The Swamp

I think the Hamilton assessment is where they differ. If you ignored draft position and good-in-the-room-ness and hair color, you wouldn't consider them a wash.

This is as down on the Rangers as an overall org (versus just hating Sather's propensity to over-trade for vets) as I've been in a really long time. The rebuild, while I don't think it was necessity and very probably closed Lundqvist's window, was fine with me. Not my top choice, but a reasonable choice if done properly. But JFC ... taking DeAngelo as a key piece in the Stepan trade, reaching for Andersson over Mittlestadt at #7, the underwhelming return from Tampa Bay, trading JT Miller at all, passing on Wahlstrom at #9 ... it feels borderline factual at this point that Gorton and/or Clark will chase a prospect down without any regard for whether they're proper value for the return or draft slot. Every team does the "we shoulda picked" game, but these were names people were pre-celebrating being available as the Rangers stepped up and picked the wrong guy.

mister d wrote: ↑Sat Jun 23, 2018 6:46 pm I think the Hamilton assessment is where they differ. If you ignored draft position and good-in-the-room-ness and hair color, you wouldn't consider them a wash.

I think a lot of Hamilton and think the locker room shade is likely just smoke. Suffice to say that a lot of my positive view of Hanifan comes from the fact that he’s only 21, so has a lot of upside potential yet.

Hope your Rangers’ future isn’t as dire as you seem to think!

Oh, I don't think its dire, I just think they've blown two huge picks that could have added a level up from wherever it lands.

There is just something about Hamilton. For someone who is elite hes never been invited to play for Canada at the Worlds or invited to senior camp. Wasn't picked for TNA in the 16 World Cup. Trouba and Parayko made it. He's never in the mix. He's seen as a guy who doesn't care.

http://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl ... om-dynamic

and i'm not so sure about Fox. Hanafin is only a year older and has played 3 seasons. Is Fox really developing at Harvard? He could turn into Tim Erixon.

So on one hand we have objective on-ice numbers and on the other we have “he likes too many books”.

mister d wrote: ↑Sun Jun 24, 2018 9:23 am So on one hand we have objective on-ice numbers and on the other we have “he likes too many books”.

True, he did lead the league in goals. But in his own zone, he can be slow and takes dumb penalties. He's a frustrating guy to watch.

Woke up to see four Vegas media members all started following Erik Karlsson on Twitter even though he rarely tweets. Still don’t see any news though.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Jun 22, 2018 6:09 pm Grubauer and Orpik traded to Colorado for a second-rounder.

I mean, it's obviously a win for Colorado but at least Washington got something and was able to dump some salary as well.

That's a very good move for the Caps. We also have a Russian goalie in Hershey that needs to see the light at the end of his development tunnel, so Grubbie had to go.

Varlamov is on his last year of that contract, so the anticipation is that this turns into Grubhaer's team in 2019. There's also some hinting that the Avs will buyout Orpik's contract, and if that happens Caps will almost certainly bring him back at a reduced price.

I said it a lot during the playoff run, Orpik-Djoos was a fine 3rd pairing and by all accounts Oprik was a very big presence in the locker room.

No I know. This was an obvious deal for both teams. Washington might have liked to get a first but getting something and dumping cap room to re-sign Carlson is a win too.

So 8 years for Carlson means they’re expecting two buyouts in the next CBA?

From Friedman's 31 thoughts

2. I really don’t like taking shots at players who get traded. You’re gone, move on, let’s go. Dougie Hamilton was hit with personal criticism when dealt from Boston to Calgary, and now while en route to Carolina. Hamilton politely declined a request to address all this, not wanting to toss more gasoline on the fire.

The move out of Massachusetts definitely was a personality clash, with differing opinions on who was right and who was wrong. After making a few calls, this is not about who’s attending team slumber parties. This is about role. Hamilton did not formally request a trade, but there is confirmation there were discussions about his spot in the lineup. There was agreement a move would be better for both sides.

The Flames wanted to re-unite TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano, which will happen. They felt Travis Hamonic would benefit from playing with a steadier partner, as opposed to Brodie, more of a jazz-musician freelancer. That would take Hamilton off the top pair, which didn’t thrill him. He also didn’t start last season on the top power play, eventually replacing Brodie midway through. That was another bone of contention. This was necessary for both player and team. Hamilton will benefit from Carolina: he hears everything. Less noise there.

