Ideally, the Edmonton Oilers invite a strong, veteran free agent or two for this year’s training camp. A RH center, maybe a two-way winger, and even a defenseman with some bite to his game. What would it look like?
Unless the Oilers get in their own way making the cap work for the RFA's, the club is poised to outscore opponents by a handsome number in 2022-23. How high CAN they fly? https://t.co/rxcBJAcdMr
Lowetide: Oilers’ pivotal summer and what fans want to see from Ken Holland
Lowetide: What Oilers assets should Ken Holland trade this summer?
DNB: What if Edmonton Oilers trade Jesse Puljujarvi? The case for and against
TRAINING CAMP ROSTER ADDITIONS
The Oilers roster is not yet settled from the summer’s business, so we can’t really move on to the next step (PTO’s) in a full force gale. Yesterday I was on with Jason Gregor, and we talked about the assumed disappointing return for Jesse Puljujarvi and two possible replacements (Evan Rodrigues, Phil Kessel) should a trade for draft pick return come to pass on the big Finnish winger.
It is worth noting the quality currently available in free agency, and further note some good players will be on PTO’s for training camp. Some possible names who might be of interest for the Oilers:
RW Daniel Sprong. He’s the modern Chuck Arnason (scores well, but keeps moving from town to town) and probably lands a contract. He’s kind of in the Oilers wheelhouse based on the current cap crunch and enormous need on right way.
RC Derek Stepan. Another likely contract. Two-way forward, his skills are diminishing but he scored 2.03 points-per-60 at five-on-five last season and owned a 50 percent goal share in the discipline. Can win faceoffs.
RC Riley Nash. He was effective in possession after going to Tampa Bay, his offensive side appears to be completely gone but perhaps there will be a revival. Defensively, he could help.
LC Lukas Vejdemo. He’s a shutdown center who can also play the wing. In many ways an ideal No. 4 center, the Oilers are looking RHC but this would be a nice checkdown.
LC Cedric Paquette. He is drifting away offensively but I love his determination. As a 13-14F, he wouldn’t cost a ton and can play all three forward positions.
RW Tyler Pitlick. You expected me to give up now? Injuries have impacted him for sure and he doesn’t deliver enough offense for the skill lines, but he does have two-way ability and is a smart player.
RD Greg Pateryn. He’s a big defender who doesn’t bring much offense but has plenty of growl. Strictly third pairing, bt the Oilers will be looking for a rugged blue this summer.
LD Kris Russell. He’ll likely find a contract somewhere, but I can see Edmonton offering and Russell accepting a PTO.
RD Michael Stone. His association with the Flames, and their trade last night, might mean Stone is looking for new digs. He has been effective at times in a limited role.
TRACERS
Here’s what I wrote about PTO Kris Versteeg when he was invited to camp in 2016:
What kind of a player is he? He is a rugged veteran with skill. Versteeg is not a big man, so the chances of playing at 38 are not high. Still, he can play against tough defenders and win battles, plus has enough skill to get into scoring zones and execute. His Corsi for Rel/team has him top 15F among those with 400+ minutes this past season. He can play up and down the lineup, provides depth in plenty of areas. A very nice player.
Is this a good addition? Hell yes, especially at the price. We talked about Versteeg all spring and early summer, leading up to free agency.
Is he the Pisani?No idea. I am excited to see him, but we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves here. He is a possible fit, but this is a player who was recently released from a contract. The future could involve a failed physical and a see ya later.
Who did he play with last season? Eric Staal—Elias Lindholm in Carolina and they were good together. In Los Angeles, he spent time with Anze Kopitar and Milan Lucic. It was good but in limited minutes.
Who could he play with in Edmonton? My first reaction would be with Benoit Pouliot and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a tougher minutes role.
Second reaction? He would be a very good mentor for Leon in his first year away from Taylor Hall. That would be a Pisani role, as well.
How should we view him? Probably best to put him in the Maroon—Kassian pile, a possibly useful winger with varying degrees of success and failure over an interesting career.
Does Peter Chiarelli know him? Sure. He traded him in 2007 for Brandon Bochenski.
When did he deliver enough offense to be considered a legit NHL prospect? At 20, in the AHL. His junior scoring numbers are pedestrian, but he was over a point-per-game in the AHL as a rookie. Interesting career spike.
Did he come to the NHL right away? No sir. Versteeg was not a high pick—fifth round—so had to prove himself before entering thee show.
Can he play a top 6F role? I think so, yes. The job on Nuge’s right wing will be a key two-way role on this club and for me he is a reasonable option—a great one, considering the month on the calendar in my kitchen.
Can he play a bottom 6F role? Absolutely. I don’t see a downside to this deal, honestly. If he can pass the physical, there is no way on planet Earth he misses the roster. None.
Can he penalty kill? He is more likely to make an appearance on the power play. Considering he is a right shot, that is an area we might be able to put him when discussing the coming season.
Can he play center? He split 16 faceoffs a year ago. I would say strictly winger, but Craig MacTavish may pass him in the hallway and strike up a conversation.
Can he play the point on the power play? Great question, I do not have the answer.
Whose job is threatened by his addition? Hmm. Plenty. On RW, I would say Jordan Eberle on a skill line is a lock, and that Zack Kassian is going to be on the roster in a depth role. After that? I can see Versteeg winning the 2R role with Nuge and forcing Yakupov/Puljujarvi to fight it out for the Leon 3line RW job.
What about Pakarinen? What about Pakarinen?
Will this mean Yakupov is traded? Maybe. The Oilers may be receiving offers involving only draft picks, but could be holding out for a position player. If Versteeg covers the roster spot, that might open up trade options.
Why did he choose Edmonton? How many times will I have to say McDavid before you believe me?
How far are we from the balance photo? The defense needs a troubadour and the goaling needs a Jhonas.
As the dust settles from the Panthers-Flames blockbuster, I’m told Jonathan Huberdeau isn’t particularly happy with how everything played out. There were some early, informal extension talks, but Huby’s camp was waiting for an offer that never came. The next call was the trade.
It would be nice to see Calgary slighty outside of playoff position by trade deadline where they give up assets to make a push, only for them to still fall short and Huberdeau and Weegar leave in the offseason.
hunter1909
July 23, 2022 11:11 pm
Based on prospects entering training camp st the optimum moment for them to make the team,
Which players are due to emerge next training camp?
Holloway has the best chance, but he still isn’t quite ready, ideally he spends at least 30 games in the AHL, where he was an elite play-driver, but lacked finish. If he plays 30 games and averages at least 1PPG he will be ready.
Other than Broberg and perhaps Fanti, based on my viewings last season, I don’t see anyone else emerging, although if healthy Samorukov might surprise.
I would say that Samorukov was the Condors’ best d-man down the stretch until injured and that, give or take a Koekkoek, he’ll be on the team and is as ready as he’s going to be.
W
July 23, 2022 10:56 pm
Here is a fun game to play, go to google and type in “Florida man” as well as the month and day of your birthday. Guaranteed hilarious results.
scottish joke is similar but it’s searching for “dundee man”
Last edited 2 years ago by maudite
LostBoy
July 23, 2022 10:04 pm
I wrote this comment several hours ago, and it’s been (a first for me) stuck with an “Awaiting for approval” [sic] tag since. I couldn’t figure out why, then I realized that I named the owner and recent events might have made that a red flag? It was in response to Kinger_Oil.redux’s comment below. So here is an attempt at a sanitized version:
Not to pick on the recently involuntarily retired Terry Jones, but in keeping with the theme, when the Oilers drafted Yakupov, Jones wrote several articles that encapsulated the generational/OBC/older season ticket holders way of thinking (that I think might have had a lot to do, even internally, with the failures of the DOD). The theme was that the DOD Oilers were almost there, they’d pretty much replicated the core of the 80s team. Yakupov was the missing piece. The assignments (sometimes they were called “Lite” versions, but he even got the Wayner to quote agreement with the notion):
Yakupov was their Anderson.
Justin Schultz was their Coffey.
Hall was their Messier.
Nuge was their Gretzky.
Eberle was their Kurri (!!).
Well, didn’t turn out that way, but this was the burden these guys were carrying, both from elements of what passed for club management, the most powerful media (at that time, 10 years ago, a lot more powerful and significant than these days), OBC former Oilers, a bunch of fans, etc.
I don’t think it was fair, and it was a recipe for disaster. If these players had been given adequate support and developed in a sane fashion, things could have turned out a lot different.
I’d also quibble a bit that peak Taylor Hall >>> Hyman, and I like late-peak Hyman plenty.
Ebs vs Kane looks like a no-brainer now, but if you go back in time the idea of trading Ebs straight up for past (“peak” in terms of normal ageing curves) Evander Kane would have been met with eye rolls and ridicule.
Last edited 2 years ago by LostBoy
Bulging Twine
July 23, 2022 10:02 pm
I’m wondering about RNH’s shoulder
looking at his injury history on sportscaster.com there are quite a few mentions of ‘shoulder’ there mixed in with upper body injuries – who knows what those are.
Upper body injury Jan, 2012 IR, missed 13 games
Sprained shoulder in Feb, 2012 IR, missed 7 games
Shoulder Feb 2013, day to day, missed 1 games
Shoulder April 2013, out remainder of season, missed 5 games
Left Shoulder surgery October 2013, missed 2 games
Upper body injury, January 2018, IR, missed 18 games
Upper body injury, April 2021, missed 4 games
Shoulder injury, IR, March 2022, missed 12 games
there is a nice 5 year gap between ’13 and ’18, in regards to shoulder specifically it may actually be an 8 1/2 year gap.
