JotCast | PHR Live Chat: 7/31/24

PHR Live Chat: 7/31/24

Josh Erickson

1:56

Hey folks! I'll start making my way through the queue in a few minutes.

2:00

Alright, let's get into things.

Dan

2:00

what are your thoughts on Laine to the ducks? You think this is something verbeek would do? If so, what will they need to give up to get him? Thanks!

Josh Erickson

2:02

I do like the fit, and I honestly think he would have been a much more effective "cap dump" type of acquisition than, say, Robby Fabbri. Laine was cleared almost a week ago, and it's pretty much been crickets since then. That says to me that Columbus isn't willing to retain a bunch of money, otherwise I think there'd be more immediate interest.

2:04

But he doesn't seem like a Verbeek type of player, and ultimately, I don't think they'll be involved in any serious discussions. If they were to entertain it, I'd imagine it would take their 2026 second-rounder (they already traded away 2025's) and a decent prospect, maybe a Drew Helleson type.

2:05

It's an interesting proposition. They're one of the few teams who can take on his full $8.7MM hit comfortably, and they're they only one out of that group that makes any sense.

biker4509

2:05

Would The best option for jets at 2C be to put perfetti there until lambert is ready pr try lambert from the start? Or promote namestikov to the 2c position and play with perfetti and ehelrs as his wings

Josh Erickson

2:06

I don't think Lambert's quite NHL-ready yet, let alone ready for 2C duties. Last year was an incredibly important step forward for him, though.

2:07

I'd advocate for keeping Namestnikov in the 2C spot, just because I'm not sure what other move you make. The only way utilizing Perfetti at C makes any sense is if you're promoting Iafallo to the second line and tossing Namestnikov down to the fourth. I'm not breaking up Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton. That line is so rockstar.

2:08

Namestnikov can play any forward position, too. Have him and Perfetti swap C duties and ease Perfetti into it

biker4509

2:08

Thx for doing this stuff

Josh Erickson

2:08

Of course! One of the highlights of my week.

DW30

2:09

Any thoughts on how the Islanders will create cap space and do you think they make a trade before training camp starts ?

Josh Erickson

2:10

Making a trade is obviously the preferable outcome, even if they have to part with a pick to do it. Pageau is obviously the preferable candidate. Palmieri would be easier to move (same $5MM cap hit but pending UFA), but he was considerably more valuable to them last season and is harder to replace internally.

2:12

But shedding his $5MM cap hit for a pair of seasons will be expensive and will likely require a first-round pick to do so. If Lou's not willing to do that, I guess he could get creative and waive Pageau and assign him to Bridgeport (or pray someone claims him). It would obviously permanently fracture the relationship, but it would open up $1.15MM in cap space and allow the Isles to have Tsyplakov in the show. Still not enough room for a full 23-player roster, though.

Jason

2:13

Is there any chance John Gibson gets traded before training camp? With Dostal ready to take over (or at the least, outperforming Gibson regularly over the last couple of seasons) and multiple young goalies in the pipeline, the time has come. I know the contract is a deterrent, but I think his significant drop in play is more about his overall unhappiness with the current state of the team and the lack of a strong defense in front of him. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Josh Erickson

2:14

I wholeheartedly agree with you that the time has come. And you're right that the contract is a hurdle, which means there really has to be a need for him somewhere to make a deal work. I don't see that big of a need anywhere after all the dust has settled, so I think they might have waited too long to get it across the finish line this summer.

2:16

That significant drop in play isn't recent, though. He's been a below-average goalie since 2019, even when considering that porous defense. I think the majority of teams think Gibson is what he is at this point, and even for those who don't, $6.4MM is an incredibly hefty gamble. Can't imagine Verbeek is willing to retain salary for three years when there's no huge rush to move him, either.

Captain Nico

2:16

It's hard to believe, but Nico Hischier only has three years left on his very team-friendly deal. As he'll be just 28 when his current deal expires, you have to expect the Devils will do their best to re-sign their captain. Though I know three years is a long time, when do you expect that process to start and how much of a raise might he get? (The dog days are here and moves affecting the upcoming season have slowed to a near standstill, so I'm thinking a few years down the road.)

Josh Erickson

2:17

Yeah, it's insane that he's already more than halfway through his deal!

