Going off last season i think some lines r fairly obvious prolly...

Daniel Hank Granny
Sven BO BB

After that it gets interesting...

Gagner Sutter LE
Gaunce Burmistrov DD
Rodin Boucher

Where Goldy & JV can earn a spot looks unlikely IMO
Cannot see BB down in Utica to tryout Goldy or JV.
Granny & LE could swap spots.
Rodin & Boucher r not exempt & r on show me seasons.
The PP should be better with Gagner/BB/MDZ around for a full season.
Goldy & JV will be in a 1st call-up role leading to possible TDL/offseason moves.

For starters Sutter is not a great playmaker.
If Gagner were to lead the way to distribute the puck it could be interesting.
The problem i have is where do all the wingers play?
Daniel LE BB Sven Granny...1 is the odd man out on the 4th line.
- Nighthawk

Right that's why two wingers who can play make would be the compensation there with him covering their defensive lapses.

In that Sutter line scenario you have another offensive or two way line in bottom 6 with one of those other wingers centered by Burmistrov.

Going off last season i think some lines r fairly obvious prolly...

Daniel Hank Granny
Sven BO BB

After that it gets interesting...

Gagner Sutter LE
Gaunce Burmistrov DD
Rodin Boucher

Where Goldy & JV can earn a spot looks unlikely IMO
Cannot see BB down in Utica to tryout Goldy or JV.
Granny & LE could swap spots.
Rodin & Boucher r not exempt & r on show me seasons.
The PP should be better with Gagner/BB/MDZ around for a full season.
Goldy & JV will be in a 1st call-up role leading to possible TDL/offseason moves.
- Nighthawk

can't be worse

can't be worse
- Crazybagoham

Must agree👍😂😂

I'm still against Bo getting north of 5mil for 6 years. I'd rather sign him for 2 years and see if he maintains and/or improves on last years totals and then give him the long term/big money contract because he'll have earned it then. Plus in 2 years, we should have everyone we need ready to go for the playoffs and compete and it'll make more sense then to lock Bo up long-term.
- DariusKnight

Going off last season i think some lines r fairly obvious prolly...

Daniel Hank Granny
Sven BO BB

After that it gets interesting...

Gagner Sutter LE
Gaunce Burmistrov DD
Rodin Boucher

Where Goldy & JV can earn a spot looks unlikely IMO
Cannot see BB down in Utica to tryout Goldy or JV.
Granny & LE could swap spots.
Rodin & Boucher r not exempt & r on show me seasons.
The PP should be better with Gagner/BB/MDZ around for a full season.
Goldy & JV will be in a 1st call-up role leading to possible TDL/offseason moves.
- Nighthawk

JV and Goldy earn spots as injury callups, which is inevitable with this team. I still think JV forces his way into the lineup, as we need a bit of muscle/speed out there.
When that happens, I would not sweat it at all if Rodin and Boucher were picked up on waivers by another team...i'm sure others here would...

Yeah, even I agree with what deals were signed this off-season that he will, I just don't think he's worth it or earned it yet and I'd prefer him on a two year show me contract/bridge deal and then if he maintains and/or improves on his totals, then give him the big money/long-term deal. I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I don't see him being our best player for years to come. I think EP and possibly whoever we draft this year will be and will want more money and term than Bo and that could cause us cap problems down the line.

EDIT: It's also why we need to dump Sutter immediately if Bo is getting that kind of term/dollars. He's useless to us at this point and we can use Gagner for 3C instead.
- DariusKnight

ya, strongly disagree here. He has produced at a high end 2nd C rate. This isn't 2005. Your top players generally get around $7MM-$10MM and your next tier get in the $5MM - $6MM range. Paying Bo $5.5MM isn't committing to top line dollars. The contract will probably be a steal in a couple years.

- dbot

Key suggestion was experimenting season as in not looking to win games over creating offense. Shut down lines are great for playoffs.
- Nuck4U

Experimenting went on last year.

- CanuckDon

edit....what in the frank does Bo have to do to get any respect from this fanbase

I'm still against Bo getting north of 5mil for 6 years. I'd rather sign him for 2 years and see if he maintains and/or improves on last years totals and then give him the long term/big money contract because he'll have earned it then. Plus in 2 years, we should have everyone we need ready to go for the playoffs and compete and it'll make more sense then to lock Bo up long-term.
- DariusKnight

I have a hard time betting against Bo. I understood when Montreal bet against PK Subban, even though he put up points his play was volatile so bridge deal made sense to me. I think Bo is a safe bet to become a more complete player, while maintaining himself around a 50 point player. For that reason, I lock him in as long as possible hoping he exceeds the value over the course of the contract

edit....what in the frank does Bo have to do to get any respect from this fanbase
- CanuckDon

Whatch your blood pressure

Key suggestion was experimenting season as in not looking to win games over creating offense. Shut down lines are great for playoffs.
- Nuck4U

Outside of Kesler in ANA, were there many true shutdown lines in the playoffs (and called as such) the past couple seasons? For the most part I recall it being top 6 vs top 6, but I could be wrong.

