Free agency, the final hurdle before the NHL offseason really begins this week (and there will be more on that from your pal Dave later), but let’s reflect on the draft trades, draft analysis, Steven Stamkos (because we are legally required to do so until he signs) and how to be a fan of a very bad hockey franchise. Mailbag!
1. Is it just me, or did the Arizona Coyotes get robbed in that draft-day trade for Pavel Datsyuk? Not really robbed, but couldn’t they have gotten a lot more from the Detroit Red Wings in that trade?
Dave
The Chicago Blackhawks were in Cap Hell because of the contract of Bryan Bickell. He has one year and $4 million left on his deal, so in order to get the Carolina Hurricanes to take on that deal, the Blackhawks attached 22-year-old potential stud Teuvo Teravainen to it. It was the type of deal that showed the value of cap space, especially as we enter an offseason where the cap isn’t going up all that much.
On the first night of the draft, the Coyotes wanted to move from No. 20 to 16 in the first round to draft defenseman Jakob Chychrun, so new GM John Chayka called old GM Ken Holland and asked to make a deal. To unburden themselves of Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit, the Red Wings gave up the 16th pick to get Arizona’s 20th pick and also got a second-round pick from the Coyotes.
Compare the deals: Carolina assumed responsibility for the $4 million contract of a player that could contribute meaningful bottom-six minutes and got Teravainen; Arizona assumed the responsibility for the $7.5 million contract of an unofficially retired player to move up four spots and had to give up a first- and second-round pick to do so.
Chychrun better turn into Nicklas Lidstrom for that price.
What makes the deal so confounding is Chayka had Holland over a barrel. The Coyotes were pretty much the only team that could assume the entire $7.5 million cap hit, and Holland’s lack of optimism about dealing Datsyuk in the days before spoke to that. The Coyotes held all the leverage. If another team took on Datsyuk, it most definitely would not have been for the entire cap hit, as just about every team is snugly against the cap and would like to deal with free agency first.
Chayka was willing to burn more than 10 percent of his cap space on nothing before July 1. The Coyotes could have asked for (and probably received) one of the many cheap, young players on the Wings roster in exchange for absorbing Datsyuk’s deal. This deal opens the door for the Wings to purse Steven Stamkos (or any UFA, really), so in a way, the Coyotes are giving the Wings whoever they sign as a free agent.
The Coyotes are pointed in the right direction, but what a weird offseason. They break the bank for Alex Goligoski, a 30-year-old defenseman that should make them better now, then less than a week later they show getting to the salary-cap floor is still what matters most to them. It’s just a one-year situation, but why would Goligoski spend one of his few remaining good years throwing this away with the Coyotes? Is Goligoski’s real value next season on the ice or the fact his cap hit gets the team closer to the floor?
Even if Chychrun pans out as a top-pairing defenseman, Chayka could have extracted a lot more out of a desperate Holland. It’s as if Chayka tipped his hand about being more desperate to save money and reach the floor than Holland was to save money and go after Stamkos.
2. Gronk?
https://twitter.com/AlexShez/status/747478886263459840
Matthew Tkachuk is 6-foot-2, 200 pounds. That’s pretty big for an 18-year-old. He’s only going to get bigger over the next few years.
Rob Gronkowski is 6-foot-6, 265 pounds. That’s pretty big for an anything-year-old. He’s only going to get bigger over the next few years, mostly because the body doesn’t metabolize booze as quickly as you age.
To answer your question, yes, I believe we are all out of hockey/hockey comparisons and will now see hockey/football, hockey/baseball and hockey/everything else comparisons over the years.
“With the ninth pick, the Rangers select Billy Gundall, right wing, Oshawa Generals of the OHL.”
“Let me tell you something about Gundall; he is the hockey version of actress Tilda Swinton. Strong, a leader and somewhat of a chameleon, as Gundal can play any role and do it well.”
3. No.
Does it even make sense at this point for the Rangers to go after Stamkos? Is the team salvageable, or is a rebuild necessary?
— Ike Dresdner (@iddevils17) June 27, 2016
Here are the three worst parts of living in New York:
- The smell of urine and feces is amplified 100-fold in the summer
- Citibikes
- Every fan of every sports team in every league thinks their team is going to sign every major free agent every year
If the Rangers sign Stamkos, I’ll let him fire a slap shot at my genitals. Yes, I will wear pads, but he will get a free shot at Kool and the Gang.
4. Is the Filip Forsberg contract (six years, $36 million) a great contract or the greatest contract?
Steve
It’s great. Roman Josi at $4 million a season through 2020 is the greatest contract.
But if you’re a Predators fan, do you ever wonder what the team would look like if David Poile allowed Shea Weber to leave via offer sheet to the Flyers in 2012? After matching that contract, the Predators finished with the fourth-worst record in the lockout-shortened 2013 season. With the fourth pick, the Predators took Seth Jones, who was traded this past season for Ryan Johansen.
It’s fair to say that if the Predators played 48 games without Weber in 2013, they probably wouldn’t have finished any higher in the standings. So right now, they could have had a top-four defense group of Jones, Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis plus the $7.8 million that would go toward Weber spent on something else.
The Predators turned Jones into Johansen, which is great for them, but man, how much better off would the Predators be right now without a declining Weber through 2026? Jones needs a new contract this summer, but you can make a strong case the Predators would be a better position if they had stuck the Flyers with Weber and that 14-year deal.
5. BJ Blueprint
How can I remain a Columbus Blue Jackets fan when every move they make is terrible and their coach is even worse?
— Joe Wilkins (@wilkins63) June 27, 2016
Let’s see. Columbus Blue Jackets. One playoff trip in seven seasons. No playoff series wins in their existence. Haven’t been higher than 24th in attendance since 2010-11. The arena is losing money.
This plan may take a few years to execute, but here’s how you can be a happy Blue Jackets fan.
Sell your home. Liquidate everything. Get in your car. Pop in a cassette that teaches you how to speak French. Get on I-71 North. Take that to I-271 North to I-90 East. You will soon see signs for Canada. When you get to Quebec City, search for an apartment near the arena. By the time you learn the language, find employment and settle into your home, you will be the happiest fan of the Quebec Blue Jackets.
