Quote:
Originally Posted by Flash Walken
This isn't true.
As long as you continue to have contributing players on ELCs you'll be just fine.
It means making hard decisions on players but it's easy to replace a player like Alzner when you've drafted John Carlson.
The leafs haven't come close to peaking. They will have to move salary, in which they will take back picks and prospects, to start the cycle all over again. Meanwhile a player like Nick Robertson is basically just waiting for a roster spot. And the leafs have 11(ELEVEN) picks in the upcoming draft.
Colorado will probably have to trade Erik Johnson in the next year or two but if Byram and Makar are their top pairing of the future, that decision is easy.
Paying good players big dollars isn't a problem. Playing average or bad players above average money is the culprit.
The Flames paid 3.3 million last year for michael stone and troy brouwer to combine for 33 games.
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I disagree. You're right you need players contributing on ELC's but that's why the window is small. Right now is the Avalanches best window. It will only become harder and harder to get better as Makar, Landeskog, Mackinnon all start to get paid what they deserve. It will be harder to surround them with a well-rounded team. They are on bargain contracts currently and that would give their team the greatest chance at success. Next year is their year as they have everyone signed and cap space. The following year when Makar and Landeskog get huge raises, and they have to start planning to pay Mackinnon the largest contract in NHL history, it's going to be difficult to keep that roster together. I'm not saying their window will close but it likely will never be more open than next year and it will start to get increasingly more difficult quick.
11 picks for the leafs doesn't mean much unless you hit on someone who can jump in and make an impact fast. Odds are most of those guys never become impact players and don't really move the needle much more than what they have now.
I'm not saying paying big dollars to your top players is the problem. It's inevitable and you need star players to be elite. But the fact that players make huge dollars in a short period of time makes it very difficult to keep a team together. When I refer to a teams window I guess I more so mean their window with the greatest probability. For the Avs I see that as next year. After that they likely will have many tough decisions moving forward.