tomh009

Yes. But even in that worst year the cap savings is almost $5M, not insubstantial. Only LAK management know whether the bumps are acceptable to them, but I do expect that they are at least evaluating the buyout option.

It's a bit bumpy, but in the end it still averages out to a choice of 7 years @ $8.5M or 14 years @ about $2M. Assuming the buyout dates work out!

He is still learning to play RD. I expect that St-Louis and Hughes want him to have that flexibility.

I agree that neither one is going to help next season, and maybe not the following season, either. But Gorton and Hughes are focused on building a long-term contender, and, for that, next season isn't critical. Finding a top-quality winger will help next season AND in the contention window, though.

It's good. And I think another indication that one or two of our LD prospects will be moved this summer.

We do have Reinbacher and Mailloux so we may not have a gap at 1RD. Top-six forward situation is much more clear.

If a 27-point Kotkaniemi is worth buying out at $4.85M, surely Dubois is worth considering for the same at 40 points and $8.5M.

Are the Leafs actually better without Matthews? They certainly seem more committed, at least.

It was a double minor, four minutes.

Ignoring the specific definition of "elite level" I very much agree. 🙂 Are you envisioning Roy-Evans-Armia on the third line, assuming that both Dach and Newhook would be on the second line, whichever one of them on C and the other on the wing--or Dvorak? I don't expect that either Beck or Kapanen would be ready for this next season. Evans and Armia have played together enough, particularly on PK, that they should have some chemistry by now. Or try to trade Dvorak (with a sweetener?) and bring in someone like Anthony Richard for the 4C position?

We have Xhekaj, Struble and Slafkovsky, all able to take on a villain. And I don't think the Sheriff needs to be on the ice in order to make his presence felt.

I agree with that 100%, but Pronman is saying that the GMs want bigger players. Same thing happening with goalies, some skilled goalies are being overlooked because they are only 6' or 6'1, for example.

This was Pronman's point in the Athletic article as well: "This is why teams get nervous when players at the very top of the draft have major risk factors. Think size issues for guys like Eiserman, Ivan Demidov and Konsta Helenius; hockey sense for Cayden Lindstrom or compete for Zayne Parekh. Teams picking right at the top of the draft tend to prefer players with cleaner evaluations."

One of the better Corey Pronman articles on he Athletic this morning, reflecting on the 2019 draft, five years later. Not a redraft but thoughts about the decisions. Pronman notes that the 2019 US national team (which covered almost half of the top 15 picks that year) was thought of as Jack Hughes's team. And yet it wasn't all Hughes. Pronman writes: Bergevin made the right choice in picking Caufield--and got lucky that he was still available at #15. He may yet end up being the best of those USNTDP draft picks in 2019. Alex Turcotte, on the other hand, hasn't been able to translate his USNTDP success into the NHL. He skates well, but doesn't really have other high-end skills to go with that. And then there was Kakko, who was pretty much the consensus pick at #2. High skill and power, but with so-so skating. It didn't really work out so well, as his hockey sense has not been enough to compensate for the skating issue. Pronman's closing comments about risk management make a lot of sense here:

If we're done with that sub-thread, I think we're OK with it in here. If we still need to continue, I will move it.