Quote:
Originally Posted by Jay Random
The trouble is, Versteeg is at the age where he has nowhere to go but down. Shinkaruk could be a stopgap top-6 forward right away, and if his development goes reasonably well, he could be a legitimate top-6 forward in a couple of years. Age matters, especially when you're building a team that is unlikely to contend for several years.
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I wouldn't call that a stopgap, but that's getting into semantics
I do agree that they might see enough potential in Shinkaruk to make taking him worth their while.
But if they're going to take a veteran forward, I would think they care more about which guy they actually want, at which point negotiating with Versteeg makes sense.
Sure you can negotiate with UFA's on July 1st, but so can every other team. Problem is, unlike every other team Vegas absolutely has to sign some UFA's to get a reasonable top 6 together. Leaving it all after July 1st would be a huge risk for them, especially if at that point they don't have any other veterans they can point to as potential linemates.
Signing a couple of guys would make for a much better starting point. Granted Versteeg isn't exactly a huge name, but the sacrifice of not drafting Hunter Shinkaruk isn't that huge either.