I’m more interested In a forward. Whether they are a center or forward really isn’t that relevant. Boston is in a position to pay $9 to $11m for that forward.

Zacha, Coyle, Poitras, Geekie, and Beecher can play the position. If they acquire a center, my assumption is Zacha moves to the wing. I’d guess that Mercer wouldn’t play center in Boston

Mercer would probably slot in as your 1C imo. 2C if you go for both him and Lindholm for a few years then becomes 1C depending on his development
Zacha Lindholm Pasta
Marchand Mercer Poitras
_________ Coyle ______

I wouldn’t trust a 20 year old as a top 6 C unless he’s a superstar prospect which I don’t see Poitras as. Zacha is just not a C in my book. And Coyle is best suited to a 3C role especially as he ages

Zacha has improved since coming into the Boston system and has played well at center. He’s actually a bargain at his price and I am thankful that NJ gave up on him. Frankly, Zacha/Coyle/Poitras is a better center rotation than Schmid/Vanecek is a goalie rotation and I’m probably as bullish on Poitras as you are about Schmid.

I agree that Boston will need to upgrade their anemic scoring outside of Pasta/Marchand. It’s one of the reasons I don’t think they go all in. It’s not a one player acquisition that makes them a viable cup contender and they’ve been paying with a credit card for a while. Their cap situation this year is very limiting and they are out of cap hell next offseason.

If Mercer is what he was last year, he looks like a viable #2C, but I’m not sure what’s happening this year. Mercer is interesting, but not at the cost of Swayman. I’d do an Ullmark/Lysell for Mercer/Vanecek deal even though I acknowledge that Vanecek would likely be buried for a good portion of his contract.

Ultimately, I think the Bruins sign Hanifin and they upgrade in free agency at the wings. The player I actually covet in a trade more than most, we cant secure this year without trading Ullmark and that’s Thomas Hertl. I take his cost certainty over what Lindholm is going to take to buy him out of free agency. I’m very open to signing Lindholm in free agency if he makes it there and wants to sign. Id probably trade Ullmark for draft capital then.

Vanecek + Bahl + Graeme Clarke

… for Slafkovsky, or Kirby Dach? Sound fair to you?

I don’t think beating out Vanacek half the time and having to start Schmid both nights of back to backs is a high bar to clear. I certainly don’t believe that would win a cup. Maybe if Schmid plays every game there’d be a chance, but you can’t just bury a C weakness, they play every night on the brightest stage.

And I think any combo of Zacha Poitras Coyle isn’t enough, especially if it’s Zacha and Poitras and that takes away from your winger strength as well.

Zacha played his best hockey centered by krejci. He’s managed to have a 45% xGoals share centering PASTRNAK AND MARCHAND. That is BAD. If you can’t even get above 50% with pasta and Marchand on your wings, I don’t think you’re a C long term.

If your top 6 was
Pasta Lindholm Marchand
Zacha Mercer Poitras
Then Coyle centering the 3rd line with Ullmark in net and that Dcore. That’s a team I could see winning a cup potentially.

Pasta Zacha Marchand
DeBrusk Poitras JVR ???

With Swayman in net and Ullmark being dead cap during a playoff run, isn’t imo


That’s just how I see it

Playing Marchand and Pasta together isn’t a positive at this point. If Boston were to allocate $16m incremental at center, they’d be better. OK. I’m not convinced that Mercer is a center vs Poitras or Zacha. Not sure what is driving that assumption.

I believe it is 50-50 on Lindholm making free agency unless Calgary agrees to do what Winnipeg did for Scheifele. $9M is a lot to pay for a player of his caliber considering he’s being outplayed by the guy you are labeling a 3rd line center and another you don’t view as a center at all this year

I never said it was realistic!

Zacha has 46% xGoals share, nearly last among regular bruins forwards (he has a habit of being last in this category on his team)
Coyle 48%

Poitras is sky high but that’s a small sample size on a 19 year old without pedigree, and even if he becomes the long term 1C, you still need a 2C.

PPG/60 for both Zacha and Coyle are better than both Lindholm and Mercer. Zacha has played less minutes than Mercer. Not disagreeing that they couldn’t use an upgrade. I do question how much of an upgrade either Lindholm or Mercer are at this point of their career especially considering the contracts both are about to secure. I’m willing to pay for the projection of Mercer (I’d give Ullmark and Lysell for Mercer and Vanacek), but it’s a projection

Zacha plays with Pasta, Coyle has nearly doubled his career shooting %

Coyle has less goals above shooting talent than Hughes and it’s still in the 2 range.

Zacha is considerably better than both players statistically per 60. Playing with Pasta helps, but I’m just saying the stats don’t back up that either are a major upgrade that their price would suggest

Playing with pasta helps is certainly an understatement.

