The 2018/19 NHL Thread!

[Ruki]

9 hours ago, damsher hatfield said:

I feel like the Nylander stalemate has to end very shortly, but I don't know how it ends. He's not going to be a Leaf for much longer, the only thing I can see keeping him there for a season or two is a bridge deal.

I tend to like the way the salary cap adds to competition and parity, and it's good from a business standpoint of helping some of the smaller non-traditional markets survive, but I hate that it basically forces teams that draft well to keep only some of their talented finds. Feel like there should be a bit of wiggle room there.

It's gonna end by November 30th, as that's the last possible day for a contract.

 

If it's a bridge, it better be for like....4-5 mil. I would rather not trade him, as I doubt we'll get as good a piece back (although Carolina is apparently looking, and they have two really nice defensemen)

[gunnar hendershow]

1 hour ago, Ruki said:

It's gonna end by November 30th, as that's the last possible day for a contract.

 

If it's a bridge, it better be for like....4-5 mil. I would rather not trade him, as I doubt we'll get as good a piece back (although Carolina is apparently looking, and they have two really nice defensemen)

Yeah if the Leafs have to trade him it needs to be for a really good defenseman, and I assume then some other parts thrown in there going each way (picks, etc.). I know the Canes have Pesce and Slavin locked down long term, so maybe moving one of those contracts to get Nylander and lock him down long term would be the plan? 

[Ruki]

I think Slavin or Hamilton would be the target for Nylander. 

[gunnar hendershow]

Ah, yeah I forgot they had gotten Dougie Hamilton a few months back. If given the choice I'd probably want Slavin honestly, knowing he has a $5.3 mil cap hit from now until 2025 sweetens the pot as that is presumably in the range of what the Leafs can actually afford and still be able to keep all their other young studs.

[Ruki]

1 hour ago, damsher hatfield said:

Ah, yeah I forgot they had gotten Dougie Hamilton a few months back. If given the choice I'd probably want Slavin honestly, knowing he has a $5.3 mil cap hit from now until 2025 sweetens the pot as that is presumably in the range of what the Leafs can actually afford and still be able to keep all their other young studs.

Pretty much!

 

If the Leafs could nab Nylander for 6-6.5, there would be no issues at all. The fact that he's asking for 7-8 is where it is becoming a problem, because next summer we have to sign Marner (8-9) and Matthews(10-12)

[gunnar hendershow]

11 minutes ago, Ruki said:

Pretty much!

 

If the Leafs could nab Nylander for 6-6.5, there would be no issues at all. The fact that he's asking for 7-8 is where it is becoming a problem, because next summer we have to sign Marner (8-9) and Matthews(10-12)

The more I think about it the more I think it could be a slam dunk for both teams. Canes definitely need more top forwards to put alongside Aho (who is turning into a really great player) and Leafs absolutely need more defensemen.

[Ruki]

I wouldn't be happy (I love Willy), but I can see myself not completely hating the deal.

[Gabriel]

I remember reading a bunch of articles around the trade deadline last year talking about potential changes to the salary cap to help encourage teams to draft, develop and be able to keep their own players.

Essentially, what the proposals all boiled down to is that each team would have two salary caps for two salary pools. One for players already in your franchise, and another for players being brought in from outside, whether it's free agency or the draft. If the salary cap is at $90 million, then each pool is designated half of that for the upcoming season. You can exceed the first salary cap for players already in your system, but at a penalty. Everything I read had different ideas about what the penalty should be, from forfeited draft picks to lowering your teams second salary pool in upcoming seasons. I personally prefer the latter.

So, how would you guys feel about something like that, where if the Leafs were to sign Nylander and put them, say $4 million over their first pool salary cap, they then lose $1.33 million in space per year for the next three years from their second pool salary cap, which we can call the Free Agents Pool.

Maybe a bit convoluted, and I may not be explaining it very well because it's early, but I found it to be an interesting suggestion that would allow teams to hold onto their core players at the expense of being able to compete in Free Agency. Obviously, not everyone would want to sign their players knowing they would have less money to play with to fill holes on their teams, so there would still be a decent number of star free agents...and similarly, if the free agent classes for upcoming seasons don't look all that encouraging, maybe you take that risk and lock up all of your core and eat away at a decent chunk of your free agent cash.

[Meacon Keaton]

Do the Leafs really need a defenseman if they're just going to score five or six goals a game?

[Ruki]

That does sound convoluted... but anything to keep Nylander (plus, I doubt the Leafs will be doing much in FA for the next few years, they already have their big catch in Tavares).

 

And really, the salary cap is stupid. The Leafs should be able to spend as much money as they want!

[gunnar hendershow]

1 minute ago, Gabriel said:

I remember reading a bunch of articles around the trade deadline last year talking about potential changes to the salary cap to help encourage teams to draft, develop and be able to keep their own players.

Essentially, what the proposals all boiled down to is that each team would have two salary caps for two salary pools. One for players already in your franchise, and another for players being brought in from outside, whether it's free agency or the draft. If the salary cap is at $90 million, then each pool is designated half of that for the upcoming season. You can exceed the first salary cap for players already in your system, but at a penalty. Everything I read had different ideas about what the penalty should be, from forfeited draft picks to lowering your teams second salary pool in upcoming seasons. I personally prefer the latter.

