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PHR Live Chat: 08-07-23
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Josh Erickson
11:00
Hi everyone! It's been a rather hectic month preventing Thursday live chats from going on as normal, but I anticipate a return to that schedule this month.
11:02
That being said... it's been quite an unusually busy past few days for August. Figured it would be a good time to answer some questions regarding everything that's happened in the past few days (or anything else that's on your mind!).
We'll wait a few minutes to get some questions in the queue and then get started.
Bp
11:05
Has the Blackhawks expectation level changed with Bedard & off-season additions or still on lottery watch next year?
Josh Erickson
11:07
Still on lottery watch in my eyes. I do believe Bedard is well set up to have one of the better rookie seasons in quite a long time, and I have very high hopes for him going into next season. Some of the names Chicago added are obviously intriguing (Hall, namely), but the depth is nonexistent. Comparing them to other teams who finished bottom of the league last season, Anaheim, Arizona, Columbus, and Montreal have all filled out their rosters better than Chicago, at least for the short-term.
11:08
One team I do believe could be right down with Chicago battling for 32nd place is the Sharks. Their defense and goaltending might even be worse than Chicago's at this point – at least Chicago has Jones, who, while overpaid, has been effective since joining the Blackhawks. San Jose has Mario Ferraro and Jan Rutta. It's not gonna go well there next year.
Rodeo clowns are athletes!
11:11
Did the Avalanche do enough to strengthen their 2nd line? I don't think so.
Josh Erickson
11:12
I agree – but they're close. Drouin could be an intriguing addition, but he shouldn't be a make-or-break option in the top six. Unfortunately, with how the team is constructed at present, they'll be relying too much on him for depth scoring.
11:14
That being said, the Avs do still have around $1.5MM-$2MM to spend on someone else, thanks to Landeskog landing on LTIR. I would really like to see them pursue Tomas Tatar. While not perfect, he does have plenty of experience in the top six and is still very adept defensively. I'd be excited to see him and Nichushkin on the same line.
Nbj
11:14
Can Dallas make another deep run this year, at least WCF again?
Josh Erickson
11:15
Absolutely. Right now, I'd almost pick them as a favorite to come out of the Central. Duchene is perhaps the best value signing of the offseason and gives them the most complete top nine in the division.
Jake
11:15
Pittsburgh Penguins
Josh Erickson
11:15
Pittsburgh Penguins.
11:16
In all seriousness, I'm still processing that monster of a trade. There seem to be quite varying opinions on the deal, and I'm willing to say Pittsburgh came out quite well here, at least from an asset management standpoint. San Jose, not so much.
11:18
My one concern is that we've seen a major 1RD-2RD punch before, and it didn't benefit Karlsson playing behind Burns in SJ. His effectiveness and confidence seemed limited when he wasn't the go-to guy. Will they be willing to give him more minutes than Letang? At a $10MM cap hit, I'd sure hope so at this point, especially with Letang's health concerns.
Steve
11:18
Penguins seem overly reliant on a lot of "ifs" health wise with the roster as constructed; do you see any more moves to give the bottom six some offensive punch, or are they tapped out?
Josh Erickson
11:19
Nice transition into this. Dubas just said during the Karlsson presser that they're done making any major moves. I don't know if this discounts any minor bottom six bumps, but it appears they're pretty tapped out.
11:20
While Guentzel may be an LTIR candidate to start the season, he won't be on there for very long. The Karlsson trade gave them the flexibility to activate him when the season starts but not much more.
AARP
11:20
How can Pittsburgh getting older really make them better? That trade was pointless tbh. Sure he scores but he has to as his defense is some of the worst in the league.
Josh Erickson
11:21
Believe it or not, the Karlsson trade actually lowered the team's average age by moving out Rutta, DeSmith, Petry, and Granlund, who were all over 30.
Greg
11:22
Wondering when the fallout from the Hockey Canada scandal is announced? Hearing anything on what punishment, if any, will be rendered?
Josh Erickson
11:22
There are no reliable updates on this.
To our knowledge, at least.
Bob the Builder
11:22
How is it that this was the best deal the sharks could get? I mean this seems like a clear cap dump in the future to only really get one future asset out of the deal, and actually give up a pick and prospect
Josh Erickson
11:23
If they really wanted to prioritize limiting the amount of salary retention on EK65, then this is a good deal. I don't think that should have been the priority, however.
His trade value decreases with the fewer number of dollars they retained. If they made him an $8MM player instead of a $10MM player, I would've been extremely disappointed with that return.
11:25
But they're four years away from playoffs at best. Pretty weak D prospect core which they failed to improve on in this trade. I like Thrun and Cagnoni (and Hävelid), but it needs more.
Pete
11:29
Will the Islanders make the playoffs? I am disappointed that Lou did not get a scoring wing. Do you see any trade coming? And those crazy 7-year contracts.
Josh Erickson
11:31
They certainly haven't jumped ahead of NJD or CAR. Have they pushed ahead of NYR? The Rangers lost some depth pieces, but Wheeler should be more effective in a limited role, and I liked the Gustafsson pickup a lot. I wouldn't say they have.
The question becomes can they stay ahead of Pittsburgh, or can they stave off the expected rise of the Sabres and potentially DET/OTT.
11:33
Things are pretty quiet around the Islanders, but that's business as usual. Rarely do things leak before Lou makes them happen. I see them in the same position as last season. I won't count them out of a playoff spot, but I'd be surprised if they've clinched heading into the final week of the season.
Bob the Builder
11:36
Is this the leafs starting D corps? Doesn't bode well for future playoff success
Josh Erickson
11:37
I have a hard time believing they'll make any adds, given their salary cap situation. They're still $2MM over, even with Murray and Muzzin on LTIR.
Mike
11:38
Now that Cooley will play what do you expect from him this season?
Josh Erickson
11:38
As someone who watched him a lot with the Gophers last year, he's pretty special. I don't expect him to break any rookie records, but I think a solid, 45-50 point campaign is in the cards for him.
11:40
However, I don't think he should be playing 1C between Keller and Schmaltz. I'd argue from a chemistry standpoint, Maccelli is a better fit on his wing, and Hayton looked decent next to Keller at times last year. Cooley's X-factor is his ability to grab passes in stride and turn them into scoring chances. I'd be very afraid of him on the ice, along with Maccelli's playmaking touch.
John
11:40
Mintyukov can he or will he make the team
Josh Erickson
11:41
I don't see him making the NHL roster, no. I think he could use a bit more development, and Zellweger, LaCombe and Helleson are all much closer to being ready for full-time roles.
11:43
One thing I would like to point out is Mintyukov has a November 2003 birthday. I believe, since he'll be 20 before New Year's Day, that Anaheim can assign him to the AHL instead of returning him for juniors.
Greg
11:43
Thoughts on who would be a good captain for the Blues? I'd like to see Bortuzzo or Schenn get the "C".
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