Still, when first I heard shoulder I thought, oh-oh, seeing as he was in the first year of an 8 year contract and knowing he had issues in the past.
I wonder which shoulder this last injury was. The one he had surgery on, or one of the other ones.
De Grasse ran his hundred in 8.79. Eight seventy-nine. Blistering finish.
Bulging Twine
July 23, 2022 9:44 pm
I wonder if Tyson Barrie will re think his off season program. He has looked so bad at the start of his two seasons here. You’d think he may change something up.
So it’s now 1,015 days since Edmonton won a home CFL game? Eleven losses in a row since Eskimos became Elks? How does one go about lifting a curse applied by, oh, about 40,000 fans?
When thinking of all the incredible wildlife Canada and Alberta alone possesses, you would think that one of these geniuses could think of a cooler animal than a lame assed “Elk”.
Hell, I’d rather they were called the Edmonton Pikas.
Yup. I’ve said it for years. Trying to trade with Chevy is a waste of time because he never pulls the trigger until the trade is so lopsided you are likely to get fired for making it.
He traded two years of player spread over two players for eight years of player. But it cost him a 1st and a prospect for a 4th to do so, which seems a juicy premium and likely the result of another bidder. Judging by the way he spends draft capital, he’s probably pretty happy with himself today.
BT is sitting there with two guys with a year left on their deals… Weegar is a good acquisition but CGY didn’t really need another Dman, are they now trading one? And Huberdeau wants to go to MTL. BT has work left to do. He ain’t kickin back.*
I don’t know, man, Treliving might be giving more entertainment value right now. 😉
*Yes, they can keep Hubs till the TD but do you really want to up-end your 1st line and PP at the TD? If they can, they will get him to MTL in the near future.
I’m expecting Josh Anderson to be sent back to Cowtown.
I agree that Tre has more work to do. Didn’t sound like he was going to get on it right away though (in regards to Hub and Weegar) he’s going to ‘take a breath’. Which I like, as their competitor, I hope they go into the season with neither player signed nor traded (unless of course it is a poor trade, I’d be all for that :)). They still have a good team and should be in the playoff hunt (depending on injuries etc) so you’d think they would be reluctant to trade their pending ufa’s, maybe they even be thinking of ADDING at the deadline.
oh, and on the Defenceman, yes, are they trading Kylington? His ice time got dinged in the playoffs.
They have 10 dmen on one way contracts (incl Kylington) that require waivers. I’d say 2 of them would probably slip through waivers, not sure about Meloche.
Bling
July 23, 2022 8:17 pm
OP re: Florida vs Alberta.
The Economist recently released its most liveable cities list.
Calgary was #4 (tied for 3rd, I think), Vancouver #5. Toronto #8.
It isn’t just my opinion that Calgary is a nice place to live; it is also that of the Economist.
You referenced the weather, and for some people that’s a big thing. I would argue that taxes and weather are the main decision making drivers for some people, but that those things are really a small part of the picture in relation to life, culture, and happiness.
I will come nowhere close to Matt Tkachuk’s net worth, so maybe my perspective is different.
Even accepting that an American would want to play at home, there are simply many better places in the US than Florida.
Of course, choosing one local over the other remains completely subjective. You prefer Calgary or Edmonton to Florida and others prefer the opposite (as we’ve seen in this thread).
Except, it’s not entirely, completely subjective. We’re not talking about abstract art from an unknown painter. There are statistics and quality of life metrics that exist.
Sure, one can hold this or that opinion for their particular situation, and if you’re rich you can live well pretty much anywhere. Still, I’ll take Calgary or Edmonton over Riyadh. Do you consider that to be a subjective choice? I’d argue both Albertan cities are objectively better by many metrics.
I kind of profoundly disagree with this notion of Canadian cities saying woe is me, when in fact by many measures they are the envy of the world. Not to say any of these places are perfect.
Now I don’t mean to diss Florida, I just don’t think people like Treliving should say, “Calgary as a city has taken a hit,” or something to that effect. No, it really hasn’t.
As for Chucky, maybe he’ll love it there. Beaches, low taxes, sun, and a place where hockey is a third tier professional sport.
Chucky says he wants to win. Florida was a pretty good team last year. Average attendance? 14 811. I wonder what attendance will be like next year when the team is worse?
I admire your loyalty to two wonderful cities in Edmonton and Calgary. Having lived in Edmonton and Grande Prairie both great places to raise a young family I can say having also lived in Southern California,Hawaii as well as spent significant time in Daytona Beach Florida that if you can live where winter does not require you to plug in your vehicle or have winter tires or all the time spent dealing with winter you have more time to enjoy life. There is however no substitute for friends and family which in my opinion are the enrichments in life that make the biggest difference in your quality of life regardless of where you live!
These lists are not made for millionaires. They compare things like access to healthcare, traffic, education and crime. I don’t think it’s ridiculous to think Canada is amongst the most livable countries in the world for the average citizen. When you don’t use public services these calculations change though.
Bohologo
July 23, 2022 7:14 pm
Edmonton’s Marco Arop just showed courage and class, winning the bronze medal in the 800 meters at the world track and field championships. Hell of a run, I’m proud to cheer for the young man.
Diablo
July 23, 2022 6:23 pm
This makes too much sense to be true lol!
Kinger_Oil.redux
July 23, 2022 5:25 pm
— just a random thought / rage against decade of darkness: would anyone trade peak eberle and hall on the oilers for Hyman and Kane
— we were sold such a bag of goods that I wasn’t buying about how close we were. McD and Drai are miles ahead of Hall and Ebs, RNH is a 3rd line C or complementary player on this team.
— Anyone would much rather McD + Drai + Kane + Hyman than McD + Drai + Ebs + Hall with nuge as a secondary guy behind them.
I’d take Hall and Ebs over Hyman and Kane. All are very good players but I think Hall (or Chance as LT called him) at the peak of his game is the best player of them all.
It’s a long list but I doubt Hall shows up as ‘best’ too many times.
Most dynamic? Yes. Most chances? I suppose but cashing them counts more imo.
Eberle would be the 2nd best shooter on that list but I’m not sure he would rate on any other measure.
Hall and Eberle were failed by the organization imo. You can never really know how much proper coaching improves a player at that level but I am pretty certain neither of them got it in Edmonton.
Kane Hyman >>> Hall Ebs in the playoffs. Not only do Kane Hyman score well in the playoffs they have the qualities you need, work hard, physical, Hyman kills penalties and good defensively, both good in the blue paint. No contest.
Meh… I think Kinger and some others just have some residual anger about the decade spent wandering the desert and want to hate on everything from that era. Hall and Ebs were very good players on some crap Oilers squads.
I mean, sure, Kane did very well in his best-ever 30 goal and 57 point season and Hyman finally got above his previous 41 point, 21 goal records this year. Both are good players. But Ebs has done 34 goals and 76 points and Hall has done 39 goals and 93 points to win league MVP.
Yeah I didn’t intend to jump too hard on the Kane/Hyman are way better bit, just noting the current guys cost less. I’m very happy to have Kane and Hyman as Oilers at this point, but agree Hall and Eberle were/are good players.
Your comparisons are a little unfair though. The Eberle season was 10 years ago and he never came close to replicating it. Hall’s was only 5 years ago, but he’s been more a 60 point player for the last few years. Also, their last seasons before joining the Oilers Kane scored at a 70+ point pace, Hyman at a 60+ point pace.
If you look at the players more recent history it favours the current Oilers. Points/game last 3 seasons, and rank among NHL forwards:
Kane 0.83 (58th)
Hall 0.73 (88th)
Hyman 0.73 (88th)
Eberle 0.61 (128th)
So Kane and Hyman have actually been better scorers lately. They also play a more grinding style than Hall/Eberle, and they cost less to boot. I’m definitely happy with the players the Oilers have currently.
Recently, yes, but Q was: “would anyone trade peak eberle and hall on the oilers for Hyman and Kane”.
Diablo
July 23, 2022 4:38 pm
Don’t know why everyone’s praising Calgary for what they received in the Turtlechuk trade.
I doubt Huberdeau and Weegar are all that pleased about being traded … and paying more taxes … after the season they both just had in Florida. I doubt either player signs with Calgary long term. The Flames are still bent over a barrel.
All Calgary’s going to ultimately get is picks and some B level prospects …. Magic Beans … after they have to sell off these pending UFAs … they got only one prospect know one has ever heard of out of the deal that’s going to be under team control and a first rounder in 2025 that won’t yield a useful player for at least half a decade.
Huberdeau is heavily sheltered … him getting Hart votes last season was a total joke. Tkachuk is far and away the better player now and moving forward.
They don’t even need Weegar. Their LHD was already set. It would be so like Calgary to turn around and trade one of their LHD that they have under team control to fit Weegar into their lineup, only to have Weegar not sign a long term extension.
You know who wins this trade … the Oilers do, because they don’t have to worry about having one of the dirtiest players in the NHL in their division anymore.
Yesterday at this time no one had any inkling Treveling was working on a deal with Florida and the consensus here was he was going to lose Tkachuk for very little. Now, here we are and BT acquired 4 assets including a top scorer and a very good D.
There are myriad ways this could play out including Calgary re-signing one or both.
Either could be flipped before the season starts for even more assets or they could be traded at the deadline if they won’t sign in Calgary.
Even in your doom and gloom scenario, the return on Tkachuk could be as many as 7-8 assets likely including a couple more 1st round picks.
Florida did well, face of the franchise and a good teammate. Calgary will be judged after next years trade deadline. Anything sooner is premature evaluation.
