GASabresIUFAN

Lots of reasons this game stunk; back to back games, inexperienced D, missing Dahlin, and mediocre goaltending. Anybody really think is part of the solution next season? Didn’t think so.

I guess we miss Dahlin.

Yes they do. They’d need another goalie in Rochester if they bring up UPL.

UPL is in Rochester for three reasons. 1) They aren’t really serious about winning this season. 2). He still is unproven and needs more experience. UPL has only played 40 total AHL games over the last 4 seasons. He has yet to register a 900 save % in the AHL. 3) To bring him up, they’d need to waive Tokarski. They feel, correctly, he’d be claimed if waived and they don’t want to lose him for nothing with the trade deadline 4 weeks away. The bigger question is what do they do with UPL at the deadline. Do they trade Tokarski or Anderson and bring up UPL to finish the season in Buffalo or do they leave the status quo?

Nice. Good luck to the kid. Hockey was always such a big deal at Nichols. I'm glad we are still producing good players.

Go Big Green!

There is usually 1-2 high quality players every year. Dzingel, Weeger, VO, Palat, and Kase among others are all 7th rd picks in recent years.

We’re just saying that it’s possible, although unlikely, that the 7th rd pick we get for Butcher could amount to something be it a 20 goal scorer like VO or a Star like Zetterberg.

Considering that VO is one of the only 5 7th rd picks in 2014 to make the NHL at all, and that he is 28th in pts in the entire 2014 draft class, I'd say that pick turned out ok.

I think you can sign him 5 for 5 if KA wants (I wouldn't), as long as you don't give him any kind of NMC/NTC. This way, assuming he remains productive, he can be traded where ever to get the cap hit off the books. It also is good insurance if guys like JJP, Rosen, Mitts or others don't develop as hoped.

A 7th rd pick can become Victor Olofsson.

No we need to get a bag of donuts for him at the deadline.

Sorry Drake. Get well soon and good luck with you future endeavors.

...and VO already makes $3.05. His RFA qualifying offer will be at least 3.05. I believe he'll ask for at least 5 for 5.

While I wrote trade, we've had this discussion in another thread. He'll be 27 next season. Outside of Skinner, who we are stuck with, the rest of the core forwards are 25 and younger. Tuch (25) and Thompson (24) are the oldest, with Mitts, Cozens, Krebs, Quinn, and JJP ranging from 20-23. That's already 8 forwards with more on the way in Rosen, the 2 Russians, and probably another top 8 forward draft pick from this coming draft. I just don't see VO as having a big roll here beyond the next 2 seasons. The argument for keeping him is of course there is no guarantee that all the kids will pan out and if we make a good deal, contract wise now, we can always trade him later. Ultimately it depends on the offers we get.

Slafkovsky is my choice based on what I saw last night. He may be NHL ready next year.

Trade

This Slafkovsky is a fantastic player. Only 17 and arguably the best player on the ice in the USA Slovakia game. This guy should be at the top of our draft list if we aren’t drafting in the top 4. We currently have the 7th overall pick.

I guess Victors agent told him to get his game back

He probably pullback a Dangerfield (Caddy Shack) and faked his injury so that he didn't have to play for Rasputin for a while.

Better?

I was surprised to see how much scoring is up. I wonder the reason. Better players? Expansion thining the talent pool in goal and on defense? Regardless, no matter Skinner does, outside scoring 45-50 every season, he'll never earn that contract price. It was a dumb contract to give him then and it's worse now. However it's a sunk cost and we need to get everything Skinner has to give. If he can maintain for the next few years a 30 goal 60 pt pace, then we should be thrilled with that return. It will be interesting to see what happens with Skinner when the team depth improves as Mitts returns, Cozens matures and we add Quinn, Krebs and JJP to the roster fulltime. Will his production increase with a harder to defend roster or decrease as PT gets more evenly distributed over the top 3 lines.

FYI: 5 weeks or more seems about the right time to kickoff the trade deadline season. Back in the 2019-2020 season the big Taylor Hall trade out of NJ in mid December 6 weeks before the deadline signaled a pick up in trade activity. The year prior the GMs were dealing nearly daily starting Dec 28th, but the big deals starting with the Rask/Niederreiter trade in mid Jan followed by the Jake Muzzin (for a 1st & 2 players) in 10 days later.

One trade almost always begins the trickle that ends with torrent that is the trade deadline. Last year our trade of Staal for two picks kicked off the trade deadline "season" nearly 3 weeks before the deadline. Trading a top 6 forward for a 1st rd pick I think qualifies for 1st move of the season.

And so it begins. Montreal trades Toffoli to Calg for a 1st, a 5th, Tyler Pillick (Rem's brother) and prospect Emil Heineman (Calg got him from Fla in the Sam Bennett deal). Toffoli has two years left at 4.25.