two weeks to fix a franchise
With the National Hockey League draft taking place on Sunday in New Jersey and NHL free agency right around the corner, the league’s general managers will have a chance to retool or reload for the next season. Throughout the week, we’ll look at the seven Canadian teams and the moves they could make for 2013-14.
2013 season 26-15-7, first in Northwest, third in the West, lost to San Jose in conference quarter-finals
First-round picks No. 24 overall
Moveable pieces Roberto Luongo, and there’s been some talk of Alex Edler
Buyout-bound David Booth, Keith Ballard and Luongo if they can’t find a trade partner
What should happen Clearing cap space is the name of the game for general manager Mike Gillis. If he can find a taker for Luongo to spare his buyouts, he can open up just more than $14-million. If he is forced to use one of the buyouts on Luongo, or something that comes back in a trade for Luongo, he’s looking at closer to $10-million off the books. Either way, that should be enough to work with, given that the team’s only significant restricted free agent is Chris Tanev. What shouldn’t happen It’s silly to say the Canucks shouldn’t stand pat because a) they’ve had two straight humiliating first-round exits, and b) Gillis is constantly tinkering with his roster. Three years ago he added Dan Hamhuis and Ballard. Two seasons ago it was Booth. Then Zack Kassian. Last year it was Jason Garrison. We’ll give
him 2.5/5.
Immediate needs Good secondary scoring — a problem Gillis tried, and failed, to solve with Booth and Derek Roy — and a third-line centre. Mason Raymond and Maxim Lapierre are unlikely to return, while Manny Malhotra has retired. It’s all still moot if they can’t get both Sedins and Ryan Kesler to, and through, the playoffs healthy next spring, though. The latter is proving more of a challenge than the former.
Best-case scenario Luongo gets dealt for a prospect and no buyout candidate comes back in trade (like, say, Rick DiPietro). Booth and Ballard are bought out. The Canucks keep Derek Roy at a reasonable price and sign a compliance buyout bargain. (There will be many.)
Worst-case scenario Canucks take back a buyout candidate in a Luongo deal, make one signing and rely on youth to fill the rest of their holes. Or maybe keep playing Ballard at wing.
Post-script On one hand, it would be great if Kassian improved dramatically and became the answer to many of these questions. On the other hand, if he makes a huge leap, you have to give him a big contract next season.
2013 season 19-22-7, third in Northwest, 12th in the West First-round picks No. 7 overall Moveable pieces Ales Hemsky, Shawn Horcoff, Sam Gagner and Magnus Paajarvi’s rights
Buyout-bound If nobody will pick up the last two years and $11M dollars of his deal, Horcoff
What should happen General manager Craig MacTavish has promised somewhere in the neighbourhood of eight or nine new players. That seems a bit extreme (and unlikely), but the fact of the matter is that a real team has to be built around the team’s young stars Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov, Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle. The Blackhawks and Penguins were built in a similar fashion — stockpiling high draft picks — but their budding superstars were surrounded by a wealth of experience and auxiliary skill.
What shouldn’t happen MacTavish really can’t do what his predecessor, Steve Tambellini did, which is to say, basically nothing. Here’s another thing: they shouldn’t trade Hemsky, pictured. Gagner and Paajarvi will bring back more and Hemsky’s deal ex pires next year anyway. If he really wants out, there’s not much you can do, but he possesses the sort of
experience MacTavish will be looking to bring back either way. What’s the point?
Immediate needs Presuming Edmonton cuts ties with Horcoff, the team will be US$15million under the cap with five or six spaces to fill. Oscar Klefbom’s entry-level contract will likely fill one of those slots, so MacTavish still has a lot to work with. He needs good thirdand fourth-line forwards, a top defenceman, which he’ll have to trade for, and a goalie to platoon with Devan Dubnyk.
Best-case scenario MacTavish talks a bought-out Danny Briere into a cold winter and a great power play, and snags Boyd Gordon and Joey Crabb for the tough minutes. Ray Emery comes in as the backup after a successful run in Chicago. And a package goes to St. Louis for Kevin Shattenkirk’s rights.
Worst-case scenario The Oilers land Mike Ribeiro, Ryane Clowe and Matt Cullen, trade for Cody Franson, who probably isn’t ready to anchor a defence, and get Evgeni Nabokov to back up Dubnyk. It doesn’t sound that bad. Probably wouldn’t be. But it also likely costs more than the Oilers should commit right now.
Post-script Does a trade with Toronto — a long-rumoured thing, that — make sense for either team? Does Sam Gagner make Toronto much better? Will Franson solve Edmonton’s blue line issues? Potential is
there, but not certainty.