Dream Baby Dream

by Lowetide

These are the days or miracle and wonder, a time in the hockey season where, as Craig MacTavish once said, they all look good in suits. Prospects step up and do impressive things and the mind plays tricks, then the poets and songwriters step in and we have heartbeats accelerating. Kailer Yamamoto made the NHL Oilers at about 150 pounds, partly because he stunned the preseason and partly because Edmonton decided he was the answer (ahead of Jesse Puljujarvi, among others).

So let’s agree, today, in the clear light of morning, that the actual list of bona fide candidates is both limited and unproven. There. Now go ahead and dream baby, dream.

THE ATHLETIC!

The Athletic Edmonton features a fabulous cluster of stories (some linked below, some on the site). Great perspective from a ridiculous group of writers and analysts. Proud to be part of The Athletic, we are celebrating our 2-year anniversary this week. To mark the occasion, you can get 40% off subscriptions until Sept. 19 here.

  • New Lowetide: Shutdown success by Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson is a key for the Oilers in 2019-20.
  • New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Even if he’s unsure about his return, Oilers’ Connor McDavid looks and sounds like his old self
  • New Lowetide: RE 19-20: How can the Oilers’ bottom six close the gap in goal differential?
  • New Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Kailer Yamamoto and Tyler Benson address respective highs and lows as Oilers rookie camp begins
  • New Jonathan Willis: Riley Sheahan is a prudent signing by the Oilers in more ways than one
  • New Jonathan Willis: Did Milan Lucic take a shot at Connor McDavid’s leadership?
  • Jonathan Willis: Oilers’ defensive hopes will rest on the new shutdown pair of Darnell Nurse and Adam Larsson
  • Daniel Nugent-Bowman: With Evan Bouchard as the headliner, here are the players to watch at Oilers rookie camp
  • Lowetide: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the configuration of the Oilers second line
  • Lowetide: Connor McDavid’s 2019-20: Pushing for 50 goals while Dave Tippett loads up the Oilers’ top line
  • Lowetide: Estimating reasonable expectations for the 2019-20 Edmonton Oilers: A difficult journey
  • Jonathan Willis: How much money will Darnell Nurse make on his next NHL contract?
  • Lowetide: Ken Holland’s measured summer leaves Oilers outside playoffs.
  • Corey Pronman: Oilers No. 9 farm system.
  • Lowetide: Is Riley Sheahan an ideal fit for the Oilers as their No. 3 centre?
  • Lowetide: Oilers coach Dave Tippett might have to take drastic action in order to find a second outscoring line in 2019-20
  • Daniel Nugent-Bowman: What the 2021-22 Oilers might look like after their steady build toward contender status
  • Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Ken Holland puts his stamp on the Oilers with first big move in Lucic-Neal trade
  • Lowetide: Oilers top 20 prospects summer 2019.

LEGIT SHOTS

How many players who spent most or all of 2018-19 outside of the NHL have a real chance to play a significant amount for Edmonton in 2019-20? Here’s my list, with chances of making the opening night lineup.

Joakim Nygard, 26. He has speed, giving Nygard a major advantage over other hopefuls. His SHL scoring pace (he was among the league leaders) shouldn’t be overlooked. He may not play a major role, but he’s a top option from the group who are looking to establish themselves this fall. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 70%

Joel Persson, 25. He has a clear shot at the NHL job, but we don’t really know if he can handle the smaller ice, speed and assault of the NHL. I think he has the skill. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 70%

Caleb Jones, 22. I have him making the team, but he isn’t a lock, partly because it looks like Kris Russell is being move to LH side. If he doesn’t make it, Jones is at the very top of the recall list and his third pairing numbers in the NHL a year ago (over 56 percent Corsi for in just over 115 minutes) are solid. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 70%

Evan Bouchard, 19. Bouchard was so impressive in the rookie game, but remember the ghosts of prospects past. Of course he made the NHL team a year ago. I think he has a real chance to make the team. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 50%

