RWJC

Morning Notes: Islanders, Paquette, Leonard May 27th, 2024 at 9:47am CST • By Josh Cybulski Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News writes that the New York Islanders’ recent trade of draft picks with the Chicago Blackhawks could be a prelude to a bigger move. Rosner wonders if the extra second-round draft pick the Islanders acquired might be used to clear salary cap space in a similar fashion to the trade the Islanders made last summer in which they traded Josh Bailey and his $5MM cap hit a second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations. The Islanders have several contracts on the books that they would love to move to acquire additional help in the top 6, but most of those contracts would require a sweetener to facilitate a trade. The Islanders are slated to have just over $6MM in cap space available heading into the summer. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/05/morning-notes-islanders-paquette-leonard.html#ref=home

Might be an option depending on how our extensions play out. Small physical stature though. https://www.nhl.com/kings/player/viktor-arvidsson-8478042

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic is reporting that Los Angeles Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson is expected to test the free-agent market on July 1st. The Skelleftea, Sweden native dealt with injuries this season and dressed in just 18 games. While he was limited in playing time, the 31-year-old had solid numbers in a low sample size, posting six goals and nine assists. Arvidsson has been a good point producer since joining the Kings via trade in July 2021, in 161 games as a King he has registered 52 goals and 71 assists. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/05/evening-notes-hintz-hakanpaa-arvidsson.html#ref=home

i like Suter. I just think he’s a better option for us on the 3rd or 4th line to provide the quality depth we need as a cup contender. I have no problem with him playing in the top 6, but ideally we would have pieces that can perform better in those specific roles. as an example of contrast - would Suter be regularly playing in the top 6 on any of the final 4 teams? Answer is very likey no, save for maybe Edmonton. That’s enough for me to know how strong your 4 lines have to be to make it to the next step. Suter did an admirable job but it’s not an ideal solution playing up the lineup. He was a means to an end as we lack enough talent up top.

Stephenson if no Lindy please

Because there is rumour/speculation going around that he’s unhappy and would welcome a trade. 6 seasons without even a taste of the playoffs and playing an average of 75 games per. btw, I’m not condoning moving EP for him, but I’d back up a Brinks truck for his services.

Just heard an interesting rumour that Tanner Jeannot may be being shipped out by the TBL in part to help create 2.65mill of additional cap space to re-sign Stamkos and as well because Jeannot is in the last year of his deal and will be 28 upon expiry. Imho he’s an ideal candidate to go after for grit in bottom 6. Crazy what TBL gave up for him in trade in the first place though: Traded to Tampa Bay by Nashville for Cal Foote, a 1st-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, 2nd-round pick in 2024 and 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-round picks in 2023, February 26, 2023.

Commodore or Commode door?

Well with Allvin straight up saying they need to support EP, and if they sign Lindholm, unless Hronek goes, there is not the $$$ option to find that C/W. invariably they will have no choice. That’s the crux of what you get in extending Lindholm. Otherwise it’s Mik out, maybe another contract, and pursue that EP linemate. I guess we’ll see what tricks they have up their sleeve

But if he’s extended it’s not going to be to solely play as 3C. It will be to play alongside EP and load with JTM to take necessary face offs as well as play the PK and PP. if he’s extended it’s because he’s a jack of all trades that also compliments EP’s game. Mgmt isn’t going to try to sign a 30year old to a term contract at high $$$ just to play 3rd line. Cmon.

Going rate for Tanev is two testicles

I can see us taking on some players in the short term on short term deals so that their contracts expire strategically. Much like the Cole, Suter deals, I think we will be adding for the interim and not handing out too many long term contracts so as to maintain flexibility going forward. some would say it’s not worth it, but depending what happens on D in terms of signings, I’d consider trying to offload a 2nd and prospect for a guy like Chychrun who’s in the last year of his deal at a very reasonable 4.6mill. This would provide so much to our D corps and establish some cap flex for the season. He might not be the best example but unless our ELC’s develop as hoped, we should probably try to play it safe with expenditures. Problem is, it limits who wants to sign for short term deals. Maybe a Toffoli fits that demo. A few others I guess. But if BB6 has another 40 goal season it will difficult to let him go/replace. Not an easy road to navigate.

Like this but can’t see us giving 6 years to Joshua. Maybe 3? and I’d imagine we’d stack the top 6 and have Lindholm center EP and Necas.