Noah Hanifin and Elias Lindholm were unhappy, too. Their contract talks were difficult, with Lindholm’s last conversation ending in a blowup the day before he was traded. A lot of players eager to prove something.

3. Last summer, when Calgary traded for Hamonic, the Flames fought hard to keep Adam Fox from the Islanders. Before Round 1 on Friday, Flames GM Brad Treliving made his final pitch to Fox’s advisor, Matt Keator. Treliving wasn’t going to risk losing him for nothing.

I'm in the minority amongst VGK fans, but I love how they're approaching free agency. They made what sounds to be reasonable, though low-ish offers for Neal, Perron and Sbisa (Reaves too, but he somehow thinks he's getting a four-year deal from someone, which...whatever) and didn't give in to the temptation to sweeten the offers because of all of their cap room. If that means Neal and Perron walk, so be it. Sends a message to the rest of the team that they're not going to overpay just for the sake of overpaying when their contracts come up or be swayed by fan attachment to a certain player.

I'm about 90 or so percent certain that it's going to be Vegas that works out the deal with Ottawa for Karlsson and the deal will include Ryan and his albatross of a contract, so given that hopefully Vegas doesn't give up too much in return. A few draft picks, fine, but not Glass and hopefully not Theodore. Maybe a change in scenery will help Ryan come close to replacing Neal's production.

I also think Vegas is going to be one of the top two or three teams in on van Riemsdyk and he's definitely capable of filling the hole left by Neal and is a couple years younger to boot.

One other Vegas note -- Minnesota are supposedly shopping Jason Zucker and Vegas would be a natural spot for him. He's the first/only NHL player ever from Las Vegas and his family still lives here. Don't know what Minnesota would be asking, but presumably Vegas would consider acquiring him.

While it's certainly years from having a tangible effect at the NHL level, it was very nice to see universal praise for the Red Wings' draft. Granted, most praise noted the team selected "players who fell", but it's a strong positive to see the franchise opt for a best player available strategy in recognition of their overall lack of high-end talent and not just stick to need-based drafting (because the defense has been in desperate need of a top-end talent infusion since Lidstrom's retirement).

Four picks in the top 36 netted the Wings a strong haul, led by Filip Zadina, an 18-year-old who is among the top goal-scorers in the draft at #6. He was expected to go #3 to the Canadiens, but was left on the board for the Wings, who were expected to pick a top-line defenseman. Some people think Zadina might play for the Wings at some point this coming season. After that, they got center Joe Veleno at #30. Veleno was expected to go by the middle of the first round and three scouting services had him ranked between #6 and #11 overall.

The Wings' two high second-rounders netted them another forward and their first defenseman, but both players were projected by various outlets to be selected in the first round (to be fair, it's not much of a drop when the later of the two Wings' second-round picks was #36). In all, there's a lot of positives for the Wings around their draft.

One other thing the Wings have done that I would love some other opinions on is hiring Dan Bylsma as an assistant coach. One of the expectations for Bylsma is that he'll help get production from the Wings' power play (they were 24th this past season and 27th the year prior). If any Pens fans can offer an opinion on whether or not he can construct a strong power-play unit or if his personnel was a driving force for that (there is some variance among their top special teams scorers past Crosby and Malkin during Bylsma's tenure), I'd appreciate that.

On the Bylsma hiring, a couple things struck me that the move was a little odd for Detroit:

1. The Wings have done a lot of internal coaching moves since Bowman retired, staying within their system.

2. Hiring a guy with top-end NHL experience (a Cup and four 100+-point seasons on the bench) seems curious in that "hiring an assistant who can take over when you fire the head coach" way. Not saying the Wings are definitely booting Blashill, especially since Bylsma was a shade under a .500 coach with Buffalo, but the spoiled faction of the fanbase will probably start to get impatient soon (if they aren't already).

Great recent posts, guys. Some random thoughts:

The Flames decision to move Dougie Hamilton to accommodate a lesser player like T.J. Brodie seems... curious. Kinda bass ackwards.

Interesting that Vegas would hold the line on salary offers to their own free agents, but might go after Van Rymsdyk, who will command a high price in what might be a bidding war. imho, I'm not sure he is worth much more money than Neal. Kinda hurts their argument in the dressing room about fiscal responsibility.

I have a soft spot for Zucker since he is Denver University guy. He's a sniper but iirc, got criticized in Minny for sometimes forgetting his defensive responsibilities. Gallant won't stand for that.