Dealing picks yes. Not losing home grown talent for pennies on the dollar. I should clarify – Tampa keeps the talent they develop until the cap demand movement. A draft pick is a crap shoot – a developed player (like Tkachuk) is a different animal. Tampa traded picks to keep their successful drafts together.
I think you have to wonder about the state of that team’s cohesiveness after the last couple of weeks. I know there is weather and country and money etc. but teams where the hockey is good don’t tend to lose their two marquee players quite like that.
I guess we will see what comes out over the next little while but I don’t think it is out of line to suggest that that dressing room wasn’t a place that made a guy never want to leave.
That kind of rep tends to raise the cost of free agents and make it harder to spend the money not to mention that you have to get the first marquee guy to say yes so you can use him to pitch the 2nd guy etc. Treliving is already doing damage control.
I think what we are seeing is an exodus of American players who have had their fill of mandates, travel restrictions and general tomfoolery from a rudderless government.
The dressing room likely has very little to do with it.
I think both sides made out great. FLA secured a top forward for eight years on what will be a value contract through his prime.
CGY has more than anyone could have hoped for coming back. Even if neither of CGY’s new roster players signs, Huberdeau’s talent and contract will command riches from contending teams at the deadline. Even as a rental. It’s the kind of deal PHI and NY of old would swing for, you know VEG is in that mix, and with salary retained, any number of interested buyers could announce themselves. CGY can offer a veritable ringer for postseason play at less than 3M. Any team close to playing for the cup has to make that call. I’d start the bidding at two firsts.
Or they extend him.
Nothing’s decided, but Treliving played this hand very, very well.
It could be a value deal for Tkachuk but we need to wait and see if this season is the outlier – I mean, he’s young and still on the upswing but he hasn’t even been a PPG player in the past (and only came close once). He may be more of a 35G/75P guy (give or take) as opposed to a 40G/100P guy.
There is a 3rd option for the flames, of course, that is no extension and not trade – presuming a playoff team, it would be very tough to trade those guys in-season for futures, right?
I’m not sure that Sport Betting AG has inside information on a Kane deal pending…
I do know that, on Wed, Gazolla mentioned that he had spoken to some in the Oilers Hockey Ops and, 100%, they are NOT looking in to a P. Kane trade at this point.
Of course they did. A group of us (11) went too 2 games in Seattle a couple of weeks ago and the Jays could not hit a thing. Fun games to be at as it sure appeared that there were more Jay’s fans than Mariner fans.
Harpers Hair
July 23, 2022 1:32 pm
Pat Steinberg
GM Brad Treliving with us says Friday’s Matthew Tkachuk trade was the first ever sign and trade in NHL history.
Calgary, Florida, and Tkachuk’s camp negotiated a contract. Tkachuk then signed the deal with Calgary before a trade was made with the Panthers. #Flames
Really? I have had an absolutely incredible experience here. Never a line, doctors and nurse practitioners are very knowledgable, the absolute best treatment, and best of all, my insurance covers everything except for a very small co-pay/deductible. I get a CAT scan, $60 out of my pocket. Blood work, $60 out of my pocket. Never ever wait at all. My entire medical file is at my fingertips online, I can manage my entire account on line. I can view the entire background of every doctor before choosing who I want to see. They have patient rankings. I have a question for my doctor after my visit, I can send them a message through my online account. I get an answer within an hour typically. No charge.
Unless Canada has changed dramatically since I moved, I cannot believe the experience is the same. I waited in a hospital in Chicoutimi for 13 hours for my son to get stitches in his foot one day. There were only four people in the emergency room. When I lived in Greenwich CT, the emergency room at Greenwich hospital had an Nespresso machine, fresh bagels, a toaster oven, cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly. I could walk downstairs and get a soft ice cream cone. All free. By the way, a doctor or nurse practitioner makes considerably more money here.
Probably $60 but I have never seen anyone with bullet holes. And to tell you the truth I do not hear too much about that kind of crime on Miami Beach. Or Miami for that matter. I think you may have Miami confused with Detroit or Chicago??
I spent a vacation in Broward County once and the motel we were in had a crack house set up in the very next room for the night; with pimps outside, and all kinds of horrors which we had to put up with.
Meanwhile everywhere we went in the daytime had reports of dead bodies having just been shot up and various other mayhem. It felt like “Gunsmoke” Wild West type of an environment, to be honest. It was still a hoot,and the beaches ruled.
Your experiences don’t seem that drastically different compared to mine in Alberta except I have never needed an emergency room. And I never had to pay for scans or bloodwork.
Also have to keep in mind that medical experiences vary dramatically by person, location, and the time of year you need medical treatment, especially emergency treatment.
I like how this thread is everyone against leadfarmer without realizing that he’s a physician. Anyway, my experience as a Canadian living in the US is that the healthcare here has some things better than Canada and some worse. Very few lineups here but they also cut a lot of corners. I know some NPs are very useful, but there are just so many that I’ve seen here that are just awful and unqualified. My wife is a physician too, and there’s some weird and dangerous shit the corporate overlords push onto doctors here. It’s not all bad though, some aspects of healthcare here are incredibly good.
defmn
July 23, 2022 12:41 pm
From some guy on twitter. It does put a bit of a bad spin on things for sure.
=======================
There needs to be a documentary on how Bill Zito transformed the Florida Panthers into a contender then blew it in 5 months.
“Montreal is a beautiful city. It’s where I’m from. It’s always a dream to play for Montreal”
“I would like to win a championship here in Florida (we were on a playoff push) before heading to Montreal”
Found that on Twitter..
Huberdeau and Dubious are both Habs next year, everyone knows it.
Flames will end up with a few late 1st round draft picks and prospects with a whole lot of hope when the dust settles.
I forecast a break even at best, better packages could of been had.
I’m not defending Zito, didn’t believe he was right for the Oilers, but he’s making some wildly bold moves in the Florida sunshine.
Bulging Twine
July 23, 2022 12:36 pm
“Insiders” talk fluff and rumours that don’t happen most season long then when all the actions actually happens they are at the cottage
Munny 2.0
July 23, 2022 12:14 pm
Fried Man is posting that the Chucky extension is all bonus, baby…
Salary each year is $1M. That comes to $68M in bonuses over the term, or an 8.5M signing bonus each and every year. CF hasn’t updated yet, but there you go.
I believe that is super important for tax purposes as the signing bonus will get taxed at home residency rates but salary will be taxed based on where the the work is performed – that’s high level and I stand to be corrected if its not fully accurate.
Your thoughts on state taxes are correct. Just doesn’t make it any less of a problem for FLA if something should go awry, which was the thrust of my comment. I would expect his agent to be aware of this “high level” advantage, since state taxation laws w.r.t. location are actually common knowledge in the US. I would also expect Zito to negotiate a compromise.
Bulging Twine
July 23, 2022 12:05 pm
If the Flames have any hope of re-signing Lucic, they had to prove that they are still in it to win it
I definitely see a difference between the return the Oilers have gotten in the past *mumble* years trading from positions of weakness and the return the Flames just got. Lucky bastards.
So factoring in taxes, climate and Florida being better positioned to win in the short-medium term what does it take to get a deal done in Calgary? 7×10.5?
It’s because Huberdeau had five more points. Draisaitl only outscored Huberdeau by 25(!) goals, but goal scoring is less important for Hart Trophy voting apparently….wait a minute, I’m confused now…
YYCOil
July 23, 2022 10:53 am
I am still staring at the Oilers right side of the roster, in a few weeks we will have 2 more RFAs signed for $5.4M-$6.2M, these 2 should produce 40-45 goals and 70-80 points. – we will have to replace Foegele with a cheaper option. What a great spot to be in.
Jesse doesn’t want to be here you say – so what, that is not how the NHL works when you are an RFA. It is always in the players best interest to maximize the minutes the coach gives you, Jesse is no different.
I generally agree with this and think the way Holland handled JP last time around was perfect. The only qualifier I would add is that if the player hates being here to the point where it affects his on ice performance, or that of the team, there are times where it’s just best to cut bait. These are the types of situations where I think Old Dutch’s experience actually help quite a bit.
Tampa has Maroon already who can actually play hockey in a limited role, and is actually a better enforcer than Kassian. Maroon also won’t get his team in trouble why losing control of his emotions.
Condition on the 4th rounder sent to FLA by CGY was merely a second slide:
If the 2025 1st RD pick that Florida sent to Calgary is a lottery pick resulting in Calgary receiving Florida’s 2026 1st RD pick instead, then the 2025 4th RD pick that Calgary sent to Florida also slides to 2026.
In true Red Bull fashion, Conner McDavid gives you wings!
OriginalPouzar
July 23, 2022 9:49 am
I sung Treliving’s praises last night and I still believe he did very well – he put his team back in the conversation last night for the division and a run.
As an Oiler fan, I will feel much better about this trade, the longer we go with the new guys not re-signed….. I mean lets get in to the season without pen to paper and I will be enthused!
It was a great trade for Calgary but long term Florida got the best player through the peak of his career at a very team friendly rate. Calgary is going to be under a lot of pressure to sign Huberdeau at market or above to a long term deal with half of the deal through his declining years. That’s the real trap in this situation for Calgary
Huburdeau will have just turned 30 when his new contract kicks in so he will have a number of high prime years left (I think).
If the flames re-sign him this off-season, it will be off his 115 point season which, at this point, is the clear outlier.
I presume an off-season signing will be in the $10.5M-$11M X 7 ranger.
Is that a good contract? Is he a 110 point player? I’m not sure he’ll be repeating that yearly in his early 30s. Is he a 100 point guy or a 90 point guy? He’s only been in that range a few times.
