The defense with 3 RFA's is a lot more muddled. Which of those 3 are we going to retain? That is the real hurdle that needs to be addressed first this offseason, and I am surprised more here aren't taking it head on.
Let Mo walk? He was our top pair and has seniority. Let Juice go? Our only durable Dman and only hitter. I thought Dmen took many years to come around - we must be close to seeing what he becomes. Let Sarge go? Well we have waited this long, and he will be cheap. Keep them all? Maybe a no brainer, but that kinda means no Alzner. Can Poti bounce back from the groin? Thats a big question.
Yeah, the defensive picture is pretty muddled at this point. I'm leaning more towards the opinion that we'll see a lot of movement. I think Mo gets traded in one package or another, whether its for a roster player, or for draft pick movement. I'd imagine they'll try to replace him with a veteran of some ilk. I'd actually be surprised if Juice is not back, considering his salary and relative quality. With Schultz, I have no frakkin clue.
If Nylander is still on the team it would be a waste not to have him as the 2nd line center.
Maybe something like this would work?
Ovechkin - Backstrom - Flash
Laich - Nylander - Semin
Bourque - Steckel - Fehr
Clark - Gordon - Bradley
It is a waste. Theo is a waste as well. Yet Bruce had them bench warming most of the playoffs; they just didn't produce. I agree that you have to give Nyls a shot, but if he's the same player he was this past season I don't see him as more than an injury replacement. I know, its sad. At least we have some guys with size, physicality, defense, ability to crash the net, and heart down the middle this way though. I don't know how much Semin needs a play making center anyway. Here's my question, who has a better shot at turning it around this season: Clark or Nylander? If we could just get some third line play out of those guys...
Mo - his QO would put him at the 2 million mark, too much for him... he is RFA so perhaps we can get some value in return, even if its only a draft pick.
Sarge - an enigma.... on the 1 had, he's cheap & young. on the other hand, he is soft & slow, neither of which is remedied with experience or coaching.
love to see either LOLzner or Carlson start the season in DC. pipedream perhaps but the sooner the better with these future blueline anchors.
My gut instinct tells me to resign the 3. It will cost us ~4 million. But then we are really rolling the dice that gained experience will make us better. We need a shakeup. Maybe dumping Leach is going to be huge. I am thinking moving Poti is best. Rolling the dice on our track record of groins healing themselves on our ice. I dont care if he was playing on one leg, some of his dzone play this playoffs was atrocious. He never really panned out to be the guy we thought he would be; he became a rock defensively. Then his groin has me worried. Poti 100% healthy? bye bye Mo.
Poti Green
Alzner Jurcina
Sarge/Erskine Pothier
If we bring in a stud, get a RD and say bye bye to Juice. But he was maybe our best dman this playoffs, and again, the only durable dman. And cheap. Is that stud dman Carlson? We lose experience but we need to keep the guys below pushing up.
Yeah, the defensive picture is pretty muddled at this point. I'm leaning more towards the opinion that we'll see a lot of movement. I think Mo gets traded in one package or another, whether its for a roster player, or for draft pick movement. I'd imagine they'll try to replace him with a veteran of some ilk. I'd actually be surprised if Juice is not back, considering his salary and relative quality. With Schultz, I have no frakkin clue.
The defense deserves to be turned over bigtime. As a group they are a failure. Mo, Schultz, and Jurcina have all been here for several years now and none is performing at an acceptable level. I'd move them all for whatever they return.
I'm perfectly fine with a regular season blueline of:
1) Acquisition - Kubina ideally
2) Green
3) Poti
4) Pothier
5) Alzner
6/7) Carlson/Erskine
To be honest, I thought Poti on his bad groin was much better than a healthy Mo on most nights. Trading Poti would be the second-to-last thing I'd do to this defense, only ahead of trading Green.
Yeah, the defensive picture is pretty muddled at this point. I'm leaning more towards the opinion that we'll see a lot of movement. I think Mo gets traded in one package or another, whether its for a roster player, or for draft pick movement. I'd imagine they'll try to replace him with a veteran of some ilk. I'd actually be surprised if Juice is not back, considering his salary and relative quality. With Schultz, I have no frakkin clue.
It would seem there has to be some movement. It doesn't seem like the team is inclined to carry more than 7 defensemen at this point. Alzner basically has to make the team next year and a decision has to be made on Lepisto; I would think he has some trade value if they're not going to give him a shot. With Pothier back now, that's two too many.That's not even considering Carlson, who I think will get a year in Hershey first but will most likely be the top call defensive up next season.
I, for one, would like to see Bruce give Clark another shot at the top line RW if he comes into camp healthy...and no other options have been brought in.
I can't see paying him $2.63 million to be a 4th or 3rd line forward....unless he's going to be at 75% the rest of his career.
