Team: 2019-20 Custom Team

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 12, 2019

Published: Feb. 12, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Making predictions. Note that this is not necessarily what I think the players are worth, but this is what I can see teams paying them. Yes, I hate your team specifically. No, I don't watch any games, how else could I think along these lines? Anyways, here goes:



The contract situation is almost forgotten, with Erik Karlsson set to enter free agency. The most likely spot by far is still San Jose, but if not NYR, VAN and even VGK seems plausible, with places like COL and ARZ as dark horses. We're talking about the best defenseman since Lidström, if your team has the chance to sign him they shouldn't even think twice.

Artemi Panarin's only comparable in recent memory is JT, and although I think the Russian might be ever so slightly better at driving play, I can still se him getting just a little less money. FLA, NYR, DAL and even still CHI strikes me as potential landing spots.

I actually think Stone is the better player between him and Panarin, and this is potentially the biggest steal in the free agency. How important do you think defensive play and puck retreival is? in theory it should be as important as offense, and since Stone has started producing with the big boys, he should really start to enter conversations about the leagues best wingers in the backwater of Kucherov. He has been the best defensive winger in the league for some time, but he's starting to make the conversation with the Koivu's of the world as the leagues best defensive forward.

Matt Duchene is worse than Stone. Like by a lot. He's still weak defensively and their offensive production is about even. There's also the "center factor", which is weird cause most of thie leagues forwards can play C. If I'm DAL, BUF, CBJ or MTL, or any other team with the necessary cap space for that matter, I'm hoping he signs for closer to 9. If he stays in Ottawa it will probably be for closer to 8.

Jeff Skinner started out the year in tremendous fashion, but has, like his team, cooled down. Luckily for his bank account he's riding shotgun with Eichel. He's probably looking to get over the 8m mark, and whilst that number might be dropping as his production is slightly regressing, we have to remember people literally leave their millions and walk out of Buffalo. If I'm Botterill I'd try to find some middle ground and sign him now, before someone misses out on Panarin and panics.

Goalies are weird. Sergei Bobrovsky is a weird goalie. He's been up and down like few others, but he's also been the leagues best goaltender for stretches over a year. In a position where stability is desired, Bob will instead try to sell ceiling. I think he'll manage to, but the team signing him will pay a high Price - for what could be the 2nd worst goalie contract in the league down the road. This team might be STL, FLA or CBJ.

Kevin Hayes in next on this list. Kevin Hayes. In all fairness his production has been great this season, and he's sort of metaphorically cooled off since he metaphorically passed the torch to DJZ. Again with the center premium, Hayes might look to get payed in Dallas, Colorado or any other market looking for a more permanent solution at 2C.

Gardiner has struggled in Toronto. Not so much with his on-ice play, but with fans asking for him to be fired into the sun and a rebuild every time they lose. When they win the next game and are projected for the SCF basically everyone else seems to get credited, so Jake might as well go get payed on a team with less of a tight cap situation. If MIN sells this year he might fit into their future, but MTL might be interested since they are also struggling on defense ever since letting their best player and overall good guy*COUGH* ehmm.. Defensive liability and locker room cancer leave the team for an older, slower guy.

Nyquist and Lee are sort of comparably good, but in very different ways. The former more silently, while the latter is big on the ice and apparently in the locker room, since he's been appointed captain. Lee probably stays in NY, while Ny could go anywhere - but most likely to whichever team misses out on the bigger name FA's.

Staal probably gets his cap hit bumped back up, after a series of being traded to NYR, looking literally dead in the playoffs, signing for ominous money in Minnie, and bouncing back to a legit 1C. I don't think it's that unlikely he gets flipped at the deadline only to re-sign in 'sota.

Joe Pavelski is at a similar stage to Staal in his career, and probably also takes a 2-3 year deal around the big ol' 6, unless SJ offers him a longer contract to reduce his cap hit. If they win, which is not at all unlikely, he could both get a longer contract with SJ, or leave when being offered ring-money - because the correlation is clearly with Pavelski still captaining SJS, not Erik Karlsson joining.

Next name on this list is somehow Ryan Dzingel whom has somehow found a scoring touch, somehow in Ottawa. Somehowever the rebuilding team has not yet shipped this product of favorable situation for a 1st rounder - you know the ones they desperately need and lack. I honestly think they're keeping him in case they can't convince Duchene to stay. I've probably given him money on the higher end, but I wouldn't want to sign this contract regardless.