So, how would you guys feel about something like that, where if the Leafs were to sign Nylander and put them, say $4 million over their first pool salary cap, they then lose $1.33 million in space per year for the next three years from their second pool salary cap, which we can call the Free Agents Pool.

Maybe a bit convoluted, and I may not be explaining it very well because it's early, but I found it to be an interesting suggestion that would allow teams to hold onto their core players at the expense of being able to compete in Free Agency. Obviously, not everyone would want to sign their players knowing they would have less money to play with to fill holes on their teams, so there would still be a decent number of star free agents...and similarly, if the free agent classes for upcoming seasons don't look all that encouraging, maybe you take that risk and lock up all of your core and eat away at a decent chunk of your free agent cash.

I like that proposal more than the luxury tax you see in the NBA and MLB. A luxury tax in the NHL would be weird because Toronto, Montreal, and NY Rangers are just so much further ahead of everyone else with their revenues. Like the Yankees and Dodgers in baseball, those teams could go over it without really dealing with consequences (even if the percentage becomes higher). However, taking money out of a second pool for UFA signings and possibly signing acquisitions through trades (not knowing how exactly this gets addressed) means teams are careful about which players will actually constitute their core. I don't like a penalty pulling draft picks away.

3 minutes ago, Ruki said:

That does sound convoluted... but anything to keep Nylander (plus, I doubt the Leafs will be doing much in FA for the next few years, they already have their big catch in Tavares).

 

And really, the salary cap is stupid. The Leafs should be able to spend as much money as they want!

I'll never forget the halcyon days before the salary cap when Toronto and New York threw money at everyone and still were stuck as perennially above average teams. Funny how the cap makes teams think more closely about scouting and analytics.

[SeanDMan]

[gunnar hendershow]

Mike Yeo has been fired by St. Louis making 3 head coaches fired through 20 games this year. Todd McLellan is presumably next (Peter Chiarelli probably has another half-decade of egregious decision making before they panic that they're wasting the prime of the best player in the world). Mike Sullivan's seat is at the least getting warm, though you figure 2 Stanley Cups probably gives him a bit of a leash while the Pens retool. 

I assume Quenneville gets hired by St. Louis rather quickly. Though, back to the McLellan point, Edmonton might try to fire him fast and swoop in for Quenneville sooner.

[Toe]

2 hours ago, damsher hatfield said:

Mike Yeo has been fired by St. Louis making 3 head coaches fired through 20 games this year. Todd McLellan is presumably next (Peter Chiarelli probably has another half-decade of egregious decision making before they panic that they're wasting the prime of the best player in the world). Mike Sullivan's seat is at the least getting warm, though you figure 2 Stanley Cups probably gives him a bit of a leash while the Pens retool. 

I assume Quenneville gets hired by St. Louis rather quickly. Though, back to the McLellan point, Edmonton might try to fire him fast and swoop in for Quenneville sooner.

If you're Quenneville, why jump at this? You've got your contract for big money so you can afford to sit, take a breather, and then have your pick of jobs at the end of the season. 

[gunnar hendershow]

9 hours ago, Toe said:

If you're Quenneville, why jump at this? You've got your contract for big money so you can afford to sit, take a breather, and then have your pick of jobs at the end of the season. 

As it turns out between me posting this and me getting to eat lunch at work the Oilers fired McLellan and hired Ken Hitchcock in a mildly perplexing decision.

[SeanDMan]

9 hours ago, damsher hatfield said:

As it turns out between me posting this and me getting to eat lunch at work the Oilers fired McLellan and hired Ken Hitchcock in a mildly perplexing decision.

"Alright Peter Chiarelli, you've got some of the best forward prospects and a generational offensive talent in Connor McDavid, but haven't drafted any good defensemen in years and your team is built totally one way."

"I know just how to solve this. I will bring in Ken Hitchcock and by the end of the year, no one will be scoring and half our forwards weill be injured from blocking shots!" #theBostonModel #thankgodEdmontonisusedtofailure

[gunnar hendershow]

47 minutes ago, SeanDMan said:

"Alright Peter Chiarelli, you've got some of the best forward prospects and a generational offensive talent in Connor McDavid, but haven't drafted any good defensemen in years and your team is built totally one way."

"I know just how to solve this. I will bring in Ken Hitchcock and by the end of the year, no one will be scoring and half our forwards weill be injured from blocking shots!" #theBostonModel #thankgodEdmontonisusedtofailure

Peter should honestly give up whatever picks it takes to get Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez from LA. Since he can't draft them, ya know.

[gunnar hendershow]

Patrik Laine: Good at hockey

 

[Gabriel]

I had drafted Laine in my top 3 for a fantasy league with some buddies of mine, and he had a horrendous start to the season in terms of fantasy points. He was in my bottom three point getters in that league up until the last couple of weeks, and because I drafted him in my top 3 picks, I was unable to move him without trading him. Boy, am I happy that was the case. Kid's been en fuego and has been one of my top point producers the last two weeks.

[SeanDMan]

This was 13 years ago.