Tyler Benson, 21. That LW depth chart doesn’t look fab with James Neal and is sickly without it. Benson is in a great spot. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 50%

Cooper Marody, 22. Skilled, smart and coming off an outstanding AHL debut. He needs to show well throughout preseason. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 30%

Gaetan Haas, 27. RH center who has speed and two-way skills, we don’t know if his skills are a match for the NHL game and we don’t know if he’ll need a period of adjustment. The signing of Riley Sheahan reduces his chances. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 30%

William Lagesson, 23. His shutdown ability in the AHL is impressive and I do believe he’ll spend time on the third pairing this year. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 30%

Ethan Bear, 22. He was effective when healthy, and has NHL experience. It’s easy to forget about him, but things tend to go in less than predictable directions once camp begins. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 30%

Josh Currie, 26. I think he could slide into a 13-14F job easily this training camp, so have ranked him here. No matter if Currie gets sent out, it’s better than even money that he plays in the NHL this coming season. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 10%

Kailer Yamamoto, 20. His being held back due to injury is an indication (to me) the organization isn’t going to repeat previous mistakes. One step at a time. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 10%

Joe Gambardella, 25. He scored 29 goals in the AHL last season and showed some ability in an NHL recall. A long shot, he could impress Tippett early and ride it to an NHL job. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 1%

Patrick Russell, 26. The PK numbers keep jumping out at me, along with his year over year improvement. I think he might have a career. Chances of making the opening night lineup: 1%

Dmitri Samorukov, 20. He is a quality prospect with a wide range of skills. I don’t think he stays through camp but do believe he has the skill (over 200 feet) to force the issueChances of making the opening night lineup: 1%

2018-19 Oilers preseason prospect scoring

  1. Kailer Yamamoto 6, 4-0-4
  2. Ryan McLeod 4, 0-3-3
  3. Jesse Puljujarvi 5, 2-0-2
  4. Evan Bouchard 4, 1-1-2
  5. Cooper Marody 3, 0-1-1
  6. Tyler Benson 2, 0-1-1
  7. Caleb Jones 1, 1-0-1
  8. Patrick Russell 1, 0-1-1
  9. Joe Gambardella 1, 0-1-1

Ryan McLeod making the Oilers this fall would be the same as Anton Lander making the team in 2011: A mistake. Let him play the season in Bakersfield, in all situations, with Jay Woodcroft as coach. That’s the play here.

LOWDOWN WITH LOWETIDE

At 10 this morning, TSN1260. We begin with John Horn, our tennis insider. John will put the Bianca Andreescu win at Flushing Meadows in historical context and we’ll talk about her future in the sport. Michael Hurley from CBS Boston will chime in on the Patriots and BoSox. Jason Gregor will also drop in and talk Eskimos, NFL Week One and the Oilers training camp. 10-1260 text, @Lowetide on twitter. Talk soon!

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ArmchairGM

Side:
ArmchairGM,

You dream of Smith getting injured?

Poor Smith…

😀

Pretty sure he’ll get injured without my help!

jp

OriginalPouzar: The amount of the LTIR relief cushion, that is, the amount the team can go over the upper cap limit, is determined at the time the player is placed on LTIR. The Oilers would need to be cap compliant on October, with a max 23 man roster including Brodiziak.They then place Brodz on LTIR and the amount of the cushion is calculated by taking Brodz’s yearly cap hit, $1.15M and subtracting the amount of cap space the team had. If the team had $1M in cap space, they could then go over the cap by $150K. If the team was right at the cap limit, to the dollar, they’d be able to go over the cap by $1.15M.

Essentially, the OIlers will have no relief cushion unless they are within $1.15M of the cap on day 1 when Brodz is placed on LTIR.

Once placed on LTIR, just like IR, the player comes off the 23 man roster but his cap hit stays and he stays on the 50.

They can’t have a 24 man roster on October 1 – 23 is the max. 22 is fine, I think the min is 20 (not positive).