I wouldn't want to sign this contract either. That's because it belongs to Tyler Myers, who's greatest asset is a similar build to that of Zdeno Chara. What? He can sorta skate too? Wow, maybe he IS the next Cha... No. He has all the tools and no toolbox. If you think WPG are in deeper cap trouble than they are, it's because you haven't figured out that they're keeping their heads cool over there in -50C, and are planning to let go of this big guy.

I wouldn't want to sign this contract either. That's because it belongs to Wayne Simmonds, who used to be an elite winger, but is already dropping off. Usually GM's who sign these contracts are defended by fans saying "well he couldn't possibly know this 30 y/o power winger was going to decline", but with Simmonds it's happening in front of our eyes. Beg that your team don't give up their first round pick and pray they don't sign him July 1st. The most insane part is probably that I'm underestimating his contract.

No, I'd rather sign Micheal Ferland, and no that isn't misspelled (well not on my end at least). A few years younger, carrying a lot less mileage on his body, and somehow cheaper, Ferland is exactly the kinda guy you want to pay middle-6 money for and have him playing on your first line.

Silfverberg could play a similar role with completely different tools. He's got a great shot, but doesn't seem to be able to give himself enough space to take it. He's pretty solid defensively, but he plays on the Ducks. He'd probably look really good next to Bergeron and Marchand (like everyone), or with Giroux and Couts, where he can contributed defensively and have more offensively talented players set him up for scoring chances.

Brock Nelson is another one of the Islanders guys. And by Islanders guys I mean their perennial 6-8 or so second liners surrounding what used to be Tavares, but now is Barzal and a bunch of burnt-up 91-jerseys. He's fine I guess, but again a complementary player to someone driving the Islanders success like Barzal...

... Or Robin Lehner. Since Ottawa decided to compete with Edmonton in making other teams better, the Islanders decided to do what they do best and take advantage of that. Plenty of teams decided to buy on life-long back-up goalies this Summer, instead of - oh I don't know buying low on the potential starter coming from a bad team, who's also on the upswing from some pretty life-altering ****. A bad starter is still a good back-up. A good back-up is not necessarily a good starter. Now write that down 3 times Chiarelli. Lehner will probably get paid on a 3-year or so deal. Good for him.

Eberle is also an Islanders guy who is probably fine to sign as well. He's not really gifted physically, so there's not much expected declination for him in the coming years. I assume he stays in NY just like his previouly mentioned teammates.

Also staying in New York is probably Zuccarello. He might get shipped at the deadline, but it wouldn't surprise me if he came back to the NYR organization. His current cap hit has been a great deal for the Rangers, while signing 2-3 years for the same number will probably match his actual value closer in the coming years.

Marcus Johansson though, might leave that area after not finding the form he showed when he first signed for the Devlis. Who goes were out of these 2nd tier FA's gets really hard to predict, but if he recovers from his Marchand-related injuries he could be a steal. If not - he could very well become one of the worse FA contracts this summer.

Thornton isn't done, and he shouldn't be either. Closing in on quite the few records in the twilight of his career could motivate him to find a new home if SJS can't fit him under the cap.

Alexander Edler is pretty much what everyone think his teammate Chris Tanev is. That is someone who's really good at picking up the puck in the defensive zone and getting it out of there and/or to a teammate. He's sort of forgotten since the Canucks stopped doing damage in the playoffs, but his reputation could rise again due to recent Elias Pet.. I mean team success.

Anton Strålman was the steal of his last free agency class and could very well be that again. He might get payed way less than Myers, but unlike him, Strålman has all the toolbox. Most teams should be interested. This is the guy Edmonton should have signed to play with Klefbom, Buffalo could sign to play with Dahlin, Dallas could sign to play with Heiskanen, NYR could sign to play with Skjei etc.

In theory I think Varlamov is a better goalie than Howard. Slightly at least. He's also younger, but might also warrant a longer contract because of that. If I'm looking for a goalie in FA I'm taking whoever lines up with my teams aging curve better.

Donskoi is the last player I'll mention as the others are getting down there in cap hit or up there in age. He's once again one of those players who don't drive a lot of offense himself, but that's pretty good at tapping in and chasing down pucks. I'd use him as a 3rd guy on the Eichel, Giroux, Seguin, Pettersson, MacKinnon or even McDavid line if the oilers had any cap space.



Please tell me why you hate every single cell in my body down below, and thanks in advance!