There has to be a partial house cleaning in the off-season

Good summary. But if we see it, you know the management of team sees it or do they...whether that be Sather or whoever is in charge ??? What role players did we target or scout to bring in this year ? Obviously, we dont know b/c we got no one. Were we ever out there looking, scouting ? Tampa scouted Coburn from the Flyers for 2 months before they pulled trigger on him.

 

I don't agree the team was built for the regular season. Was it built for the regular season when we made the SCF last season?

I think CK, JT, KH will be playoff performers, CK already has shown it, but just need time.

MSL is done as a top threat. Nash is not a playoff scorer and is the guy I'd look to move.

I do NOT think this team needs a major overhaul. I WOULD try and move Nash. I would NOT try and move Yandle unless I get blown away. I WOULD say bye to MSL. I WOULD try now to lock up Stepan a little cheaper after a bad playoff run, if not try and see what you can get for him. I WOULD try and deal Boyle or buy him out.

That's it. And flip Talbot for a forward as well. I really don't think we need big changes. A training camp for Yandle will do wonders IMO. Some growth for Hayes and Miller will do wonders IMO. Give a kid a shot at the 6th dman role. Hope Zucc is back. And away we go.

 

I'd say the team was more built for the playoffs last year. They just surprised us

 

I agree with this now but heading into the playoffs I was chomping at the bit for the Rangers to eventually meet up with them and show what a fluke those pre-January games were. This Ranger team is just a massive disappointment. One of the few years I let myself get caught up in expectations.

 

So Boyle and Stralman? I don't see much differnce overall. Pretty much the same team with some fringe tweaks. Klein has taken over for Stralman (Klein is a much better player than last season). On paper our D is better 1-6. Miller and Hayes are young, but upgrades.

The one issue that is fair would be faceoffs. Having Boyle and Moore to take big FO's was a plus, and that was something we didn't address this season and acted as if no big deal.

Outside of that I don't see the big difference.

 

I agree with most of this here - tweak, not an overhaul. It's unfortunate the Yandle piece didn't fit yet but I think it will eventually. The worst part of this all is that not only will Lundqvist's window eventually close but things seemed to line up perfectly with his injury becoming valuable rest, and that's all wasted.

 

THAT'S the biggest issue for sure BBB. Mess has said the same thing as well. We are wasting Hank's prime. He is 33 and has a handful of good years left. I thought this season and the next two was our cup window, so the clock is ticking. We don't win a cup within the next 2 seasons, it isn't happening with Hank IMO.

 

The team meshed better last year. Pouliot -Brass - Zucc was the most consistent line all year. Stralman was awesome defensively, Boyle, Dorsett, and Carcillo provided depth for the 4th line. Richards was produced more than hayes (due to his age).... Even J.Moore didn't make the mistakes Yandle is making. MSL played like MSL

 

I'm on the tweak train as well. I dont trade Nash because at the end of the day he's our main threat, and we won't be getting an equal return on that. Who does the offense run through if he's gone? Nobody is going to send us back that type of threat. We're better off building a better supportive cast and giving him some players who compliment his style better.

My main tweak is replacing St. Louis in the top 6 with somebody bigger with attitude. Preferrably right shot. I said Eberle because he's been rumored to be available, but Blake Wheeler would be PERFECT there. Then you can play Miller on the third line where he'll have less pressure and keep that Hags-Hayes-Miller trio intact.

WPG needs a goalie. Package starts with Talbot who's walking soon anyway. No idea if Wheeler is available but a Kreider-Stepan-Wheeler line would be SICK. If not Wheeler, somebody like him. ST. Louis walks and Boyle is taken care of to make the cap work. Thats my move.

 

I don't know if Peg thinks they need a goalie. I am also not 100% sure what Talbot's value is as a UFA after next season.

I do like where your head is at Prod. I would deal Nash if we can get a solid return of players that help now. If we can only get pennies I wouldn't deal Nash just to deal him.

