JJ, I appreciate the new blog, always nice to have a clean slate. But you say "lots of rumors" but don't list any. Everything you said has been said before, many times over the past few weeks. With Crawford as option "D", and options "A", "B", and "C" supposedly involving Bickell and Versteeg - and Stan doesn't want to include a good prospect to move Bickell - what's new? I'm squeezing that turnip hard as I can and I can't see any blood coming from it.

Again - starting a new blog just for the sake of hitting the reset button is fine. I like hanging out here and appreciate the time you put in to make this a place that's fun to hang out. But "lots of rumors" without listing anything new or even repeating a previous reported rumor is kind of playing with us.

C'mon Stan - do something and put us out of this misery.
- EbonyRaptor

Ok, I had to answer this.

Nope, Seabrook getting the A, theorized elsewhere, but I'm pretty much confirming it, also his willingness to work a deal.

Also, no new trades, but confirming some backstory I reported earlier re Q and the Bowmans.

Until Bickell or Versteeg get moved, I just wouldn't count on anything "new" as you're defining it—unless they got a really too good to pass up offer on Crawford. Which I would say is a remote, but not completely remote possibility.

Cheers.

Now I am out. Like I said, PM me w questions

John Jaeckel: Lots Of Rumors
- John Jaeckel

Here's my question: are you sure they Hawks were all that interested in re-signing Oduya? Since teams can exceed the Cap by 10% in the summer, why not just re-sign him to this cap-friendly deal and then work on moving salary as the summer progresses?

So yesterday I was reading a rumor about Toronto wanting to move James van Riemsdyk and the Hawks maybe being interested except for the whole salary cap issue.

Then this morning I see Eklund talking about Lou Lamoriello taking over in Toronto and " He also has always been about goaltending".

So if Crawford is the sacrificial lamb, is this a good starting point for a trade and what other assets do you think would have to be exchanged to make it happen ?
- kissthecup22

I think CC and JVR are not far off from a valuation standpoint. But I just don't see Shanahan being all that interested in a 6M goalie when he's in the middle of a rebuild.

Just say no to Ehrhoff...

Thanks for sharing what you can. Always appreciated. I have this sinking feeling that Stan will hold his cards too long again and finally he will be forced to deal CC to fill out the roster. With Kruger being a premier shutdown center, I am shocked no one has tried to poach him, however I believe the saying is "it takes two to tango" so if Freddie told his agent no signing with anyone but Chicago, that is huge. Just saying, not starting a rumor.
- ikeane

Why would you be shocked? There hasn't been one single offer sheet extended so far all offseason - and the one supposedly going to Saad is/was an unconfirmed rumour. (Of course I would never suspect collusion because Gary and the NHL owners are way above that).

There are so many good unsigned players out there it's hard to believe and no apparent urgency to get contracts done. There isn't a lot of money out there for teams to spend and we"ll see what happens when the arbitration rulings come down. I suspect some teams will be walking away from players.

Get ready for a long list of PTO invitations in September to players without contracts.

Certainly something to be said about Bowman being unprepared for the Saad situation. He knew he NEEDED to clear the cap space in order to get Saad re-signed. If he didn't know that another team was going to give Saad an offer sheet, then there are much larger problems then whether he was prepared or not. The fact is, he overplayed his hand regarding the 3 contracts he needed to trade (Sharp, Bickell & Versteeg), and every GM in the league knew it. No one knows for sure, but I bet an overpriced at the UC that Stan had a comparable deal from MTL at the draft (less players coming back but more contract $$ going to MTL) to the one he got from DAL. Sending Sharp to MTL at the draft would have freed up enough money to get Saad signed. That being said, is Saad worth the $6+M AAV? Signing him would have all but shipped Crawford out the door to facilitate re-signing Seabrook in the near future.
- lgreenspon7

If Bowman was "unprepared" for the Saad development...

...he salvaged the situation beautifully in my opinion.

Ok, I had to answer this.

Nope, Seabrook getting the A, theorized elsewhere, but I'm pretty much confirming it, also his willingness to work a deal.

Also, no new trades, but confirming some backstory I reported earlier re Q and the Bowmans.

Until Bickell or Versteeg get moved, I just wouldn't count on anything "new" as you're defining it—unless they got a really too good to pass up offer on Crawford. Which I would say is a remote, but not completely remote possibility.

Cheers.