Alright. I’m not sure whether this is also what Frjohnk was saying but this reads more clearly to me. Much appreciated.

Side

ArmchairGM,

You dream of Smith getting injured?

Poor Smith…

OriginalPouzar

ArmchairGM:
Since we’re dreaming… here are some “dreams” for this season:

– Neal scores 25 goals / 45 points, recovers a bunch of value and is once again a tradeable commodity.– Nurse continues to be one of the best 5v5 defenseman scorers in the league (11th in the league over the past 2 seasons) but loses PP time to the youngsters, therefore his point total falls to 35 points… meaning his next contract isn’t as huge as some people think it might be. 6×6 or so.– Puljujarvi recovers his confidence in Finland’s Liiga and dominates that league, scoring 25 goals and 65 points – proving once again that he is a top talent. But he still wants a change of scenery in the NHL.– Lagesson, Jones, Bear and Persson all play 20+ games and prove their ability to play 3rd pairing comp at this level.– Bouchard also plays 20 games towards the end of the season, proves able to play 2nd pairing with Klefbom and run a power play. This makes Benning expendable, despite the fact that he established his bona-fides as a 2nd pairing defender in 2019-20.– Benson makes the team at Christmas and scores 20 points in 45 games in a 3rd line role.– Yamamoto plays the entire season in AHL and scores 30-40-70. He’s back on track as a late 1st round pick.– Chiasson scores 15 goals, is summer trade bait.– Smith sustains an injury, Starrett subs in and proves capable of handling backup duties, posting a .905 SvP in 15 starts.– Holland trades a bunch of bottom-sixers at the deadline, netting multiple mid / late picks in the 2020 draft.– The Oilers miss the playoffs but win a lottery ticket. I’d be happy with any of the top-3, but am especially enamored with Byfield. Which likely means we’ll need 2nd overall.

I’m in!

ArmchairGM

frjohnk,

Nurse only got 9 of his 41 points on the PP last year. I’m thinking Tippett will weight the defensive minutes towards this pairing but it won’t be the only thing they do, so I think there’s still opportunity to play with McDavid and get some scoring going. Remember that Nurse plays OT shifts with Leon and Connor, too.

OriginalPouzar

Lowetide: He’s talking about the depth chart and Malone’s name popped in his head. It was a golf day. Surprised he didn’t say Martinook.

I know – I was mostly joking with my comment.

O. Pouzar does know how to have fun……

OriginalPouzar

jp:
I’m curious about some details of LTIR as it regards to Brodziak and the possibility of a trade for someone like Zacha.

My understanding is in order to claim LTIR a team needs to get as close as possible to the cap prior to day 1 of the season before placing the player on LTIR. Then they can claim a portion of the injured players salary to use on other players.

My questions are:

1) Does a team need to have a 23 man roster on the day of the LTIR calculation? Can it be 22? 24?

2) Is the injured player included as part of that roster (I assume yes on this one. So Brodziak would be one of the 23 and have his cap contribute to getting closer to $81.5M).

The amount of the LTIR relief cushion, that is, the amount the team can go over the upper cap limit, is determined at the time the player is placed on LTIR. The Oilers would need to be cap compliant on October, with a max 23 man roster including Brodiziak. They then place Brodz on LTIR and the amount of the cushion is calculated by taking Brodz’s yearly cap hit, $1.15M and subtracting the amount of cap space the team had. If the team had $1M in cap space, they could then go over the cap by $150K. If the team was right at the cap limit, to the dollar, they’d be able to go over the cap by $1.15M.

Essentially, the OIlers will have no relief cushion unless they are within $1.15M of the cap on day 1 when Brodz is placed on LTIR.

Once placed on LTIR, just like IR, the player comes off the 23 man roster but his cap hit stays and he stays on the 50.

