Joined: Aug. 2018
Posts: 6,335
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No one wanted Tyler Johnson off waivers for free.
I like Tyler, but he has only scored more than 50 pts once, in the 2014 season. He is a 40-50 pt guy, small but with speed, he doesn't scream 1st- 2nd liner with that production, which makes him a 5mil 3rd liner in a flat cap league. Hes also 30 yrs old, 4 yrs at 5mil with a NTC. Which is a hard sell. (None of which is Tyler's fault, he is in a league where there is a 9mil jeff skinner, but hes also in a league where a JVR has negative value).
He has value to the right team. But he carries a negative value right now based on the flat cap alone. No one wanted him for free, so you have to see what you could add with him to get any kind of value back, and because of his NTC he can block a deal unless its to a situation he desires. (So I cant see him wanting to go to a rebuilding or struggling club, especially at 3rd line minutes). I cant see TB moving both Johnson and kilhorn for middling return, but dealing separately, and don't forget the NTCs.
Johnson might take 3rd line minutes on a good contending club where he can continue to produce, say a NYR, VGS or PHI kind of place, but none of those have cap unless they make moves, and only PHI would probably need his speed. (Maybe PHI moves Ghost somewhere and takes Johnson and a TB 1st for a mid level prospect?)
TB couldn't move him for nothing, they cant afford to move him for much of anything now.
With the NHL in just a month, TB has to move about 14mil in salaries and still get some lge minimum guys as replacements, but the clock is really ticking.