Like SuperMatt, I'm going to quote something I put in the other thread. Tallon has had a lot of bad trades/signings, but I think the Matheson one could be his worst
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wood
What a mistake that Mike Matheson contract was
Tallon gave him 8y/$4.875M after playing less than 20 NHL games IIRC. 2 seasons in it's a disaster
Matheson was on the ice for all 5 goals against in the 5-0 blowout exhibition game vs Tampa
He was to blame for a couple of goals in game 1 after bad line changes and poor play. In game 2 he was out of position multiple times, Matheson even hit his own player (Boyle I believe) and allowed the Islanders to score, after already putting up 6 PIM in the first period
Matheson also injured Boychuk with a questionable hit and has been fined for a vicious high stick
Not surprisingly Quenville healthy scratched Matheson for the game 3 victory
There's still 6 years left in the deal and I believe there's a NTC kicking in
Like SuperMatt, I'm going to quote something I put in the other thread. Tallon has had a lot of bad trades/signings, but I think the Matheson one could be his worst
And yet Matheson is seen as a valued commodity by many in the NHL.
I have no idea who's going to trade for Matheson with 6 years left on his deal at nearly $5 million per. He barely played 18 minutes a night this year and even still, he didn't do it very well.
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"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
Just reviewing Capfriendly, and there are a few things for any new GM to deal with. Currently just over $20 million in cap space.
Goaltending
Lots of money locked up long term. You have to hope Bobrovsky just had an off year and he has one of his patented bounce back campaigns. Otherwise, it's gonna be ugly. Currently signed:
Bobrovsky
Dreidger/Montembeault
Notable UFAs: None.
Notable prospects: Spencer Knight, Ryan Bednard
I expect Knight to take another 2-3 years to develop, but then it will be his net. At that point, you might see Bobrovsky bought out if he isn't at the top of his game. Until then, the Panthers are stuck with their big free agent signing.
Defense
Again, a lot of money locked up, but there are some spots open. I don't see much changing for next year on the back end, and it's the area that needs the most improvement. Despite additions of guys like Stralman, they just don't have enough guys that are strong defensively. Currently signed:
Yandle/Ekblad
Stralman/Matheson
Stillman
Notable RFAs: Weegar/Brown
Notable UFAS: Pysyk
Notable prospects: Emil Djuse, Brady Keeper, Max Gildon, John Ludvig, Vladislav Kolyachonok
I don't see Pysyk back. Brown will be qualified, but Weegar may not be due to arbitration rights. We shall see what a new GM wants to do.
Stillman looks like a solid NHLer, so that takes up one of the spots on the bottom pair. They don't have a lot in the pipeline ready for the NHL, except for Emil Djuse who had a strong AHL campaign, but he's already 26. Brady Keeper has a shot at a job too if he continues to improve. A couple of decent prospects who are a few years away, but a LOT of work to do to improve the prospect pool. More than likely, it will be Josh Brown's job to lose. I wonder if they try to move out a contract in a trade and find a quality UFA to improve the mix of defenders.
Forwards
Not a terrible news story with the talent at the top, but still so much to do. Currently signed guys:
Notable UFAs: Hoffman, Dadonov, Haula, Boyle, whole lot of filler
Notable RFAs: Toninato, Saarela, Hunt, Walmark
I think they need to re-sign at least two of Hoffman, Dadonov, and Haula, with Dadonov being the odd man out for me preferably. Give $5.5-6 million for Hoffman and $3.75 million to Haula. Probably another bottom 6 signing as well if the prospects don't work out.
Notable prospects: Owen Tippett, Grigori Denisenko, Mason Marchment, Dryden Hunt, Aleksi Heponiemi, Logan Hutsko, Serron Noel, Cole Schwindt, Henrik Borgstrom.
I'm betting that Tippett, Hunt, and Borgstrom make the team next year to fill out the bottom of the roster. There is some talent coming, but it's still several years away. It would be nice to see Heponiemi adapt to NHL size. His skill is really high end.
Even if they re-sign a couple of their scoring forwards, this is still a team that isn't going to be good enough and has little in the pipeline ready to help. There's a lot of work to do to make this team a contender, but there are some key pieces already in place for a skilled GM to work with. They still need a solid top line player to go with Barkov and Huberdeau. Maybe Connolly Here's my projected lineup:
If I was the new GM of Florida I think I'd want to cut ties with any of the high priced pieces left over from the previous regime. Especially Barkov and Ekblad. I'd probably deal them to a team like Calgary for some picks so I could start fresh.
Geez, I thought it was so over the top obvious I was joking that green text was not needed.
LOL, well...most people know virtually nothing about the Panthers, so I always assume that people would undervalue those two and think they were overpaid.
The Monahan vs. Barkov debates have taught me that people really haven't watched Barkov play. Just as an example.
At any rate, I just hope they get someone competent this time. The last few years have been an absolute debacle.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ResAlien
If we can't fall in love with replaceable bottom 6 players then the terrorists have won.
This was past due. It's time for the NHL to move on from relics like Tallon. I'm glad that I won't have to see his smug face in another draft lottery.
Agree 100%. When they picked Ekblad in 2014, remember him saying “Florida is pleased to select from the Ontario hockey league“ followed by a long pause and a smirk. Good riddance to this relic.
Here’s the clip. Go to 6:30 to see him attempt his comedy routine.