I was referring to the 15 playoffs for you guys with Rozsival.
- MJL

Ah. Gotcha. He was pretty good that playoff season until he got injured.

When your team beat my team in 2010, the Flyers 3rd defense pair was an albatross.

Rozsival was also in that mix for you guys that year.
- MJL

The Red Wings won a Cup in 2008 with Andreas Lilja and Brett Lebda as their 3rd D pair. 😂 Of course Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall and Stuart did all the heavy lifting. Chelios was kicked off the third pair because Babcock didn't like him.

Simply playing devil's advocate here. At the time of the trade for Hall, I believe they were at or near the top of the division. Say what you will about Taylor Hall, but he is a very good player (he was voted MVP). They didn't give up any roster players, so it was simply a matter of inserting him into the lineup and gaining chemistry with new teammates.

That it didn't work is only part of the equation, and someone smarter than I would have to identify why it turned out so poorly.

Alas, the bolded is where I currently find my team. I'm not complaining at all since they have the hardware to back it up and in a relatively tight cap world, it is pretty much inevitable. I'm happy for the younger guys we have coming up now, but there are a couple more years of crap before they are truly competitive again.
- Chunk

Still as a GM you have to be able to evaluate your team and know that you're more than one player away. Keumper went down and it all went down with him. That right there shows you the reality of your team. You can't make that deal without knowing that he will definitely re-sign with you. It's still only one move but in the likelihood that Hall moves on, it's just one more blunder on Chayka's resume.

My intent wasn't to criticize you. It was an open question. What is Chayka's plan? He wants to win now but his team isn't good enough. He lacks cap space to improve. There's no blue Chip prospects knocking at the door. He's traded away multiple first round picks.

The Coyotes are competitive so they're not getting any lottery picks. They're like the Leafs were for years. Too good to bottom out and not good enough to contend. It's NHL purgatory. It's a horrible position to be in.
- gergeswillems

I didn't take as such. I get your point, and I don't really have an answer. The only glaring issue I see with the roster is that they still have to deal with Hossa's cap hit in some form for next year. There are other issues as well, but they have some guys coming off the books that can help the situation.

There are always moves to be made. I agree it looks quite poor for AZ right now as they fell out of contention and lost a 1st, but nothing remains stagnant. Hayton could jump up next year. There are always European/Russian FA's that can have an impact. It's not easy by any means, and on paper they look below average, but I don't think it is insurmountable. That said, I've been drinking scotch for the past two hours....

I didn't take as such. I get your point, and I don't really have an answer. The only glaring issue I see with the roster is that they still have to deal with Hossa's cap hit in some form for next year. There are other issues as well, but they have some guys coming off the books that can help the situation.

There are always moves to be made. I agree it looks quite poor for AZ right now as they fell out of contention and lost a 1st, but nothing remains stagnant. Hayton could jump up next year. There are always European/Russian FA's that can have an impact. It's not easy by any means, and on paper they look below average, but I don't think it is insurmountable. That said, I've been drinking scotch for the past two hours....
- Chunk

The Hossa contract is not a glaring issue. Having that LTIR exception is going to help them greatly. They would be completely screwed without it.

Still as a GM you have to be able to evaluate your team and know that you're more than one player away. Keumper went down and it all went down with him. That right there shows you the reality of your team. You can't make that deal without knowing that he will definitely re-sign with you. It's still only one move but in the likelihood that Hall moves on, it's just one more blunder on Chayka's resume.
- MJL

I can't really argue with this. Giving up that much(granted I know nothing about the prospects included) and not having a contract signed is questionable at best.

The only thing that I will add is: were the team's deficiencies before the trade the same as after? Did something fundamentally change in the way they were playing once Hall was brought on? I have no idea.

The Hossa contract is not a glaring issue. Having that LTIR exception is going to help them greatly. They would be completely screwed without it.
- MJL

I thought that they had to be cap compliant WITH that hit on day one of the league year, no? That was the reason the Hawks traded him away (at least how I understood it).

I thought that they had to be cap compliant WITH that hit on day one of the league year, no? That was the reason the Hawks traded him away (at least how I understood it).
- Chunk

https://www.capfriendly.com/ltir-faq#offseason

Can LTIR be used in the off-season?
Yes, LTIR can be used in the off-season while the 10% off-season cushion is active. LTIR in the off-season is calculated using the basic equation outlined above, which permits a team to exceed the off-season salary cap. To use off-season LTIR the team must provide doctors proof that the player in question will continue to be injured at the beginning of the regular season for 10 NHL games and 24 calendar days.

