PerreaultForever

Depends. I think the most successful organizations usually adopt the "draft the best player available" plan. Of course, if a RW and LW are similar we should go RW, but there is nothing wrong with too much of a good thing at any position as you can always trade surplus later. The real key is drafting well and developing those picks properly. and I will always say that you pick a goalie somewhere in every single draft.

Your view is much more favourable to the Pegulas than mine would be. I read all that stuff after JBot's firing as corporate spin and see the blame resting on them and not buying their excuses. They were quick to finger point and as the old saying goes there were three fingers pointing back at them. I'm not going to put any blame on LaFontaine, I see him as a victim of inept ownership and he was smart to run for the exit. The fact is they keep hiring cheaper inexperienced people to run the show and those people keep failing. Adams has worked for them personally, but he is the least experienced of all 3 in terms of sailing the whole ship. Do you really expect he'll turn out to be a wunderkind or is it more probable he will take several years at least to just learn the job making mistakes along the way much like JBot did. I'm certainly not going to conclude it's a guarantee we fail this time and I'm not going to jump off any ledges but, I am not going to buy into false hope (yet again) this time based on corporate rhetoric. I'm at the show me and prove it phase. Make it happen and I'm there with you, but do not expect me to follow you blindly just because you say this time it's different. (you being the ownership, not you the poster if that isn't clear :))

Even if he's pretty good he probably won't live up to what Montreal fans will expect/want. Personally I think Byfield might turn out to be the better player.

I suppose it's safe to say the league would be pretty happy if LaFrenierre ended up in Montreal.

So not Oloffson and Reinhart then?

How do you know that? All signs indicate they are going to pinch pennies. The economy is in a general shambles, the demand for their new wells is non existent, they laid off staff up and down the organization, they talked about a leaner organization, and they hired a cheap internal person rather than dishing out money for a higher priced experienced executive. Everything they have done lately points towards a cost saving future. They might also be weary of repeating a Skinner type deal on anybody. Would I prefer it if you were right, absolutely. But so far the facts indicate otherwise.

Considering Florida tax laws any offer sheet he'd sign has to be substantially more than Tampa is offering. A lot more. That will never happen as this team doesn't even want to pay a scouting staff any more yet alone high priced FAs.

Ya, we are.

It did. It got redressed as Edge.

I'm just curious, but what part of his game makes you think he is a part of the future (or should be)? Other than a fairly accurate but telegraphed wrist shot where he takes advantage of his reach I saw very little in his game or style that made me think he was anything but a potentially decent AHL player. Regarding some of the comments above, Cozens and Thompson have absolutely nothing in common imo.

I think the marketing job they have already done for this team is brilliant and they aren't even a roster yet. They are already building a fan base, generating interest, getting to the kids to build for future generations, AND making charitable/community donations. While our owners take their fan base for granted and serve up a sad excuse for 50 years you see the contrast with a group that's hungry and sees what is needed. I might just have to travel down and take in some of these Kraken games after this whole covid thing is over.

I got muted for making fun of Chuck Norris so it's taken me a while to get to this. The problem I have with ideas like this is IF they have value, then why would we want to jettison them? And if they don't actually have value for anyone else (in other words we can't get any real value for them) why would we just get rid of them? Not going to be so easy to just find cheap replacements for anyone. There is no long line of players wanting to come play in Buffalo that's for sure.

RIP Eddie. These will always be riveted in my brain from long ago in my youth.

When Obama was elected didn't that mook go on Fox and say we were headed for 1000 years of darkness? Pretty sure it was something like that. So umm, ya.

While I don't really think McCabe is anything better than a 5/6 D on a decent team he is/was better than Pilut and has a little (just a little) grit compared to some of our roster so he's still valuable. I never liked Pilut's game and actually couldn't care less he's gone. He coughed up the puck under pressure in numerous situations and cost us goals against. 4 in one disastrous game thinking back. If your D was filled with big tough slower D men you might want him around as a speedy difference maker on offense but when you already have guys with offensive games he's a liability. JBot and Housley seemed to think all 6 D men should be offensive puck movers. Krueger seemed to shift back to more balance. Hope that continues. 3 puck movers, 3 solid stay at home big bodies with grit, that should be your starting 6. So for the moment Dahlin, Jokiharju, Montour paired with Risto, McCabe and maybe Borgen (fingers crossed). Work the natural right left thing out over time. Something like that anyway. No place for Pilut imo so no loss.

Not convinced we have a management group/scouts that'll know what to do with the 8th pick BUT I am 100% absolutely sure Cozens will NOT be a Grigorenko. Unless we add someone new, in 3 years I predict Cozens will be the 3rd best player on the roster (assuming Jack and Dahlin are still here of course).Yes, he will be better than Sam, Much better.

Why don't we trade them a 3rd round draft pick for the right to talk to him?

I'm not sure that's true. He can sit like those guys did in Toronto. This will probably still be a covid pre-vaccine world (especially in the U.S. the way it's going) and in that environment I wouldn't be surprised if lots of RFAs think it's not a bad time to hard ball and sit out. None of this matters anyway. Boeser won't be traded to us. Probably won't be traded anywhere. Absolutely nothing's going to happen except most, if not all, of our UFAs will sign elsewhere (even the KHL).

I'm not in any way suggesting Eriksson is any good really but I do think he is better than Frolik. Maybe paired with other Swedes, different style, maybe he can still generate a few goals. Maybe not. I'd chance it to get Boeser. I suppose ultimately it comes down to knowing what Reinhart's number is. If his agent is planning to hold the desperate team hostage like Skinner did with JBot it'd be better to avoid that rather than meeting his price and being saddled with 2 long term underachievers (if that happened, you know it's possible, you know he's been up and down etc etc, maybe it wouldn't but do you really want to risk it on him? Does he strike confidence in you? Not me.) You can argue about Reinhart's hockey sense and completeness or whatever but Boeser is a sniper with an accurate shot and paired with Jack I think he could put up Pasternak type numbers. Something Reinhart won't. I mean I hear you, if we spent that 6 million wisely on a top 2C that'd be a good idea, but other than the wishful Cirelli trade scenario I don't see that happening. I don't believe many players will want to come here and I don't believe they will spend at all really in free agency. hence, trying to think outside the 2C box. Boeser is an upgrade.

Because I think Boeser is better than Reinhart and a top line of Skinner-Eichel-Boeser would be an upgrade. Eriksson isn't great and what he was is probably faded away but he MIGHT be a good fit with Johanson on the second line until Cozens is ready to take over. I'm still pushing for that Swedish Connection line one way or another :)

Can't say obviously but 1 line hockey teams never go far in the post season no matter how good that 1 line is. All I can say about the playoffs is please hockey gods just don't let Bogo win the cup and star for Tampa. I can't take another year of that (like ROR).

Easy, you make a trade around Boeser for Reinhart by taking on Erickson while dumping off Montour to somebody else for pick(s) or prospect(s). That gets rid of two RFAs who will want raises (and while avoiding a Reinhart argument Montour has shown nothing to deserve one). meanwhile I don't think Olofsson has (yet) earned the money you're suggesting with just 1 year on Jack's line and Dahlin's bigger payday will be affordable later because we lose Okposo and Erickson later.

No, but I'd give him up for Zadorov AND Kadri. The best way to get Boeser out of Vancouver would be for someone to take on Loui Erickson in the deal (2 years remaining and the Canucks desperate to unload his contract). I doubt we do any deals like that though given the whole cost cutting thing they seem to be doing.

No cause Cozens will be better (in time). I'd give them Reinhart though.