James Tanner: NHL Could Easily Have More Trades -or- How a GM Is Like a Chicken The NHL had two trades yesterday and it was amazing.

James Tanner: NHL Could Easily Have More Trades -or- How a GM Is Like a Chicken
The NHL had two trades yesterday and it was amazing.
- James_Tanner

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 11m11 minutes ago
Brandon Gormley (COL) on waivers.

FYI

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 11m11 minutes ago
Brandon Gormley (COL) on waivers.

FYI
- eichiefs9

Easy to say when your executive job isn't on the line.

The fear of letting a Seguin go is def on the Bolts' minds right now.

Easy to say when your executive job isn't on the line.
- jfkst1

But teams should really look into this when they hire people. If you hire a guy who's main goal is to stay employed, he is probably a bad choice, and I bet 28 of the GMs in the league have this problem to some degree.

I don't think Columbus GM does and I don't think Lou Lamoriello does, but I also don't think LL is the "real" GM. So 28 of 29 are too scared to try anything unless their hand is absolutely forced.

@James_Tanner123
Placing a 21 yr old R shooting puck moving defensemen on waivers is a crack-head move. Esp since he's never gotten a regular NHL shift.


Please tell me you know he shoots left not right? Typo...right?

@James_Tanner123
Placing a 21 yr old R shooting puck moving defensemen on waivers is a crack-head move. Esp since he's never gotten a regular NHL shift.


Please tell me you know he shoots left not right? Typo...right?
- LeftCoaster

Typo left

The salary cap has killed the trade volume. The NHL was trade-happy league back in the 1990s, when teams like the Rangers, Flyers and Leafs had payrolls tenfold higher than the Whalers, Nords and Oilers. There were always teams with different needs back then. Throw in less stringent ELC rules giving the Lindroses and Prongers more leverage, a compensation arbitration system for free agents, constant expansion making it difficult to protect all important assets and you had a trade bonanza.

I think the league is more healthy now, even if the transaction tracker is a lot more boring.

@James_Tanner123
Placing a 21 yr old R shooting puck moving defensemen on waivers is a crack-head move. Esp since he's never gotten a regular NHL shift.


Please tell me you know he shoots left not right? Typo...right?
- LeftCoaster

Jesus who cares. He's also 23. Or 34 and ambidextrous. !!!

The salary cap has killed the trade volume. The NHL was trade-happy league back in the 1990s, when teams like the Rangers, Flyers and Leafs had payrolls tenfold higher than the Whalers, Nords and Oilers. There were always teams with different needs back then. Throw in less stringent ELC rules giving the Lindroses and Prongers more leverage, a compensation arbitration system for free agents, constant expansion making it difficult to protect all important assets and you had a trade bonanza.

I think the league is more healthy now, even if the transaction tracker is a lot more boring.
- Snowblind

You can for sure fix your mistakes easier back when there was no cap, but the ability to fix a mistake shouldn't be in your risk/reward breakdown anyways, since on average, 50% of your decisions will likely be terrible no matter what you do. And doing nothing is a decision no one thinks about.

The salary cap has killed the trade volume. The NHL was trade-happy league back in the 1990s, when teams like the Rangers, Flyers and Leafs had payrolls tenfold higher than the Whalers, Nords and Oilers. There were always teams with different needs back then. Throw in less stringent ELC rules giving the Lindroses and Prongers more leverage, a compensation arbitration system for free agents, constant expansion making it difficult to protect all important assets and you had a trade bonanza.

I think the league is more healthy now, even if the transaction tracker is a lot more boring.
- Snowblind

was the league more trade happy back then? I honestly just don't remember.

edit: thinking back to the fletcher years, the leafs definitely were

You can for sure fix your mistakes easier back when there was no cap, but the ability to fix a mistake shouldn't be in your risk/reward breakdown anyways, since on average, 50% of your decisions will likely be terrible no matter what you do. And doing nothing is a decision no one thinks about.
- James_Tanner

Part of taking a risk is failing, in which you should have a back up plan which ultimately means you will have to fix your mistake.

Jesus who cares. He's also 23. Or 34 and ambidextrous. !!!
- James_Tanner

It's important because good Right Shooting "D" are hard to come by!

But then he trades Tyler Seguin for an Old Navy gift certificate

But teams should really look into this when they hire people. If you hire a guy who's main goal is to stay employed, he is probably a bad choice, and I bet 28 of the GMs in the league have this problem to some degree.

I don't think Columbus GM does and I don't think Lou Lamoriello does, but I also don't think LL is the "real" GM. So 28 of 29 are too scared to try anything unless their hand is absolutely forced.
- James_Tanner

I suspect Luo is absolutely in charge of day-to-day. there's a lot more to running a hockey team than just making player personnel decisions.

from a roster decision basis, my best guess (and hope) is Lou is using hunter and dubas as his advisors for player evaluation. lou actually goes out and executes/negotiate deals based on player evaluations from the other two.

in the meantime, dubas runs the marlies and learns from Lou as his right hand.