If you buyout Boyle, and save 3 mill, and put a kid in the 6 spot. Let MSL walk and replace him with a 3.5 mill good solid R shot forward with some grit and/or deal Talbot for a decent forward. Let Hayes grow. Let Miller grow. Let Kreider grow. Maybe add a kid like Lindberg to the 4th line mix. I think that would put us in a real good spot.

Few teams will have a 1-5 on D like us. Few teams will have the forwards we have, assuming Zucc is healthy and we add a good forward to replace MSL via Cam trade and/or a FA signing.

Obviously we are not far off, the record tells us that and all the people picking us tells us that, so make a few moves around the edges to grit up this team a little for the playoffs. That combined with the growth of some kids is the answer IMO.

 

The FA class is a little weak this year for RW. Drew Stafford...Chris Stewart...Justin Williams...blah. That's why I'd look to the trade market, Sather is better there than in FA anyway.

I want Klingberg t0 make the team on the 4th line. Hartford watchers are raving about him. He's big and plays in-your-face. Maybe he's an upgrade to Fast on the 4th line (as he's a right shot), and Fast can be packaged with Talbot to land that top 6 F we obviously need.

EDIT: I'm saying that assuming Glass is locked in on the left, as much as I dont want him to be.

 

Noone thinks AV is at fault?

My uncle live in Vancouver and huge Vancouver fan, but when he learned that AV joined NYR, he said right away. Enjoy the season and be ready to be dissapointed in the playoffs. I mean 3 Pres Trohy in last 5 years, 7 times division champs and no cup. Maybe he is a problem? Not coaching style but personnel issues? Maybe we should start with trading him?

 

Nope, I don't think it is AV's fault. Happy your uncle said that. Was he saying that when AV made the SCF? How have the Canucks done since AV left?

 

For the record, AV is far from perfect as a coach, what coach is, but Nash not scoring any playoff goals AGAIN and MSL running out of gas at age 40 is not on AV.

I don't like the Moore up and Miller down move, seems counter to what we want to get done...score some goals. I also don't like the 1st PP unit, but overall I don't blame AV for this.

 

AV has been pretty bad making adjustments this series but at the end of the day the players have to put it in the net

 

This AV talk is nonsense. He hasn't made good adjustments this series but is it his fault nobody other then Brass can put the puck in the net? Is it his fault they get killed on face offs?

Was it AV's fault that Girardi fell down in the D zone in OT last year vs Kings in finals or that they couldn't win any of those OT games? Is it AV's fault the Canucks lost to Boston in G7 of the finals?

He's a great coach. Not his best series but let's not go crazy. I'm sure your uncle loves having Des Jardins lose to an average Flames team who is missing their best player.

 

Av has been a great coach here. He keeps lines together if at all possible. He encourages offense. His biggest mistake has been Glass. He ruined the 4th insisting on playing him. That is where Sather should have just traded him and not cared about AV.

 

Nash won't be moved, we just have to hope that he scores a little more in the playoffs. I'm not going to beat on him as bad as some are because he is still helping in other ways and is keyed on like AO is simply because other teams don't fear much else on our forwards. Like Chuck said you won't get full value and like Mess said you need to replace those 'regular season' points.
Boyle I can see getting moved since they generally probably aren't happy with his season though he was hurt early on. A WC team with cap space may take his last year in hopes he helps on the pp. Maybe the Rangers even eat 1m or so to do it. Skjei is probably almost ready for the NHL and can probably produce the same point level for 1/4 the price. They aren't going to move Yandle even though he's been a bit of a disappointment so far, especially in this series. He will help next year and at 2.5m is too much of a bargain for what he provides to let go of. Especially with Mac being a total jackass lately.
Stepan I've been saying all along for 4y that he is no better than a 3rd C on a top team and is overpaid for the player he is. Other teams see this too and probably wouldn't give you fair value even being an RFA. The issue is they need a real big time C like Eric Staal to anchor the middle, so maybe after next year they clear some space to go after him.
They need people who can really shoot and provide some bulk up front. It's too bad Buchnevich isn't coming over next year or I'd give him a spot. Maybe they can sign a 2-3m FA forward who can help like a Glencross. I have to take a look at the full UFA list.

 

Ryder is too old and Williams will probably suck if he comes here