They can’t have a 24 man roster on October 1 – 23 is the max. 22 is fine, I think the min is 20 (not positive).

jp

Lowetide:
For The Athletic: The final ‘reasonable expectations’ installment looks at goalies, goal differential and the complete scoring totals for Edmonton in 2019-20.

https://theathletic.com/1194210/2019/09/10/lowetide-can-mikko-koskinen-and-mike-smith-stop-enough-pucks-for-the-oilers/

Thanks for the RE series LT, always great reads! I have to say I miss the Q and As with your alter ego though. I’d love to see a few of those in the next month.

jp

frjohnk: If Nurse is placed in a shutdown role with Larsson as has been mentioned and this pair works out for the team in that spot, I dont see Nurse scoring close to what he did in the last couple of years.Because this pair will in a shutdown role, they will play less with McDavid ( and most likely Drai as well) which will then limit the amount of offense for Nurse

Nurse put up 1.57 pts/60 in 1105 minutes in the last 2 years when with McDavid.
He put up 0.66 pts/60 in 1999 minutes away from McDavid in the same time period

Also of note, which you mentioned, the 1 PP Dman will get the points, Nurse has done well in this spot, Klefbom in the past has as well.Persson and/or Bouchard might take up some of those minutes I dont know.If Nurse does not play many PP1 minutes ( which would be good as someone else has most likely emerged) his overall total points will take a big dip from last year.

I agree Nurse will likely see a dip, but we should remember he scored 24 EVP in 17-18 in close to the role he’s likely to play (heavy minutes with Larsson), and 27 last season.

It’s very likely he gets less opportunity on the PP but I’d still expect something in the 30 points range overall.

frjohnk

ArmchairGM: Nurse continues to be one of the best 5v5 defenseman scorers in the league

If Nurse is placed in a shutdown role with Larsson as has been mentioned and this pair works out for the team in that spot, I dont see Nurse scoring close to what he did in the last couple of years. Because this pair will in a shutdown role, they will play less with McDavid ( and most likely Drai as well) which will then limit the amount of offense for Nurse

Nurse put up 1.57 pts/60 in 1105 minutes in the last 2 years when with McDavid.
He put up 0.66 pts/60 in 1999 minutes away from McDavid in the same time period

Also of note, which you mentioned, the 1 PP Dman will get the points, Nurse has done well in this spot, Klefbom in the past has as well. Persson and/or Bouchard might take up some of those minutes I dont know. If Nurse does not play many PP1 minutes ( which would be good as someone else has most likely emerged) his overall total points will take a big dip from last year.

jp

Gerta Rauss: Well, the maximum is 23 active players, so it can’t be 24

I guess it could be 22, provided you can “find a home” for all your other players ie:assigned to junior/AHL/college..but most teams run a 23 man roster primarily because they can

His cap does count towards the total cap, yes, but his “active” status on the roster would be changed once he is assigned to IR or LTIR, so, no, Brodziak will not count toward the 23 man roster

This Brodziak business is a real nuisance. It’s not fatal, but it’s bad news for a team that needs every nickel of cap space

Thanks.

ArmchairGM

Since we’re dreaming… here are some “dreams” for this season:

– Neal scores 25 goals / 45 points, recovers a bunch of value and is once again a tradeable commodity.
– Nurse continues to be one of the best 5v5 defenseman scorers in the league (11th in the league over the past 2 seasons) but loses PP time to the youngsters, therefore his point total falls to 35 points… meaning his next contract isn’t as huge as some people think it might be. 6×6 or so.
– Puljujarvi recovers his confidence in Finland’s Liiga and dominates that league, scoring 25 goals and 65 points – proving once again that he is a top talent. But he still wants a change of scenery in the NHL.
– Lagesson, Jones, Bear and Persson all play 20+ games and prove their ability to play 3rd pairing comp at this level.
– Bouchard also plays 20 games towards the end of the season, proves able to play 2nd pairing with Klefbom and run a power play. This makes Benning expendable, despite the fact that he established his bona-fides as a 2nd pairing defender in 2019-20.
– Benson makes the team at Christmas and scores 20 points in 45 games in a 3rd line role.
– Yamamoto plays the entire season in AHL and scores 30-40-70. He’s back on track as a late 1st round pick.
– Chiasson scores 15 goals, is summer trade bait.
– Smith sustains an injury, Starrett subs in and proves capable of handling backup duties, posting a .905 SvP in 15 starts.
– Holland trades a bunch of bottom-sixers at the deadline, netting multiple mid / late picks in the 2020 draft.
– The Oilers miss the playoffs but win a lottery ticket. I’d be happy with any of the top-3, but am especially enamored with Byfield. Which likely means we’ll need 2nd overall.

