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PHR 2023 Free Agent Frenzy Live Chat
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Josh Erickson
9:01
Hi everyone, and good morning!
9:02
Welcome to the best day of the year. It's my first time holding one of these, so kindly bear with me. I'm very excited to continue this tradition and am looking forward to interacting with all of you.
9:03
We'll get started in a few minutes once the room fills up and we get some questions in.
John
9:05
Would the capitals have traded Kuzy by now if they were going to? And what’s with the Tom Wilson rumors?
Josh Erickson
9:06
I think there's still a chance Kuznetsov gets moved – although he may be a lot of teams' Plan Bs. His stock is at an all-time low, and I don't think he'd get the $7.8MM per year he's signed to if he was a free agent today.
9:08
I think teams needing C help will squeeze any value they can out of the UFA market, then circle back to WSH later if they can't find anything. If he's going to a contender, I'd guess Washington would retain around 25% on the deal. I wonder about Carolina if they strike out on any of the big fish available.
9:09
The Wilson stuff seems to be pretty unfounded. Within the past couple of weeks, Elliotte Friedman shot most/all of it down on a 32 Thoughts episode. I'd be really surprised if he gets moved.
Mark
9:09
What forward will the Capitals trade for this weekend?
Josh Erickson
9:10
There's some smoke there about DeBrincat now that Detroit's seemingly dropped out of the race. I wouldn't have Washington as the front-runner, but there's a decent chance he ends up in DC
Guest
9:10
Any thoughts on Kyle Dubas plan in Pittsburgh? Goaltender left defenseman third line center…lots of needs
Josh Erickson
9:11
I've always been of the mind they'll re-sign Jarry. Yes, he's injury-prone, but there's no better option to replace him... at least among UFAs. I don't think Pittsburgh has the assets in the cupboard to make it worth trading for a goalie, and Dubas doesn't seem the type to make a swing for a Gibson or Hellebuyck (unless he feels his G decisions in Toronto were a mistake, which I doubt he does).
9:13
3C is interesting. Before Toronto locked him up a few days ago, I thought he would bring David Kampf along with him. If he doesn't find a home immediately, I think Evan Rodrigues could be an option to return. If not, Sam Steel is an intriguing option after going unqualified yesterday.
I don't think defense is his highest priority. I'm betting they're prepared to give more NHL minutes to P-O Joseph and Ty Smith and will focus their energy on the crease and their bottom six.
rd
9:13
Morning Josh , thanks for doing this. ready for the madness to unfold :)
Josh Erickson
9:14
Of course. I'm hoping it's not as underwhelming as yesterday's lack of activity
Brad
9:14
nylander will he sign today ?
Josh Erickson
9:15
I wouldn't expect him to. I also think Matthews will take a bit, but he'll be locked up before the start of the season. On Nylander, though, they don't seem close on a deal right now.
Aidan Brennan
9:15
What do you think the hurricanes do about their goaltending- extend Anderson and not Raanta, not extend both of them and sign James Reimer, or extend Raanta and not Anderson?
Josh Erickson
9:16
I wouldn't be surprised if they re-signed both and rolled with three goalies. Andersen and Raanta are both great options, but obviously injury-prone. Their cap hits will be low enough where they can afford three goalies on the roster. If they do decide to get Kochetkov a full-time backup spot, though, I'd expect Andersen to re-sign and Raanta to end up elsewhere.
nicfic
9:17
Think Detroit may opt for someone like O'Reilly? A 2 year deal. Think DeBrincat has to sit around for awhile.unlikely they want to pay $$$ he wants now.
Josh Erickson
9:17
Certainly an option. I think Detroit will be among the most active teams today, similar to last offseason, getting a lot of veterans. Two days ago I would've been more bullish on ROR to Detroit, but after the Duchene buyout, I wonder if Yzerman turns his attention there as a secondary target to Killorn.
Klint
9:18
Do you think Nill trades for DeBrincat? Or, does he focus on defense? I’m still hoping for a Domi resigning.
Josh Erickson
9:20
I don't think Dallas has the right combination of cap space and desirable assets to end up winning the DeBrincat sweepstakes, but I could always be surprised. They seem very invested in their next wave of young talent (Johnston/Stankoven/Bourque, etc.) and I'd be surprised if they parted with them for DeBrincat. I don't think D is a huge area of need for them, not sure they'd box Lundqvist or Harley out of a role
Brad
9:20
do the leafs sign anyone today ?
Josh Erickson
9:21
I do think they sign a major piece or two, although I have no idea who. It feels like Treliving's been on the phone nonstop since getting hired and has talked to every UFA available
rd
9:21
i feel the bolts will be bargain hunting for fa's to fill their roster , assuming killorn doesn't return , who are some options you see fitting in their bottom 6 forwards?
Josh Erickson
9:24
Tampa's in a tricky spot. Including re-signing Jeannot, they have 4 forward spots to fill and a backup, and a little over $7MM in cap space to do it. I think they have to budget $2MM for Jeannot considering he's eligible for arbitration, so you have to average about $1.25MM for the rest of your signings. I wonder about JVR as a veteran addition trying to win a Cup.
In terms of defensively-inclined guys to replace Colton/Bellemare etc., I'd like Oskar Sundqvist as a fit if I'm Julien BriseBois.
9:25
Though he could likely command more somewhere else, some guys will still take discounts to sign there I feel like.
Justin M
9:25
What are the chances the Blues move on of their forwards like Brandon Saad?
Josh Erickson
9:26
Certainly a non-zero chance, but it's dwindling as the summer moves on and cap space disappears. Moving out a defender will be a higher priority for Doug Armstrong.
Brink
9:26
Any Players linked to the Minnesota Wild?
Josh Erickson
9:27
If they sign an NHL-caliber UFA before August I'd be surprised. The Gustavsson deal needs to get done before they can even consider anything else, same with the Duhaime/Addison deals (or trades, if they go that route)
Good morning ☀️
9:27
Good morning and good luck on your first love chat. I understand the strategy of non-tendering RFAs if you feel their arb number will be too much, but it also seems quite risky. 1) How far apart in $$$ could the Devils and Michael McLeod be? 2) Does PHR release expected arb numbers?
Josh Erickson
9:30
First off, thank you! I'm not sure about McLeod. I'd expect him to get around $2MM per season on a short-term deal on the UFA market, so there's that. I don't think NJ would offer much less than that, but like Seattle with Sprong, are likely afraid of a high arbitration award they can't walk away from. They'd still like to be active today, likely getting a 3RW if they aren't confident in Holtz and potentially an LD to replace Graves, allowing them to have Brendan Smith in the press box.
Brink
9:30
Where will Matt Dumba land?
Josh Erickson
9:32
Dumba's an interesting case. I wonder about Detroit for him as a Hronek replacement at 2RD, he's certainly better than Chiarot, who CapFriendly currently has slated for that spot. Most of their D prospects are left shots, so he wouldn't really be boxing anyone out (aside from 17th overall pick Axel Sandin Pellikka, but he's a few years away).
Guest
9:32
Do the Blues finally trade a defensemen this week?
Josh Erickson
9:33
The Blues hope the answer is yes. I think other teams will prefer to exhaust UFA options before engaging in talks, though.
Guest
9:33
Any idea what the isles will do/ trade for either Nylander or Debrincat or free agent sign Tarasenko or Duchene?Hope Lou doesn't just bring back the same old gang.
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