After Scotty's retirement, I saw Murray's comment that he intends to put out a competitive team on the ice next year (catering to season ticket holders i'm sure), but is it time to take a step back and think about can we compete effectively with trades and free agent signings?
Sure we can get guys like Milachek/Volchenkov/etc. and possibly trade for guys like Kaberle and Regehr, but do we think we have serious shot at anything without a true leader on the blue line?
The only guy I can see making such an impact on the team is Martin, but I seriously doubt he comes here without an overpayment.
If this summer is a seller's market I say sell sell sell. Anyone older than 25 should be available. The only untouchables in my books would be Getzlaf, Hiller, and our top grade prospects (Sbisa, Holland, Gardiner, etc.).
I would also consider moving Ryan or Perry in a package for an extreme under 25 talent on the blue line. I'm thinking someone like johnson on st. louis or suter on nashville, or even toronto if we can coax out Kadri + Schenn.
with this core, a rebuild is as simple as 2 or 3 good signings. lets remember the leadership we will still have from these stanley cup winners that we still maintain, and then koivu (hopefully) and marchant.
No team with Getzlaf, Perry, Hiller and Ryan should look to rebuild. I hope they don't rebuild at least.
Yeah, that's what you hope to have by year 3 of your rebuild, at which point you look for a few pieces to fill out the roster. It's not the point where you tear it all down and start over again.
No team with Getzlaf, Perry, Hiller and Ryan should look to rebuild. I hope they don't rebuild at least.
Agreed, when you have a core of those guys playoffs must be the goal. It's unlikely we'll get many top 5 picks anyways the next years and Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan won't be young forever. They are the players we rebuild with. Also, we already have many promising prospects that should give us depth. The rest can be filled out through free agency.
Agreed, when you have a core of those guys playoffs must be the goal. It's unlikely we'll get many top 5 picks anyways the next years and Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan won't be young forever. They are the players we rebuild with. Also, we already have many promising prospects that should give us depth. The rest can be filled out through free agency.
Not to mention all 3 of their contracts (will be) a 5 mil a year cap hit. The 3 of them don't seem like the selfish hold-out type players, more like "let's iron out this contract and play" type players. Watch how bad the superstar salaries inflate after Kovalchuk signs. We are really getting bargains on all 3 of these players... a 2nd line consisting of Kariya Koivu Selanne could come at dirt cheap as well. That leaves all kinds of money to fix our wretched D.
I don't know about rebuilding but what needs to happen is our draft picks and young players have to start making NHL impacts on the cheap. If that happens we can get away with a couple good signings in free agency and maybe a trade or two.
In the last 5 years, since Getz and Perry, only Ryan has been able to truly contribute to our team after being drafted. One guy in five years from the system (and he was the 2nd overall pick) is unacceptable in this cap system where you need cheap guys to contribute and give depth.
Beleskey showed some promise last season and hopefully he'll continue to improve, play more aggressive, physical and use that shot to create some offense from the bottom lines. Hopefully Sbisa does the same next year and the pipeline will start producing more.
One option would be to go with a cheapish young roster for this season, sign 1 top dman and some vet stopgap and target a true stud dman next offseason (Chara, Markov). By young roster i mean having Bonino as the 2nd line center, Sbisa/Mikk in the top-4 etc. One season from now Blake won't be that hard to trade at all so the space would be there to go after that d stud, especially is those young guys step up into their roles and do them cheaply.
I don't know about rebuilding but what needs to happen is our draft picks and young players have to start making NHL impacts on the cheap. If that happens we can get away with a couple good signings in free agency and maybe a trade or two.
In the last 5 years, since Getz and Perry, only Ryan has been able to truly contribute to our team after being drafted. One guy in five years from the system (and he was the 2nd overall pick) is unacceptable in this cap system where you need cheap guys to contribute and give depth.
Beleskey showed some promise last season and hopefully he'll continue to improve, play more aggressive, physical and use that shot to create some offense from the bottom lines. Hopefully Sbisa does the same next year and the pipeline will start producing more.
One option would be to go with a cheapish young roster for this season, sign 1 top dman and some vet stopgap and target a true stud dman next offseason (Chara, Markov). By young roster i mean having Bonino as the 2nd line center, Sbisa/Mikk in the top-4 etc. One season from now Blake won't be that hard to trade at all so the space would be there to go after that d stud, especially is those young guys step up into their roles and do them cheaply.
What you're proposing is a complete change in philosophy related to our prospects. Thus, I doubt it happens.
No offense, but you're hands down the most negative person I've ever seen on the Internet
And perhaps the most enclosed person on the internet as well.
For the last time, 1 Stanley Cup doesn't automatically make Carlyle an Elite Coach and if it weren't for Murray, this Franchise's prospect stock will still be barren and we wouldn't be even having an AHL affiliate.
Last edited by S.S. Giggy: 06-24-2010 at 03:54 PM.