You have lost your marbles, alien. They have awesome D in the pipeline. Don’t let your Hab hatred consume you.

Dillon is apparently expected to come in around the same as this year so expect 4 mill. Myers will take a hometown discount because he wants to stay close to family and more specifically a child with special needs. Imho, he will be extended at a team friendly deal.

I’ll try to find a credible current source if possible but just overheard on a podcast that there are rumours that the Habs are revisiting entertaining offers on 3 specific defensemen at the draft in order to obtain a scoring F or another early pick and alleviate a logjam on their development side. the blueliners mentioned were: Jordan Harris: https://www.capfriendly.com/players/jordan-harris Justin Barron: https://www.capfriendly.com/players/justin-barron Jayden Struble: https://www.capfriendly.com/players/jayden-struble if true, would love for us to take a run at Barron. Here is a link to an article from last month about it. Apparently things are now heating up again. https://dailyhive.com/montreal/canadiens-trade-rumour-young-defenceman Canadiens willing to trade young defenceman for scoring punch: report Al Sciola Apr 25 2024, 9:27 am Looking at the makeup of their roster, it’s clear that the Montreal Canadiens have more young defencemen in their system than they know what to do with. That problem could soon be solved, though. According to a recent report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is willing to make a deal to acquire a forward in exchange for a d-man before the upcoming NHL draft. “It’s no secret the Montreal Canadiens want to add a scorer this summer, and they plan to dangle some of their young defencemen as bait,” Pagnotta wrote in an article published Thursday. “Habs GM Kent Hughes isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a deal at/around the NHL Draft, and that seems to be his target again this June.” Acquiring Kirby Dach in the middle of the 2022 draft and fellow forward Alex Newhook one day before the 2023 draft, the Canadiens are no stranger to moves of the sort. Coming off three seasons of rebuilding, Montreal has accumulated and developed a ton of talent on their backend in recent years and are well aware that they don’t have enough space to keep every blueliner under 25. With that in mind, the Canadiens would theoretically be dealing away one of the following young players this summer: Kaiden Guhle Jayden Struble Arber Xhekaj Justin Barron Jordan Harris David Reinbacher Lane Hutson Logan Mailloux Mattias Norlinder William Trudeau Obviously there are untouchables, which, if one had to speculate, would probably include NHL standouts like Guhle, Hutson, and maybe even Mailloux. With a 28th-place finish in 2023-24, the Habs have the fifth-best odds of winning the draft lottery next month, with an 8.5% chance of landing the first overall pick in the draw. They’ll head into the draft with a total of 12 separate picks.

If we have another run like we did this season and BB6 performs remotely close, imho he won’t be going anywhere

Penguins Working To Hire Jaromír Jágr May 25th, 2024 at 5:16pm CST • By Gabriel Foley The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly working on hiring legendary winger Jaromír Jágr to their front office, shares Rob Rossi of The Athletic in an interview with Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin. Acklin shared that the team is ready to enter a “new chapter” after Jágr’s retirement ceremony in February. The team has been working on recruiting Jágr ever since, recently making an extra push while visiting Prague for the World Championship. Pittsburgh doesn’t yet have a clear idea of Jágr ‘s role, though Acklin shared that it would center around Jágr spending most of his time in his hometown Kladno, Czechia. That’s where Jágr’s been since the 2017-18 season, serving as a player and owner for the Czechia Extraliga’s Rytíři Kladno. He’s continued defining his legacy with Kladno, elevating the team to the Czechia Extraliga in 2019, helping keep them afloat on the brink of relegation in 2022, and setting the record for the oldest player to score in professional competition with a goal in April. Jágr ‘s age of 52 years and 63 days narrowly topped Gordie Howe‘s long-standing record of 52 years and nine days. Jágr’s return to Czechia has continued building out his memory as one of the greatest hockeyplayers of all time – a legend he built across a 24-year career in the NHL. He played in 1,733 career NHL games – the fourth-most games played in NHL history – scoring 1,921 points, the most of any NHL player not named Wayne Gretzky. Jágr formed an all-time duo with Mario Lemieux in the first 11 seasons of his career, pitting the Penguins against the legacy lineups of the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings and leading the Penguins to two Stanley Cups. He was just as good when he kicked off a solo career around the NHL, playing with eight clubs in the final 13 years of his career, including four years with the New York Rangers. Jágr was productive until the very end, recording 16 goals and 46 points in the 2016-17 season, the most any NHL player 44 or older has scored or played in one season. He left the NHL following a knee injury in the subsequent season, taking his talents through the KHL before settling in Czechia. He continues to bring a positive impact to the lineup, recording four assists in 15 games during the regular-season and two points, one goal and one assist, in three postseason games. The Penguins are now looking to reignite Jágr’s story in the NHL, while also solidifying their presence in central Europe. Acklin spoke gingerly about Jágr’s daily lift with the team, acknowledging just how busy his schedule has become in Czechia. Thus, Rossi acknowledges that Jágr would likely carry a minimal day-to-day role, adding that getting him in Pittsburgh just a few times a year would be a success for the Penguins. That could mean the legend is set for a modest scouting role, though Acklin praised Jágr’s understanding of the business side of the sport throughout Europe – built up over his time with Kladno. No timeline has been laid out for Jágr’s return to the Penguins organization, and President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas will have a final say on what his exact role will be. But there’s no doubting that any return to Pittsburgh – and reunion with Mario Lemieux – would add yet another layer to Jágr’s neverending legacy in the hockey world. https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2024/05/penguins-working-to-hire-jaromir-jagr-to-front-office.html#ref=home

