The Blues are in a bad spot. I personally would like to see us change gears but I understand that doesn’t make a lot of financial sense from an owners point of view and it sometimes ends up in an everlasting rebuild. Given the amount of past-their-prime, underperforming, NTC-holding players we have, I don’t seeing us being legit contenders for at least 3 years. After 1 more year, a lot of the guys full NTC will change to 15 team which is something to look forward too. But basically the point I’m trying to make is we need change.
Trade 1: Buchnevich
Saw this blueprint on a Buffalo fans ACGM and liked it a lot. Buch is currently the 3rd best player on the team behind Thomas and Binner. He is on an absolutely incredible contract for 1 more year. PPG player who can play top line and penalty kill. At 50% retained he only costs 2.9mil. We need to cash in because our team is not in a position where signing him to the deal he deserves and we get 4 good years and 2-3 bad overpriced ones makes sense. Buffalo is a team I see being very close to becoming a legit contender. They are young as ****. They have a stacked young Defense locked in, and a ton of young forwards. Skinner and Tuch kinda lead the pack with veteran presence. Buch would be a great injection of skill, experience, and leadership. This trade could come with them talking and getting a deal in place. Buffalo really needs to take the step to the playoffs and I think buch would help. Scott wheeler gives them the #1 overall prospect pool. Ideally we’d get their pick this year but don’t think they give that up. They like Savoie more than Kulich so they decide to let him go while replacing him with a top 15 pick this year and their pool stays strong. They make the playoffs next year so they feel good about giving their pick thinking it’ll be 20 or above. Blues are looking for 2 first and a NHL player, we’ll Krebs is kind of an NHL player. I have always liked his game even tho he hasn’t panned out yet. Maybe another change of scenery could revive him, low risk high reward potential. We add the 5th to drop the protection to top 7 instead of top 10 and to even the values.
Trade 2: Krug
We gotta get rid of this guy. He has full protection so it has to be a place he’d want to go. Detroit isn’t really an option and the only other place I could see him going would be back to Boston. They don’t have a bunch of LD under contract for next year so it could make sense. I see them wanting to get bigger and younger but maybe? At 2.5mil retained he is the same price as his buyout without the extra years. At 4m for a team who can shelter him, he might be worth the gamble for only 3 more years. I don’t see this one happening in reality but a man can dream right?
Trade 3: Kinda the same thing with Krebs. A bet on a younger player who doesn’t look like he’s panning out. The pedigree is there so this is another one I think my value may be low and NYR aren’t going to let go of Kappo but they need C depth and bringing back Hayes would be fun! The 3rd is to even things out. This helps us get younger in a time period where we aren’t aiming to win a cup but build for a better future. It’s a gamble I’d be happy to take cause Hayes doesn’t help us and I’d bet Kakko will be better than that 3rd round pick.
Free Agency
-Sign Bertuzzi to a 1 year deal he can pass up. Trade him at the deadline 50% retained for something decent
-Sugn Zodorov to a 2 year overpaid deal to get him here and stop gap/protect younger guys. We’ll have two retention slots the following year and can flip him with retention to whoever or keep him till his contracts up. Depends how things go.
-Sign Perron because why the **** not
Our guys
Thomas is elite. Now that I got that out of the way, let’s talk. Snuggy is going to be a stud. Sign him and start him in the A but I could see him as a solid pro by the end of next season. Of only Perunovich could stay healthy and really develop. Give him another shot. Sign other guys as depth defenders to fill rolls when he inevitably gets hurt. Zach Dean, Bolduc are also right on the cuff. Neighbors is close. We’ve got some good young guys, adding Kulich gives us som real star power and enough forwards now it’s time to build D. Its been time to build D. Need to get some youth D in. Can trade forwards like Dean or Bolduc for some already established prospects. Definitely needs to be the focus at the draft.
The Draft
I expect us to end around 10-14.
10-14 pick, Carter Yalemchuck, Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium, Adam Jiricek
42-46: Leo Shalin Wallenius, Dominik Badinka, Adam Kleber, Charlie Elick, Matvei Shuravin
60ish: Alfons Freij, EJ Emory, Will Skahan, Stian Solberg
Leave the draft with 3 good D prospects from the first 2 rounds.
Conclusion:
This team ain’t winning **** but at least moves would have been made that help us gear up for success in the future. It rounds out the prospect pool, gets rid of some of the bad contracts, rides out the others and give us fairly high picks while being able to trade for early picks. Think we do basically the same strategy for one more year after the one depicted here and then Snuggy, Kulich, Lindstein, stenberg, Bulduc, Neighbors, maybe our early 2024 pick, are ready to start playing and some of those contracts will be closer to ending. Then we can supplement with FAs and maybe trade futures again. We’d be back in no time!
I'm not opposed to a Zadorov move for a couple years, but that's too much money. On the other hand, super hard mega extreme pass on Bertuzzi, and again. He's worth nowhere near that money. But most of all, I don't understand why we'd want him. We don't need somebody blocking all the young wingers. Let alone that head case.
I keep seeing Buch to Buffalo. I keep seeing incredible overpays. My question, legitimately, is how did his trade value triple/quadruple from his last year in NY (RFA signing rights, 25 years old, coming off near a ppg the year prior and a really good up and coming player in 19/20. He was traded for a second and a warm body. Now, age 29, with one year left to UFA, he’s worth firsts, top prospects, ++. I guess I don’t see it, I know he’s played a little more center and that increases his value, and I know his output is up. It’s like there’s some pluses and minuses from his earlier trade.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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