Again, zacha has a 46% xGoals rate 5v5. That's really bad considering who he's playing with

Coyle is 31 and has never been a top 6 C before.
Zacha is 27 and has never been a top 6 C before.
Forgive me if i don’t believe

Mercer has never been a top 6C before and Elias is going to be paid $9m / year and hasn’t been playing like a top center this year.

Don’t care if you don’t believe. I’m questioning the players you are bringing up as upgrades. Would love both to be on the Bruins. The question is what you pay to get them.

Mercer is 22. And has had no opportunity to be a top 6 C playing behind 2 top 15 Cs in hockey in Nico and Jack. Who would be a top 6C over those 2?

Hall of Famer and arguably one of the best playoff performers around in front of Coyle. Doesn’t seem to stop you from typecasting him.

Again, if Lindholm makes it to free agency … he’s definitely someone they pursue. I’d guess he’d be their first or second choice with Hanifan. Assuming there are going to be a lot of good top 6 options in free agency

I’d give up the Vezina award winner, a former first round pick with some elite skills, and take a garbage contract to get Mercer, so I obviously like him. I’d be foregoing a plus free agent to get him, because I don’t think you give him a bridge contract. Just not sure if he plays center or wing in Boston. It doesn’t matter

Coyle wasn’t a top 6 C performer in Minnesota, when Krecji retired, or beating out 36 year old Krecji.

Ullmarks value with his age and contract is limited. 1st is probably where he tops out at best case.

I do t know what former 1st you’re referring to but that’s usually not a good sign when you have to refer to someone more than 2 years post draft by their draft slot

He's referring to lysell

I get that’s your opinion. Mine is by going cheap in your acquisition cost, you essentially have given a larger contract to a goaltender in Vanacek who frankly is not that differentiated from Keith Kincaid.

Despite all the talent with position players, the Devils are underachieving and there is discussion of firing a good coach because of it (I hope that’s just stupidity of a few).

You have this belief of “above replacement value”, but frankly I think you (like most fans) overrate the young prospects ability to get to a 100% level. It’s a great conceptual basis to build most of your roster on above replacement value, but the Devils are a poster child of a talented as heck team that is underachieving because they didn’t invest in a goaltender.

The reason most of your goaltender based deals get utterly crapped on by other teams fans is they see why your team is struggling and know what they have, while you try to rationalize by pointing to old players getting less in return or cap based casualties as justification. You’ll claim it’s because of an unrealistic expectation from other teams fans when your team gets bad goaltending night after night. In reality, you are buying lottery tickets for a retirement plan. Sometimes you have to pay to fill a void.

The best thing about trades is the majority of the answers to the trade requests are a polite “no thank you”.

Vanacek wasn’t a bargain bin get. He was a legit 25 year old starter who cost a 2nd, was good in year 1 then crapped out this 2nd year. We didn’t pick up Samsonov who went unqualified. He was a middle of the road get, which is what I want to avoid again. I view Ullmark as a middle of the road get who has had playoff disasters just like vitek. He doesn’t inspire confidence as a guy who can come into the devils system and lead us to a cup imo. That’s just my view.

Fans have a skewed view of goaltender value bc they all value their goalie based on whatever timeline fits best. If a goalie is having a good season that’s his new normal and will stay like that for years, if a goalie is having a down year that’s an aberration and won’t last. If a goalie is older they’ll defy history and stay in their prime.
But every goalie trade ever in the salary cap era points me in a certain direction, Kuemper, Martin Jones, Freddy Andersen, Schneider, Luongo, Bishop, Miller, varlamov, fleury, etc etc.

What is there to give me an indication that the goalie market has significantly changed to be more expensive?
-Contracts? Nope, the new Helle and Sorokin deals are a step DOWN from the old price Bob and vasy deals, while every other top tier contract goes UP. (Matthews, Mack, Dahlin etc etc)
-draft capital? Nope, goalies just keep getting drafted later and later. Becoming the running backs of hockey.

Why would I believe the goalie market is going up when every piece of evidence says it’s going down?

Sure a certain goalie may be unavailable, but 20 goalies aren’t up and down values. Odds are someone is willing to sell at a reasonable price or doesn’t believe all that much in their guy somewhere on that list.

If it IS true that the goalie market has gone up exponentially, I will pay that price and live with it. But I have seen nothing to justify that leap of faith.

If Fitzy makes a move and pays a ton for a goalie and in a press conference says “this is what the market is today, believe me I tried to find a deal” then I’ll be fine with the move and be happy to have a goalie. But until that day or something occurs to make me think prices have skyrocketed, I won’t.

And I don’t believe a year where the top goalies are filled mostly with a bunch of guys who could have been had for free or as cap dumps this past offseason is what makes the NHL realize (the only way to get a solution in net is to pay a ton of draft capital via trade bc they can’t be found in UFA)

Charlie Lindgren, Quick, Hill, and Talbot are among the best goalies in hockey. All could have been had for free.