Sexlaf15

McDavid probably deserves the money, but man these contracts start setting standards and looks like we're on our way to another lockout

I never put any stock in the "Gibby doesn't work hard" rumors. I think he's improved a lot in a good amount of areas. He's got some stuff to work on but he also broke into the league 2-4 years earlier than most goaltenders do. There's growing pains involved, same with our barely legal blue line. It's frustrating sometimes for sure, but to be anchored by a young blue line and a younger goalie is something to be excited for.

I honestly don't think anyone left on the table makes any impact that we want. Best bet is to round out the bottom six. I'd rather us not trade Vatanen at all. We kept him and Manson for a reason. If Perry rebounds, Rakell continues improvement, Silfverberg continues, Getzlaf, Kesler keep about what they did last year I don't think we are desperate for any more forwards anymore. Of course we all want that top line LW that we've needed for what feels like a decade, but all it takes for our d depth to dissipate is another trade and a prospect to not pan out which is common.

Hayes, Grigorenko, maybe Yakupov, Stafford.

From the sounds of rumors, we're going hard in on Marleau who I think would be a slightly better fit for our needs. Probably gonna tie up a decent amount, maybe didn't want to commit the two million.

I really like this move, maybe a tiny bit more money than ideal, but still we don't have a 4.5 million dollar back up anymore. Miller can be a very good mentor to Gibson, because I think Miller in his prime is what Gibson can be. Very athletic, all he needs is his positioning a little more sound, puckhandling, and a bit better lateral pushes.

I've loved Fowler since we drafted him. Such a solid guy, great interviews, humble. I think we rushed his development a bit, but he's come into his own. He's a low tier number 1 D man and I think he'll be a mid to high tier in his prime. I think he's got another two years of development and we have him for his entire prime. We've weathered our two storms of Perry:Getz and our ED defenseman debacle without losing anything important. I think Fowler on a 6.5 deal looks incredible in 2-3 years when guys like Vlasic got more money and McDavid is getting 13 million.

I disagree, Gibson outplayed Rinne all series and had a very solid series against the Flames. Against the Oilers he was a tad shakey but I never felt he cost us the game in a loss. on the other hand Rinne actually played relatively poorly for his standards, let in a good number bad goals. If Rinne had played the way he did year before last, we probably would've gotten swept. Bernier completely let our team down in our final game. There's always more factors than just s goalie, but he failed every time to make a semi hard save to keep us alive. He did very well in the regular season, but as a team I don't think you can stay with that.

I honestly can't see it happening. I don't think any of the "big" names this offseason would really fit into the roles we need. Miller I think is ideal. I think Hayes too. I think if we can round out the bottom two lines it'll make a lot of difference having NHL depth. Sometimes it felt we just had AHL caliber depth this last season and I don't think Hayes wins usna cup, but rounding out the roster with solid depth guys seems favorable than to overpaying aging guys.

Hayes for cheap wouldn't be a bad thought on our fourth or third line. He had a really bad season, but he was solid the year before. A one year trial contract wouldn't be too bad.

If we can get a 1 year 1-2 million Ryan Miller I'll be happy. Good leadership for Gibby and a guy who can still play at his age

I used to draft Comtois all the time in NHL 18 and he would always end up pretty good haha.

Free Agency is pretty meh this year, meaning some people will get overpaid. I obviously want to resign Eaves, but who else is a good idea to go at? I really like the idea of going for a cheap one or two year Ryan Miller contract. Solid veteran guy for Gibby and a guy who can step up if we need it. Other than that I'm not sure FA wise. Sharp, Hendricks, Bonino, Kunitz. Nothing too appetizing. Sharp on a cheapish contract doesn't sound too bad.

Do you think we still trade Vats? I'd prefer to hold onto him. Who's hitting FA that's of interest to us?

Honestly I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. We kept our core defensive players and still have 2-3 more solid prospects on the back end.