andrei (5.75) - Petry, Jeff (5.5)Emelin, Alexei (4.1) - Gilbert, Tom (2.8) Pateryn, Greg (0.7) Price, Carey (6.5) Tokarski, Dustin (0.562) Total cap hit: $70.037 That would give the team a little over a million in cap space to build upon for the deadline. Assuming no other deals are made.
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Post by Willie Dog on May 14, 2015 7:44:05 GMT -5
I just can't see us trading for a guy like Malkin. Maybe we can squeeze him in cap wise for a couple years, but we'd eventually be stuck like Pitts. 2 guys, him and PK, taking up a good portion of he cap. The reason Pitt might consider moving him, is probably the same reason we shouldn't take him. It would be ok if we knew the cap was going up (Pitt would probably keep him then) for sure, but it's not looking that way. We need to get bigger or elite down the middle. It's probably more likely trade wise and cap wise to get bigger, although certainly not simple. That's MB's job. Send Galch to Gary Roberts, like yesterday. He's still a kid, turn him into a brute. That's a good idea Disp... heard lots of good things about what Roberts is doing.
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Post by franko on May 14, 2015 7:52:50 GMT -5
This was a 110 point regular season team. It was a very good team. If Bergevin does absolutely nothing this summer, and brings back the exact same players... it's still going to be a very good team. true . . . but is it a cup-winning team? wasn't last year, wasn't this year, what makes you think it might be next year if there are no changes (I rather the word "improvements"). other teams are going to try to get better -- are the Habs up to the challenge if they stay the same? especially since even if he does -- and there's no reason he shouldn't -- remain elite. as to the d, hopefully Tinordi will be ready to step up and in if there is a long-term injury to, say, Gilbert. who did seem to hold his own in the playoffs. that first couple of pairings? it would mean that MT would actually need to be willing to overcome whatever it is that holds him back from making a change for more than one shift.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 7:57:34 GMT -5
If he can find an equal money/hockey deal I could see him moving Pleks and/or DD. It would sure be nice to keep Petry. I'm thinking, most likely, MB will stay the course. Another year under the belt for some of our younger guys and they'll hopefully produce more. Maybe a Hudon, Big Mac, or Scherbak will surprise at camp and add something too. Give Galch a summers supply of hgh and put him at centre at the start of camp. I would actually recommend that he do this, exactly. I know we lost in the second round, and that smarts. But I look at the way we played in the playoffs, and it was pretty much exactly the way we wanted them to play all year. Strong puck possession, outshooting other teams, physical, driving the net. We were almost there. We had some bad luck against Tampa, and the special teams, both of them, went to <insert bad word here>. That's not absolving the team or the coaching staff or management of blame; it's just pointing out how I see things played out. Which is to say, let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. This was a 110 point regular season team. It was a very good team. If Bergevin does absolutely nothing this summer, and brings back the exact same players... it's still going to be a very good team. Price, Pacioretty, Subban, Gallagher... they're not going to slump, or at least not significantly so. Sure. we can't expect another Hart season from Price, but by the same token he's probably not going to turn into the next Jose Theodore either. He's still going to be very good, if not elite if you ask me. If there is a deal to be made, then sure. But I don't want Bergevin calling up other GMs reeking of desperation. In my mind he's got until next year's deadline to get that elite center/forward, and for all we know that could be Galchenyuk, or some rookie like McCarron or Scherbak. And they don't even have to be great coming out of the gate, we just need them to turn the corner next spring. I'll be quite okay with Scherbak spending five months in the AHL, and then finishing the season in Montreal like De La Rose and Pateryn did, especially he if lights it up then (for example). Gary Bettman recently said that he expects the Cap next year to be around $71.5 million, a slight increase over this year. So... * Sign Petry for $5.5 million * Sign Mitchell for $1.5 million, and if he doesn't want it, then an equivalent player for the same salary (or less) * See if you can dump Parenteau for a slightly smaller contract, like Steve Ott or Tuomo Ruutu, or trade him for a draft pick while retaining salary. I think you can save about a million on this roster spot. Projected lineup, with new contracts in red. Pacioretty, Max (4.5) - Plekanec, Tomas (5) - Smith-Pelly, Devante (0.8) Eller, Lars (3.5) - Galchenyuk, Alex (3.0) - Gallagher, Brendan (3.75) De La Rose, Jacob (0.925) - Desharnais, David (3.5) - <Ye Olde Parenteau Spot> (3.0) Weise, Dale (1.025) - Mitchell, Torrey (1. 5) - Prust, Brandon (2.5) Flynn, Brian (0.85)Beaulieu, Nathan (1.275) - Subban, P.K. (9) Markov, Andrei (5.75) - Petry, Jeff (5.5)Emelin, Alexei (4.1) - Gilbert, Tom (2.8) Pateryn, Greg (0.7) Price, Carey (6.5) Tokarski, Dustin (0.562) Total cap hit: $70.037 That would give the team a little over a million in cap space to build upon for the deadline. Assuming no other deals are made. Just aren't enough goal scorers in that group for me. We'll be running into the same problems again.
