John

@brockpierson Winamp was way better lol. I used it as late as the early/mid 00’s.

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@MikeHoncho6915 I literally said on my post game stream after game 6 against Florida that they needed to rebuild and that they wouldn’t get any closer. It was all too obvious, others said so too. They should’ve traded him that summer.

@92In82 💯 they are better constructed teams but a team that went to the ECF on the back of Igor was obviously going to pay him and had no clue that the team would fall off as drastically as they did. Hindsight is 20/20 and at the time they had to pay Igor.

This is exactly why they should’ve never signed Igor. Too much work to do to this team to become a contender again and it never made sense to sign a goalie whose window didn’t align with a team that needed a re-tool/re-build. There’s also the fact that you don’t win in the cap era by building around a goalie, a mistake this team made previously with Lundqvist. #NYR

@DonChytil2dot0 I’d say it has to be Yurov and a 1st.

This is probably the trade in all honesty. I don’t even like Stramel but 1st and Stramel has to be the foundation. Yurov is now a must too. Guerin’s on the clock with Hughes’ contract. I can see a cap dump going back to NY too.

@Paptherockies @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey I said it on the podcast that it was the right move to hold onto him there, as disappointing as it was.

@92In82 @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey True, they are in a win now mode. Interesting predicament they put themselves in. Trocheck should get a nice return as well. As much hate Drury was getting for not selling at the trade deadline I think he'll get more this summer than he would at the deadline.

The Minnesota Wild went after Robert Thomas and offered up Danila Yurov and Jesper Wallstedt at the deadline, but the Blues passed 👀 (via @RussoHockey)

The issue with Edmonton is that they have McDavid for 2 more seasons if he doesn’t ask out this offseason. The more I think about it, it might even be one more season, as if he stays and they don’t win, then he does the nice thing and tells Edmonton ahead of time he doesn’t plan to stay and they deal him after next year. If you’re Bowman, do you gamble on the younger, albeit better but lesser experienced goalie or the guy that has won a cup and has a reputation for playing up to the stage? I completely agree on St. Louis, he’s probably the one piece ahead of Trocheck on the center market, provided that McDavid and Matthews don’t go anywhere.

@92In82 @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey 100% Edmonton should be going after Wallstedt. I'd pass on Binnington. I think they can get more this summer with the weak FA class. Someone will overpay.

@Paptherockies @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey Edmonton should be going after one of Wallstedt or Binnington and the Blues should move Binnington either way. I’m not saying St. Louis should’ve accepted the deal, but it’s not a bad package by any means.

@92In82 @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey I don't disagree on that, but it's not a position of need. I would get a better package than that if I were in the Blues position too. Lots of teams looking for a player like Thomas.

That doesn’t mean they built around them or they were their best players. Kucherov has been Tampa’s best player hands down for about a decade now. He led them in scoring in 15-16, when Vasi was still a backup to Bishop and has been their best since. There’s no argument against it either. Bobrovsky’s contract was considered an albatross so badly to the point where Alex Lyon had to get them into the 22-23 playoffs. Florida built around Barkov, Huberdeau and Ekblad and the Tkachuk trade changed their entire culture. They also had Forsling, Reinhart and Verhaeghe making a combined less than $14m against the cap in 23-24 (lightning in a bottle) and Bobrovsky almost blew that series for Florida. Then Florida tied the record for most 20+ point players on a postseason roster last year. Bobrovsky has been maybe their 5th most important player. Acting like he’s the reason they won is disingenuous at best and revisionist history at worst.

@92In82 Florida and Tampa’s highest paid players by AAV are goalies.

@Paptherockies @BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey Wallstedt is much better than Hofer.

@BR_OpenIce @RussoHockey Blues already have Hofer, no need for Wallstedt.

@MustacheVickers 1. C 2. D 3. W 4. G That’s why you’re seeing more teams win with goalies who aren’t considered elite.

@92In82 I agree with this. I was talking to someone yesterday about the positional order-of-importance. All things being equal, I put Center as 1st. Maybe Left Wing last. Not sure how to rank 2nd-4th, but maybe all situation D-man is 2nd.

