That's the big question sc, and none of us have the answer right now. And I would not give up Stepan in a Thornton package. So that would be a deal breaker.
No way are we including a 24 yr old center getting better every year for a 33 yr old center. If thats the deal we pass on it. Unless the sharks are paying a good portion of thorn tons salary they are already getting a big break in losing the 6.75 mill off their cap. If they don't sign him and do end up trading him thornton has already told the sharks he will ONLY GO TO THE RANGERS. So in that scenario taking the salary off their books and sending back miller, kristo and a pick should be more than enough for a 33 yr old center. If this doesn't work we keep looking. Time to stop giving young pieces that are a part of our first 9 in trades. Imo we need to find a center that will be better than richards which we should be able to do without breaking up the team.
Stepan is not all that great, and you could sign a #3 using some of the money saved by sending him in a deal. Brassard is just as good and could be the #2. Miller/Kristo wont be enough to get him, unless maybe you also sent DMc.
Thornton is 35 and has been part of underachieving playoff teams going on 15 years. Stepan is 23. Pass Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I agree mel and Dis, no way I include Stepan for Thornton who is 35. Thornton is signed mel for the next 3 seasons, which isn't bad, but no way do I give Stepan for him. As mentioned, if SJ decides they want to deal Joe, he will have control, and I really think he would want to come here # 1 no doubt. So that would give us some leverage, but then the Sharks could say forget it and just keep him. Will be interesting to see how that situation plays out. Will they even want to deal him? I think he might be our best bet get out of the big C's we think are available.
No name calling here Chuck that's not my game, more conjuring on your part. Kristo is an RFA so he needs to be signed to be dealt. Miller, Allen, McIlrath and Lindberg are all in their last year of their contract, at some point they need to get time with the big club to be properly evaluated. I would rather see the 4 of them up next year than bringing in Thornton to gather dust. I don't think Kessler is worth what Vancouver will want, if he wanted to be here he could have come at the deadline.
All good bro. I do think signing Richards was the right move at the time, and I do think considering he scored 20 goals or more 2 of his 3 seasons here, and we had a lot of success as a team, with him as a leader, it was the right move IMO. So no opinion change there at all buddy. I just don't want to knock him today or say it was a disaster. He had a role. He served a purpose even though he never got to the level we hoped he would when we signed him. Now he is gone, and rightfully so, no harm no foul as his deal is gone as well. As for the kids, I don't see all those kids up here. That is all the more reason we should deal some for a proven big C. Kristo, Miller, Lindberg, Fast, Allen, McIlrath are all not playing with the big club next season. Maybe 2...maybe 3 tops, but not all of them. That is why a deal seems smart to me. We'll see.
Lindberg is experienced enough now that he should be ready for a 4th line role. He has more all around ability than Boyle and would cost 1/3.
I wouldn't go more than 2 mill max on Boyle, and would plug Lindberg in if he wants more than that. We should find a spot for a kid on D and a kid upfront IMO.
Boyle is gone I am convinced of that. He wants 3rd line minutes and $3m and will get it based on his year he scored 21, his size and the fact he has been a really good playoff guy for a 4th liner. I have a newfound respect for Boyle after the last 3 years playoffs but adios. He is a very useful player in the playoffs but can be replaced. Everyone thought Prust was the glue of this team after last year's issues, nobody thought that this year. The reality is those guys are replaceable even if you don't like to replace them. You cannot pay Boyle $3-3.5m (some team will pay him that) when you don't have a #1 center yet.
While I wouldn't trade Stepan for Thornton one guy that I would include Stepan for in a package is Eric Staal. I doubt he is even available but he has a huge cap hit for them and would be great here despite his rough year last year. Still only 29, big and a great playmaker and scorer and signed for 2 more years. I would throw a big time package at Carolina for him and try to win the cup in the next 2 years. I highly doubt Carolina is moving him, its impossible to replace guys like that but stranger things have happened
I agree on Boyle. We just cannot afford to give him more than 2 mill per give or take. I also agree on Staal, but doubt he is really available. If he is we should make a big play. Maybe NY is the place for Staal's...LOL. You really did nail something though Dis, this is the time. The next 2/3 seasons is the time for us to win a cup. We need to go all in. We gave up a 1st for Nash. We gave up a 1st for MSL (although it is the 28th pick so no biggie). Nash is 30 now. Girardi is 30. Staal is 27. Hank is 32 now. MSL is 39. The younger guys are now vets used to the NHL grind and ready to go. Brassard is going to be 27. McD will be the Captain and is 25 and ready to explode. Hags is 26. Stepan is 24. Kreider is 23. Pouliot is 28. MZA is 27. J. Moore is 23. These guys are all the right age now with enough NHL experience, which was made even greater by the SCF run, to win a cup. We need to strike now with Hank 32-35 and Nash/Girardi still in their early 30's. Plus as the younger guys become UFA's it is harder and harder to keep the team together. So this is the time. It seems like the past few seasons have been steps towards this summer when we can really complete the team and give it an AV flare. We now have Richards bad contract off. The cap goes up to 70/71 mill. Let's go out there and add a true # 1 C with some size and add a big physical dman to the top 4 and drop the puck (I would look for a dman like that rather than re-sign Stralman). If we make those moves and bring back the main core like Brass and Pouliot and MZA to be the 3rd line, we are really going to be special next season. We need to treat these next 2/3 seasons like this is our time to shine, and I think Sather/AV get that based on some of the moves we have made recently.
