interstorm wrote:The Snapshot wrote:the only folks who will be able to walk and are sure to be beyond our means are Staal and Letang. These guys will not be affordable in the Cap era
the gogo/neal trade is a great example. if your problem is that we don't have a future top 6 winger, then we can get that by trading a future top 4 D-man. we got those already.
if your problem is that we don't have a current top 6 forward (outside, of course, the names of crosby, malkin, staal, neal, kunitz) then i would remind you of the number of goals we scored this year. that isn't our problem and we don't really need more now.
...so when it comes to the forwards - i am not sure where the problem is unless you are SURE about the cap. yeah, we can make a preemptive move but i liken that to the leader in a race taking a risky short cut. we stick to the known and go from there.
Well, I don't know where to start with the statements above, other than to say you didn't read anything other than the one sentence you quoted. The Gogo trade was a smaller version of what I mention in the Letang deal. The Martin/Michalek contracts are anchors as of right now, and moving them would bring nothing more than cap relief and no real talent in return. I'm not sure where you get the abundance of top 4 Dmen we have either, because Martin, Michalek and Orpik failed miserably and have limited upside. Letang is the jewel to restock the system.
If you think I want guys who can score more goals, then I don't think you are getting it either. I want size, enthusiasm and upside that will be here for two contracts moving forward.
The fact that you think we are the leaders in the race makes me wonder as well. We haven't been out of the 1st round in three years. This team needs a transfusion, and rather than trading everyone, I am proposing a trade that could serve many purposes including injecting size and youth into the forward mix to replace middleweight, aging guys like Cooke, Kunitz, Dupuis, etc. upfront. These guys are good for now, but I think we saw the lack of size and their advancing age show in the playoffs.
We can stay the course, trade Martin for nothing and get cap relief or hope that the Cap goes up but that doesn't leave us anywhere in terms of the mix at forward. Our D is in much better shape for the future. The forwards are either aging, or will command a tremendous Cap hit on their next deal. I think we can keep Staal, Malkin and Crosby and also build around them with more youthful legs by biting one bullet. I'd also say that any trade of Martin should bring a veteran 5th or 6th D in return if anything. These moves could reshape this team and set it up for another 4-6 years.
I guess I am more confident in Despres than most on the board though.