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Post by Boston_Habs on May 14, 2015 8:17:35 GMT -5
With the exception of Galchenyuk, I think this group has plateaued. Other than him there is nobody else on the roster that can be counted on to improve. That doesn't mean we suck and aren't a playoff team, but I think it means we aren't serious Cup threats.
And one person who I think is likely to take a small step back is Carey Price. Not a huge step, but PK said in the post-game that it's not fair to expect Price to have this kind of performance every year. He needs more help. Price had a 0.933 save percentage this year, tops in the league. If you apply a 0.925 save percentage that would mean an extra 16 goals allowed during the season. And 0.925 is a top 5 save pct. If you apply Price's career average save pct of 0.920 (which also happens to be the league average this year) that would mean an extra 26 goals allowed! I think it's reasonable to assume that Price will be a top 5 goalie next year, and certainly top 10 but you can see that even a small step back makes a difference for a team with a weak offense.
Bergevin has to know this and, if he can, try to get ahead of it. Moving Galchenyuk to centre is a priority but I have serious questions about him now. He was AWFUL in the playoffs, a major disappointment, and I am counting on him for about 30-35 goals next year and 60-70 points. Seriously. It's time. Either that or he isn't the player we thought he was.
So Berg can just run it back next fall and sign guys like Mitchell and hopefully Petry, although I think Petry is gone. My issue is that this team has pretty much shown us who they are over the past 2 years. Enough high end talent in the right positions to be a solid playoff team, but clear weaknesses with respect to goal scoring and WAY too much reliance on goaltending. That's not a sustainable reciple for success, and unless Galchenyuk explodes into Tyler Seguin next year I think Berg has serious work to do.
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Post by BadCompany on May 14, 2015 8:27:09 GMT -5
Just to reiterate, I'm not advocating that we go into the playoffs next year with this lineup. I'm just advocating patience and caution. My point being that even if Bergevin does nothing this summer other than sign Petry and a 4th line center, we're still going to be a very good team. Heck, we'd probably still be a very good team even if he doesn't sign Petry. So time is on his side. Time for either Galchenyuk to break out, a rookie to step up, another GM to panic, or the deadline to come.
I think we need more goals too. But there are none to be found in free agency, which means a trade has to be made. And most teams are in the same boat as we are, looking for goals. It's going to be tough to find somebody willing to give up a 30 goal scorer, let alone AND sign Petry, AND not give up significant assets. How many 30 goal scorers are available for a trade? Only 15 players in the whole league scored more than 30 goals last year, and one of them played for us. I know that it's Bergevin's job to find those guys, but at the end of the day if they are not available, they just aren't available.
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Post by franko on May 14, 2015 8:30:34 GMT -5
Galchenyuk . . . I have serious questions about him now. He was AWFUL in the playoffs, a major disappointment, and I am counting on him for about 30-35 goals next year and 60-70 points. Seriously. It's time. Either that or he isn't the player we thought he was. Ward lays it at the feet of MT. who am I to disagree with anyone who has doubts about the coach? I think this group has plateaued. . . . I think Berg has serious work to do. yup and yup.