I will say it again. YOU. WIN. BY. BUILDING. DOWN. THE. MIDDLE. Look at all of the winners in the cap era and they all had depth down the middle and/or a franchise/elite type center.

Hellebuyck isn’t underpaid. Igor is overpaid. No one was going to rush to give him that type of money. The market afterward shows you this. His contract was supposed to “reset” the market. It hasn’t. You don’t pay goalies to be your best player. You don’t win that way. That’s why no team since Montreal has won by building around the goalie. Not NJ, not FLA, not TBL.

@92In82 Rangers were coming off ECF and he’s obviously their best and most important player and should be paid as such. Just because Helly is underpaid doesn’t mean that Igor shouldn’t have gotten his. Elite goalies are rare and the Rangers are lucky to have gone from Hank to Igor.

@QueenSSBU Yep

The rangers down the middle currently gulp

@CeeBeeJeebies I don’t know if it works for them either, but I do know with Coyle off the market, the center market this offseason is bone dry, which only helps the Rangers. Does Detroit sweep in?

@92In82 So that’s another $5.6mm against $13mm in projected space. What is going back? Can’t see NYR retaining for multiple years without significant pieces, and MIN has no 2026 picks till round 3. How do they make this work? Genuinely curious if I’m missing anything?

I just wonder how the Wild finally address center. Trocheck is probably the best option that’s realistically available for them, let’s see if Guerin tries to get a discount again from his buddy Drury.

@HockeyHotstove No one said it wasn’t. If Edmonton has even slightly above average goaltending, they win one of those 2 years.

@92In82 Being strong at other positions is just as necessary.

@MikeHoncho6915 Neither have won a cup. Also, one year later doesn’t justify a $3m difference. Hellebuyck has 3 Vezina’s and a Hart. Igor hasn’t been the same since 21-22.

@92In82 Igor’s play in the playoffs, when the game matters most, is far better than Helly’s. .928 and 2.41 vs .903 and 2.9. Also Igor signed his contract extension a year later when the cap had risen.

Yes and they went to back to back SCF’s with having not much else outside of that center depth. Subpar defense, goaltending and forward depth, especially on the wing. Imagine if their management could’ve managed their cap well enough to add legitimate snipers on the wing, a legitimate top pairing d-man and an above average goalie.

@92In82 EDM was pretty good down the middle…

Lol Trouba is so bad, even next to LaCombe. He has zero awareness of where players are on the ice.

@Nicoezze1499311 You made a great point, so I wanted to do a deeper diver. The data is overwhelming in your favor.

@92In82 Appreciate this info sir

06: Brind’Amour (Selke winner) 07: McDonald/Getzlaf 08: Datsyuk (3x Selke winner 08-10) 09: Crosby 10: Toews (12-13 Selke winner) 11: Bergeron (6x Selke winner, not that year) 12: Kopitar (2x Selke winner, not that year) 13: Toews (Selke winner) 14: Kopitar (2x Selke winner, not that year) 15: Toews (12-13 Selke winner) 16: Crosby/Bonino 17: Crosby 18: Backstrom 19: O’Reilly (Selke winner) 20: Point/Cirelli 21: Point/Cirelli 22: Kadri 23: Eichel 24: Barkov/Bennett/Lundell (Barkov: 3x Selke winner) 25: Barkov/Bennett/Lundell (Barkov: 3x Selke winner)

@92In82 I was referring to building a team down the middle. Ex. FLA with Barkov and Bennett centering the Top 6. Barkov being the guy that plays a two way game. I usually like one of my centers in the top 6 playing a two way game.

There’s nothing wrong with having a franchise winger. When you don’t have the center depth to matchup against the top teams, you’re going to lose. Minnesota never addressed that at the deadline. Would Trocheck have made a difference? Yes. Would he have put them over the top? Maybe not, but he would’ve been a better option there than Ryan Hartman and Trocheck-JEE-Hartman is better than Hartman and an island of misfit toys after JEE’s injury.

@92In82 This. It's why Columbus has sucked for most of 25 years. Minnesota retained their franchise player for a record $17mm. Unfortunately, their franchise player is a winger.

@Nicoezze1499311 On Minnesota?

@92In82 One of those centers is usually a guy that is great defensively