2:19

He becomes eligible to sign an extension on July 1, 2026. Yes, it's two years in the future, but I'm with you. I don't think there's any real chance he tests the market. I'd imagine they start those discussions about a month in advance, much like how things worked out with the Hurricanes and Slavin this summer.

2:20

On what the deal might actually look like, hard to project without a firm salary cap figure in place. Let's just assume it keeps rising by about $4MM a season, a little more conservative than this summer's $4.5MM jump. That would put it at $96MM entering his contract year.

2:21

I'm not sure they'll give him eight years. I'd imagine they try to keep it to six or seven so they can start giving him more team-friendly deals at age 35 when he's eligible for performance bonuses.

As for AAV, I'd imagine it starts with a 10 if the cap increases as expected.

Medic Mike

2:22

How likely is it that Frank Nazar opens the season with the big club?

Josh Erickson

2:23

50/50. I think I mentioned this in an article recently, but Reichel losing his waiver-exempt status throws a wrench into things. If I'm Kyle Davidson, I'd prefer to let Reichel have some runway in the AHL in the fall and give Nazar his nine games. But I'm certainly not risking losing Reichel on waivers, and I don't think that's something Chicago will consider either. So that throws a wrench into things.

2:25

Essentially, if you want Nazar on the roster, you're exposing one of Reichel, Joey Anderson, or one of the veteran UFA signings to waivers. If they had any intention of doing that, why were they brought in on one-way deals? Only one I could maybe see them waiving/burying is Mikheyev, who I guess was technically a trade pickup.

2:26

But ultimately I think it'll come down to roster math. If there's an injury during camp and someone lands on IR, opening up a roster spot, I'd imagine Nazar is first in line for it. But if nothing changes between now and October, he's starting the season in Rockford, imo.

Medic Mike

2:26

What do you think was the biggest surprise of the offseason?

Josh Erickson

2:27

Chychrun to Washington was pretty out of nowhere to me, and I'm still trying to get used to the vibes of it. He was obviously expected to be moved, I just never thought of the Caps as a serious contender there. Figured they'd only be focused on forwards.

2:28

But man, they've bumped Fehervary down to bottom-pairing duties, picked up another bonafide top-four puck mover to supplement Carlson and Sandin, and upgraded on Jensen with the Roy signing. I really love how that back end looks.

Mr Curious

2:28

In no way do I think it happens, but IF Crosby was wanting to play for another cup run and the Penguins aren't providing that opportunity, what team(s) do you think he would be most willing to join to do so?

Josh Erickson

2:29

Yeah, he's not leaving. There was a quote from a PIT Athletic writer (forget if it was Rossi or Yohe) that his pending extension is viewed by both sides as a "commitment to Pittsburgh."

2:31

He's also got three rings. But in the purely hypothetical, completely nonsensical scenario that he goes chasing for a fourth, it's gotta be Colorado, no? Link up with MacKinnon.

UncleMike1525

2:31

How surprised were you that Stan Bowman got hired as fast as he did and what were the Oilers thinking?

Josh Erickson

2:32

I'm more surprised at how surprised everyone was when the Oilers announced it. As we referenced in our article on their reinstatement at the beginning of the month, Frank Seravalli reported at the time that Bowman immediately became the leading contender for the GM vacancy in Edmonton. It was far from being out of nowhere, and given how hockey culture usually operates, I'm more surprised Edmonton's vetting process took as long as it did. Thought they would've announced it sooner.

2:34

I know Jeff Jackson was clear about not wanting to take over the GM gig full-time, but man, he had one of the best offseasons of anybody. Really impressive work from an interim guy. Now he hands a capped-out team to a guy who's gotta shed salary before October, and if there's one thing Bowman historically sucks at, it's trades. It's such a huge unforced error.

Manatee

2:34

I know you previously mentioned Laine to the Kraken as a possibility, what would a realistic trade package look like for him from Seattle now that he's cleared from the Player Assistance Program?

Josh Erickson

2:35

I guess you can just copy and paste what I said earlier about a Ducks trade. Seattle's second-rounder and a B-tier prospect (Jani Nyman?) should get it done.

Cbj4life

2:35

was this a good hire for the jackets or another mistake

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