Sounds like a fair deal for everyone. I hope Sonny can make the club because we will need more offensive skill up and down the lineup this year.

I agree on the Panarin factor. Unless Jarmo pulls a rabbit out of the hat and finds a first rate left winger via trade, I think if PLD can score at about the same level as this past year (about 25/35/60) it would have to be considered a success.

I also agree...and the rumors in the Canadian media is that Mitch is seeking $12M.

I would add Rychel turned into Harrington, who has been a serviceable 5/6/7 defenseman. I also think it is possible he could be part of a trade to bring more scoring here. With other teams that don't have the depth on defense the CBJ has, it is very possible Scott could grow into a solid second pairing defenseman.

Through several bad decisions Doug McClain lit a dumpster fire that it took a long time to recover from and I don’t think he has been able to get a job in hockey since. However, I think you are too hard on GM Jarmo’s draft decisions and Scott Howson as well.

I will grant you that it seems like GM Jarmo has more of a knack for picking up good players in the lower rounds, but here are the first round picks after McClain was fired when the CBJ had picks in the top ten: Johansen (which Jarmo turned into Seth Jones), Ryan Murray, Werenski and PLD. Those are all key players that are an important part of the foundation for this team. (It’s really not fair to hold Murray’s history of injuries against management). It’s just bad luck that the CBJ haven’t had a top pick when a generational talent like McDavid, Matthews or Crosby are available.

Mid first round picks are a gamble anyway, so even if Milano and Wennberg are a bit of a disappointment (so far), it’s far too soon to write off Foudy and Carlsson.

But I'm also a little curious as to why other teams not so constrained haven't yet made an offer sheet...it seems like such an obvious opportunity. (1) a player with a lot of upside potential asking for an affordable contract; which (2) means it's not too expensive in terms of lost draft picks; and (3) a team with currently no cap wiggle room.

If you believe the published reports, LVGK GM McPhee is disappointed with the offers he has received so far; a 6th round draft pick or lower tier prospects. There may be a back story we don't appreciate yet. 

Fair point; but I wonder how hard it would be to trade with Ottawa to get that 2020 2nd pick back (or 3rd if the offer sheet was between $4.227M and $6.34M).

We have all been discussing trades here, but isn't this the perfect situation to submit an offer sheet?

As I understand it, if the CBJ keep the AAV of the offer under $4.227M, due to the current cap situation the LVGK would have trouble matching and yet all the CBJ would owe LVGK would be a 2nd round draft pick.

What Matt said.

CBJ took a hit on July 1 and are clearly down but so is Pittsburgh. Washington is a year older, and there is no way swapping in Varmalov for a Vezina finalist qualifies as "flat" so the NYI are clearly down as well. So in summary, the three best teams in the Division are not as good as last year and the two worst teams (NYR & NJD) are better. The teams in the middle (Flyers & 'Canes) are just treading water.

For playoff slots, life gets more challenging as Buffalo, Florida and maybe even Montreal are all better than last year and will push the Metro teams for the two wildcard spots. It could be an interesting year in the Eastern Conference.

I like the depth Scott provides to the team and no doubt he stepped up with the injuries to key players on our blue line this year, but does anyone else think this is a bit pricey for a guy that is essentially a 6th or 7th D-man? 

I agree that the longer term contract would be preferable and I would be willing to pay more on the back end of that deal if Gusev would be willing to give up a year or two of UFA.

If he is unwilling to sign that three or four year contract however, it only impacts what I would be willing to trade to to the LVGK, not my willingness to have him on my team, especially if the cap hit would be in the $4M range, as rumored. As we have seen with the last two years of Bread, there are things worse than having a talented and motivated player at a reasonable price playing hard for his next contract in his dream city. 

Thanks for the clarification Matt.

It's easy to look good on a highlight reel, but as an offensive talent this guy does look a little like "Panarin Jr." As Torts would ask however, "I wonder how his play is away from the puck?" He certainly has a skill set we need however.