At the start of the season the teams LTIR relief & ACSL is recalculated when the 10% cushion is removed.

https://www.capfriendly.com/ltir-faq#offseason

Can LTIR be used in the off-season?
Yes, LTIR can be used in the off-season while the 10% off-season cushion is active. LTIR in the off-season is calculated using the basic equation outlined above, which permits a team to exceed the off-season salary cap. To use off-season LTIR the team must provide doctors proof that the player in question will continue to be injured at the beginning of the regular season for 10 NHL games and 24 calendar days.

At the start of the season the teams LTIR relief & ACSL is recalculated when the 10% cushion is removed.
- MJL

Learn something new every day... Thanks!

I saw groundhogs day at a drive in as a double feature with Jurassic park. As a kid the Dino movie whooped groundhog day

I'm learning a lot here today.

Lesson number one is how easily the goal posts can move. One day we were told that your roster should be full of $9M stars alongside $1M replacement players. Mid-tier guys making $3-4M are roster killers. Even though teams like StLouis and Washington just won Cups with key performances from mid-tier guys, this was the wrong way to build a roster. But now suddenly there are exceptions. Hjalmarsson at $4M+ is OK. Stepan at $6.5M is a bit high but he's still a decent player and well respected. Hmm, so which is it then?

Lesson number two is how easy it is to add elite players. Just take a draft pick, add Dvorak, go to the ELITE hockey store and walk away with a new first line. For example, I thought the vision was:

Hall-Keller-Kessel
Schmaltz-Hayton-Garland

But what a mistake. The real vision from GM Tanner is:

Hall-ELITE-ELITE
Kessel-Keller-Hayton

Although once these magical ELITE players are acquired doesn't that move $5.85M x 7-year Nick Schmaltz to your bottom 6, which is supposed to be comprised of cheap AHL talent like Nic Petan? Doesn't that move Garland, who likely gets $4M+ in the near future, down to the bottom 6? So suddenly we have these new mystery ELITE players making big bucks, but instead of surrounding these guys with $1M replacement players we now have exceptions for Schmaltz, Stepan, Garland, Hjalmarsson?

So maybe we're starting to see how this stars and dogs approach to building a roster is pretty flawed. Not to mention you haven't outlined any way to add these ELITE players aside from "trade a draft pick" . Guess what, if you want a younger 1C to step in, say good-bye to Chychrun and a #1 pick, just to keep me on the phone.

But I'm sure Chayka has thought about that...

I’d like to hear how the coyotes take the next step and become a legit playoff team. To me they are screwed. Two years in a row of great goaltending and nothing to show for it, Taylor hall most likely gone, Kessel was quite the dissapointment, Keller the book is still out but nothing to be happy with. Their lineup is not anything to get excited about and unless the kid from the Soo that won world juniors is a superstar I don’t see how they are nothing but a below the line playoff bubble team.
- ClaudeFather

Chill-ax Claude. Just 4 more years and Coyotes get Matthews cuz of that idiotic deal Dumbass signed him to. Once they have Matthews, they are instantly CUP contenders like the great Leafs are. Boom!!! Game-plan!

I'm learning a lot here today.

Lesson number one is how easily the goal posts can move. One day we were told that your roster should be full of $9M stars alongside $1M replacement players. Mid-tier guys making $3-4M are roster killers. Even though teams like StLouis and Washington just won Cups with key performances from mid-tier guys, this was the wrong way to build a roster. But now suddenly there are exceptions. Hjalmarsson at $4M+ is OK. Stepan at $6.5M is a bit high but he's still a decent player and well respected. Hmm, so which is it then?

Lesson number two is how easy it is to add elite players. Just take a draft pick, add Dvorak, go to the ELITE hockey store and walk away with a new first line. For example, I thought the vision was:

Hall-Keller-Kessel
Schmaltz-Hayton-Garland

But what a mistake. The real vision from GM Tanner is:

Hall-ELITE-ELITE
Kessel-Keller-Hayton

Although once these magical ELITE players are acquired doesn't that move $5.85M x 7-year Nick Schmaltz to your bottom 6, which is supposed to be comprised of cheap AHL talent like Nic Pecan? Doesn't that move Garland, who likely gets $4M+ in the near future, down to the bottom 6? So suddenly we have these new mystery ELITE players making big bucks, but instead of surrounding these guys with $1M replacement players we now have exceptions for Schmaltz, Stepan, Garland, Hjalmarsson?