Good analysis on the Wings, DSafe.

In the Sharks' draft, they reached for defenseman with a great skill set but the risky "character issues" label. Ulp. Ryan Merkley was the first overall pick when he went to the Ontario league, and has put up great offensive numbers in juniors as a puck-moving defenseman. Possibly the second best defensemen (behind Dahlin) in the draft purely on offensive skill. If he grows up and shows maturity, he has sky-high potential. If not, he could be one of those chuckleheads we all dislike.

To be clear I don't think they're going to get in a bidding war for anyone but think they'll present what they have to offer and a deal that they think is fair to Player X, take it or leave it.

What they have to offer is pretty compelling potentially to a guy like van Riemsdyk. Second line pay and minutes, a team that is arguably further ahead than a lot of teams that will be bidding on him and about 10 percent less in taxes compared to an East Coast (north of Florida), Canadian or Californian team. That means they can hold the line on a deal at about $7M a year (which is what Neal was asking for and close to what he'll probably get). If someone wants to offer him stupid money beyond that, so be it.

Scandalous!

JVR would be a perfect guy to give a huge current cap hit to so you can limit to 2-3 years. Both sides win.

JTM 5/26.25

FUCK/YOU

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:57 pm JTM 5/26.25

So where does TB get the money to sign Tavares and still be able to keep Kucherov down the road? I'm at a loss as how they'd fit him in under the cap for 2018-19 alone. (I mean, I get that it's possible of course, but would require some moves just to be able to get him under the cap from the get-go).

It's a serious, non-rhetorical question. Have you seen what they'd be expected to do?

Willie O'Ree finally made it into the Hall of Fame, so there's that. I really don't have much a beef with Bettman getting in, but wish they would have waited until after he retired.

brian wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 2:05 pmSo where does TB get the money to sign Tavares and still be able to keep Kucherov down the road? I'm at a loss as how they'd fit him in under the cap for 2018-19 alone. (I mean, I get that it's possible of course, but would require some moves just to be able to get him under the cap from the get-go).

It's a serious, non-rhetorical question. Have you seen what they'd be expected to do?

Callahan is a $5.8MM cap hit but only $4.7MM real money, so he could appeal to a floor team if an asset is attached and his modified NTC allows it.

brian wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 2:05 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:57 pm JTM 5/26.25

So where does TB get the money to sign Tavares and still be able to keep Kucherov down the road? I'm at a loss as how they'd fit him in under the cap for 2018-19 alone. (I mean, I get that it's possible of course, but would require some moves just to be able to get him under the cap from the get-go).

It's a serious, non-rhetorical question. Have you seen what they'd be expected to do?

I know Tampa Bay is one of the six finalists, but realistically, I'd be surprised if he went there. The cap gyrations would be painful. My hypothetical bet would be on the Islanders first, the Leafs second, and the SHARKS third. (Hope hope hope).

brian wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 2:05 pm

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:57 pm JTM 5/26.25

So where does TB get the money to sign Tavares and still be able to keep Kucherov down the road? I'm at a loss as how they'd fit him in under the cap for 2018-19 alone. (I mean, I get that it's possible of course, but would require some moves just to be able to get him under the cap from the get-go).

It's a serious, non-rhetorical question. Have you seen what they'd be expected to do?

I really don't know. I'd love to get out from under Tyler Johnson's 6/30 and Alex Killorn's 5/24.5. Johnson's no trade kicks in on 7/1/18, (with or without Tavares). And, while Mr. D is right about Callahan's contract and payment situation, we'd have to give a prospect to have someone take an injured Callahan from us.

Kuch will be 9m+ per year, but he's still a restricted FA after next year.

Also, to be clear, the quoted post re: 5/26.25 is JT Miller.

I can't imagine someone taking on Tyler Johnson's contract but I also know Yzerman has a history of getting other teams to do bad things.

Perhaps Jim Benning can be convinced to take on all three of Johnson, Callahan, and Killorn. Instant respectability, Jim! Tyler Johnson is from Alaska. That's close to Vancouver!

DW is Sharks' general manager, Doug Wilson.
Rest of post says,
"...Sharks have had the longest meeting so far.
HOW EXCITING IS THIS !!!!!!!!! Even if he goes back to the Island. This has been a fun ride"

Went to the VGK Development Camp practice yesterday and it's kind of amazing how much better the truly elite prospects/players are even to someone like me who doesn't really know anything about scouting or some of the more subtle nuances of the game (like footwork, etc.).