SwedishPoster

Bohologo:
KHL watchers, here is one headline:
MacTavish has a Problem. Spartak Destroyed Locomotive
“MacTavish’s first KHL match a fiasco.”

https://www.sovsport.ru/hockey/articles/2:916356

MacT’s club is 0-2, but plays Sochi tonight:
https://www.khl.ru/news/2019/09/10/455929.html

Also, I think this Pavel Zacha KHL signing may be only a rumour:
https://sport24.ru/news/hockey/2019-09-09-sushinskiy-pavel-zakha-v-avangarde-dazhe-ne-znayu-kto-eto

Avangard President Sushinskiy said, “I don’t even know who that is!”

How do you say ”rumour planted by agent” in Russian?

Professor Q

OriginalPouzar:
Tippett just lost all credibility with his verbal as I heard the words “Malone is a solid player there” – in reference to 3C.

Maybe he was talking about the AHL?He is an elite 2C at the AHL level and a solid 16th forward at the NHL level.

Well, to be fair he listed like 5 other players before Malone (Sheahan – Khaira – Haas – Marody etc.) in competition for the 3C spot, then specified that he sees it as Top 6 vs. Bottom 6, not 1-2-3-4 lines.

Gerta Rauss

jp: 1) Does a team need to have a 23 man roster on the day of the LTIR calculation? Can it be 22? 24?

Well, the maximum is 23 active players, so it can’t be 24

I guess it could be 22, provided you can “find a home” for all your other players ie:assigned to junior/AHL/college..but most teams run a 23 man roster primarily because they can

jp: 2) Is the injured player included as part of that roster (I assume yes on this one. So Brodziak would be one of the 23 and have his cap contribute to getting closer to $81.5M)

His cap does count towards the total cap, yes, but his “active” status on the roster would be changed once he is assigned to IR or LTIR, so, no, Brodziak will not count toward the 23 man roster

This Brodziak business is a real nuisance. It’s not fatal, but it’s bad news for a team that needs every nickel of cap space

jp

I’m curious about some details of LTIR as it regards to Brodziak and the possibility of a trade for someone like Zacha.

My understanding is in order to claim LTIR a team needs to get as close as possible to the cap prior to day 1 of the season before placing the player on LTIR. Then they can claim a portion of the injured players salary to use on other players.

My questions are:

1) Does a team need to have a 23 man roster on the day of the LTIR calculation? Can it be 22? 24?

2) Is the injured player included as part of that roster (I assume yes on this one. So Brodziak would be one of the 23 and have his cap contribute to getting closer to $81.5M).

Scungilli Slushy

With different timing Lagesson would be in with a good chance at 3 LD. He probably won’t make as much as the others and the Oilers will need cheap contracts on the third pair given the other prospects all seem to have more offense.

Curious to see who moves and when.

OriginalPouzar

Hoping Yamamoto is cleared to play tomorrow evening.

Looking forward to seeing Rodrigue in the net and hoping the Maksimov can show some of the offensive skill set!

leadfarmer

GMB3: ….??? Impingement in his hips?

That is a lot of question marks for a question

ArmchairGM

OriginalPouzar:
Tippett just lost all credibility with his verbal as I heard the words “Malone is a solid player there” – in reference to 3C.