Now I am out. Like I said, PM me w questions
- John Jaeckel

Fair enough. I'll move the onus on me for misinterpreting what you meant by "lots or rumors". I assumed you meant trade rumors. Still love ya big guy.

Toronto are at least four years, probably seven and some luck before they are a contender. What would they want a $6M goalie for this early in their rebuild?
- paulr

Rebuilds, if done properly, don't take from 4-7 years to contend. So it'll either be a lot quicker than that, or we'll still be spinning our wheels in 5 years.

If Bowman was "unprepared" for the Saad development...

...he salvaged the situation beautifully in my opinion.
- ArlingtonRob

Bottom line...would you rather have Saad at his current contract, or the players you got for him?

Certainly something to be said about Bowman being unprepared for the Saad situation. He knew he NEEDED to clear the cap space in order to get Saad re-signed. If he didn't know that another team was going to give Saad an offer sheet, then there are much larger problems then whether he was prepared or not. The fact is, he overplayed his hand regarding the 3 contracts he needed to trade (Sharp, Bickell & Versteeg), and every GM in the league knew it. No one knows for sure, but I bet an overpriced at the UC that Stan had a comparable deal from MTL at the draft (less players coming back but more contract $$ going to MTL) to the one he got from DAL. Sending Sharp to MTL at the draft would have freed up enough money to get Saad signed. That being said, is Saad worth the $6+M AAV? Signing him would have all but shipped Crawford out the door to facilitate re-signing Seabrook in the near future.
- lgreenspon7

He may have thought - or been told - that Saad WOULD do a cap-friendly deal and not sign an offer sheet - but when under the final gun there, he pulled a rabbit out of his hat - a pretty good (very good) deal - even had Sharp gone earlier, there wouldn't be enough money to give Saad $6MM per.

Rebuilds, if done properly, don't take from 4-7 years to contend. So it'll either be a lot quicker than that, or we'll still be spinning our wheels in 5 years.
- djamon

They take a long time if the team is void of top end prospects as the Leafs are. There are no Tavareses, Crosbys, Toews, McDavids in the leafs system, they have some decent prospects but no Franchise type. And without a franchise player the rebuild will take an awfully long time.

Bottom line...would you rather have Saad at his current contract, or the players you got for him?
- djamon

Door 2.

They take a long time if the team is void of top end prospects as the Leafs are. There are no Tavareses, Crosbys, Toews, McDavids in the leafs system, they have some decent prospects but no Franchise type. And without a franchise player the rebuild will take an awfully long time.
- paulr

Unless Steven Stamkos isn't resigned...

"The one thing the team will do in all of those scenarios is re-sign Marcus Kruger, who Quenneville believes is essential to any realistic shot at a Cup this year."

Correct me if I'm wrong JJ. but that would lead me to believe we're talking about a trade happening sooner rather than later. How long can Kruger be left out there hanging? I really can't see signing him prior to a trade. That would just further weaken our hand.
- walleyeb1

A "Sweet Smell of Success" reference - good for you.

They take a long time if the team is void of top end prospects as the Leafs are. There are no Tavareses, Crosbys, Toews, McDavids in the leafs system, they have some decent prospects but no Franchise type. And without a franchise player the rebuild will take an awfully long time.
- paulr

There's no evidence that's true. They have 2 elite prospects, plus an elite level 2nd year player, already in the system. Plus other very good prospects. At this point it's probably more about surrounding those players with the proper talent then actually acquiring any more top level prospects. But, having said that, we're certainly in line for another next summer.

They take a long time if the team is void of top end prospects as the Leafs are. There are no Tavareses, Crosbys, Toews, McDavids in the leafs system, they have some decent prospects but no Franchise type. And without a franchise player the rebuild will take an awfully long time.
- paulr

Lou has a direct line to his buddy Kovalchuk. Signing him will fix everything for the Loafs.

Bottom line...would you rather have Saad at his current contract, or the players you got for him?
- djamon

You're assuming the offer sheet was going to be similar to the contract he signed with CBJ. I don't think that's the case, that's why CBJ came out and said right away we'll match any offer sheets. We didn't have the same cap space luxury.

I think CC and JVR are not far off from a valuation standpoint. But I just don't see Shanahan being all that interested in a 6M goalie when he's in the middle of a rebuild.
- djamon

I'm just killing time by adding 2 of Eklund's stories together and looking for a scenario that helps both teams.

I know that there aren't a lot of 3 way trades done, but if you are more interested in a rebuild maybe we could find a team that needs a Stanley Cup goalie and has some good young players to send your way we could be in business. Especially if we could move some of the extra forwards on our roster in exchange for a 3rd pairing defenseman.

