Like others have said, anybody who gives up a roster player for Roberts is not bright.
Is he an emotional leader? Sure, but at the moment, he's a 3rd line player who might get some powerplay time. He's certainly no Mark Recchi, who's been a much better playoff performer and is still playing at a PPG pace as a legit top line guy, and if he couldn't fetch a roster player, I doubt Roberts can.
I know what you're saying. But I think the problem with this team has been emotional. The talent has always been there. This is the reason why you bring in Roberts.
Fair enough. I just notice him turning up in almost every one of your trade proposals. If you think he's our most tradeable asset, that's fine, but I really see him as the kind of glue guy that every team needs and I would be very reluctant to part with him for that reason.
I guess, if all that matters is regular season success, and asset management, you guys are right. But it akes a lot more to win a cup. And this has still to be addressed by Muckler.
If you're talking about trading players who are better than Roberts is now, like Schaefer or Vermette... are we really talking about asset management?
If you're talking about trading players who are better than Roberts is now, like Schaefer or Vermette... are we really talking about asset management?
Well, you keep speaking about talent. Obviously talent gas never been the problem with this team. With the talen we've had we should have won the cup at least once. I really think a player like Roberts coming to this team would phsycologically do wonders for them. I don't care if there are other players out there better then him. or if he doesn't gst any points. I think the rest of the players attituteds would change, and that is what we want.
I think that is a good deal. I wouln't wait 'til the deadline to deal for Roberts as I think, as we saw in the beggining of the year, that our team takes time to adjust to new faces.
They need to get him quick so that chemistry will have settled in by the time the playoffs start.
If that's what Sens fans think will bring in Roberts (and it appears most fans think this is somehow reasonable while others seem to actually think the Sens are giving up too much), then they're going to be awfully disappointed if the Sens do end up getting him.
Florida won't take Gerber. You don't take on committed salary at the end of the season if you aren't going to the playoffs. You wait until the offseason when there are more options available and you have a better idea of what your payroll is going forward. The whole point of dealing Roberts would be to get rid of his salary for the remainder of the season and to get some good young, cheap assets back in return for his expiring contract.
Florida will want minimum: a high draft pick and either a top prospect or a young, cheap roster player with potential (much like the return for Arnason last year). My guess is that they'll ask for Lee and a 1st. Ottawa might counter with Kelly and a 2nd. It will be somewhere in that range. Trying to ram Gerber down their throats isn't going to happen.
And if Ottawa isn't comfortable with giving up that much, some other team will so let's get our expectations in order now so we don't hear the howls of protest when Roberts does or does not get traded here.
You get 2 minutes for unnecessary roughness!
I don't think the price for Roberts will be that steep.
Ok. Roberts has more fortidute in his little pinky then all those guys. If the Leafs pick him up, and he comes back to haunt us, what will you be saying then. Yes he is forty years old, but he is one tough SOB who I would take to the playoffs over any one of the guys you mentioned. He exemplifies what this team has been lacking for years.
I am very much in favour of Muckler being a player in the Roberts sweepstakes if the price isn't through the roof. I'm even more in favour of it if, as some has suggested, we have some kind of inside track on Roberts, because he will be very restrictive in waving his no trade clause (ie. only in Toronto or the next best thing, i.e. Buffalo, Ottawa, or Montreal), or because our old buddy Jacques Martin is a good enough person to give us a favourable deal for one reason or another (out of concern for Roberts' wishes and/or lingering affection for his home town team).
However, I am very concerned that, between the NHL moving the trade deadline a month earlier and the addition of points for overtime and shootout losses, the trade deadline is (now more than ever) a seller's market. There simply aren't many teams out there that are willing to pack it in so early in the season. If Florida does bite the bullet, you can bet they will want to get as much as they can possibly squeeze out of selling Roberts' grit and 'indispensible' playoff leadership qualities. There may only be a few teams that he he would waive his NTC for, but it sucks for us that they happen to be our most bitter rivals. Thus, as much as I love Roberts' intangibles, I will not be angry if Muckler walks away from the table and instead just picks up another 4th line forward and/or reserve defenseman rather than completely mortgaging our future for one shot at glory with a 40 year old, injury-prone war hero like Roberts.
Well, you keep speaking about talent. Obviously talent gas never been the problem with this team. With the talen we've had we should have won the cup at least once. I really think a player like Roberts coming to this team would phsycologically do wonders for them. I don't care if there are other players out there better then him. or if he doesn't gst any points. I think the rest of the players attituteds would change, and that is what we want.
There's a lot more to winning than simply adding the token old guy. They have to be able to contribute as well. Toronto added Gilmour and Francis in the twilight of their careers, that didn't work out. There's nobody older than Chelios on Detroit right now, out in the 1st round last season. Every year teams that fail added older players too, what did they get from it?