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Post by franko on May 14, 2015 8:34:37 GMT -5
I'm just advocating patience and caution. My point being that even if Bergevin does nothing this summer other than sign Petry and a 4th line center, we're still going to be a very good team. Heck, we'd probably still be a very good team even if he doesn't sign Petry. So time is on his side. I don't expect much to happen at the trade deadline or at the beginning of the season either, unless Mike Milbury becomes GM again somewhere. I think that prudence and caution has become every GMs mantra. but MB is going to have to be bold sometimes during the season . . . maybe at the trade deadline, maybe before (a hockey move, by gum!) . . . and go for it. I fully expect we won't like it -- giving up too much for too little -- but if he has to pay to get us to the next level, so be it.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 8:45:04 GMT -5
Sharp is the clear trade for a goal scorer. Maybe Iginla, if the Avs decide to pawn off pieces. I don't see the Flyers moving Simmonds, but I'd still love to have him. Simmonds would fit into the wheel house of our core, and would be the type of player I'd be willing to part with the likes of McCarron or Scherbak for.
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Post by Boston_Habs on May 14, 2015 9:02:20 GMT -5
I think we need more goals too. But there are none to be found in free agency, which means a trade has to be made. And most teams are in the same boat as we are, looking for goals. It's going to be tough to find somebody willing to give up a 30 goal scorer, let alone AND sign Petry, AND not give up significant assets. How many 30 goal scorers are available for a trade? Only 15 players in the whole league scored more than 30 goals last year, and one of them played for us. I know that it's Bergevin's job to find those guys, but at the end of the day if they are not available, they just aren't available. I agree totally with that. You can't just snap your fingers and make it happen. Trades are hard but they can happen if you have the right pieces to deal. I know Malkin is a stretch but I expect EDM could deal one of it's young guns (Hall, Eberle, RNH, Yakupov) now that McDavid is coming this summer. Do we have the pieces to get a guy like Yakupov (assuming we would want to)? The point is I want Berg using his powers of persuasion and pushing every angle on the trade front. The other thing is the importance of hitting in later round picks. We did that with Gallagher (5th round) but that has been a huge part of Tampa's success behind Stamkos. They have Johnson (undrafted), Kucherov (2nd round), Palat (7th round), and Killorn (3rd round) playing prominent roles. At least one of DLR, Hudon, Bozon, McCarron, Scherbak or somebody else is going to need to hit in the next 2 years to keep this window open.
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Post by BadCompany on May 14, 2015 9:10:42 GMT -5
I think we need more goals too. But there are none to be found in free agency, which means a trade has to be made. And most teams are in the same boat as we are, looking for goals. It's going to be tough to find somebody willing to give up a 30 goal scorer, let alone AND sign Petry, AND not give up significant assets. How many 30 goal scorers are available for a trade? Only 15 players in the whole league scored more than 30 goals last year, and one of them played for us. I know that it's Bergevin's job to find those guys, but at the end of the day if they are not available, they just aren't available. I agree totally with that. You can't just snap your fingers and make it happen. Trades are hard but they can happen if you have the right pieces to deal. I know Malkin is a stretch but I expect EDM could deal one of it's young guns (Hall, Eberle, RNH, Yakupov) now that McDavid is coming this summer. Do we have the pieces to get a guy like Yakupov (assuming we would want to)? The point is I want Berg using his powers of persuasion and pushing every angle on the trade front. The other thing is the importance of hitting in later round picks. We did that with Gallagher (5th round) but that has been a huge part of Tampa's success behind Stamkos. They have Johnson (undrafted), Kucherov (2nd round), Palat (7th round), and Killorn (3rd round) playing prominent roles. At least one of DLR, Hudon, Bozon, McCarron, Scherbak is going to need to hit in the next 2 years to keep this window open. And I agree with your agreement. Price and Pacioretty are signed for three and four more years respectively, after which some very difficult decisions are going to have to be made with regards to the cap. Especially since Galchenyuk will (hopefully) be due for a huge contract right around then too. So yes, in that respect I think THIS core has about three more years left to win a Cup. Doesn't mean we have to go into a full rebuild after that, just that I think that any Cup that comes after that time frame will be from a team that looks much, much different. I also agree with your Galchenyuk comments. Galchenyuk really could be the key, as he is the one player most likely to improve, and significantly so. Some players will go up, and some go down, and those two should balance each other out. For example, Plekanec might go from 26 goals to 23 goals, but by the same token, Subban might go from 15 to 18. Or whatever. If all else somehow becomes equal then the only improvement for the team must come from Galchenyuk, right? As you said, everybody else has more or less plateaued. So how likely is it that Galchenyuk scores more, and what will that do to the fortunes of the team? * He scored 20 goals last year, as a 21 year old, in… well, let's just say "interesting" circumstances with regards to linemates, positions, ice time and so on. * The team, as a whole, scored 214 goals, "good" for 20th in the league. * If Galchenyuk scores 25 goals, an improvement of 5 goals over this past season, then the team will move from 20th to 18th, one behind Chicago. I think this is a pretty realistic improvement. * If Galchenyuk scores 30 goals, a break-out season, then the team will move from 20th to 15th, middle of the pack. This would be nice, but perhaps not something to be counted on. So Galchenyuk alone has the potential to move us up the ladder. After that, you get into the nebulous territory of "will Galchenyuk make his linemates better?" which is much harder to predict. Galchenyuk may score five more goals, but if he also adds five more assists, then doesn't that mean the team itself will have scored 10 more goals? Similarly, if Galchenyuk becomes a star, 70 point player, then whoever he is with will also wrack up more goals just by osmosis. Could be Pacioretty finally breaking 40, Eller finally breaking 20, Gallagher breaking 30, whatever. So Galchenyuk really is the key. As "proof" that my 'everybody else balances out' theory is rock-solid, two years ago Galchenyuk scored 13 goals, and the team scored 209. Last year he scored seven more goals (20) and the team scored 214, five more than the year before. So CLEARLY it's an almost 1:1 ratio of Galchenyuk's improvement corresponding with more team goals.
