JotCast | PHR Live Chat: 5/29/24

PHR Live Chat: 5/29/24

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Josh Erickson

2:26

Buium right there at 6, to hop onto the last question.

Sid Abel

2:27

Who should the Wings target to add some muscle to their top 6 forward group? They need a tough, 2 way winger that goes into the dirty areas and can average +.75 ppg.

Josh Erickson

2:28

Not anyone on the UFA market that fits that specific archetype. DeBrusk would be the closest in style of play to what I think you're angling for but he doesn't have that offensive ceiling.

2:29

And not sure there's anyone on the trade market, either. Said this last week, but I do think they'll be in on everybody at the top (Reinhart, Guentzel, Stamkos, etc.).

2:30

The forward group would be the least of my worries, though. More concerning this year was Lalonde's poor deployment of the Seider pairing. Shayne Gostisbehere can not be your best even-strength possession defenseman, but he was. D needs far more work than offense to be competitive, and I'm not sure how much of that pressure you want to place on Edvinsson and Johansson next season.

Bruins Fan

2:31

What do the Bruins get for Ulmark

Josh Erickson

2:31

If it's a top-10 pick, I think that's it. If it's a mid or late first as the centerpiece... have to imagine a solid B/A tier prospect is coming back too.

sabres3277

2:32

What free agents do you think the Sabres will take a run at? I think wishing for Stamkos, Kane and Guentzel is a little far fetched as far as spending that much. I think one or two of the following is a possibility, Toffoli, DeBrusk, Bertuzzi, Domi or someone in that mid-level contract range.

Josh Erickson

2:33

Kane won't cost nearly as much as the other guys, for one. The interest was strong enough in November that I'm 90% certain Kevyn Adams will circle back. You're right – I don't think Guentzel fits – but I do think they'll kick the tires on Stamkos. I'm not sure giving out 6-plus-year deals to any Fs makes sense. They need more time to sort out which of their prospects are the real deal, but a high-AAV, short-term player like Stamkos works.

2:35

I don't think Toffoli heads to a question-mark team like Buffalo. All of the others would make sense to me, though – DeBrusk in particular has the right vibes attached to it.

Chris from Long Island

2:35

What do you think Isles Lamoriello has up his sleeve this off-season?

Josh Erickson

2:36

In true Lou fashion, I'll know as soon as you do. Nothing ever gets out.

2:37

But in terms of alleviating their cap crunch, trying to offload Palmieri makes the most sense. His value has rebounded coming off a 30-goal year, so it'll be easier for teams to take the whole $5MM hit for one year. It's essentially the deal Arizona gave Zucker last summer.

Phil

2:37

If you were the Sabres GM, what moves would you make over the summer?

Josh Erickson

2:37

Let the goaltending cook, for sure. I'd go 3-4 years with UPL.

2:38

In terms of forwards, it'll be a delicate balance to add some competition for Kulich, Savoie and the like without completely boxing them out. I'd like to see a fourth line with Greenway, Krebs, and a yet-to-be-named winger.

2:40

That leaves two spots in the top nine. I'd get a surefire impact player in free agency to fill one, and get a high-risk/high-reward type with the other to provide competition for Kulich and Savoie (and Rosen too, sure).

2:41

Defense – sign a 6D/7D type, throw your hands up and hope Samuelsson stays healthy and is worth the $4.25MM.

I thought Ryan Johnson was quite effective this year when given the chance – that's a good sign for them. Allows one of Clifton or Jokiharju to be on the outside looking in.

Quack quack

2:41

Trevor Zegras + Oilers 1st rounder for Ryan Leonard. Who says no?

Josh Erickson

2:42

After the season Zegras had? Washington says no. I don't think a pick that's gonna fall somewhere between 29th and 32nd overall is enough to bridge that gap.

BSG

2:42

What are the biggest challenges facing the Caps return to a serious cup contender and do you see Hershey being a big part of those changes moving forward?

Josh Erickson

2:42

Absolutely. Hershey's been incredibly important for them in the past

2:44

Right now, it's just about rebuilding the prospect pool. They've drafted well enough in the past two or three years... enough to get them through the Ovi/Carlson era without completely sucking, which is nice. But they aren't gonna have high enough picks to become serious contenders again.

2:45

The good thing is, if they keep drafting the way they do, it should be a relatively quick turnaround. They'd have the depth of a prospect pool required to exit a rebuild, just not the star. Go one or two years in lottery pick territory and then have a rather quick ascension. Leonard is a slam dunk, I loved the Cristall pick too. Need some more D.

Cbj4life

2:45

What kind of changes are coming to the blue jackets now

Josh Erickson

2:46

They have gobs of cap space but about half their forward core is RFA. Other than a potential goalie move... just getting the kids locked up and doing what you can to build out the roster in free agency. I do think they'll spend as close to the cap as they can.

2:47

They've drafted quite well. They just need to not fall into the LA trap of derailing most of their development.

Keeping up with Keith Jones

2:47

Do the Flyers know what is going to happen with Michkov or are they as in the dark as everyone else?

Josh Erickson

2:47

The latter

aka.nda

2:47

Has there ever been discussion of adjusting individual teams’ salary caps in light of the tax rate in said area so that all teams can pay players the same “take home” amount?

Josh Erickson

2:48

Not that I know of

2:49

I don't think that's a solution. An NBA-style luxury tax would be more realistic, imo

Dan

2:49

Do you think this is the off-season that Gibson is traded out of Anaheim °¿

Josh Erickson

2:49

They waited too long! Sure, there might be interest, but he's not the top name on the market and they could've gotten more for him a few years back.

It makes no sense for them to hang onto him with how Dostál is developing.