BeterChiarelli

Hey Beter
Member Since
Oct 29, 2017
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Edmonton Oilers
Birthday
Oct 9, 1995
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1989
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341
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 12 at 7:11
Thread: Fixing the Oilers
It's not horrible, but there are a few things that definitely will need to be addressed:

Yamamoto is not a center. He might have played a shift or two down the middle in the WHL, but he has not - and likely will never - play center at the professional level. He's played both wings, but I'm unsure as to why CapFriendly lists him as a center. Instead of signing Grimaldi, Edmonton should use that money and their available cap space to pursue Pageau to play center instead.

Bear will cost about $2.5M this summer, but nobody can agree on whether or not it'll be a Ryan Ellis kind of deal or if it will be a bridge deal. I'd hazard it'll be a bridge.

On that note, there's no need to keep both Benning and Persson on the roster, and I'd personally consider moving Benning since he'd fetch more in a trade than Joel would. I also think Edmonton would be better suited to one of Ennis or Leivo, and not both. The #4LW is effectively Khaira's next season unless Edmonton trades him. In either case, they'll want a center for the PK on the 4th line. I also think Edmonton will aim for a more "tenured" goaltender than Domingue. I've heard a lot of Halak or Greiss talk as there really isn't anybody in Edmonton's system ready to step into the NHL. If they opt to try their hand at a younger AHL goaltender, I've seen Adin Hill's name pop up once or twice and I'm intrigued by it.

EDIT: also, they're nothing details, but Ryan Mantha has a blood clot on one of his eyes and is effectively blind in that eye. His career was cut short before it really ever began. And Niemelainen is very unlikely to be signed by Edmonton. Ever since he left North America his game has bottomed out and it's likely his professional career ends in Finland.
Forum: New Jersey DevilsJan 12 at 6:51
Thread: Shero fired
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Claesson4Norris</b></div><div>Peter Chiarelli signed Koskinen's extension and was fired like 48 hours later</div></div>

Knife. Twist it more. Please. Need it.

<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>oneX</b></div><div>If the organization didn't believe in Shero, why let him make the Hall trade?
This isn't months later...we talkin' weeks here.</div></div>

I have a couple ideas on that:

Shero's been behind the wheel of this organization for the past 4(?) years: there was a substantial mess left behind in the wake of fueling the "playoff" teams between 2006 and 2012. The draft record is abysmal beyond three names over that entire span. Eventually, the Devils needed to pay for not insulating the foundation of the franchise. Over Shero's tenure, the drafting has barely improved - they're getting NHL players out of the 1st Round now at least - but everything else remains abysmal. The NHL team is a dump, and the AHL team is no better.

One of two things have happened here: Shero pooched the Hall trade or management simply wanted to go another way. It's debatable as to why ownership would keep him around in order to make the initial Hall trade, but having a tenured guy that can possibly pull the odd favour around the league tends to make those transactions easier and more lucrative. Alternatively, you get Chiarelli-esque deals out of the same line of thought. Big risk. If we assume that ownership was dissatisfied with the return for Taylor Hall, then firing Shero before he bungles the trade deadline needed to happen, albeit sooner. Doing it now or as early as possible gives the interm and his guys enough runway to start assessing the market in order to prepare trades for (potentially) Palmieri, Simmonds, Subban, and Vatanen.

If management simply came to the conclusion that they wanted a philosophy change - tenure for NHL management is typically in the 5-year range, if your plan isn't working by then, you move onto the next guy - the timing of this is still incredibly bizarre UNLESS there's going to be a top-down reorganization and firing throughout upper management. It's kind of inverse to how the Leafs managed their restructuring: Toronto fired everyone weeks before the draft, but already had the majority of the research and work done ahead of time. In this case, management wants a clean slate with making these decisions. Again, the timing is stranger than all hell; it would make the most sense to maximize the time you give the guys coming in, thus a restructure should have happened the minute after Hall was traded. There might be potential for the legality of firing everyone and contract-related shenanigans that may have pushed this decision into the halfway point of the season, but I don't know enough about the contract structure of any NHL front office to even attempt guessing at that.

TL;DR if Shero didn't pooch the Hall trade, the best time to fire him was after said trade. The second best time was as soon as possible.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 12 at 3:28
Thread: Nothing Drastic
Overpaid Kassian by a year and half a million. A lot of fans have a max of $3M/3y, my personal maximum is $3M/2y. I think there are better options to be had internally, via trade, or through free agency and would not be in any hurry to give Kassian a boatload of cash. Eakin probably makes a little bit less on his next deal too. I'd argue Nurse should make about $500k less too but be given the full 8-year term. Those savings combined give you enough wiggle room for when the Salary Cap only rises to $83M or some other dumb, low number.

Columbus fans will argue that such a package isn't enough for Anderson. I think they overrate him, but they also have little need for LHD at the moment. Value's close, but Blue Jackets fans won't be impressed.

Absolutely not enough for Puljujarvi. I can guarantee you Holland has received better offers and still balked on those. If that's all you value him at, don't trade him. Wait. Someone will pay. Benning's in a similar boat. His value's around a late 2nd Round Pick or early 3rd Round PIck. The Ducks will have mighty want for him and I believe he could be had for their 2020 3rd Round Pick and a depth player - a Kiefer Sherwood type - at the draft.

I don't like Howard as the backup and I would be strongly pursuing a Greiss or Halak in July.

The Khaira trade is pretty good. It'll be hard to justify the conditions on the pick, but it's in the ballpark of a good deal.
Forum: Armchair-GMJan 12 at 2:38
Thread: Trade RNH for Zucker
<div class="quote"><div class="quote_t">Quoting: <b>Wildwinswhen</b></div><div>The Wild desperately need a C1/C2. This is Koivu's last year and Staal has one year after this one. They've both lost a step or three. Erickson Ek is a great defensive C, but not a scorer.

Zucker is expendable for the Wild because we have too many left handed LW. He's also getting older, but still has plenty left for teams in a win now mode. The Wild's next window is likely in two years, so they need to get younger now.

Zucker does not have a NMC, he has a 10 team NTC and I have no idea who is on it. This also makes him the best trade bait because most of the Wild have NMCs. I've also never heard of any citizenship situation with his family and Canada. So if it's an issue then EDM is on his NTC list and this is all moot.

Thanks for the discussion!</div></div>

Right, NTC. Thanks for clearing that up.

If I remember correctly, it's because his wife's son isn't Zucker's kid. Because that child is from a previous marriage, Zucker's family can't leave the States without court approval or the blessing from her ex-husband. It's not that Zucker doesn't want to play in Canada, it's that he would have to do so away from his family. I believe his NTC covers the 7 Canadian teams and probably the three teams where it would suck to play (standings, weather) so like NJD, BUF, and maybe CBJ.

If I'm the Wild, I'm looking intently at the writing on the wall. It's time for a complete overhaul of the franchise. Philadelphia is stuffed to the guts with prospects and would be more than willing to move picks. Adding Zucker pushes them over the edge. If Patrick can overcome his migraine disorder - and I recall Minnesota has some of the best doctors in the States - there's a solid chance they might throw him in a deal for free or for a minimal add. Finding a legitimate #1C has to come from the draft, and if it's something that the Wild are serious about, names like Byfield or Lundell need to be on the radar.