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Post by Boston_Habs on May 14, 2015 9:31:23 GMT -5
Excellent BC, and probably your best argument for the "patient" approach. If Galchenyuk turns into a 30-goal and 60-70 point guy, then I agree it's fair to assume a spillover effect to the rest of the team or his linemates, and maybe Berg doesn't need to do much more than tweak the rest of the roster.
So it comes back to the proper evaluation and development of Alex Galchenyuk. He has played over 200 regular season and playoff games the past 3 seasons. If he is a centre it needs to happen now. And if he's a high end talent, then the production will follow. If he's not....
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Post by Polarice on May 14, 2015 9:46:34 GMT -5
I'd be awfully disappointed if we don't upgrade our top six this summer. Not saying we have to get a super star just an upgrade.
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Post by CentreHice on May 14, 2015 10:02:04 GMT -5
This team has been "Carey Price or bust" for at least the past TWO seasons.
This year alone….21 regular season FIRST STAR selections. I'm not saying he stole all 42 pts. But I think we can all agree he stole at least half of them.
110 - 21 = 89 pts. FORE!
The PP fizzled against the Rangers last year in Round 3….and there was no long-lasting solution over this entire season.
It's a disgrace. And it not only made these playoffs extremely difficult to watch…but it was a huge reason we were turfed. 2/36.
When I see lineup suggestions, as pragmatic as they likely are, that have Plekanec as our #1 centre for next year…..and DD slotted as either the #2 or #3 centre, I just shake my head.
It's gonna be the same thing next year…..guaranteed.
Price or bust.
MB has work to do….and it shouldn't stop at the players.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 10:05:49 GMT -5
Prust is going into the final year of his deal, an expensive one if he remains a 4th liner. Do we trade him to get a cheaper option, and clear more cap space? Yes, he kills penalties too, but if you can get cheaper in the name of improving the top 6 I'd be for that.
Pacioretty-acquisition-Gallagher = $17-18 million Sharp-Galchenyuk-DSP/Weise/surprise in camp = qualify Alex for a year; $8.5 million DLR-Eller-DSP/Weise = $5.5 million Flynn-Mitchell-Prust replacement = $4 million
$36 million
Markov-Subban = $14.75 million Emelin-Petry = $9.1 million Beaulieu-Gilbert = $4 million Tinordi/Pateryn = < $1 million
$28.85 million
Price and Tokarski = $7 million and change
That's as high as $71.95 million. Take out Petry and you're safely under.
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Post by Polarice on May 14, 2015 10:08:41 GMT -5
Prust is going into the final year of his deal, an expensive one if he remains a 4th liner. Do we trade him to get a cheaper option, and clear more cap space? Yes, he kills penalties too, but if you can get cheaper in the name of improving the top 6 I'd be for that. Prust gotta stay....he makes the team 3" taller! I wonder what a player like Eric Stall would cost.....he's rumoured to be on the move this summer!!