I fully agree with your assertions that today's GM's are so gun-shy with ownership pressures to win and not let anyone slip away. In a cap world, building from within seems to be the mantra that all GM's live by.

I fully agree with your assertions that today's GM's are so gun-shy with ownership pressures to win and not let anyone slip away. In a cap world, building from within seems to be the mantra that all GM's live by.
- LeftCoaster

There's a lot on the line for them for sure. Take a look at Philly where before it was a win now scenario each season. Now they are looking more into the future and building from within as you said.

These gambles have too much of a risk for GMs to jeopardize not only their jobs but also the future of the franchise.

I fully agree with your assertions that today's GM's are so gun-shy with ownership pressures to win and not let anyone slip away. In a cap world, building from within seems to be the mantra that all GM's live by.
- LeftCoaster

Yes, but that is a terrible strategy. Just based off the number of horrible moves NHL GMs have made in the past six months, you can figure that half the teams in the NHL are primed to be ripped off.

So, in effect, if you're competent, you can make moves knowing your risk factor is lower than it should be just because the competition is known to do really dumb things.

Yes, but that is a terrible strategy. Just based off the number of horrible moves NHL GMs have made in the past six months, you can figure that half the teams in the NHL are primed to be ripped off.

So, in effect, if you're competent, you can make moves knowing your risk factor is lower than it should be just because the competition is known to do really dumb things.
- James_Tanner

Having a prospect pool, or depth at one position, definitely allows a GM to take a greater risk in moving what can be considered a "major piece".

That's why picking the BPA when you're at the bottom of the league helps even if you have strength at that position. Take the Oilers for instance, they now have McDavid, Draisaitl and RNH at center, if it were me I'd be trading RNH for some defensive help.

But as you said, Chiarelli is a bit gun-shy. But really, should he be?

Yes, but that is a terrible strategy. Just based off the number of horrible moves NHL GMs have made in the past six months, you can figure that half the teams in the NHL are primed to be ripped off.

So, in effect, if you're competent, you can make moves knowing your risk factor is lower than it should be just because the competition is known to do really dumb things.
- James_Tanner

but you still have to do things that fit within the lifecycle of your team.

the leafs have absolutely positioned themselves to do what you said - but on a smaller scale. they acquired a number of cheap contracts (some for free) and are now in position to trade those assets off when GM's are known to buy high.

i sure hope leafs management traveled with the team to hang out with doug wilson for a couple days in SJ.

in the future, if their current tactics work out, they should have the depth at both the nhl and prospect levels to make bigger moves that you would like to see.

You can for sure fix your mistakes easier back when there was no cap, but the ability to fix a mistake shouldn't be in your risk/reward breakdown anyways, since on average, 50% of your decisions will likely be terrible no matter what you do. And doing nothing is a decision no one thinks about.
- James_Tanner

Maybe, as you referenced, the bold idiocy of Milbury, Burke and (I'll add) pretty much anyone running the Flyers pre-Hextall have provided some powerful examples of what not to do, so most GMs seem a lot more patient now.

Is there an example of a team that elects to make a lot of moves that actually IS successful in the past 10+ years (other than, say, the Blackhawks, who have to make a lot of moves for cap reasons)?

Maybe, as you referenced, the bold idiocy of Milbury, Burke and (I'll add) pretty much anyone running the Flyers pre-Hextall have provided some powerful examples of what not to do, so most GMs seem a lot more patient now.

Is there an example of a team that elects to make a lot of moves that actually IS successful in the past 10+ years (other than, say, the Blackhawks, who have to make a lot of moves for cap reasons)?
- Snowblind

LA has been very opportunistic in making trades

Having a prospect pool, or depth at one position, definitely allows a GM to take a greater risk in moving what can be considered a "major piece".

That's why picking the BPA when you're at the bottom of the league helps even if you have strength at that position. Take the Oilers for instance, they now have McDavid, Draisaitl and RNH at center, if it were me I'd be trading RNH for some defensive help.

But as you said, Chiarelli is a bit gun-shy. But really, should he be?
- LeftCoaster

To me, the idea of having RNH, CmcD and LD down the middle is too good to mess with. You get a massive edge by having essentially three first lines. That's how you win a Cup. I am trading Eberle and the first and that's it.

There's a lot on the line for them for sure. Take a look at Philly where before it was a win now scenario each season. Now they are looking more into the future and building from within as you said.

These gambles have too much of a risk for GMs to jeopardize not only their jobs but also the future of the franchise.
- Streit2ThePoint

The old mentality of you can hit a few drafts and then buy your team around him, it used to work for Philly, is long gone. Hextall knows you've gotta build from within in todays NHL.