That would let us sign Kruger and Seabrook to long term contracts and let me quit worrying about our roster for the rest of the summer.

There's no evidence that's true. They have 2 elite prospects, plus an elite level 2nd year player, already in the system. Plus other very good prospects. At this point it's probably more about surrounding those players with the proper talent then actually acquiring any more top level prospects. But, having said that, we're certainly in line for another next summer.
- djamon

If you use the Flames as an example, a reasonable rebuild is doable in a couple years. But that's only to get to the point of squeaking into the playoffs. 150 lb 'elite' prospects really mean nothing unless there is a solid foundation of good NHL players to support them. See Nashville as an example.

When Lamorello gets a look at what his roster really looks like, there won't be one player he wouldn't trade to try to get better and that includes Morgan Reilly.

There's no evidence that's true. They have 2 elite prospects, plus an elite level 2nd year player, already in the system. Plus other very good prospects. At this point it's probably more about surrounding those players with the proper talent then actually acquiring any more top level prospects. But, having said that, we're certainly in line for another next summer.
- djamon

Edmonton East

Nice insight. And I agree about earlier offers for Sharp, consistent with what I heard.

Bowman also got a nice return on Saad, though.

Hey, he played the hand long and got burned a bit. That said, he almost had no choice with the Saad situation because he had tried to negotiate earlier and the agent refused to do so til after the season. Everyone knew offer sheets were coming, and they were about to, and there you go.
- John Jaeckel

Trading Sharp earlier may have meant Oduya was still here but most likely didn't matter at all with Saad. Saad's agent had $6 mill in his pocket and no bridge deal allowed once that became reality. I agree Bowman did well to get what he did.

In my world Sharp should have moved earlier but he was a load to move as Johns needed to be included.

Certainly something to be said about Bowman being unprepared for the Saad situation. He knew he NEEDED to clear the cap space in order to get Saad re-signed. If he didn't know that another team was going to give Saad an offer sheet, then there are much larger problems then whether he was prepared or not. The fact is, he overplayed his hand regarding the 3 contracts he needed to trade (Sharp, Bickell & Versteeg), and every GM in the league knew it. No one knows for sure, but I bet an overpriced at the UC that Stan had a comparable deal from MTL at the draft (less players coming back but more contract $$ going to MTL) to the one he got from DAL. Sending Sharp to MTL at the draft would have freed up enough money to get Saad signed. That being said, is Saad worth the $6+M AAV? Signing him would have all but shipped Crawford out the door to facilitate re-signing Seabrook in the near future.

Agreed. Your early offers are almost always your best offers. the longer you wait, in most cases, the less likely you'll get a better deal... in general.. not just in hockey trades.

Sharp would be worth more at the deadline to Montreal than in the summer, but then do the Hawks win the cup? Maybe.

Trading Sharp earlier may have meant Oduya was still here but most likely didn't matter at all with Saad. Saad's agent had $6 mill in his pocket and no bridge deal allowed once that became reality. I agree Bowman did well to get what he did.

In my world Sharp should have moved earlier but he was a load to move as Johns needed to be included.
- Al

In an ideal world, Sharp definitely should have been moved sooner. Except that there wasn't a long list of teams lined up to take the $5.9M x 2.

I'm just killing time by adding 2 of Eklund's stories together and looking for a scenario that helps both teams.

I know that there aren't a lot of 3 way trades done, but if you are more interested in a rebuild maybe we could find a team that needs a Stanley Cup goalie and has some good young players to send your way we could be in business. Especially if we could move some of the extra forwards on our roster in exchange for a 3rd pairing defenseman.

That would let us sign Kruger and Seabrook to long term contracts and let me quit worrying about our roster for the rest of the summer.
- kissthecup22

Trouble is rebuilding teams never sign big money goalies....Last one was Tallon with Khabibuiln...And maybe not even then because not sure Tallon knew at the time he was in full fledge rebuild mode.

Agreed. Your early offers are almost always your best offers. the longer you wait, in most cases, the less likely you'll get a better deal... in general.. not just in hockey trades.

Sharp would be worth more at the deadline to Montreal than in the summer, but then do the Hawks win the cup? Maybe.
- kaptaan

Here's the math..
(Keeping Sharp + losing Saad in summer + cup win) > (trading Sharp + keeping Saad + maybe winning cup)