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 10:23:54 GMT -5
Prust is going into the final year of his deal, an expensive one if he remains a 4th liner. Do we trade him to get a cheaper option, and clear more cap space? Yes, he kills penalties too, but if you can get cheaper in the name of improving the top 6 I'd be for that. Prust gotta stay....he makes the team 3" taller! I wonder what a player like Eric Stall would cost.....he's rumoured to be on the move this summer!! DSP gives some of that, and I think you can find someone to do most of what Prust does for less. Maybe half as much. It's a tough decision, but in the interest of scoring goals, one you might have to make. I edited my post to reflect something of a roster. Sign Mitchell, qualify Flynn, sign a cheaper Prust to round out 4th line.
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Post by Polarice on May 14, 2015 10:39:11 GMT -5
Pacioretty-acquisition-Gallagher = $17-18 million Sharp-Galchenyuk-DSP/Weise/surprise in camp = qualify Alex for a year; $8.5 million DLR-Eller-DSP/Weise = $5.5 million Flynn-Mitchell-Prust replacement = $4 million The 4th line should be around 3 million mark, they play between 6 and 10 minutes a game. 3rd line is where you would have a body like Prust playing, you are wasting him on the 4th. IMO you shouldn't have Flynn and Mitchell and DSP....they are all the same type players. I would only keep one, preferably Mitchell. That leaves us room and cap space to give players like Thomas a chance to play some minutes, and cost us less.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 10:42:27 GMT -5
Pacioretty-acquisition-Gallagher = $17-18 million Sharp-Galchenyuk-DSP/Weise/surprise in camp = qualify Alex for a year; $8.5 million DLR-Eller-DSP/Weise = $5.5 million Flynn-Mitchell-Prust replacement = $4 million The 4th line should be around 3 million mark, they play between 6 and 10 minutes a game. 3rd line is where you would have a body like Prust playing, you are wasting him on the 4th. IMO you shouldn't have Flynn and Mitchell and DSP....they are all the same type players. I would only keep one, preferably Mitchell. That leaves us room and cap space to give players like Thomas a chance to play some minutes, and cost us less. Fair enough. I included Flynn because he's RFA. Monetarily he's no more expensive than one of those kids, so you can interchange easily. I'm not a huge DSP fan, but he's cheap. Maybe there's someone internal that takes the spot in camp. Mitchell likely won't sign for less than $1.5 million, given that he's coming off a deal that paid him over two.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 14, 2015 10:52:00 GMT -5
With the exception of Galchenyuk, I think this group has plateaued. Yes ... ... not only is Subban right, he's starting to sound like a leader ... Bergevin will have to provide him with some quality wingers if he's to reach those numbers ... as it was in the playoffs, Galchenyuk hit Bishop's logo more than anything else ... I don't know how he'll be able to re-sign Petry ... first, he'll have to convince him that Montreal is the place to play ... secondly, Bergevin will have to free up the cap space ... I mentioned asking Markov for a list of teams, but why not entertain moving Emelin ... it would be a start, but he'd have to free up more cap space ... I'd be very happy with Subban, Petry and Pateryn as our RH starters (honourable mention to Gilbert, who had a pretty good playoffs and to Darren Dietz, who might give Habs brass something to decide on if he has another strong camp) ... LH D to included Markov, Beaulieu and Tinordi (who played with Pateryn in Hamilton) ... as for more goals, unless Bergevin can pull off a blockbuster I don't think it's an overnight solution ... there are some big centres coming up in the draft but there is a LW available late in the round ... Paul Bittner is 6'4", 204 lbs, and when I think of him and Michael McCarron on the same line ... anyway, I don't have the solution for a big centre but if he can't move up for Dylan Strome, maybe he can swing a deal for Nicolas Roy ... I'm not sure if he's a 1st-line centre, but he could develop into a 2nd/3rd line guy ... so, if Berg can't draft a big no.1 centre, he'll probably have to try and do a deal with a team that wants to move a centre ... there's no indication that Carolina wants to move Eric Staal; however, San Jose sounds like they'd entertain moving Joe Thornton, but he's getting up there in age ... anyway, this has taken me the whole morning to pound out ... work, eh ... Cheers.
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Post by Polarice on May 14, 2015 11:09:17 GMT -5
Dis....I don't think we have to sign Petry, we have a few good prospects that they will either have to play or trade like Pateryn and Tinordi.
I think we forget about Petry and use that money on the top 6....our defence is still one of the best in the league without him.