It would seem there has to be some movement. It doesn't seem like the team is inclined to carry more than 7 defensemen at this point. Alzner basically has to make the team next year and a decision has to be made on Lepisto; I would think he has some trade value if they're not going to give him a shot. With Pothier back now, that's two too many.That's not even considering Carlson, who I think will get a year in Hershey first but will most likely be the top call defensive up next season.
I would agree with you, but (although it shouldn't, given his MO) GMGM's seemingly confident remarks about the current defensive personnel has me worried.
I, for one, would like to see Bruce give Clark another shot at the top line RW if he comes into camp healthy...and no other options have been brought in.
I can't see paying him $2.63 million to be a 4th or 3rd line forward....unless he's going to be at 75% the rest of his career.
Agreed. All he needs to do is show some chemistry and be able to do the dirty work for that line, and he'll be fine. I mean, the established RW for that line this past season only had 40 points. Bruce moves Semin up there when he needs offense anyway.
I, for one, would like to see Bruce give Clark another shot at the top line RW if he comes into camp healthy...and no other options have been brought in.
I can't see paying him $2.63 million to be a 4th or 3rd line forward....unless he's going to be at 75% the rest of his career.
I agree.
During the playoffs Clark looked like he got some of his speed back. Hopefully he'll rest up all the way this off-season. When healthy Chris Clark is one of the things this team needs. Gritty 1st line RW.
To be honest, I thought Poti on his bad groin was much better than a healthy Mo on most nights. Trading Poti would be the second-to-last thing I'd do to this defense, only ahead of trading Green.
I see that also, the problem with Poti and the groin is consistency. Can we count on him to be there 100% the next time the playoffs roll around? It just seems 3.5 for Poti is a bit high for what we got this year. We dont see his offense much. I love Poti's game but he should be paired with a hitter.
I have been burned out on Mo, too soft for a top pair. He doesnt hit but a few times when the playoffs start. Green's partner needs to be a defensive force. I have been beating the drum last year saying we need a #2RD, but we need a #1LD also if we want a real shakeup.
Generally. I like the D to be paired with some O and some D. O = mobility and passing; D = hitting and clearing house. We just dont have anyone bringing that D I like. Juice hits Erskine cleans, thats it on the D ledger.
I don't know. I'm leaning towards expecting GMGM to return this year's defense; let Brent Johnson walk at goal; and toy with various moves from the draft through the summer to punch up the offense, probably at the wing, including dangling the likes of Semin, Fehr, Schultz, prospects, and picks.
It's basically impossible to draw up realistic rosters yet, but something along those lines.
The idea of a hail mary attempt to trade for or sign an impact winger in a Hossa or a Kovalchuk — someone on that order — sounds like it could be a GMGM priority. I don't get the sense that he's particularly upset with this team's defense. Maybe he should be, but in the past he hasn't been active to provide upgrades there.
I think he's banking on a healthy team. A fully-healed Nylander, fully-healed Clark, a healthy Pothier. In his defense, he doesn't really have a choice. Those contracts have to play.
I would agree with you, but (although it shouldn't, given his MO) GMGM's seemingly confident remarks about the current defensive personnel has me worried.
Its the waiting that's the worst part. GMGM is inscrutable but the trade deadline inactivity has put the dread in me as well. That and the economy and looming cap drop next off-season. He did say he prefers to make a trade though. They certainly have the pieces.
As for Clark, this last season I thought to myself: getting him back is just what we needed against Philly. If he stays healthy, we know he's got the heart and the proclivity for dirty work. Besides, the money is spent and after all, he is still our captain, although when Laich was saying in that interview the other day about the roids how he called everyone up personally, I thought it kind of reinforced his de facto status as EL Capitan.
If Clark gets his speed and intensity back he could be a good 1st/2nd line RW. I personally don't see that happening. We need a fast wrecking ball on the top 6 lines. Badly.
I'd even overpay for Manny Malhotra at this point
Anyone see the PK from game 6 of the WCF where Darren Helm molested the Chicago PP for about 20 seconds on his own and outskated like 5 players? That's the kind of guy we need. Callahan, LaRose, etc. Overpay if that's what it takes for us to become complete. Laich isn't fast enough. Fehr isn't fast or gritty enough. Ditto Clark. Ditto Bradley.
Mo - his QO would put him at the 2 million mark, too much for him... he is RFA so perhaps we can get some value in return, even if its only a draft pick.
Sarge - an enigma.... on the 1 had, he's cheap & young. on the other hand, he is soft & slow, neither of which is remedied with experience or coaching.
love to see either LOLzner or Carlson start the season in DC. pipedream perhaps but the sooner the better with these future blueline anchors.
Mo's QO would be precisely what he's making now. You don't get a raise on your QO if you are making more than $1m.