Just as an example, they were doing a one-on-one drill with a forward against a defenseman and Cody Glass (pick 1-6 in 2017) was coming up the wing and then seemed to just turn 90 degrees at full speed leaving the defender to continue going backward helplessly and then fired off a bullet from between the faceoff circles into the net. Even in a practice, it was kind of breathtaking. Pretty easy to see why they didn't want to include him in a deal for Eriksson at the trade deadline.

The camp is split into two groups so I didn't see the earlier practice which included some of their other elite prospects like Nick Suzuki and Nic Hague, but did get to see Erik Brannstrom (pick 1-15 in 2017) as well and he's as quick and smooth as advertised.

Sweet, sweet cap space.

Don't think Buffalo knows how eating other teams' contracts is supposed to work.

rass wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:33 am Sweet, sweet cap space.

Asking you, but also anyone -- is it possible under the CBA to "front-load" cap space in a contract? Seems like if the Knights miss on any bigger UFAs they're trying to sign they might try to work out a deal to bring Neal back but they could front-load the cap hit to provide them with some outs to trade him in a couple of years if they want/need to. That would also make sure they get to the salary floor (which probably isn't going to be an issue, but still), but also provide maximum cap flexibility going forward.

So Vegas has $31M in space this year -- assume they know they're not going to get close to the cap for a variety of reason. They know Neal wants something like 5/$35M (forget any argument of whether he's worth it for the time being). They could front load $21M or so of the cap hit on to this year and next year and then when they're starting to have to re-sign some of their younger draft picks and guys like Theodore and Tuch they have more cap space to do it. Also Neal is a more valuable trade asset assuming he's still reasonably healthy and productive since he'd only be owed $5M a year or so for his last three years.

No. Cap hit is spread evenly over the life, although front-loading makes it easier to trade later on. But ... if he wants $7MM per for 5 (which seems too high on one or both sides), you can pretty easily offer $12MM on a one year or $10MM on a two year and leave him with a few later years to presumably make up the gap or more.

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 11:47 am No. Cap hit is spread evenly over the life, although front-loading makes it easier to trade later on. But ... if he wants $7MM per for 5 (which seems too high on one or both sides), you can pretty easily offer $12MM on a one year or $10MM on a two year and leave him with a few later years to presumably make up the gap or more.

So in that scenario, the cap hit is evenly spread but if they actually paid Neal $21M in the first two years and actually only owed him $14M over the last three, the team trading for him has to pay $14M in actual money, but their cap hit would remain $7M/year for the last three years?

Correct, which is value for a team near the floor in Ottawa.

McPhee is hard to read with this stuff, but it's hard to imagine they wouldn't try to bring back either Neal or Perron on a shorter team deal for a bit more money if they don't end up signing a guy like JVR. Like Mr. D posited upthread, he would be a good guy for Vegas to give a deal with more money and a shorter term to as well. Giving him something like 2 years, $18M could be a win-win for both sides. He gets one more bite at the UFA apple when the cap is higher and Vegas gets a useful player for a couple of years while they have no cap worries.

brian wrote: ↑Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:41 am Went to the VGK Development Camp practice yesterday and it's kind of amazing how much better the truly elite prospects/players are even to someone like me who doesn't really know anything about scouting or some of the more subtle nuances of the game (like footwork, etc.).

Just as an example, they were doing a one-on-one drill with a forward against a defenseman and Cody Glass (pick 1-6 in 2017) was coming up the wing and then seemed to just turn 90 degrees at full speed leaving the defender to continue going backward helplessly and then fired off a bullet from between the faceoff circles into the net. Even in a practice, it was kind of breathtaking. Pretty easy to see why they didn't want to include him in a deal for Eriksson at the trade deadline.

The camp is split into two groups so I didn't see the earlier practice which included some of their other elite prospects like Nick Suzuki and Nic Hague, but did get to see Erik Brannstrom (pick 1-15 in 2017) as well and he's as quick and smooth as advertised.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Similarly, on July 6 I'll be attending a scrimmage game of the Sharks' prospects. The game is the cap to a week of practice they hold for all their prospects. Also, before the game, I'm attending a talk held for season ticket holders with GM Doug Wilson. Looking forward to it!

Caps keep Smith-Pelly to a 1 year deal

Jack Johnson getting a 5 year deal with the flightless birds. Not bad for a surfer/guitar player (yes I know).