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Post by franko on May 14, 2015 11:33:30 GMT -5
I'd be awfully disappointed if we don't upgrade our top six this summer. Not saying we have to get a super star just an upgrade. I'd agree . . . if you change the time line: this summer to this coming season. of course, summer begins June 28 . . . so the caveat is that he can do something before the summer begins.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 11:33:28 GMT -5
Petry is not a "need", but he showed what rounding out a strong top 4 can do. He made Emelin better, and that pair were able to lighten the load on Markov. The notion of that over a whole season is a nice one.
If Berg were so inclined, he could sign Petry, move Gilbert, add the winger and wait til 2016 to address the center position. There are a few appealing options in the Summer of 2016, granted there's no way to know if they'll be available.
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Post by seventeen on May 14, 2015 11:43:45 GMT -5
I just can't see us trading for a guy like Malkin. Maybe we can squeeze him in cap wise for a couple years, but we'd eventually be stuck like Pitts. 2 guys, him and PK, taking up a good portion of he cap. The reason Pitt might consider moving him, is probably the same reason we shouldn't take him. It would be ok if we knew the cap was going up (Pitt would probably keep him then) for sure, but it's not looking that way. We need to get bigger or elite down the middle. It's probably more likely trade wise and cap wise to get bigger, although certainly not simple. That's MB's job. Send Galch to Gary Roberts, like yesterday. He's still a kid, turn him into a brute. Or feed him some undetectable steroids (inside voice). I meant weight training, lots of weight training. As you say, Gary Roberts.
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Post by CentreHice on May 14, 2015 11:45:50 GMT -5
Markov isn't going to get any better, though.
He said today, at his clean out the locker scrum, that he wasn't injured and that he wasn't drained either physically or mentally.
Now, I know that an aging player isn't going to admit to losing a step or two...but combined with his knee surgeries…it's to be expected.
Do we have anyone not named Petry who's able to slide into those minutes and responsibilities? At the same age as our Price, Subban, Pacioretty core?
I think it's a no-brainer to sign him. Then do whatever it takes (short of trading the untouchables) to bring in a couple of Top 6 upgrades.
We can hope for Galchenyuk all we want….but he's also going to need more help than DD, Weise, or DSP, or whichever other Bottom 6-type we're forced to play with him on the Top 6.
FWIW, at today's scrum, Pacioretty said the guys had "lots of juice" because they roll 4 lines…and they play playoff-style hockey all year long.
So much for being mentally and physically drained. I hated that statement from Therrien when I heard it…..and I hate it even more now. What a stupid thing to say, especially when just the day before he was saying how excited and full of energy his team was after Game 5.
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Post by Boston_Habs on May 14, 2015 11:55:46 GMT -5
Eric Staal is the perfect rental with one year left at $8.25 million and will most certainly be moved next year, but probably not until the deadline when the demand will be strongest. That said, he'd be a nice upgrade to our top 6. Still only 30 years old but a lot of miles on the odometer. Would Carolina take a package sooner rather than later? Would you want to give up decent assets for 1 year of Eric Staal?
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Post by habsorbed on May 14, 2015 12:21:52 GMT -5
The only way we are becoming a legitimate cup contender is through a trade.
We will not get someone in the draft who will help us enough in the next 3 years. By then our core will be on the downward swing at that time, or cost too much, or have left.
There's no one on the current roster who can help us sufficiently to get to the elite level. Even if Chucky improves significantly he will not be able to get us there. He will need help.
MB has to make a trade and bring in a top centre. It should be done this summer (at draft perhaps) so we can figure out chemistry (MT can take a long time to figure things out) Trade deadline acquisitions doesn't leave a lot of time and are usually expensive.
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Post by blny on May 14, 2015 12:26:48 GMT -5
Eric Staal is the perfect rental with one year leaft at $8.25 million and will most certainly be moved next year, but probably not until the deadline when the demand will be strongest. That said, he'd be a nice upgrade to our top 6. Still only 30 years old but a lot of miles on the odometer. Would Carolina take a package sooner rather than later? Would you want to give up decent assets for 1 year of Eric Staal? Plekanec, so they don't have a long term commitment either. 2016 second (because of the salary difference and concerns he's on the decline) or a first if they take PAP too. Pick of Hudon/Bozon/Andrighetto/Thomas He's not on the same level as Malkin so the prospect choices are not from the same class (McCarron/Scherbak)
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