Maybe he was talking about the AHL?He is an elite 2C at the AHL level and a solid 16th forward at the NHL level.

Wow, even Godot is giving him until mid-October!

hunter1909

This is funny.

OriginalPouzar

hunter: Would you mind if I held you to this statement? That is, if Tippett takes this team into the playoffs?

I was obviously kidding and we know Tippett isn’t seriously contemplating Malone for a 3rd line center role on the Oilers out of camp.

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

hunter1909,

Playoffs, that is funny.

hunter1909

OriginalPouzar: Tippett just lost all credibility

Would you mind if I held you to this statement? That is, if Tippett takes this team into the playoffs?

OriginalPouzar

Tippett just lost all credibility with his verbal as I heard the words “Malone is a solid player there” – in reference to 3C.

Maybe he was talking about the AHL? He is an elite 2C at the AHL level and a solid 16th forward at the NHL level.

OriginalPouzar

JohnChambers: What? Woodcroft had him playing ~5 minutes ES / game (dressing 7 defensemen) for a handful of AHL playoff games. Bouchard scored at both 5×5 and 5×4 in Very Limited minutes.

You can’t propose that Bouchard was getting turnstiled defensively in the AHL because that version of history never happened. The fact is Woodcroft rode the defense corps who had gotten them there, and was able to utilize Bouchard appropriately.

I think Bouchard should (and will) start the season as the #1 defenseman in Bakersfield. Contrary to your suggestion, I doubt he struggles with that assignment and should flourish once he adapts his game to the pro’s

I agree with your assesment (although I’m not even sure he got 5 ES minutes/game until the last game when they played 6 d-men.

With that said, I see the following to start the year in Bake (of course, subject to the 7 (or even 8) D on the Oilers:

Lagesson/Bear
Lowe/Bouchard
Samorukov/Day

Deharnais/Manning

OriginalPouzar

jeetz:
Kinger_Oil.redux,

2) Persson: will get a shot but at 25 and no NHL experience, he needs to be sheltered, and hope he’s a wizard on PP: he gets passed by others on the farm

3) Jones: If he has to play 3RHD with Russell, it’s not a great spot: he should be back and forth as this is his last year of waiver

9) Lagesson: Blocked by the lower legit NHL D: Benning, Russel, and behind the shiny new ones

I know a lot depends on training camp, but I can really see Russell being replaced early and perhaps traded. Lagesson may be the surprise of training camp as he has been developed properly and by many accounts is ready for NHL employment. It will be hard top turn away Jones as well.

Nurse Larsson
Klefbom Jones
Benning Lagesson
Persson

I don’t think a Russell trade happens before the season starts and I’d be shocked if Tippett didn’t have Russell in the lineup on October 2 but, yes, the premise is something realistic.

It is 100% imperative that Russell is traded for damn to close to $4M of cap space (no other return is needed – just the cap space) prior to next season (preferably prior to the draft). With Nurse’s new contract, there will be apx $18M of cap space but 12 players need to be signed (or added to the roster). We need that cap space and we should be just fine to move on from Russell with the incumbent pro prospects plus Sammy and Bouch with a year of pro.

I am fine with the Russell trade happening tomorrow or any point in the season, even if Laggeson, Jones, etc. have not quite proven to be ready, I’ll take that risk.

There is always a market for veteran type “glue” players like Russ heading towards the playoffs but the one more year on his contract makes it a tough in-season deal. Press-boxing him for rookies won’t make the trade any easier, in particular for a clean $4M.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Willie as 3LD to start the season but I can’t imagine Tippett sitting the vet unless/until he’s clearly passed by youth during the season.

hunter1909

Tippett’s plan might as well be to turn the Oilers into the 1974-5 Philadelphia Flyers sans the violence… a team filled with defence minded checking demons, augmented by the best player in the world feeding one of the other best players in the world.

I’ll be happy to watch this provided the team gets lots and lots of W’s.

Rant over.

