Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinny01
You are okay chasing Morgan Frost as the offensive centerpiece of a Gaudreau trade who is worth far more than the 1st+3rd compensation the offer sheet would cost. Cirelli has 94pts in 168 games yet he is more of a gamble than a guy with 7 in 20?
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Actually, that was not the intent of the trade. There was no centerpiece player. The Philly trade was a sum of its parts, getting three players who can contribute immediately and fill in the gaps the team is missing (RW, C, and RD) and have significant pieces going forward, two cost controlled.
For comparison, Frost is a way better prospect with much greater upside than Cirelli. Cirelli's best junior year was draft +2 when he scored 25 goals and 64 points. His draft +1 he scored only 21 goals and 59 points. Conversely, in his draft +1 Frost scored 42 goals and 112 points. In his draft +2 he scored 37 goals and 109 points in nine less games. During Cirelli's first season in the pros he scored 14 goals and 37 points in 51 games (.274 GPG, .725 PPG), good for 6th on a strong Syracuse team (3rd in the AHL). During Frost's first pro season he scored 13 goals and 29 points in 41 games (.317 GPG, .707 PPG), good for 2nd in scoring on a weak Leigh Valley team (26th in the AHL). Frost has 1st line potential and is on the same level as Cozens. Not sure Cirelli is at that level.
Cirelli has done well for himself, but he is surrounded by talent that gives him incredible opportunities. I'm skeptical he would step in and do the same with less talent to work with and less talent in front of him. I'm not sure he's a $5.5-6M player. He's a guy I would be bridging for sure and making certain he can play at the level of that salary. There is just a lot of risk to offersheet a third line player and give him big money.