Assuming CBJ do intend to become Bullies of the East, as you alluded to in an earlier post, what targets strike you as a good balance between that ambition and the analytical targets?
I myself am a little bit worried that they, in service of this goal, might be the team that gives Ekblad that dreaded seven-year deal instead of looking at guys like Gavrikov, Romanov, Pelech or Miller. Though Waddell has specifically mentioned RFAs.
Ekblad seems a potential disaster but I guess maybe he'd be thinking it's not like he can age any worse? He's technically only 28 but I'd forgive you if you believed he was Brent Burns’ age.
Of the D you listed, I think Gavrikov and Miller could play that though they aren't inherently confrontational. Perhaps that would be easy to drag into this sort of thing without them being instigators and I’d hope he'd recognize that it can come from multiple places.
I think the good point in Waddell’s favor, at least with respect to the bullies approach, is that Cayden Lindstrom and Charlie Elick would be potential building blocks for it. Dmitri Voronkov has a very mean side that hasn't exactly shown up yet.
There are a few players in the draft that would help support it, namely Kashawn Aitcheson and Brady Martin but maybe some later that I haven't clocked yet. I think it would have to be largely done through the draft as acquiring these players is usually expensive.
Matthew Knies would be the best option and that's probably why Toronto, who is now chasing grit, is likely to pay him more than anyone else would find palatable. Same goes with Sam Bennett who is a good and “gritty” player but whose value is largely driven by being a good complement go an all-world wing in Matthew Tkachuk.
Otherwise, you've got young players in Will Cuylle and Josh Doan who aren't necessarily bullies but will be able to handle that play style. And then you've got Zach Benson who is undersized but fiercely competitive and extremely feisty, skills not unlike Brad Marchand but at least displays some measure of respect for his opponents.
It's possible. He checks some boxes stylistically right? The aging curve is scary for him though considering his reliance on skating. Last year could have been the first year of a dramatic fall off. Veteran, PKs well, goes to the net. On one hand that's a replacement for JvR, on the other hand he seems like more of a puck carrier than the spatial playmaker that fit really well with KJ and Fantilli.
There's definitely enough to see it working. The bet just depends on whether his fall-off was NYR/coaching/locker-room related or age. Also have to wonder how much Drury wants to move players in-division though it appeared that Trouba was the one who nixed the deal to CBJ.
Here's a small playercard for him based on the metrics that I used in the forward market analysis.
Assuming CBJ do intend to become Bullies of the East, as you alluded to in an earlier post, what targets strike you as a good balance between that ambition and the analytical targets?
I myself am a little bit worried that they, in service of this goal, might be the team that gives Ekblad that dreaded seven-year deal instead of looking at guys like Gavrikov, Romanov, Pelech or Miller. Though Waddell has specifically mentioned RFAs.
Ekblad seems a potential disaster but I guess maybe he'd be thinking it's not like he can age any worse? He's technically only 28 but I'd forgive you if you believed he was Brent Burns’ age.
Of the D you listed, I think Gavrikov and Miller could play that though they aren't inherently confrontational. Perhaps that would be easy to drag into this sort of thing without them being instigators and I’d hope he'd recognize that it can come from multiple places.
I think the good point in Waddell’s favor, at least with respect to the bullies approach, is that Cayden Lindstrom and Charlie Elick would be potential building blocks for it. Dmitri Voronkov has a very mean side that hasn't exactly shown up yet.
There are a few players in the draft that would help support it, namely Kashawn Aitcheson and Brady Martin but maybe some later that I haven't clocked yet. I think it would have to be largely done through the draft as acquiring these players is usually expensive.
Matthew Knies would be the best option and that's probably why Toronto, who is now chasing grit, is likely to pay him more than anyone else would find palatable. Same goes with Sam Bennett who is a good and “gritty” player but whose value is largely driven by being a good complement go an all-world wing in Matthew Tkachuk.
Otherwise, you've got young players in Will Cuylle and Josh Doan who aren't necessarily bullies but will be able to handle that play style. And then you've got Zach Benson who is undersized but fiercely competitive and extremely feisty, skills not unlike Brad Marchand but at least displays some measure of respect for his opponents.
How do you feel about Kreider as a potential "Burns" esque comparable? Feels like a guy who could be had for cheap
It's possible. He checks some boxes stylistically right? The aging curve is scary for him though considering his reliance on skating. Last year could have been the first year of a dramatic fall off. Veteran, PKs well, goes to the net. On one hand that's a replacement for JvR, on the other hand he seems like more of a puck carrier than the spatial playmaker that fit really well with KJ and Fantilli.
There's definitely enough to see it working. The bet just depends on whether his fall-off was NYR/coaching/locker-room related or age. Also have to wonder how much Drury wants to move players in-division though it appeared that Trouba was the one who nixed the deal to CBJ.
Here's a small playercard for him based on the metrics that I used in the forward market analysis.
https://www.datawrapper.de/_/0Z5VU/