OriginalPouzar

godot:
Bouchard couldn’t handle even strength minutes in the AHL at the end of last season defensively.Offensively he is fine.We all saw that.A bunch of meaningless NHL preseason games cannot erase the AHL games defensively at the end of last season.The right thing for Bouchard is to demonstrate that he is ready defensively in the AHL, regardless of anything that happens in preseason.Even injuries to others.

If there are injuries, Lagesson, Jones, and Bear should get the first shot.

I agree with the premise and do agree that he should be in the AHL to start the season – he struggled defensively on a couple of shifts against the Dube line on Saturday leading to HDSCs against. He simply needs to bit of time to develop that part of his game at the next level – maybe its 40 games, maybe its a year. I have no doubt he has NHL ready skills, many of them, skills the team could use but the deficient aspects of his game are important to his success and the team’s success moving forward.

I can’t agree with your first line though as he didn’t receive many even strength minutes in the AHL playoffs until the final game when injuries forced them back to 6 d-men. He did fine that game too.

He didn’t show he couldn’t handle but he also didn’t get the opportunity to prove that he can – that’s the next step.

GMB3

Side: This.It seemed like a more nagging, relatively minor thing that was impacting him.

….??? Impingement in his hips?

ArmchairGM

OriginalPouzar: Helping his P/G but not his 5 on 5 P/60……

Which metric should be used?

Of course, we can only use one, in isolation from all others…………….

*grins*

McNuge93

Andy Dufresne:
Zach Werenski (22) signs a 3 year$15 million deal.

$4 million in each of the next two seasons, followed by $7 million in the last year of the deal in 2021-22.

SoBlue Jackets must offer Werenski a qualifying offer of at least $7 million to retain his rights into 2022-23 as an RFA, esetntially making the contract a four-year deal worth $22 million.

These shorter contracts seem to be becoming a trend.

Very possible that Nurse’s next contract might also be a 3 yeat deal, which I wouldnt mind, unless he takes a big step forwqrd this year and becomes a legit top pairing dman.

I don’t think this necessarily means Nurse will be 3 years as he is too close to free agency. I would rather see Nurse locked up long term even if it’s $6 or 7 mil, provided he takes another step forward this year.
I predicted that some of these outstanding RFAs (Marner, Boeser, etc) may be forced to sign shorter deals at a little less AAV because teams are capped out. We will see in the next 2 or 3 weeks how it plays out.

Bos8

Any team needs an influx of talent every year so this overcooking is a load of crap as in dither. No team remains static year after year. Big contracts for past glories are stupid. Lucic contract was bust the day he signed. Hall’s glory is only when he’s healthy, not often.

Bos8

OriginalPouzar: I asked this when you first posted this a few days ago but never got a response:

Would it be a failed season if they were in a playoff spot at Christmas and there were not two rookies on the team, not because they aren’t playing well in the AHL but because the team is exceeding expectations?

What drives me crazy is the sure thing when there is no such animal. Lagesson stayed on the farm while they test drove two clods.who would never be. T Mac proving a point with Pulju and so on. I enjoy hockey every year in the full sense.

Last year with no rookies was an abomination. Chia actually did a nice job and then TMac lost his mind, he blew up his own team as in playing the two studs 30 min a game, killing Strome, Rieder and co. Too chicken to park Lucic.

godot10

Andy Dufresne:
Zach Werenski (22) signs a 3 year$15 million deal.

$4 million in each of the next two seasons, followed by $7 million in the last year of the deal in 2021-22.

SoBlue Jackets must offer Werenski a qualifying offer of at least $7 million to retain his rights into 2022-23 as an RFA, esetntially making the contract a four-year deal worth $22 million.

These shorter contracts seem to be becoming a trend.

Very possible that Nurse’s next contract might also be a 3 yeat deal, which I wouldnt mind, unless he takes a big step forwqrd this year and becomes a legit top pairing dman.

San Jose did this first (i.e. the super-sized last year) with Timo Meier’s contract.

