ForumGhost

I can't tell if you are trolling.

Dammit Minny, way to choke!

I heard Detroit will be in the market for an offensive defenseman.

Oh, righty.

Was it like that with the lockout?

Oilers as well. I highly suspect they will take a defenseman at number 2, but it would be nice to not have to worry about it. Also, 29th would help our lottery chances and give us more to work with if it's at all possible to trade up to 1#.

So a lot of people have been assuming there will be a penalty-free buyout period this summer in which we can get rid of Gomez's contract. But if this is the case, is it worth looking into other contract we might want to shed? Thankfully we are not stuck with many unfortunate contracts, but a lot of people would say Kaberle has got to go. Now, I want to go on record that I actually like Kaberle and even with his limited defensive capability, he can help a team more than he hurts it. 22 points in 41 games (for us) for a defenseman is not bad, especially on a team that has been downright aweful all season. However, I would probably buy him out given the chance due to the fact that our cupboards are stocked with high-end defensive prospects. I expect both Tinordi and Beaulieu will start in the AHL, but either or both could be called up relatively soon. Bealieu especially has been a beast this season and looked quite NHL-ready at camp this year. I doubt he has much to learn at the AHL level. Tinordi seems like he could use a bit more seasoning, but he is probably not too far behind. If we get rid of Kaberle, I think we have a back end that would hopefully feature Markov, Subban, Gorges, Emelin, Diaz and a defensive-minded FA such as Allen, Sarich or Kuba (hopefully 1 year contract to make room for Beaulieu and Tinordi next year). But if we have both Gomez's and Kaberle's money off the book, maybe we can throw the world at Suter and have a defense corps that would be absolutely sick... Obviously, there is the question of Bourque's contract as well. Personally, I would like him to stay with the team for the time being. Even if he can't crack the top six due to his hot/cold play style, I would be happy with a 3rd liner who is a perennial 25+ goal-scorer. Even if he under-performs an gets 20, that's not terrible for 3.3 cap hit. But while I like him, shedding his contract could open up more space for something bigger. So assuming we drop all three of these contracts, we would have some serious money to spend this summer. Zach Parise Ryan Suter Ales Hemsky Alex Semin The question is whether Molson would part with his pocket change for the good of the team... Thoughts?

And by best I assume you mean only? Galchenyuk is American. Most people who want Galchenyuk seem to be subscribers to the 'desperately need a big center' theory, but I think a lot of people are overlooking the fact that he is only 6'1. I know he is supposed to be good, but is he he THAT much better than Leblanc? If we want that elusive big center with top line potential, it's Grigerenko or bust. If we can't select him, I would rather go after Forsberg and then Murray, Dumba or Trouba.

This is why I like the idea of drafting Forsberg. We have Pleks and DD as proven top 6 centers with Eller and Leblanc who also have that potential. Are there any good wingers on the FA market this summer? Around how much money will we have to spend, counting Price's big raise?

Seriously, I don't think anyone can deny Gionta is a top 6 forward. His production alone is enough to tell you that.

29th in the league! Start slipping roofies in Price's Gatorade!

I agree. Ovechkin seems like he will be a Jerome Iginla. An power forward who will have a presence on the ice even when he's not producing at a high level. Will reach 40-50 a few times in his career but will probably never have a season with less than 30. Still an ideal franchise player.

Neither club would or should do a deal like that. Ovie is not only their best player, but he is the face of their franchise. He single-handidly made hockey matter in Washington again, and you can bet he sells tickets and merchandise by the boatload. Trading him would set the franchise (not as an on-ice product but as a interest to the public) back years. On the other side, Montreal shouldn't do a trade like that. While Ovie is great, he falls into the category of being so great that on the trade market, he would command enough high end prospects and young, talented roster players that such a trade would completely gut a team of all it's depth. We have seen time and time again that a 1-line team will not go far in the the playoffs. Depth wins cups.

I wonder what it would take for Columbus to swap their #1 with out (hopefully) #2... A young prospect with talent, ala Kristo? Maybe Diaz and one of our seconds? Am I being to hopeful?

So just out of curiosity, who 'gets rid' of the owner...

I would rather have a few good centers and good wingers rather than one great center and no one to play with him. Other centers that don't have 60 points: Datsyuk, Toews, Kesler, Getzlaf, B. Richards, etc... Tied at 16th for points among centers, Desharnais is in some pretty elite company. The best team in the league right now is STL, and their highest scoring center has 45 points. Second best? NYR, who's highest scoring center has 53.

Unless you draft one... That's my whole point. This team does not have good FA luck, so why not draft strong at every position? We are fine at center, defense and goal. Wing is where we are weak.

Yeah but wingers with top five overall skill don't hit the market until they are ready to be demanding 5mil + salaries.

The more I think about it, the more I suspect our biggest organization need is on the wing. Of all our wingers in the organization only one (Pacioretty) is a sure-fire top 6er under the age of 30. Guys like Gionta and Cole will carry the load well for the next few years but we should really be looking at this from a long-term perspective. With a rare high pick, we can really add someone to build around. I think Forsberg might be our ideal pick, barring a draft lottery win.

I know he is a second rounder. I mean compared to Fischer in terms of a good-looking player we anticipate will make an impact.

Hope it's not going to be another Fischer.

I firmly believe Weber is the better of the two, but they are both good enough to be considered elite no matter who they play with.

So at this point is there reason to doubt Kristo? Last I heard he was a steal as a 2nd rounder. Does it look like he doesn't wanna go pro, or has he regressed?

I would argue Stamkos is easily in the league of Malkin and perhaps Crosby. Crosby may be a more complete player overall but Stamkos is the better pure sniper. As has been said, no one on that level appears to be in this draft, but I expect Yakupov a franchise-reviving talent for Columbus. They will be rebuilding yet again, but with likely a huge return coming back for Nash, probably in high picks and/or star prospects, they should be able to have a strong core in place in a few years. I'm wondering who Edmonton will go for if they go 2nd. The BPA will probably be Grigerenko, but they need help on the back end way more than the front. They have been drafting forwards almost exclusively and you would think they are aiming to contend sooner rather than later. If I was Edmonton, I would definitely looking at defenseman first.

As for the next 2-3 years, I'll just say what has been echoed all season long: we have a team that is better than our record suggests. Aside from the obvious coaching and management blunders, which I believe to be the biggest reason for our failure, injuries have played a huge part, Markov being the prime example. I know you can't blame the injury of one player for a whole season, but it's worth noting that when he was healthy he was considered our best, if not our most key, player, aside from Price. The stumble out of the gate killed the confidence of the team, and with the continued injuries and coaching circus, it could never be recovered. What the team needs is a fresh start. a blank slate. With a new coach, some off-season tunnings (hopefully without the black hole contract/play of Scott Gomez) and a healthy roster. I wholeheartedly believe we will challenge for a playoff spot next year.