Quoting: Eli
Pens fans. Great. The more I talk sense, the more you repeat your one or two points. Yes. Old people usually skate slowly. But no, hockey is not purely about skating, any more than it ever was. They still make the standings based on which team scores more goals. So a guy like Oshie who scores more goals and sets up more goals than anyone else Seattle can get? They take him if he's available. Also, you might want to look up how many points Francis got when he was 40, if you're hoping to convince him that Oshie can't be any good at 38. Good luck with that.
" who scores more goals and sets up more goals than anyone else Seattle can get? "
this is a false premise.
At almost 6 mil a year for 4 years of cap space, they could use that in many different ways. From FA to collecting a 1st round pick. They just aren't so limited in their choices that their best choice is a guy who is 35 with 4 years left at close to 6 mil per.
As much as you would like to say hockey isn't purely about skating, which it isn't, but if you can't it's very noticeable and it's the first thing that gets older players send down the lineup. Especially as a forward. There is a whole list of forwards who have skill but can't skate. Check out TOR they got a whole list of them. Most of them are 3rd and 4th line guys. It's not like Oshie is a high caliber player like the ones who are. He's not a Bergeron he's not going to give you close to a 60% chance on the dot every night so they can hide him in the OZone where he doesn't need to use his legs. He's not OV with a rocket of a shot who is probably always going to have the best shot on the team he's on. He's a guy who made his bones being a pesky player, an energy player,, using his legs, etc... So aging does not help his game. The play on the ice kind of bares that out. It's one of the reasons WSH fans want to move him. Believe me if he was still playing like he did a few years ago, no one would be suggesting it. They would move so many other players before him.
We'll agree to disagree. But we'll know once the draft happens. Neither one of use is over here trying to convince Francis, he's already made up his mind by now anyway on what he's doing and who he's taking. He's probably already cut deals with several teams.
My guess is , if they do nothing, that Seattle takes a defenseman from WSH. They got guys there who have value, the can always trade them out later for something useful.
If they make a deal my guess is they take Hagelin and get something for doing it. Because the cap hit is far less and only for 2 years.