Andy Dufresne

As Frank Seravelli points out: “The key moving forward in a three-year term contract is the negotiated final year of the deal. A three-ear deal for Marner with a salary cap hit of $9 million, but including a $12 million salary in the final year, could really become a four-year, $39 million deal ($9.75 million AAV). That would also walk Marner to the brink of unrestricted free agency.”

Andy Dufresne

Partiots sign Antonio Brown. 1 yr $9m garaunteed (15m with performance bonuses)

After pounding the Steelers in Week One, they proceed to rub salt in the wound.

All of the drama costs the Raiders a 3rd and a 5th round pick.

Andy Dufresne

Zach Werenski (22) signs a 3 year $15 million deal.

$4 million in each of the next two seasons, followed by $7 million in the last year of the deal in 2021-22.

So Blue Jackets must offer Werenski a qualifying offer of at least $7 million to retain his rights into 2022-23 as an RFA, esetntially making the contract a four-year deal worth $22 million.

These shorter contracts seem to be becoming a trend.

Very possible that Nurse’s next contract might also be a 3 yeat deal, which I wouldnt mind, unless he takes a big step forwqrd this year and becomes a legit top pairing dman.

Brogan Rafferty's Uncle Steve

OriginalPouzar: I asked this when you first posted this a few days ago but never got a response:

Would it be a failed season if they were in a playoff spot at Christmas and there were not two rookies on the team, not because they aren’t playing well in the AHL but because the team is exceeding expectations?

The Oilers exceeding expectations, hilarious!

OriginalPouzar

ArmchairGM: 6 of his 13 goals last year were on special teams: 4 PP goals and 2 SH goals.

Helping his P/G but not his 5 on 5 P/60……

Which metric should be used?

Of course, we can only use one, in isolation from all others…………….

OriginalPouzar

Bos:
If at least two rookies don’t make the team by Christmas I’d consider it a blown season.Four would be better, two forwards and two D.

I asked this when you first posted this a few days ago but never got a response:

Would it be a failed season if they were in a playoff spot at Christmas and there were not two rookies on the team, not because they aren’t playing well in the AHL but because the team is exceeding expectations?

Tesla's Hair

“They all look good in suits”. Generational Quote!!!
Bravo MacT ??? Bravo

OriginalPouzar

BarQu:
Any word on Marody after the rookie game? I recall hearing a concussion was a possibility.

Just saw a picture from today’s practice with Coop on the ice.

jeetz

ArmchairGM,

That’s a good question. I would suggest that a short term injury could be a Condor call up. Bear or Bouchard come to mind. A long term injury could be catastrophic, but that would up top Holland to figure out.

geowal

Wilde: I don’t know what is going on but I feel like I’ve read some variation of ‘I know this is against the consensus, but I think Lagesson might/will pass Jones’ so many times that I think the consensus here is… that.

This is not true, I’m in favour of a lengthy AHL stay for Bouchard but this is not true

Lol, well if OP writes once every other day that Lagesson ‘could’ be ahead, but LT writes once per week (twice if you count the Athletic) that Jones is ahead and his job to lose, throw in a smattering of Posters pencilling Jones in the lineup and…what is the consensus again? I jest, I jest.

John Chambers

Zacha looks like he’ll have a career similar to Lars Eller – a little say on offence in relation to draft expectations, but a legit pro and solid 3C.

If he was paid Ryan Strome money (another fine comparable) he’d probably deliver pretty good value in that spot in his 20’s.

OriginalPouzar

godot: It doesn’t say if Zacha’s contract has an NHL out clause.It is the KHL, so it probably doesn’t.So it would be dumb to trade Puljujarvi for a player stuck in Russia for one or two years or however long Zacha’s contract is.

1) It won’t have an out clause – KHL contract never do – can’t.

2) As far as I am aware, he has only “agreed to terms” and not actually signed – he may very well wait until closer to the NHL season or maybe even closer to the Dec 1 deadline to see if there is progress.