1. Motte is obvious. He's an amazing 4th liner who played really well for us last year and would be a great addition to an already solid 4th line.
2. Nyquist is a move with little risk and all the upside in the world. He's currently out for the season, but they think he could be back for the playoffs. We'd essentially be paying a 7th for the chance to have Nyquist, a very solid middle six player, and if he does play for us, we're still only giving up a late 3rd. If he doesn't, we essentially pay nothing. The cap isn't a big deal either, since he'll be on LITR until the playoffs anyways.
If Nyquist doesn't return, we still have plenty of players who could fill that 3RW slot. Kravtsov is the name that first comes to mind, he's the one I'd look out for to get a shot in the next few games. Vesey seems most likely, but I'm not sure he's the best candidate. Although he is great defensively, and can contribute a bit to the offense. The comparison is basically Vesey is better in this moment, but Kravtsov has a lot more upside. We've also seen Motte play well on the 3rd line, he might just be an upgrade on Vesey. Then of course there's Gauthier and Goodrow, but I'm not sure they're at the top of the list as of now.
With this, the 4th line becomes Motte - Goodrow - Vesey/Kravtsov, which would be one of the best 4th lines in the league. Plenty of offense and forechecking, but every single one of them is great defensively too. Plus any way you slice it, we'll have plenty of offense and plenty of defense, two high octane lines, two shutdown lines. Great powerplay, great penalty killing. It's such a deep team even without Nyquist, he's just the icing on the cake if he can play.
He’s been that same level before this season. Referring to Bjugstad.
First off, he's a righty center and not just an AHL level LW.
When he's played 4th line mins he produces less but still more than Motte... you can't compare Bju's best seasons with Motte's, not even close AND he's cheaper at 900k
First off, he's a righty center and not just an AHL level LW.
When he's played 4th line mins he produces less but still more than Motte... you can't compare Bju's best seasons with Motte's, not even close AND he's cheaper at 900k
Bjugstad’s performance this season is an outlier
To his performances his entire career prior. I’m not paying a 2nd round pick for a player who decides to start playing their potential in their 30s. That’s not how negotiations work in this league.
Bjugstad’s performance this season is an outlier
To his performances his entire career prior. I’m not paying a 2nd round pick for a player who decides to start playing their potential in their 30s. That’s not how negotiations work in this league.
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