Do I want that big contract signed or do I want them to trade him in-season for a 1st and two good prospects?
Of course, the best case is no trade and he walks after a 1st round exit to the Oilers… my goodness would that be something
Huberdeau is a bona fide 90+ point quality player by every reasonable measure. Not including this past season, from 2018 to 2021, Huberdeau was the 7th highest scoring forward in the NHL, scoring 231 points in 206 games. His points per game in those 3 seasons were 1.11, 1.12 and 1.13. He was the model of consistency at a about a 92 point per 82 pace. And he missed only 1 game in those 3 seasons. The only reasons he didn’t actually get to 92 points was 2 of the seasons were shorter due to Covid – that is not at all a reflection of his ability. Add in this past season, and over the last 4 seasons, he sits 4th in total points with 346 points in 286 games, behind only McDavid, Draisaitl and Patrick Kane.
He is worth every bit as much as Johnny Gaudreau (and I am not commenting on their absolute value), if not more, since Johnny’s last season was more of an outlier than Huberdeau’s based on the past 4 seasons. They are the same age. And anyone who says that Gaudreau and Huberdeau will be fine during the first 5 or so years of their contracts, better not be complaining about RNH’s contract length and his potential aging, as they are all pretty much the same age, and RNH’s contract will expire the same season as Gaudreau’s and 1 year sooner than Huberdeau’s if he signs a 7 year deal. By the time Huberdeau plays the 4th season of his extension/next contract, RNH will have played 6 seasons of his extension
Randle McMurphy
July 23, 2022 9:48 am
Anyone need a “quick pick me up” this morning.
Do what I do, go to the Arizona Coyotes Cap Friendly page and look at the Forwards list, 4th row down.
OriginalPouzar
July 23, 2022 9:45 am
Does Tyler Pitlick still bang and crash like he did when he was up and coming?
I think I would rather have Russell over Koekkoek as 7D – presuming Broberg in the lineup (current d-group), does Holland and Woody want Russell as 7D or Samorukov?
I think Sammy slides through waivers given the famous names that do every year in early Oct but it is a risk and I think he’s ready given all I’ve seen and his great finish to the season (prior to the injury).
I could see 13F and 8D on the roster as well…….
Randle McMurphy
July 23, 2022 9:43 am
~ IF (unwantingly) we have to move JP, anything in the CBA that prevents us from subcontracting Brad Treliving to broker the deal for us? ~
I wish. Ken might be improving his game with (R)FAs, but Treliving has had some master trade days the last while.
OriginalPouzar
July 23, 2022 9:39 am
Daniel Sprong is actually a player I almost mentioned last night. I think this player would only really be contemplated if the org does do something silly and moves on from Puljujarvi (which I still hope does not happen).
I would presume this player would sign a league min deal, or maybe even comes to camp on a PTO. If Jesse is moved, I would think the clear top 6 RW hole as an enticing place – you know, come, earn some top 6 minutes and put up points on a one-year contract.
This would likely be a position that would need to be upgraded prior to the playoffs but he could be a cheap fill in to start the year.
He scores goals but i believe the minutes are sheltered.
The Bjorkstrand trade shows that retaining JP is a must.
IMO, the probability of him staying has increased throughout the summer, and the return in that trade has increased it further.
B. Holland had some praise for him and referenced Nichushkin. Kenny referenced the need for size and forechecking in the playoffs. Where are you finding that?
If you trade JP now, you’re back to looking for that player type at the deadline.
Meanwhile, with Foegele playing to his career norms and Barrie having had a nice season, you have two guys who are at or near the apex of their value.
From accounts, Ken Holland does listen to those he employs around him and I presume this includes his new AGT and Director of Pro Scouting who you reference signing Jeese’s praise over the last few weeks.
Woody also has done the same but that may be window dressing given Jesse’s minutes and role were down-graded under Woody compared to Tip (and lets not forget, Woody was on the bench when Jesse had his biggest struggles as an Oiler and deployment was large issue).
I think the only reason that Ken looks to move Jesse is for cap space and, given he will almost assuradly come in within a million of Foegele (and could be even less), I just can’t see Jesse being the cap casualty unless there is real value in the return.
It just doesn’t make sense to keep Foegele and move on from Jesse for a “meh return” – even if Foegele can’t be moved straight up it shouldn’t cost too much of a sweetener to move him.
Keeper_13
July 23, 2022 9:38 am
Did that balance photo ever get posted? I wondered what it was for years.
I had envisioned some of the classic high steelworkers photos where they are sitting on a beam hundreds of feet above the ground eating lunch, for example. I don’t know how to add to my post though…
I used to love that TV series with Robert Wagner. He’s so smooth and cool.
Kert
July 23, 2022 9:27 am
“..can play all three forward positions.” Whenever I read this about a utility player or swiss army knife or whatever you want to call it, I read it as “can play all three forward positions poorly.”
I was going to blame Devin Shore, but he is hardly the source of this player type.
hunter1909
July 23, 2022 9:25 am
Could Taylor Hall be enticed to sign for the Oilers at a peppercorn cost for 1 season? How long is he signed to Boston for?
If he was cheap enough it might be one of those genius moves that drives the Oilers to final playoff victory.
Not sure why your first two attempts didn’t make it through, I liked this one best. Flames did extremely well, but you’d like to sign Huberfeau and Weegar for several years to make this trade a true home run. No doubt the club did well.
Panthers have lost Marchment, Weegar, and Huberdeau while adding Chucky. Their LHD is officially fugly. Lot of career years on that roster last season.
The Flames are stronger. Weegar is one of the few guys I saw who played 97 effectively.
Great hockey trade. Even if they lose both guys they have tons of cap space to play with after next season. An RFA offer sheet would be a good option for them, right?
The West looks much better than the East right now.
I have also seen Weegar good but can’t say I’ve seen him enough to formulate too much of an opinion.
I will note that he played the vast majority of his time this past season with Ekblad and the top 2 lines on Florida along with favoured offensive zone starts.
Of course, playing with that quality of linemate also means a high quality of comp and, while, he will likely have a solid/good partner in Calgary, it won’t be Ekblad.
On a quick look, Weegar’s on-ice metrics generally held when not with Ekblad (except GF% did come down) but all of Ekblad’s metrics went up quite a bit without Weegar…… not sure if means much but i saw it.
Calgary have done brilliantly for themselves and should compete for a playoff spot instead of finishing 12th like they appeared to be headed a few days ago.
I’m astonished at how much Florida gave up. Seems like poor asset management to me. Also seems like an overreaction to recent playoff results. Which conclusion has more evidence to support it – ‘The Florida Panthers are not good enough to win in the Playoffs,” or “The NHL playoffs are a place where being the best doesn’t help nearly as much as one would expect.” I think one of the best teams in the NHL just got less good, and went out of their way to help a floundering franchise.
On Draisattl’s 26 5v5 goals do yoy know who had the most assists?
Exactly right, Cody Ceci
Do you know who had the 2nd most?
Duncan Keith
This looks promising. 😉
David Dwork
As the dust settles from the Panthers-Flames blockbuster, I’m told Jonathan Huberdeau isn’t particularly happy with how everything played out. There were some early, informal extension talks, but Huby’s camp was waiting for an offer that never came. The next call was the trade.
It would be nice to see Calgary slighty outside of playoff position by trade deadline where they give up assets to make a push, only for them to still fall short and Huberdeau and Weegar leave in the offseason.
Based on prospects entering training camp st the optimum moment for them to make the team,
Which players are due to emerge next training camp?
Holloway maybe? Help me out here. Thanks.
Holloway has the best chance, but he still isn’t quite ready, ideally he spends at least 30 games in the AHL, where he was an elite play-driver, but lacked finish. If he plays 30 games and averages at least 1PPG he will be ready.
Other than Broberg and perhaps Fanti, based on my viewings last season, I don’t see anyone else emerging, although if healthy Samorukov might surprise.
I would say that Samorukov was the Condors’ best d-man down the stretch until injured and that, give or take a Koekkoek, he’ll be on the team and is as ready as he’s going to be.
Here is a fun game to play, go to google and type in “Florida man” as well as the month and day of your birthday. Guaranteed hilarious results.
scottish joke is similar but it’s searching for “dundee man”
I wrote this comment several hours ago, and it’s been (a first for me) stuck with an “Awaiting for approval” [sic] tag since. I couldn’t figure out why, then I realized that I named the owner and recent events might have made that a red flag? It was in response to Kinger_Oil.redux’s comment below. So here is an attempt at a sanitized version:
Not to pick on the recently involuntarily retired Terry Jones, but in keeping with the theme, when the Oilers drafted Yakupov, Jones wrote several articles that encapsulated the generational/OBC/older season ticket holders way of thinking (that I think might have had a lot to do, even internally, with the failures of the DOD). The theme was that the DOD Oilers were almost there, they’d pretty much replicated the core of the 80s team. Yakupov was the missing piece. The assignments (sometimes they were called “Lite” versions, but he even got the Wayner to quote agreement with the notion):
Yakupov was their Anderson.
Justin Schultz was their Coffey.
Hall was their Messier.
Nuge was their Gretzky.
Eberle was their Kurri (!!).
Well, didn’t turn out that way, but this was the burden these guys were carrying, both from elements of what passed for club management, the most powerful media (at that time, 10 years ago, a lot more powerful and significant than these days), OBC former Oilers, a bunch of fans, etc.
I don’t think it was fair, and it was a recipe for disaster. If these players had been given adequate support and developed in a sane fashion, things could have turned out a lot different.
I’d also quibble a bit that peak Taylor Hall >>> Hyman, and I like late-peak Hyman plenty.