We need our players to get the job done. We need our players to feel confident in one another to get the job done. If your goalie starts tanking, the whole team will follow. That's true for every team and veteran player won't stop that from happening, if it doesn't happen to them first.
Roberts would be a good depth move. One quick look at our TOI and IMO, Neil or Eaves might be the ones most affected because Roberts is bigger than Eaves and has better hands than Neil for a similar role. But the fact is that those are our 9th and 10th forwards right now. There's no way we should make our team worse now to do this. I think our team would feel more confident and could get the job done if they were better, not older.
3rd rounder. If I'm feeling generous, maybe it could be a 2nd.
If the Leafs think they are buyers, Ferguson will go considerably higher than a 2nd to get him. The pressure in that market to bring him back will be huge, particularly if they know Ottawa wants him. If they aren't in the running, however, it's hard to say how much he'll fetch. I guess it comes down to who he's willing to play for and whether those teams want him. When push comes to shove, my guess is he'd go anywhere where he thinks he's got a legimate chance to win a cup, but I could be mistaken.
Gilmour and Francis were acquired for almost nothing because they weren't impact players anymore. Neither is Roberts. You save the 1st rounder for some UFA who has a pretty good chance of making $4+M on the free agent market (to draw some sort of realistic line in the sand based on real life events).
I don't think he'll draw a 1st either, particularly considering that's basically all it took to get Nagy. I would, however, be surprised to see Roberts go for less than a 2nd and a decent, if not exceptional, prospect. Basically exactly what we shelled out for Arnason. I'm not saying I'd be willing to pay that price, but I think somebody will.
Well, you keep speaking about talent. Obviously talent gas never been the problem with this team. With the talen we've had we should have won the cup at least once. I really think a player like Roberts coming to this team would phsycologically do wonders for them. I don't care if there are other players out there better then him. or if he doesn't gst any points. I think the rest of the players attituteds would change, and that is what we want.
I agree 100% - this team doesn't need to add star talent, they need to add people who can help ensure that the star talent they have plays at their best when the team needs them most. The idea isn't necessarily for a guy like Roberts to put up double-digit goals - if he was able to help Spezza play better, and was able to say the right things in the locker room to keep the heads up a bit when things aren't bouncing their way, he will have more than earned his value to the team. And while some will cite examples of when that hasn't worked for a team, seldom has there been a franchise so consistently bereft of true veteran, leadership-oriented players. I've endorsed the idea of picking up Roberts for most of the year, and I continue to stand by it.
Sure, we can all see that Roberts is what we want. But on which line is one question. Bust up the best 3rd line in the league?
But, having a player like Roberts from the start of training camp you get a different type of leadership from him than we would when he comes in at the deadline. Perhaps for a deadline acquisition, the hardest thing to bring is leadership. To support, fill in a hole, add some depth, thats mostly what Weight brought the 'Canes.
But for Roberts to come now and bring leadership, that has to be a bit difficult at least. Hard to expect even perhaps that he come into the dressing room and be a leader?
Bench --> Gerber, Schubert, McGrattan, Allison, Bois
I think signing Roberts alone (without the Gerber-Belfour swap) would cost Hennessey plus a 2nd rounder. The lines above are all deep in talent, and even that 4th line is pretty darn good. If they got Roberts, having him with Comrie would be making great use of what will likely be temporary assets. This is a Cup contending roster, with (finally....) the right mix of veterans, speed, grit, and leadership...
Sure, we can all see that Roberts is what we want. But on which line is one question. Bust up the best 3rd line in the league?
But, having a player like Roberts from the start of training camp you get a different type of leadership from him than we would when he comes in at the deadline. Perhaps for a deadline acquisition, the hardest thing to bring is leadership. To support, fill in a hole, add some depth, thats mostly what Weight brought the 'Canes.
But for Roberts to come now and bring leadership, that has to be a bit difficult at least. Hard to expect even perhaps that he come into the dressing room and be a leader?
Roberts is the type of guy that can play on any line. He'll get a top 9 role. He may not play as many minutes as others, but he'll get a regular shift and play on the PP for sure.
On top of that, he is the type of guy who can walk right into a dressing room and command respect. He doesn't need to come in thumping his chest, but you know he'll speak his mind and I suspect many players within our team have alot of respect for the guy already based on some previous playoff matches (not to name names or anything). I'm not deluding myself thinking this will be the 2002 Roberts, because that version of Roberts never really existed before or after and was an abberation. But damn, he would be awesome for this team.
Would love to se Gelinas come here as long as the price is not too high.
I would take Gelinas in a Heartbeat...of course it helps that he's been my favorite player for 19 years.
The guy has playoff experience aplenty. He's been in 4 Stanley Cup Finals with 4 different teams. He scores timely game winning / series winning goals. He's won a Stanley Cup and he totally brings it in the playoffs.
