I love it but I doubt you get that much for ned

if were like 5 points out of a WC spot at the TDL, then yes i say look to move Guentzel, Ned, Ruhewedel, Shea, etc. and i'd make Smith, Rakell, Eller, Acciari, Nieto all available as well... with the cap going up if this team continues to struggle all year then we can't run it back with this group.

EK65 trade might have been the dumbest trade this team could have made at the current juncture of their current window.

Im okay with that trade, but the other moves I did question ie. Acciari instead of Sprong or Geekie or Donanto, it goes on and on.

you might have traded a top 10-15 pick + dedicated 11 million in cap space for a player that was completely unnecessary to add.

Why is Guentzel worth less than Pettersson while half retained with an extension?

Genuine question.

The EK trade = getting what you get in the bottom 6... swapping out just Acciari for one of those three doesn't move the needle and you don't have many Center options. (all three of those guys are primarily wingers, Donnato and Geekie can play Center).

DOC - Eller - Z
Nieto - Donato- Vinnie

That's not moving the needle much at all.

You can try and paint it anyway you want to paint it, but trading for EK limited the options for bottom 6 depth.

So look at it this way. if you get rid of all the summer moves except Smith Trade, Graves/Jarry/Ned/Ludvig signs you have 6 open forward spots (Carter is 13th forward) and you have 6 D spots (graves/Letang - Pettersson/Empty - POJ Ludvig - Chad 7th)

Now here is the difference with the EK Trade:

Keep Petry (Buyout Granlund, trade Rutta and Desmith for literally anything) = Roughly $12.5M for your Bottom 6

**Possible Bottom 6**

Donato-EROD-Geekie
Nieto-Eller-Acciari

Trade for EK = Roughly $8M for your bottom 6.

DOC-Eller-Z
Nieto-Acciari-Hinostroza

This was my position all summer.... EK is obviously an amazing player, but Adding him meant limited bottom 6 options.

I would've rather kept Petry, bought Granlund out, traded Rutta and DeSmith and that gives you more space to work with

Are we forgetting Petry has been scratched multiple times in Detroit lol, the bottom 6 is just scrambled due to injuries which sucks, EK65 is a good player albeit couple mil overpayed. Also the team is good, good enough to make the playoffs.

great example is you could have Novak (4m) Stephenson (6.5) + JG extension for EK $$$ probably more

is that the goal? be just good enough to maybe make playoffs then get DESTROYED by teams that are actually good? cool

The team has shown they’re good, they’re having injury problems, and some players have had slow starts. Not saying they will be or are a threat at this moment, but they most certainly can be a threat if they can fix the PP and get a couple guys back from injury. If Rakell comes back and produces like the player he was last year they will be a good team. Also they’ve played teams that are good, and the only game where they were outplayed was against LA imo, and further most of the games they lost against good teams like the rangers and canes were close games that could’ve been won if not for the horrific PP.

Detroit doesn't really have a need for Petry.

I know EK is a very good player, and imo the only sour part of the team at the moment is the PP. I still worry about the bottom six though (even when healthy).

DOC-Eller-Z
Nieto-Acciari-Vinnie

Just doesn't scream cup contender. Plus when you have injuries (as they do now) it shows how poor the teams depth is. No one in that bottom six can elevate and be effective in the top 6. Second line has been awful since Rakell went out.

Yeah EK65 has been better defensively than I was anticipating. Although last couple weeks he’s been a lot worse. And I would agree, if I was Dubas id look at monahan from the habs, make him 3c move eller 4c and acciari to 4rw. We will see, I would agree our depth isn’t good, but this team was always gonna be crazy volatile. I’ve seen enough to know this team can compete, it’s just a matter of the 4 HOFers deciding they know how to run a competent PP at this point.

Everything hinges on the PP and health (assuming the rest stays consistent).

I wouldn't mind Monahan, question is will the habs eat 50% and use up their last retention spot. Pens don't have the space to take him with 100% cap hit unless they shift two guys like POJ and Nieto.

I will also add that Eller has played very well this year imo. Really really good on the PK and a main reason the PK is top ten in the league. Point production isn't terrible, and I'd argue with better wingers it may be even better.

Yeah pretty much, and I’m not sure, he’s the main candidate for them to trade maybe other than Allen. I wouldn’t mind seeing eller centering Monahan and DOC that could be a pretty good 3rd line. I don’t mind moving POJ but it would have to be for another team, habs have a LD logjam as it is. The PP has me baffled at this point, idm the changes made with how they’re set up in the zone, but their zone entries are atrocious. I’m hoping with Letang on it they have him bring the puck up and drop to Karlsson because he’s the only player I can see skating it into the zone consistently.

That's fair on the LD argument, he's just around the salary that would need to exit.

The umbrella needs to go, it's wildly outdated. They need to fire Reirden, but the players are as much to blame. You can't have 4 future HOFers on the top unit and it be THAT bad.

No doubt, it’s infuriating to watch, once they’re in the zone and set up everyone plants their feet like they’re stuck to the ice and don’t move them. Like they need to move their feet to open passing and shooting lanes up, watching the Avs the QB is moving his feet scanning and looking for options, I don’t think EK or Letang do that, its just set up and lock in place. I like moving EK65 to the left wall though I think his shot is most threatening one we have for that area and his ability to make passes that no one else can make across the ice just makes me think that he’s best suited for that position.