Ebs vs Kane looks like a no-brainer now, but if you go back in time the idea of trading Ebs straight up for past (“peak” in terms of normal ageing curves) Evander Kane would have been met with eye rolls and ridicule.
I’m wondering about RNH’s shoulder
looking at his injury history on sportscaster.com there are quite a few mentions of ‘shoulder’ there mixed in with upper body injuries – who knows what those are.
Upper body injury Jan, 2012 IR, missed 13 games
Sprained shoulder in Feb, 2012 IR, missed 7 games
Shoulder Feb 2013, day to day, missed 1 games
Shoulder April 2013, out remainder of season, missed 5 games
Left Shoulder surgery October 2013, missed 2 games
Upper body injury, January 2018, IR, missed 18 games
Upper body injury, April 2021, missed 4 games
Shoulder injury, IR, March 2022, missed 12 games
there is a nice 5 year gap between ’13 and ’18, in regards to shoulder specifically it may actually be an 8 1/2 year gap.
Still, when first I heard shoulder I thought, oh-oh, seeing as he was in the first year of an 8 year contract and knowing he had issues in the past.
I wonder which shoulder this last injury was. The one he had surgery on, or one of the other ones.
and Jason Gregor said that he played with the shoulder injury in the playoffs.
Man! we were banged up in the playoffs!
Draisattl, Nuge, Nurse – those are some pret-tay, pret-tay, pret-tay important players.
Jon Cooper says you need injury luck to win in the playoffs and we didn’t get it this year.
We can’t really complain about injuries vs the Kings as they were without their #1 D-man and a 2nd line winger, and some other Dmen.
Apparently we didn’t need to be healthy to beat Calgary. Woo!
But what if we were healthy vs Colorado???????
Andre De Grasse anchors Canada to gold in the 4x100m relay at world track and field championships:
Video here, it’s a lot of fun to watch:
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2054840387727
And Marco Arop from Edmonton wins bronze in the men’s 800m.
De Grasse ran his hundred in 8.79. Eight seventy-nine. Blistering finish.
I wonder if Tyson Barrie will re think his off season program. He has looked so bad at the start of his two seasons here. You’d think he may change something up.
It had to be said.
Terry Jones
So it’s now 1,015 days since Edmonton won a home CFL game? Eleven losses in a row since Eskimos became Elks? How does one go about lifting a curse applied by, oh, about 40,000 fans?
When thinking of all the incredible wildlife Canada and Alberta alone possesses, you would think that one of these geniuses could think of a cooler animal than a lame assed “Elk”.
Hell, I’d rather they were called the Edmonton Pikas.
Too cheap to buy new helmets. 😉
They gave the keys to fools they’re not getting a redo and rightfully so.
One thing for sure, the NHL is funner with Zito in it.
Meanwhile Chevaldayoff out there still trying to trade Wheeler’s full cap hit
This is why I argued against trying to trade for Hellybuyck … Chevy dithers worse than Dithers.
Yup. I’ve said it for years. Trying to trade with Chevy is a waste of time because he never pulls the trigger until the trade is so lopsided you are likely to get fired for making it.
He traded two years of player spread over two players for eight years of player. But it cost him a 1st and a prospect for a 4th to do so, which seems a juicy premium and likely the result of another bidder. Judging by the way he spends draft capital, he’s probably pretty happy with himself today.
BT is sitting there with two guys with a year left on their deals… Weegar is a good acquisition but CGY didn’t really need another Dman, are they now trading one? And Huberdeau wants to go to MTL. BT has work left to do. He ain’t kickin back.*
I don’t know, man, Treliving might be giving more entertainment value right now. 😉
*Yes, they can keep Hubs till the TD but do you really want to up-end your 1st line and PP at the TD? If they can, they will get him to MTL in the near future.
I’m expecting Josh Anderson to be sent back to Cowtown.
that’s a good way to look at the trade
I agree that Tre has more work to do. Didn’t sound like he was going to get on it right away though (in regards to Hub and Weegar) he’s going to ‘take a breath’. Which I like, as their competitor, I hope they go into the season with neither player signed nor traded (unless of course it is a poor trade, I’d be all for that :)). They still have a good team and should be in the playoff hunt (depending on injuries etc) so you’d think they would be reluctant to trade their pending ufa’s, maybe they even be thinking of ADDING at the deadline.
oh, and on the Defenceman, yes, are they trading Kylington? His ice time got dinged in the playoffs.
They have 10 dmen on one way contracts (incl Kylington) that require waivers. I’d say 2 of them would probably slip through waivers, not sure about Meloche.
OP re: Florida vs Alberta.
The Economist recently released its most liveable cities list.
Calgary was #4 (tied for 3rd, I think), Vancouver #5. Toronto #8.
It isn’t just my opinion that Calgary is a nice place to live; it is also that of the Economist.
You referenced the weather, and for some people that’s a big thing. I would argue that taxes and weather are the main decision making drivers for some people, but that those things are really a small part of the picture in relation to life, culture, and happiness.
I will come nowhere close to Matt Tkachuk’s net worth, so maybe my perspective is different.
Even accepting that an American would want to play at home, there are simply many better places in the US than Florida.
That’s all fair and fine.
Of course, choosing one local over the other remains completely subjective. You prefer Calgary or Edmonton to Florida and others prefer the opposite (as we’ve seen in this thread).
Except, it’s not entirely, completely subjective. We’re not talking about abstract art from an unknown painter. There are statistics and quality of life metrics that exist.
Sure, one can hold this or that opinion for their particular situation, and if you’re rich you can live well pretty much anywhere. Still, I’ll take Calgary or Edmonton over Riyadh. Do you consider that to be a subjective choice? I’d argue both Albertan cities are objectively better by many metrics.
I kind of profoundly disagree with this notion of Canadian cities saying woe is me, when in fact by many measures they are the envy of the world. Not to say any of these places are perfect.
Now I don’t mean to diss Florida, I just don’t think people like Treliving should say, “Calgary as a city has taken a hit,” or something to that effect. No, it really hasn’t.
As for Chucky, maybe he’ll love it there. Beaches, low taxes, sun, and a place where hockey is a third tier professional sport.
Chucky says he wants to win. Florida was a pretty good team last year. Average attendance? 14 811. I wonder what attendance will be like next year when the team is worse?
https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph.php?tmi=5763
I admire your loyalty to two wonderful cities in Edmonton and Calgary. Having lived in Edmonton and Grande Prairie both great places to raise a young family I can say having also lived in Southern California,Hawaii as well as spent significant time in Daytona Beach Florida that if you can live where winter does not require you to plug in your vehicle or have winter tires or all the time spent dealing with winter you have more time to enjoy life. There is however no substitute for friends and family which in my opinion are the enrichments in life that make the biggest difference in your quality of life regardless of where you live!
You say Calgary is a better city. Another poster on here who lives in Florida says he chooses Florida.
Its subjective – different people want and care for different things.
Part of me would love to go live in Kigali for a year over Calgary – that’s subjective.
I’m gonna go ahead & assume that list doesn’t include any non-Canadian cities if CGY, VAN & TOR are in the top 10. 😉
Vienna and Copenhagen were #1 and #2!
Where did you find this ridiculous list?!?
These ridiculous “best cities” lists are for idiots.
There is almost no comparison between Florida and Calgary worth making.
These lists are not made for millionaires. They compare things like access to healthcare, traffic, education and crime. I don’t think it’s ridiculous to think Canada is amongst the most livable countries in the world for the average citizen. When you don’t use public services these calculations change though.
Edmonton’s Marco Arop just showed courage and class, winning the bronze medal in the 800 meters at the world track and field championships. Hell of a run, I’m proud to cheer for the young man.
This makes too much sense to be true lol!
— just a random thought / rage against decade of darkness: would anyone trade peak eberle and hall on the oilers for Hyman and Kane
— we were sold such a bag of goods that I wasn’t buying about how close we were. McD and Drai are miles ahead of Hall and Ebs, RNH is a 3rd line C or complementary player on this team.
— Anyone would much rather McD + Drai + Kane + Hyman than McD + Drai + Ebs + Hall with nuge as a secondary guy behind them.
— it’s go time boys.
I’d take Hall and Ebs over Hyman and Kane. All are very good players but I think Hall (or Chance as LT called him) at the peak of his game is the best player of them all.
Best skater? Yes.
Best shooter? Not even close.
Best back checker? No.
It’s a long list but I doubt Hall shows up as ‘best’ too many times.
Most dynamic? Yes. Most chances? I suppose but cashing them counts more imo.
Eberle would be the 2nd best shooter on that list but I’m not sure he would rate on any other measure.
Hall and Eberle were failed by the organization imo. You can never really know how much proper coaching improves a player at that level but I am pretty certain neither of them got it in Edmonton.
Kane has proven to score big goals in the playoffs…the only time anything really matters.
That alone sets him above the aforementioned driven out of town on a rail ex-Oilers.
Kane Hyman >>> Hall Ebs in the playoffs. Not only do Kane Hyman score well in the playoffs they have the qualities you need, work hard, physical, Hyman kills penalties and good defensively, both good in the blue paint. No contest.
Kane + Hyman ($10.625M) are cheaper than Hall + Eberle ($11.5M) too.
Meh… I think Kinger and some others just have some residual anger about the decade spent wandering the desert and want to hate on everything from that era. Hall and Ebs were very good players on some crap Oilers squads.
I mean, sure, Kane did very well in his best-ever 30 goal and 57 point season and Hyman finally got above his previous 41 point, 21 goal records this year. Both are good players. But Ebs has done 34 goals and 76 points and Hall has done 39 goals and 93 points to win league MVP.