So maybe we're starting to see how this stars and dogs approach to building a roster is pretty flawed. Not to mention you haven't outlined any way to add these ELITE players aside from "trade a draft pick" . Guess what, if you want a younger 1C to step in, say good-bye to Chychrun and a #1 pick, just to keep me on the phone.

But I'm sure Chayka has thought about that...
- Kooleus

Just more evidence of how Tanner's posts are all over the map and poorly thought out. Well done in pointing all that out. Don't worry, he'll be along to insult you personally or your politics soon.

Just more evidence of how Tanner's posts are all over the map and poorly thought out. Well done in pointing all that out. Don't worry, he'll be along to insult you personally or your politics soon.
- MJL

Twat Rocket Troller likes to cut and run. He'll post a new blog and then troll your comments in the old one hoping you don't read them. It's all part of him being an insecure, spineless, know nothing douche bag. He'll copy and paste his usual Fox News political drivel pretending it's his own opinion too. Rinse and repeat. Jimmy Troller doesn't have an original thought in his unintelligent head.

When he's beaten in a hockey argument, he'll fold the tent and hurl childish insults. His hockey IQ is almost as low as his self esteem is. Pretending his flawed opinions are facts are his modus operandi. Yet he is incapable of proving anything or backing them up. He truly believes having a contrary opinion makes him special or unique. Different for the sake of being different. But all it does is illustrate how much of a feeble minded jackass he really is.

Hockey buzz allows him to post his drivel while insulting people and he hides behind it. He knows I'll be suspended and he won't. He's a coward. When the comments get too low he'll troll for attention by saying more stupid things than he already does. All so he can brag about the 5 dollars he makes from hockey Buzz. That's why no one credible will ever hire him. He's an incel. A phony. A gimmick. A circus act $hitting all over the place like an elephant at Madison Square Garden.

Not the 2015 Hawks! Won against the Bolts with a third pair that included Kyle Cuminsky and the ghost of Kimmo Timonen.

I know its the outlier, but still pretty impressive.
- Chunk

But Hawks also had a "in his prime" Duncan Keith who logged 27-30 minutes a game at a level few can do. Only 4-5 teams have that kind of stud D-man. Not many teams would be able to withstand such a weak 3rd pairing!!!

But Hawks also had a "in his prime" Duncan Keith who logged 27-30 minutes a game at a level few can do. Only 4-5 teams have that kind of stud D-man. Not many teams would be able to withstand such a weak 3rd pairing!!!
- hawk35

If you have a star like Keith making $9M then you can just get any two random guys making $1M or less on the 3rd pair. These guys don't have much of an impact on team success. If they get burned in Game 7 well that was probably just bad luck or maybe just Tocchet's fault.

Still as a GM you have to be able to evaluate your team and know that you're more than one player away. Keumper went down and it all went down with him. That right there shows you the reality of your team. You can't make that deal without knowing that he will definitely re-sign with you. It's still only one move but in the likelihood that Hall moves on, it's just one more blunder on Chayka's resume.
- MJL

Just to be the devil's advocate on this one, if 25 other teams lost their #1 goalie for a meaningful stretch of time, they're in trouble too.

If you have a star like Keith making $9M then you can just get any two random guys making $1M or less on the 3rd pair. These guys don't have much of an impact on team success. If they get burned in Game 7 well that was probably just bad luck or maybe just Tocchet's fault.
- Kooleus

Lucky for the Hawks, they have him at just over $5M, so they can afford to overpay Seabrook (not really).

Just to be the devil's advocate on this one, if 25 other teams lost their #1 goalie for a meaningful stretch of time, they're in trouble too.
- leafsfann

We were told all along that Raanta-Kuemper was an ideal 1A-1B situation. Raanta played 33 games and Kuemper played 29. Most people at the beginning of the year would have assumed a split like that. So not sure that Kuemper getting hurt is really an excuse. At the end of the day, this team isn't that talented. Tocchet has them playing a defense-first system, which makes sense given the lack of talent. But despite being very disciplined and well-coached, they are nothing more than a bubble team. Too bad they didn't have Domi and DeAngelo, and a couple of 1st round picks back.

Tanner why do you hate Crouse so much? He makes 1.5 million for three more years. He has 15 goals as a Forth liner/penalty killer. He's 6'4" 225 lbs plays a hard game, fights and he's very good defensively. Kills penalties and scores short handed. His contract is great! why get rid of him? Taylor hall had one more goal then Crouse with the same amount of games. 1.5 million a year! It's things like this that makes you sound stupid, when you talk about hockey.

