2017/2018 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[Robbob]

Clock is also ticking. The interview period before every team is able to talk to Tavares is around 18 days away.

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by Groot

Maybe it's unlikely if you interpret it in that specific way. I read it as the organization was on-board with keeping DW around to appease their star player, if that player was to re-sign. The organization now knows that he will be going to free agency, ending the Tavares-era in NY.

As such there's no point in keeping DW and Snow around, better to start fresh as the team moves forward in a new direction sans Tavares. Lou steps in as GM, and now they have a few weeks before the draft to find a new coach, with the new GM, to start the post-Tavares era in NY.

I can see why Snow was let go, pretty obvious.

The DW firing however is way more interesting. Not the fact that he was fired, but it's the timing of his firing. By firing him before FA, it seems Lou is signalling that JT's time may be over (considering him and DW's relationship), which gives other teams leverage when negotiating for rights etc. Why not just keep DW until after FA to fire him? It doesn't cost the NYI anything to keep him for another month. At least try to keep the facade that JT may still be signing with the team and not perpetuate any further speculation.

Firing DW now is just adding unnecessary noise and complexities to an already tense situation. I'm sure Lou has something up his sleeve, but it's just kinda weird to me.

[yourbestfriend]

Nashville would be stupid to trade Johansen. They signed him to an 8year deal less than a year ago. Good luck convincing any other FA to sign with your team ever again unless there are full NMC's involved. Although the NHL is a business, it's still an old boys club (GM's and agents) where relationships matter.

[neo45]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Tavares has no motivation to agree to a sign and trade. All that does is weaken the organizational depth for the team he is going to end up with.

Actually, I guess getting the 8th year is motivation for him to do it, but i still don't see it happening.

Helping out the Islanders organization could be a motivation, but I highly doubt that is high on his priorities if he chooses to leave.

I think the biggest motivation would be (along with the extra year) that it could allow his new team to focus on other moves to solidify their roster, now that they are actually certain they have just spent ~15% of their cap on JT.

I don’t see it happening, and it would be unprecedented in the NHL, but I could see why both of the GM’s would theoretically want to push for it.

[ForeverFlameFan]

I wonder if a team like Montreal that has an excess of picks throws a 2nd rounder at the Isles for Tavares' rights. Even if he doesn't sign there, I feel like that is something Montreal's GM would do.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Tavares, despite being in his prime, is in a pretty weird spot.

The safest way (and realistically most likely option) is to take a long-term contract that would bring him close to his 35th or 36th birthday.

But if he really wanted to maximize his career earnings, which would require the risk of injury or declining, probably the best option is to take a mid term contract that brings him to 32 or 33.

We've seen with players like Burns that teams are not afraid to offer insane contracts to that bring players to their 40th birthday as long as they get a couple years before the players 35th birthday. It is far less likely that a player receives 'substantial' contracts after their 35th birthday.

So I think Tavares' camp has to ask themselves if this will be his last "big" contract or if it would be smarter to separate into two big contracts.

[Toonage]

Its a waste of assets to give up for negotiating rights. The only way this would work is if you knew, absolutely knew, Tavares wanted to sign with your team. And if that were the case you may as well just wait. After all, you know he wants to sign there. Why spend anything?

Otherwise if you're Tavares and a team ends up with exclusive negotiating rights thanks to that pick, he'll listen, say thanks and then still go to market to see what everyone else has to offer.

Pointless to give up a pick for those rights.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by yourbestfriend

The DW firing however is way more interesting. Not the fact that he was fired, but it's the timing of his firing. By firing him before FA, it seems Lou is signalling that JT's time may be over (considering him and DW's relationship), which gives other teams leverage when negotiating for rights etc. Why not just keep DW until after FA to fire him?

Lou came in, assessed the situation, and decided that Weight would not be the head coach next year. I don't think this needs to be much more than that. I mean, he was only in the Islander's organization for 2 weeks, it's not like he could have been fired much quicker. Firing him now indicates to other potential head coaches that the Islanders are looking, and that Doug Weight is available to other teams, as they look forward to next season. I think it has far less to do with Tavares and more about a new GM getting rid of a head coach.

[SuperMatt18]

You know what is a horrible trade that doesn't get enough criticism.

Martin Jones
Colin Miller
2015 1st Round Pick

for

1 season of Milan Lucic

That is a bad, bad trade by Dean Lombardi.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

You know what is a horrible trade that doesn't get enough criticism.

Martin Jones
Colin Miller
2015 1st Round Pick

for

1 season of Milan Lucic

That is a bad, bad trade by Dean Lombardi.