Yeah I didn’t intend to jump too hard on the Kane/Hyman are way better bit, just noting the current guys cost less. I’m very happy to have Kane and Hyman as Oilers at this point, but agree Hall and Eberle were/are good players.
Your comparisons are a little unfair though. The Eberle season was 10 years ago and he never came close to replicating it. Hall’s was only 5 years ago, but he’s been more a 60 point player for the last few years. Also, their last seasons before joining the Oilers Kane scored at a 70+ point pace, Hyman at a 60+ point pace.
If you look at the players more recent history it favours the current Oilers. Points/game last 3 seasons, and rank among NHL forwards:
Kane 0.83 (58th)
Hall 0.73 (88th)
Hyman 0.73 (88th)
Eberle 0.61 (128th)
So Kane and Hyman have actually been better scorers lately. They also play a more grinding style than Hall/Eberle, and they cost less to boot. I’m definitely happy with the players the Oilers have currently.
Recently, yes, but Q was: “would anyone trade peak eberle and hall on the oilers for Hyman and Kane”.
Don’t know why everyone’s praising Calgary for what they received in the Turtlechuk trade.
I doubt Huberdeau and Weegar are all that pleased about being traded … and paying more taxes … after the season they both just had in Florida. I doubt either player signs with Calgary long term. The Flames are still bent over a barrel.
All Calgary’s going to ultimately get is picks and some B level prospects …. Magic Beans … after they have to sell off these pending UFAs … they got only one prospect know one has ever heard of out of the deal that’s going to be under team control and a first rounder in 2025 that won’t yield a useful player for at least half a decade.
Huberdeau is heavily sheltered … him getting Hart votes last season was a total joke. Tkachuk is far and away the better player now and moving forward.
They don’t even need Weegar. Their LHD was already set. It would be so like Calgary to turn around and trade one of their LHD that they have under team control to fit Weegar into their lineup, only to have Weegar not sign a long term extension.
You know who wins this trade … the Oilers do, because they don’t have to worry about having one of the dirtiest players in the NHL in their division anymore.
This is far, far too determinate.
Yesterday at this time no one had any inkling Treveling was working on a deal with Florida and the consensus here was he was going to lose Tkachuk for very little. Now, here we are and BT acquired 4 assets including a top scorer and a very good D.
There are myriad ways this could play out including Calgary re-signing one or both.
Either could be flipped before the season starts for even more assets or they could be traded at the deadline if they won’t sign in Calgary.
Even in your doom and gloom scenario, the return on Tkachuk could be as many as 7-8 assets likely including a couple more 1st round picks.
Florida did well, face of the franchise and a good teammate. Calgary will be judged after next years trade deadline. Anything sooner is premature evaluation.
Barkov is the face of that franchise.
I see what you did there LoL
It appears some nouns are frowned upon in this establishment so I will rephrase my reply.
“This is far too determinate.”
This is rich coming from the “The rubber will hit the road”, “Book it!” mouthpiece.
You write words like someone sitting on a toilet.
Now that you have a chance to appear to act if you are outraged… lol
Fun fact: Tkachuk will fit in nicely in Florida. There are 28 types of turtles there…make that 29 now.
HH – magic beans buddy, magic beans.
We don’t know what we don’t know.
If both Huberdeau and Weever refuse to re-sign, they will leave just as Monahan and Lucic come off the cap.
That would leave Calgary with $21 million in cap space.
Can you also predict how that money will be allocated?
I think we can predict the efficacy of free agency vs. building through the draft. Can you lose draft picks for cap space and still win a cup?
Yes Tampa Bay has been dealing picks and prospects for years.
Dealing picks yes. Not losing home grown talent for pennies on the dollar. I should clarify – Tampa keeps the talent they develop until the cap demand movement. A draft pick is a crap shoot – a developed player (like Tkachuk) is a different animal. Tampa traded picks to keep their successful drafts together.
Have you looked at the free agent group next year?
$21 million in cap space and a bunch of over the hill forwards to overpay.
Doesn’t matter who is a free agent right now.
A team with $21 million in cap space has a huge amount of leverage both in free agency and the trade market.
For example, Carolina just got Max Pacioretty for free since they had the cap space.
There are more examples.
Which flexible cap team is winning cups?
Which team built entirely through the draft has won a cup in the last 10 years?
Hint: ZERO
you shifted the goalposts on that one so far the poor goaler gave up & went home. . .
Oddly enough, that’s as many teams as there are in the league built “entirely” through the draft.
What a ridiculous argument…..
Seriously, name a contending team known for its command of cap space at the trade deadline. I’d love to hear it.
Which team in the league has no free agents? Same answer.
Four million value that they’ll be pay seven million with the value decreasing. Absolute brilliant team building!
Do you mean Max “Patio Ready” as Montreal fans named him?
Woo hoo I bet Draisaitl/Kane are terrified at the prospect of meeting a team starring him in the playoffs.
I think you have to wonder about the state of that team’s cohesiveness after the last couple of weeks. I know there is weather and country and money etc. but teams where the hockey is good don’t tend to lose their two marquee players quite like that.
I guess we will see what comes out over the next little while but I don’t think it is out of line to suggest that that dressing room wasn’t a place that made a guy never want to leave.
That kind of rep tends to raise the cost of free agents and make it harder to spend the money not to mention that you have to get the first marquee guy to say yes so you can use him to pitch the 2nd guy etc. Treliving is already doing damage control.
We’ve been down this road in Edmonton.
I love it when teams start talking about “assets” … “5 assets for Pronger” … “7-8 assets for Turtlechuck”.
We used to have a term for that around these parts … “magic beans”.
Markstrom, Tanev, Coleman say otherwise.
I think what we are seeing is an exodus of American players who have had their fill of mandates, travel restrictions and general tomfoolery from a rudderless government.
The dressing room likely has very little to do with it.
I expect this will accelerate.
How quickly you went from “Johnny will never leave Calgary because he and his family absolutely love it there”
To “Johnny left because of the Canadian Government”
I should have known this would be a awful take when you led with:
“I think”
Lol for once you make sense.
I wish I had that high an opinion of our government. 😉
Yeah, that would be a factor as well.
Sure.
Primarily on overpaid, underqualified bum players. It’s not like they have McDavid/Draisaitl to dazzle anyone with.
UFA’s have a tendency to be incredibly hard to land in less than pristine hockey markets. Like Oilers used to be.
According to your shared wisdom with us it becomes weaponized but your predictions seems to always fall flat! Go figure!
I think both sides made out great. FLA secured a top forward for eight years on what will be a value contract through his prime.
CGY has more than anyone could have hoped for coming back. Even if neither of CGY’s new roster players signs, Huberdeau’s talent and contract will command riches from contending teams at the deadline. Even as a rental. It’s the kind of deal PHI and NY of old would swing for, you know VEG is in that mix, and with salary retained, any number of interested buyers could announce themselves. CGY can offer a veritable ringer for postseason play at less than 3M. Any team close to playing for the cup has to make that call. I’d start the bidding at two firsts.
Or they extend him.
Nothing’s decided, but Treliving played this hand very, very well.
It could be a value deal for Tkachuk but we need to wait and see if this season is the outlier – I mean, he’s young and still on the upswing but he hasn’t even been a PPG player in the past (and only came close once). He may be more of a 35G/75P guy (give or take) as opposed to a 40G/100P guy.
There is a 3rd option for the flames, of course, that is no extension and not trade – presuming a playoff team, it would be very tough to trade those guys in-season for futures, right?
Funny because I don’t remember Chucky doing much vs the Oilers.
It might have been Lucic/Kassian/Kane glaring at him, who knows.
Currently:
Oilers 3.0 odds to land Patrick Kane according to Sports Betting AG.
Avalanche 3.5 to 1 odds to land Kane(for harpers hair) .
Rangers are 4.0 to 1 to get Kane; Kings 5.0 to 1 to get Kane etc.
We were told on here that the Kane acquisition was ridiculous and it should no longer be discussed by us Peons.
I’m not sure that Sport Betting AG has inside information on a Kane deal pending…
I do know that, on Wed, Gazolla mentioned that he had spoken to some in the Oilers Hockey Ops and, 100%, they are NOT looking in to a P. Kane trade at this point.
I know your way to young to remember the Gretzky trade (sale) there is no such thing as 100% when it involves Edmonton.
I doubt if the Oilers are going to be blabbing about this to anyone.
You might have to stop thinking about them as a leaky faucet of drivveling info as they were under the Lowe+MacT epoch.
Boys of Summer.
Check out Blue Jays in 30 if you missed yesterday’s game.
Most runs in a single game in Blue Jays history.
Most runs scored by an opposing team at Fenway in Red Socks history.
When was the last time you saw a Blue Jay get 6 hits in a game?
When was the last time you saw an inside the park GRAND SLAM???
Final score: Blue Jays 28 Red Socks 5
Until last night, these 4 had never all occurred in the same season, let alone by one team in the same game 🤯
🔹 Score 28 runs on the road
🔹 Hit an inside-the-park grand slam
🔹 Team hits for the home run cycle
🔹 Player with 6+ hits in a 9-inning game
H/T
@StatsBySTATS
Answer:
Never.
That has to be a 4+ sigma event.
Of course they did. A group of us (11) went too 2 games in Seattle a couple of weeks ago and the Jays could not hit a thing. Fun games to be at as it sure appeared that there were more Jay’s fans than Mariner fans.
Pat Steinberg
GM Brad Treliving with us says Friday’s Matthew Tkachuk trade was the first ever sign and trade in NHL history.