I think that was mgmt’s intention all along. They don’t seem the type to shell out what they did for simply a rental. Understandably they knew they were going to have to compete against potential other bidders if Lindy goes to UFA, but I believe they made a calculated gamble that they would at least stand a solid chance to bring him back. Especially that 8th year. That’s a big factor when you’re in your twilight. And best part is they can incentivize him now and also make the contract buyout friendly for the latter portion of his career which benefits both parties

not to mention a hefty initial singing bonus which could ultimately lower the AAV over term too https://transcanadawealthmanagement.com/nhl-signing-bonuses/#:~:text=Performance bonuses are only awarded,bonuses and lower base salaries.

Yes rumour was going around that he preferred NJD as a destination. that said, we have QH and the Hughes’ and Tkachuk’s have a solid bond. That makes me hopeful it would work. I also don’t think it would take EP as a return in trade. We would obviously have to send serious value their way, and it might deplete our prospect pool and picks for the short term, but the value extracted from BT on this team would likely be worth it. I’m not sold on any prospect, especially one that has a limitation in size on a F squad already lacking. I realize we need goals but that’s still not a guarantee. What we also need more of is heart, leadership and durability. Expecting Lek to step in and just provide a solid running mate for EP, while still learning the game, is a recipe for repeating the same experience with EP…asking him to carry his line and hopefully the others benefit. He needs a complimentary player NOW. Not in 2 years

For me, if we’re losing Lindholm to UFA and potentially dealing Hronek and shelling out big $$$ for the top 6 addition, I’d prefer we go all in and secure a guaranteed 1st line C/W for EP. Not a potentially solid top 6 guy, but someone already bonafide and proven. Its thrown about a lot but a Brady Tkachuk added to our roster would be an immense boost and greatly improve the strength of our cup window while also fulfilling every aspect of what we’re desiring as an addition. im not sure we want to be taking on too many teams “castoffs” when we have such an opportunity to capitalize. the money spent between Necas and KK could equate to two excellent adds to our roster. id be willing to send Hronek, Lek, Podz, another B level prospect and a 1st round pick for Tkachuk and Zub. Both are under contract with term left and equate to the same cost as Necas (extended) and KK. We extend Blueger to play 3C and also provide Raty a chance to earn some reps in the 4C spot. We’d have enough $ left over to extend Z, Joshua, Silovs, and still shop for a solid UFA RHD to support QH as well as a few other assets. we then move out Mik or give him his chance to redeem as RW on the top line with EP and BT. our D pairings would equate to QH+Zub (or UFA) or Zad+Zub (Zub is 60% cost of Hronek), Soucy+Myers (team friendly discount). Add Juulsen and a veteran depth Dman with size and grit and we are looking good. id rather we go a route like this than try to reclaim some guys at what might still end up being an overpay (especially when factoring in cost to acquire + salary). regardless, I’m happy either way, especially as it’s looking like we’re finally going to properly support EP.

I understand what you’re saying and would be hopefully of the same. I guess my real concern is carrying too many MNTCs for players who rightfully shouldn’t have them. I worry about it handcuffing future plans, but as you mention a buyout could be manageable. Would obviously prefer to avoid any of those going forward if possible