Tanner why do you hate Crouse so much? He makes 1.5 million for three more years. He has 15 goals as a Forth liner/penalty killer. He's 6'4" 225 lbs plays a hard game, fights and he's very good defensively. Kills penalties and scores short handed. His contract is great! why get rid of him? Taylor hall had one more goal then Crouse with the same amount of games. 1.5 million a year! It's things like this that makes you sound stupid, when you talk about hockey.
- Gomey

Nic Petan could do the same thing for $500,000 less. Those savings could be used to pay one of the phantom ELITE players that are so easy to acquire. Also, Crouse was lucky while Hall and Kessel were unlucky.

Tanner why do you hate Crouse so much? He makes 1.5 million for three more years. He has 15 goals as a Forth liner/penalty killer. He's 6'4" 225 lbs plays a hard game, fights and he's very good defensively. Kills penalties and scores short handed. His contract is great! why get rid of him? Taylor hall had one more goal then Crouse with the same amount of games. 1.5 million a year! It's things like this that makes you sound stupid, when you talk about hockey.
- Gomey

Ok...you must be new here....let me catch you up.

Tanner hockey IQ info:
1. "plays a hard game".....doesn't matter. Can't be measured by CORSI. Irrelevant.
2. "fights"....this is just a negative. Fighting NEVER helps. Any player that drops the gloves for ANY reason is selfish and harms the team immeasurably
3. "good defensively"....all players play around the same level defensively. It is too hard to measure. Points and CORSI are what matters. Defensive play is highly overrated when judging a player.
4. Taylor Hall was unlucky. He is one of the three best players in the world. Along with Jake Gardiner and OEL.
5. And lastly, Any NHL player can be a penalty killer. It takes no skill. All that matters is 5 on 5 play. Please. This is VERY important. PK and PP mean absolutely zero. So, just look at 5 on 5 stats in the future please!

Follow these guidelines, then you and Tanner will be on the same page!

Just to be the devil's advocate on this one, if 25 other teams lost their #1 goalie for a meaningful stretch of time, they're in trouble too.
- leafsfann

Here is the point. A quality top team would still compete, still be a solid playoff team. If your team is not at that point after making a major acquisition like Hall and you're maxed out against the cap. Then your team is mismanaged and you have no business giving up multiple first round picks and bad trades with large cap commitments when you should be concentrating heavily on building through the draft.

Tanner why do you hate Crouse so much? He makes 1.5 million for three more years. He has 15 goals as a Forth liner/penalty killer. He's 6'4" 225 lbs plays a hard game, fights and he's very good defensively. Kills penalties and scores short handed. His contract is great! why get rid of him? Taylor hall had one more goal then Crouse with the same amount of games. 1.5 million a year! It's things like this that makes you sound stupid, when you talk about hockey.
- Gomey

He's overpaid at $1.5. He's terrible.

Twat Rocket Troller likes to cut and run. He'll post a new blog and then troll your comments in the old one hoping you don't read them. It's all part of him being an insecure, spineless, know nothing douche bag. He'll copy and paste his usual Fox News political drivel pretending it's his own opinion too. Rinse and repeat. Jimmy Troller doesn't have an original thought in his unintelligent head.

When he's beaten in a hockey argument, he'll fold the tent and hurl childish insults. His hockey IQ is almost as low as his self esteem is. Pretending his flawed opinions are facts are his modus operandi. Yet he is incapable of proving anything or backing them up. He truly believes having a contrary opinion makes him special or unique. Different for the sake of being different. But all it does is illustrate how much of a feeble minded jackass he really is.

Hockey buzz allows him to post his drivel while insulting people and he hides behind it. He knows I'll be suspended and he won't. He's a coward. When the comments get too low he'll troll for attention by saying more stupid things than he already does. All so he can brag about the 5 dollars he makes from hockey Buzz. That's why no one credible will ever hire him. He's an incel. A phony. A gimmick. A circus act $hitting all over the place like an elephant at Madison Square Garden.
- gergeswillems

I honestly love that you spent eight hours online obsessed with me yesterday all because I made fun of how lame and out of date you are. Got any more Y2K quality jokes for us? Maybe a couple of Classic Lewinski jokes?

Your grandkids know their pops acts like a 12 year old on the internet?