Calgary, Florida, and Tkachuk’s camp negotiated a contract. Tkachuk then signed the deal with Calgary before a trade was made with the Panthers. #Flames
That’s a little surprising. I couldn’t actually think of one, but I’m still surprised.
Hockey forums have been littered with sign and trade proposals for years.
Yeah…surprised me too.
That is your opinion, and many share it I’m sure. Of course, its HIGHLY subjective and there are many that have the opposite opinion I’m sure.
I’m sure I can think of some day to day benefits of living in Florida in, say, November to March, over Alberta.
As someone who has lived in both, I can say that Florida is much better than Calgary!
My buddy did his medical residency down there and couldn’t move away fast enough when he was finished. To each their own.
I would rather practice medicine in Canada, than the States. But the weather in Florida is pretty great.
Medicine in Florida is pretty bad for most part.
Insurance companies are a huge pain to deal with
Really? I have had an absolutely incredible experience here. Never a line, doctors and nurse practitioners are very knowledgable, the absolute best treatment, and best of all, my insurance covers everything except for a very small co-pay/deductible. I get a CAT scan, $60 out of my pocket. Blood work, $60 out of my pocket. Never ever wait at all. My entire medical file is at my fingertips online, I can manage my entire account on line. I can view the entire background of every doctor before choosing who I want to see. They have patient rankings. I have a question for my doctor after my visit, I can send them a message through my online account. I get an answer within an hour typically. No charge.
Unless Canada has changed dramatically since I moved, I cannot believe the experience is the same. I waited in a hospital in Chicoutimi for 13 hours for my son to get stitches in his foot one day. There were only four people in the emergency room. When I lived in Greenwich CT, the emergency room at Greenwich hospital had an Nespresso machine, fresh bagels, a toaster oven, cream cheese, peanut butter, jelly. I could walk downstairs and get a soft ice cream cone. All free. By the way, a doctor or nurse practitioner makes considerably more money here.
What do they charge for patching up bullet holes?
Probably $60 but I have never seen anyone with bullet holes. And to tell you the truth I do not hear too much about that kind of crime on Miami Beach. Or Miami for that matter. I think you may have Miami confused with Detroit or Chicago??
https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2022-03-21/miami-beach-declares-curfew-after-spate-of-gun-violence
The city of Miami Beach declared a curfew from Thursday until Monday in response to gun violence and raucous spring break crowds that have stretched public services beyond their capacity to respond, officials said on Monday.
A week earlier, 23 people were shot — three fatally — outside a Northwest Miami-Dade banquet hall.
That’s a slow Tuesday night in Chicago!
I spent a vacation in Broward County once and the motel we were in had a crack house set up in the very next room for the night; with pimps outside, and all kinds of horrors which we had to put up with.
Meanwhile everywhere we went in the daytime had reports of dead bodies having just been shot up and various other mayhem. It felt like “Gunsmoke” Wild West type of an environment, to be honest. It was still a hoot,and the beaches ruled.
I loved living in Canada for so many reasons, but the medical system was not one of them.
Your experiences don’t seem that drastically different compared to mine in Alberta except I have never needed an emergency room. And I never had to pay for scans or bloodwork.
Also have to keep in mind that medical experiences vary dramatically by person, location, and the time of year you need medical treatment, especially emergency treatment.
Depends on your insurance.
Being a patient in Canada is great if you are uninsured and patient.
I like how this thread is everyone against leadfarmer without realizing that he’s a physician. Anyway, my experience as a Canadian living in the US is that the healthcare here has some things better than Canada and some worse. Very few lineups here but they also cut a lot of corners. I know some NPs are very useful, but there are just so many that I’ve seen here that are just awful and unqualified. My wife is a physician too, and there’s some weird and dangerous shit the corporate overlords push onto doctors here. It’s not all bad though, some aspects of healthcare here are incredibly good.
From some guy on twitter. It does put a bit of a bad spin on things for sure.
=======================
There needs to be a documentary on how Bill Zito transformed the Florida Panthers into a contender then blew it in 5 months.
3 first round picks
Huberdeau
Weegar
2 prospects
3rd rounder
4th rounder
For 2 months of Claude Giroux
2 Months of Ben Chiarot
Matthew Tkachuk
Insane
That’s bordering on Chiarelli level incompetence. Perhaps it’s the city of Florida that makes your brain stop functioning properly.
City of Florida? Is that a take on the draft comment from a couple of years ago?
Yes, the year he ruined the McDavid draft with an infamous trade.
The first round loss doesn’t help.
“Montreal is a beautiful city. It’s where I’m from. It’s always a dream to play for Montreal”
“I would like to win a championship here in Florida (we were on a playoff push) before heading to Montreal”
Found that on Twitter..
Huberdeau and Dubious are both Habs next year, everyone knows it.
Flames will end up with a few late 1st round draft picks and prospects with a whole lot of hope when the dust settles.
I forecast a break even at best, better packages could of been had.
I’m not defending Zito, didn’t believe he was right for the Oilers, but he’s making some wildly bold moves in the Florida sunshine.
“Insiders” talk fluff and rumours that don’t happen most season long then when all the actions actually happens they are at the cottage
Fried Man is posting that the Chucky extension is all bonus, baby…
Salary each year is $1M. That comes to $68M in bonuses over the term, or an 8.5M signing bonus each and every year. CF hasn’t updated yet, but there you go.
Have fun with that FLA…
I believe that is super important for tax purposes as the signing bonus will get taxed at home residency rates but salary will be taxed based on where the the work is performed – that’s high level and I stand to be corrected if its not fully accurate.
Your thoughts on state taxes are correct. Just doesn’t make it any less of a problem for FLA if something should go awry, which was the thrust of my comment. I would expect his agent to be aware of this “high level” advantage, since state taxation laws w.r.t. location are actually common knowledge in the US. I would also expect Zito to negotiate a compromise.
If the Flames have any hope of re-signing Lucic, they had to prove that they are still in it to win it
😉
Wow. Lucic and hope in the same sentence…. followed by win. That must have been tough.
Can you say dripping with sarcasm!😉
Dripping? Downright oozing with it. Ten pounds in a five pound bag kind of dripping….
Why does last nights trade piss me off even more on the return we received for Hall.
It shouldn’t, Hall was coming off a 26g 65 point season (82gp)
Thcuky just scored 40g and 104pts…
I definitely see a difference between the return the Oilers have gotten in the past *mumble* years trading from positions of weakness and the return the Flames just got. Lucky bastards.
There’s a lot of Tkachuk future compared to (say) Ryan Smyth’s future at the time of his trade.
According to George Richards Fla had extension talks with Huberdeau and he was looking for 7 years 9-10M.
That would be for his 30-36 year old seasons.
So factoring in taxes, climate and Florida being better positioned to win in the short-medium term what does it take to get a deal done in Calgary? 7×10.5?
There is no deal to be had in Calgary imo. One year (or less) of Sutter will be plenty for Huberdeau. Weegar staying is more likely.
Pit can’t wait to sign him for his contract after that one expires….
lol
I said a few weeks ago, the one stat that intrigued me the most about Huberdeau was his 70% oZone starts.
I would add to this that his takeaway vs giveaway ratio is not good.
I absolutely could not understand how Huberdeau ranked 5th in Hart voting; 4 places ahead of Leon Draisaitl.
Evander Kane >> Jonathan Huberdeau….imo
Simple, you have PWHA writers who have no idea what they’re doing. Plenty of evidence for this.
It’s because Huberdeau had five more points. Draisaitl only outscored Huberdeau by 25(!) goals, but goal scoring is less important for Hart Trophy voting apparently….wait a minute, I’m confused now…
I am still staring at the Oilers right side of the roster, in a few weeks we will have 2 more RFAs signed for $5.4M-$6.2M, these 2 should produce 40-45 goals and 70-80 points. – we will have to replace Foegele with a cheaper option. What a great spot to be in.
Jesse doesn’t want to be here you say – so what, that is not how the NHL works when you are an RFA. It is always in the players best interest to maximize the minutes the coach gives you, Jesse is no different.
The media needs to calm down on slow news days.
I generally agree with this and think the way Holland handled JP last time around was perfect. The only qualifier I would add is that if the player hates being here to the point where it affects his on ice performance, or that of the team, there are times where it’s just best to cut bait. These are the types of situations where I think Old Dutch’s experience actually help quite a bit.
Sure but there isn’t any indication this is the case with Jesse.
Of the top 12 Panther FWs in terms of 5v5 ice time last season Huberdeau was 11th in xGF%rel.
His other two linematea were 10th and 12th
for those interested
Huberdeau had 78% offensive zone starts!
I posted the following last night… he was 5th in TOI v. Elites and 12th in DFF. Sheltered and losing the battle…
I’m licking my chops.
Could Calgary trade for Mike Hoffman next? Is Patrick O’Sullivan still available?
Tkachuk and Gaudreau formed 2/3 of the best 5 on 5 line in hockey – it wasn’t even close last year.
Gaudreau/Lindhom/Tkachuk outperformed (vastly) MacDavid/Drai/X.
I don’t imagine that Huburdeau replaces Gaudreau’s 5 on 5 offence but I do think he helps their PP materially.
Not when it mattered.
And he’s only considering one dimension… scoring in a vacuum.
the vacuum being “goal scoring in the NHL”…
Feel free to state a substantive position that counters what I posted – the GF and GA, overall and per 60, tell quite the story.
The PDO pony bucked them off like it was Stampede time.
Pagnotta says the Flames are already listening to calls on Huberdeau.
I wonder if he’s already informed them he is testing the market, maybe waiting for a big Habs payday,?