Definitely feel like I havent seen a one dimensional shutdown line like the days of Sami Pahlsson for a while

edit....what in the frank does Bo have to do to get any respect from this fanbase
- CanuckDon

People are going to hate because they have to hate on everything that is good to bring it down to their level.

ya, strongly disagree here. He has produced at a high end 2nd C rate. This isn't 2005. Your top players generally get around $7MM-$10MM and your next tier get in the $5MM - $6MM range. Paying Bo $5.5MM isn't committing to top line dollars. The contract will probably be a steal in a couple years.
- CanuckDon

Yet we paid Sutter almost as much to produce what Bo did and hasn't and you want to pay Bo more now? This is the reason teams get in cap hell. by paying big dollars to 2nd tier stars who end up not being worth the money. If we got rid of Sutter, THEN signed Bo to a long term 5.5 mil contract I'd have no problems. You call him a high end 2C and yet fail to acknowledge that most of his points came before the AS break and then he fell off a cliff once put in a position where he was the go-to guy on the team.

Can he improve on his totals? Sure, but before committing that kind of term and money, I'd like to see him do what he did last year for at least another year or more before giving him that sort of a potential anchor contract. Again, I know I'm in the minority here, you like Bo and that's fine. I just don't see him as elite and I want to see at least another year of him being that 'high end 2C' that you believe him to be and to dump salary in the form of Sutter before I give him the big dollar/term contract is all.

ya, strongly disagree here. He has produced at a high end 2nd C rate. This isn't 2005. Your top players generally get around $7MM-$10MM and your next tier get in the $5MM - $6MM range. Paying Bo $5.5MM isn't committing to top line dollars. The contract will probably be a steal in a couple years.
- CanuckDon

I'm not going to look it up, but i thought he struggled quite a bit 2 years ago and last season started on the 4th line and worked his way up to 2nd line, but went through long stretches without scoring or controlling play.
I feel like we've debated this one before, but in short, I wouldn't put him at high end 2C just yet, he very well turn out as a great 2C, but he isn't yet.
that's why i would favor a shorter contract to wait and see before locking him up long term

I have a hard time betting against Bo. I understood when Montreal bet against PK Subban, even though he put up points his play was volatile so bridge deal made sense to me. I think Bo is a safe bet to become a more complete player, while maintaining himself around a 50 point player. For that reason, I lock him in as long as possible hoping he exceeds the value over the course of the contract
- WhiteLie

A PK BO comparison is a poor one IMO
D vs C & $9m was stupid.
PK had Price & BO is insulated & still improving.
Bridge deal or not is fine by me but JB will probably just lock him up.
Either way i cannot see much difference in $$$'s other than a bridge deal doesn't send a great message with us being in a rebuild. BO is part of the core & will get a long term contract so as to continue what JB has begun.

People are going to hate because they have to hate on everything that is good to bring it down to their level.
- manvanfan

Hate is an overused out of context word too many ppl use inappropriately.
English affords much better ways of articulating properly.

Edmonton is going to regret that Kris Russell contract
- classic321

If they win the Cup they wont.

And I think they definitely got the horses to go deep.

People are going to hate because they have to hate on everything that is good to bring it down to their level.
- manvanfan

I never heard one poster on here say the hate Bo

Yet we paid Sutter almost as much to produce what Bo did and hasn't and you want to pay Bo more now? This is the reason teams get in cap hell. by paying big dollars to 2nd tier stars who end up not being worth the money. If we got rid of Sutter, THEN signed Bo to a long term 5.5 mil contract I'd have no problems. You call him a high end 2C and yet fail to acknowledge that most of his points came before the AS break and then he fell off a cliff once put in a position where he was the go-to guy on the team.

Can he improve on his totals? Sure, but before committing that kind of term and money, I'd like to see him do what he did last year for at least another year or more before giving him that sort of a potential anchor contract. Again, I know I'm in the minority here, you like Bo and that's fine. I just don't see him as elite and I want to see at least another year of him being that 'high end 2C' that you believe him to be and to dump salary in the form of Sutter before I give him the big dollar/term contract is all.
- DariusKnight

So you're saying that he was excelling as a high end 2nd line center but not as a 1C. Yet you have a problem with paying him as a 2C?

A PK BO comparison is a poor one IMO
D vs C & $9m was stupid.
PK had Price & BO is insulated & still improving.
Bridge deal or not is fine by me but JB will probably just lock him up.
Either way i cannot see much difference in $$$'s other than a bridge deal doesn't send a great message with us being in a rebuild. BO is part of the core & will get a long term contract so as to continue what JB has begun.
- Nighthawk

Wasnt comparing them as players but how management approached their second contracts.

MTL went 2 years at $2.85 when they could've locked him up for longer at a larger cap hit. Instead, he had a fantastic 2 seasons, winning a Norris and cashed in at a colossal cap hit. I dont think they were wrong to do it, but paid the price anyway.

To me, Bo's progression has been steady and has good work ethic. That makes me comfortable with betting on him long term to not turn to a bust like Hodgson after his pay day

Hate is an overused out of context word too many ppl use inappropriately.
English affords much better ways of articulating properly.
- Nighthawk

via GIPHY

I never heard one poster on here say the hate Bo
- VANTEL

Hate is an overused out of context word too many ppl use inappropriately.
English affords much better ways of articulating properly.
- Nighthawk

I guess if you can't see past the "hate" then you are just close minded.