The one problem of course is that Gusev signed as a free agent in Las Vegas because he wanted to. When he is eligible to become a UFA, I'm somewhat concerned he could find Columbus as appealing as Bread did. As I have said before on this site, Russian kids don't play on frozen ponds in Siberia dreaming of hoisting a Stanley Cup in mid-size North American cities like Columbus.

Harrington (or Kukan) and Milano for Gusev sounds like it fits both teams needs. OR we get Gusev + Clarkson's contract in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick.

I'm a bit surprised that I didn't see Milano on this list. If either Duchene or Panarin had re-signed, I would have expected Sonny to be traded for prospects or mid level picks. With the forward spots up for grabs this season however, I would expect a player with his offensive talent to get a chance; one last chance.   

True, but with that said I think ownership realizes that the 2019-2020 team is quite different from this past year's team. The coach will be graded in that context.

I will also be very interested to see how long Bob can stay productive. I'm sure this will look great for a few years and I know everyone connected with the CBJ say he is in fantastic shape, but $10M for seven years is a lot of cap space for a lot of years for a guy entering his age 31 year. I have no ill-will because he gave his best for us for the last several years, but looking at the current make up of the Florida D, unless GM Tallon can make some trades, Sergei is going to have to earn that money every night.  

I'm not sure I care all that much beyond the first four on this list + the first round pick this year. There is a chance that Duclair, one or two of the prospects, or second round picks might be an important contributor someday for someone, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it...Let's check back in about 2024.

I agree either Murray or Savard get traded; we need a top six forward and an over abundance of talent on D. At least this is short term, minimizing the risk.

RB is down? That is the understatement of the off season! Clear out is medicine cabinet and empty his kitchen of sharp knives! 

Gulp. Contrary view here. Call it Devils Advocate if you want to.

Keep in mind that Nathan Horton and David Clarkson are both still getting paid more than $5M and it feels like they haven't scored a goal for anyone in a l-o-n-g time. And remember how much we paid LVGK to take the Clarkson contract off our hands. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed watching Artemi as much as anyone over the last two years, but this has a TON of risk for a small market team. This smacks a little of desperation as it looks like Jarmo could be worried about going 0 for 4 in the UFA department.

Is Panarin worth $4M to $5M more than Duchene? On the plus side I guess is that by signing Bread instead of Duchene, we keep next year's first round draft pick.

If true, I guess it is the "country music" discount. As pointed out by others over the past month, it didn't hurt Nashville's case that there is no income tax in TN. It is interesting that while almost all of the headlines so far this off season have been players holding out for every last penny, Matt left money on the table to in favor of other intangible benefits. The players union isn't going to like that. 

He would be a good pick up if we are unable to hang on to Duchene.

I'm betting right now we see fewer odd man rushes against our goalie next season.

I think a lot of what we saw this past season or two was strictly a function of our style of play, with the defense being coached to jump deep into the offensive zone at every opportunity. IMO the primary reason this was a coaching philosophy was due to who our goaltender has been. Torts has already been on local radio talking about structural changes to our defense next year, to give our goaltenders (a rookie and an unproven back up) a better chance at success. . 

At first I thought Carolina stole a first round pick, but then I read a little more on the Marleau trade last night. Under the current cap system this is more expensive than I thought for Carolina. First, they have to pay Marleau his $3M bonus on July 1, then $833,000 a year for the next two years, so that is close to $4.7M in cash out the door, Then, because he is over 35, the entire $6.25M counts against the 'Canes cap this year. So, in other words, they will play this year with a team built with a $75.25M cap, while the rest of the league is playing with an $81.5M cap. This is all for a pick that is likely going to be between 20th and 31st, so all of a sudden it doesn't look like such a "steal."

Let's be fair on the Haula trade. it is a heck of a gamble that may or may not work out: hence, the bargain bin price. First, he had a horrible knee injury last November and hasn't been in a game since, so Carolina has no idea what kind of player they are getting. Second, before his single break out season in 2017-18, he was a journeyman that averaged about a dozen goals a year. This transaction is a reasonable gamble by Carolina, but not likely a game breaker or difference maker.