Like HH said yesterday, I’m sure the Flames were well aware of his intentions when they acquired him. Now the question is: What can they get for him?
Are the calls en francais?
I am curious how Huberdeau looks sans Barkov.
His line was Duclair and Bennett
on PP with Barkov though
Yep, sheltered minutes.
Gonna be a fun year.
Kassian to Tampa next
Tampa has Maroon already who can actually play hockey in a limited role, and is actually a better enforcer than Kassian. Maroon also won’t get his team in trouble why losing control of his emotions.
i was just kidding around
Condition on the 4th rounder sent to FLA by CGY was merely a second slide:
If the 2025 1st RD pick that Florida sent to Calgary is a lottery pick resulting in Calgary receiving Florida’s 2026 1st RD pick instead, then the 2025 4th RD pick that Calgary sent to Florida also slides to 2026.
per Capfriendly
“How high can we fly?”
With Woody at the helm:
TO INFINFITY AND BEYOND!
In true Red Bull fashion, Conner McDavid gives you wings!
I sung Treliving’s praises last night and I still believe he did very well – he put his team back in the conversation last night for the division and a run.
As an Oiler fan, I will feel much better about this trade, the longer we go with the new guys not re-signed….. I mean lets get in to the season without pen to paper and I will be enthused!
It was a great trade for Calgary but long term Florida got the best player through the peak of his career at a very team friendly rate. Calgary is going to be under a lot of pressure to sign Huberdeau at market or above to a long term deal with half of the deal through his declining years. That’s the real trap in this situation for Calgary
Huburdeau will have just turned 30 when his new contract kicks in so he will have a number of high prime years left (I think).
If the flames re-sign him this off-season, it will be off his 115 point season which, at this point, is the clear outlier.
I presume an off-season signing will be in the $10.5M-$11M X 7 ranger.
Is that a good contract? Is he a 110 point player? I’m not sure he’ll be repeating that yearly in his early 30s. Is he a 100 point guy or a 90 point guy? He’s only been in that range a few times.
Do I want that big contract signed or do I want them to trade him in-season for a 1st and two good prospects?
Of course, the best case is no trade and he walks after a 1st round exit to the Oilers… my goodness would that be something
Huberdeau is a bona fide 90+ point quality player by every reasonable measure. Not including this past season, from 2018 to 2021, Huberdeau was the 7th highest scoring forward in the NHL, scoring 231 points in 206 games. His points per game in those 3 seasons were 1.11, 1.12 and 1.13. He was the model of consistency at a about a 92 point per 82 pace. And he missed only 1 game in those 3 seasons. The only reasons he didn’t actually get to 92 points was 2 of the seasons were shorter due to Covid – that is not at all a reflection of his ability. Add in this past season, and over the last 4 seasons, he sits 4th in total points with 346 points in 286 games, behind only McDavid, Draisaitl and Patrick Kane.
He is worth every bit as much as Johnny Gaudreau (and I am not commenting on their absolute value), if not more, since Johnny’s last season was more of an outlier than Huberdeau’s based on the past 4 seasons. They are the same age. And anyone who says that Gaudreau and Huberdeau will be fine during the first 5 or so years of their contracts, better not be complaining about RNH’s contract length and his potential aging, as they are all pretty much the same age, and RNH’s contract will expire the same season as Gaudreau’s and 1 year sooner than Huberdeau’s if he signs a 7 year deal. By the time Huberdeau plays the 4th season of his extension/next contract, RNH will have played 6 seasons of his extension
Anyone need a “quick pick me up” this morning.
Do what I do, go to the Arizona Coyotes Cap Friendly page and look at the Forwards list, 4th row down.
Does Tyler Pitlick still bang and crash like he did when he was up and coming?
I think I would rather have Russell over Koekkoek as 7D – presuming Broberg in the lineup (current d-group), does Holland and Woody want Russell as 7D or Samorukov?
I think Sammy slides through waivers given the famous names that do every year in early Oct but it is a risk and I think he’s ready given all I’ve seen and his great finish to the season (prior to the injury).
I could see 13F and 8D on the roster as well…….
~ IF (unwantingly) we have to move JP, anything in the CBA that prevents us from subcontracting Brad Treliving to broker the deal for us? ~
I wish. Ken might be improving his game with (R)FAs, but Treliving has had some master trade days the last while.
Daniel Sprong is actually a player I almost mentioned last night. I think this player would only really be contemplated if the org does do something silly and moves on from Puljujarvi (which I still hope does not happen).
I would presume this player would sign a league min deal, or maybe even comes to camp on a PTO. If Jesse is moved, I would think the clear top 6 RW hole as an enticing place – you know, come, earn some top 6 minutes and put up points on a one-year contract.
This would likely be a position that would need to be upgraded prior to the playoffs but he could be a cheap fill in to start the year.
He scores goals but i believe the minutes are sheltered.
Brad Malone light.
We already have one of those.
The Bjorkstrand trade shows that retaining JP is a must.
IMO, the probability of him staying has increased throughout the summer, and the return in that trade has increased it further.
B. Holland had some praise for him and referenced Nichushkin. Kenny referenced the need for size and forechecking in the playoffs. Where are you finding that?
If you trade JP now, you’re back to looking for that player type at the deadline.
Meanwhile, with Foegele playing to his career norms and Barrie having had a nice season, you have two guys who are at or near the apex of their value.
From accounts, Ken Holland does listen to those he employs around him and I presume this includes his new AGT and Director of Pro Scouting who you reference signing Jeese’s praise over the last few weeks.
Woody also has done the same but that may be window dressing given Jesse’s minutes and role were down-graded under Woody compared to Tip (and lets not forget, Woody was on the bench when Jesse had his biggest struggles as an Oiler and deployment was large issue).
I think the only reason that Ken looks to move Jesse is for cap space and, given he will almost assuradly come in within a million of Foegele (and could be even less), I just can’t see Jesse being the cap casualty unless there is real value in the return.
It just doesn’t make sense to keep Foegele and move on from Jesse for a “meh return” – even if Foegele can’t be moved straight up it shouldn’t cost too much of a sweetener to move him.
Did that balance photo ever get posted? I wondered what it was for years.
Something like this
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000038/mediaviewer/rm2634622208
I always assumed it looked something like this:
Or this:
.
.
.
Pretty sure that’s Joe Sakic mowing the hedge around his driveway…
LOVE this one!
I had envisioned some of the classic high steelworkers photos where they are sitting on a beam hundreds of feet above the ground eating lunch, for example. I don’t know how to add to my post though…
those freak me out
Wow. 325 slides … thank you.
To Catch A Thief.
I used to love that TV series with Robert Wagner. He’s so smooth and cool.
“..can play all three forward positions.” Whenever I read this about a utility player or swiss army knife or whatever you want to call it, I read it as “can play all three forward positions poorly.”
I was going to blame Devin Shore, but he is hardly the source of this player type.
Could Taylor Hall be enticed to sign for the Oilers at a peppercorn cost for 1 season? How long is he signed to Boston for?
If he was cheap enough it might be one of those genius moves that drives the Oilers to final playoff victory.
He’s signed for 3 more seasons.
Hall moved on … you should too.
Never!
Riley Nash!? Tyler Pitlick!?
I’ll nominate Rob Schremp + Nail Yakupov : p
Hemsky is younger than Mike Smith and Duncan Keith, maybe give him a call too. 😀
Come back, Hemmer, we love you!
The day Johnny Gaudreau signed in Ohio, Randle said:
“The Calgary will be just fine; Darryl Sutter + Cap Space = Competitive Team”
Not sure why your first two attempts didn’t make it through, I liked this one best. Flames did extremely well, but you’d like to sign Huberfeau and Weegar for several years to make this trade a true home run. No doubt the club did well.
Panthers have lost Marchment, Weegar, and Huberdeau while adding Chucky. Their LHD is officially fugly. Lot of career years on that roster last season.
The Flames are stronger. Weegar is one of the few guys I saw who played 97 effectively.
Great hockey trade. Even if they lose both guys they have tons of cap space to play with after next season. An RFA offer sheet would be a good option for them, right?
The West looks much better than the East right now.
I have also seen Weegar good but can’t say I’ve seen him enough to formulate too much of an opinion.
I will note that he played the vast majority of his time this past season with Ekblad and the top 2 lines on Florida along with favoured offensive zone starts.
Of course, playing with that quality of linemate also means a high quality of comp and, while, he will likely have a solid/good partner in Calgary, it won’t be Ekblad.
On a quick look, Weegar’s on-ice metrics generally held when not with Ekblad (except GF% did come down) but all of Ekblad’s metrics went up quite a bit without Weegar…… not sure if means much but i saw it.
Thank You!
Calgary have done brilliantly for themselves and should compete for a playoff spot instead of finishing 12th like they appeared to be headed a few days ago.
I’m astonished at how much Florida gave up. Seems like poor asset management to me. Also seems like an overreaction to recent playoff results. Which conclusion has more evidence to support it – ‘The Florida Panthers are not good enough to win in the Playoffs,” or “The NHL playoffs are a place where being the best doesn’t help nearly as much as one would expect.” I think one of the best teams in the NHL just got less good, and went out of their way to help a floundering franchise.
Didn’t Florida have to give up salaries like Huberdeau and Weeger to fit in Tkachuk?
And I believe there is another shoe to drop since they are still about $3.5 M over.
They’ve been trying to offload Hornqvist for a while.
He would be the logical one but not easy imo.
apparently duclair is going on ltir ($3M cap hit)
But is expected back at some point in the season, no?
Just in time for the playoffs.
Possibly. It seems to be the trend.
yeah that’s true, then what will they do?
Lose in the first round.
ha