Don't forget 2016 1st Round Pick + Roland McKeown for 1 month of Andrej Sekera.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Are we going with worst trades made? Guess this GM

I like Hall for Larsson
or
Eberle for Strome
or my most favorite:
Reinhart for 16th + 33rd OA (2015) = Reinhart for Barzal and Beauvillier

[Nelson]

I already mentioned this in the Edmonton section but there's a lot of smoke about an Oiler trade. Bob Stauffer (who predicted Hall and Eberle trades), David Staples, Jim Matheson and Terry Jones all talking trade. Staples and Matheson both mention Klefbom. Staples speculates Klefbom, Benning, Kassian. Jim Matheson specially mentions Klefbom for Ristolainen.

Klefbom for Ristolainen would be bad enough, but I hope the Oilers add in Puljujarvi too.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Ristolainen is getting underrated. The guy has been the go-to defender since he was 20 with a revolving door of partners in Scandella, McCabe, Gorges, Kulikov, Bogosian and Zadorov.

Let's not forget that Scandella, his partner this season, was a fifth defensemen in Minnesota just last year.

No stability and no true top pairing partner, but he's expected to go out and play 30 minutes a night. There's no chance of him succeeding. And he still puts up 40+ points consistently. Give him a stabilizing presence, a partner like prime Giordano, and everyone would be gushing over him.

If only Buffalo was in a position to grab a potential top pairing number 1 defenseman to play with him somehow.....

Poor guy though, would suck to finally think you're getting a competent partner and then end up in defensemen hell in Edmonton.

[Knut]

If anything Ristolainen is over-rated. His offense is good, Solid on the PP, but has not really done with Defenisvely since coming into the league.

[H2SO4(aq)]

I like ristolainens game. Plays a heavy type of hockey. Wouldn't mind flames taking a look at him.

[theslymonkey]

Originally Posted by Hes

If anything Ristolainen is over-rated. His offense is good, Solid on the PP, but has not really done with Defenisvely since coming into the league.

What?!? Risto is a solid top pairing D. He may not be Doughty, Hedman... But he's on almost every teams top pairing if given the chance.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Since coming into the league? He's 23, playing against the leagues top players with a fifth defenseman on the other side.

Yeah, he's no defensive stalwart, but a lot of that is him getting caught out of position and that, arguably, doesn't happen nearly as much if he wasn't trying to play offense and 'cover' for weak partners. I love Dougie, but put Hamilton in his position and he'd look like the worst defensive player in the league.

Classic case of doing too much with no help and it's clearly what he's being told to do. Otherwise he wouldn't be getting the insane amount of time he does get.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The talk about it all being about playing with a winner is overblown. There are effectively three tiers of teams in the league:

4-5 teams that are likely to finish atop their conferences and make deep playoff runs. These teams almost never have the cap space to sign a player like Tavares. And teams rarely last longer than 3-4 seasons in this tier.

4-5 bottom-feeding teams that, due to tight-fisted owners or chronically bad management, are unlikely to turn around their fortunes anytime soon (though some, like Colorado, manage it).

The other 20 teams, teams that can make the playoffs in any given year and win a round or two, or miss the playoffs.

Sure, star players want to play for the top-tier teams. But it's very difficult to orchestrate a trade or or signing to them. And they want to avoid the bottom-tier teams, though a couple of them may just be at the bottom of rebuild and have a promising future.

But the great bulk of teams are essentially indistinguishable for a player looking to win the Cup. Is there really much difference between San Jose, St. Louis, NYI, Colorado, Calgary, and New Jersey when it comes to the likelihood of winning a Cup in the next 5-6 years?

Given the fact that most of the teams that will pitch offers to Tavares have more or less the same odds of winning, he's going to be looking at other factors to make his decision: city, climate, travel, coaches, line-mates.

I repeat my prediction of JT destination rankings:
1. Toronto
2. San Jose
3. Calgary

[stemit14]

If I’m buffalo, I definitely want the oilers to add a bunch more if the centrepiece around the oilers’ offer is Klefbom and Jesse Puljarvi. Risto is a beast of a defenseman with offensive skills.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by theslymonkey

What?!? Risto is a solid top pairing D. He may not be Doughty, Hedman... But he's on almost every teams top pairing if given the chance.

Don't be so sure. He's got serious issues in the way he plays the game at ES. He's in that Leafs-era Phaneuf tier of a guy playing way above his ability level that happens to be good on the power play.

That said I do think he's really, really good on the power play. He would be our PPQB ahead of Giordano, Hamilton, or Brodie.