Zegras Trade

Think Anaheim wins this one, but mostly because I think zegras is overrated

There's plenty to be said about CBJ not moving Jiricek to begin with, but that's no fun to just say that right?

(However, if you do care, Jiricek is literally the ONLY road to a legit 1RD they have in the system currently and then really need him to work out, so I have a tough time seeing anything materializing unless he just straight up said he would refuse to play for them. Really doubt it gets to that though, since they should have a new FO and HC this summer that won't BS him out of minutes trying to showcase horrible players for trades.)

Anyway on the trade, Columbus is very well set at LD for the future, so if they were to entertain a Jiricek/Zegras swap kind of trade, I can't see it including the other 2 players here. Just doesn't fit a need for Columbus to add Zellweger, good as he's looked, so can't see them moving off KJ now that they seem to be past the rocky bit with him.

Personal thoughts though, aside from the Jiricek trade likelihood stuff - With how good Sillinger has looked as of late, I'm not too sure center will be a need for Colombus anymore, at least not as much. Fantilli/Sillinger/Jenner down the middle while also having a few guys in the system is looking fairly realistic as a quality lineup down the line now.

^__ This 100%, his kerfuffle is with playing time and FO mismanagement. Easy remedy on both fronts.



KJ and Zegras are pretty similar in terms of play style, so for this specific trade, it makes sense for them to be swapped. However, it's too early to tell on both players right now, and with KJ looking good and Zegras already signed, it doesn't make sense right now to swap them for either team. I could see it next year if KJ is mismanaged again and not consistently in the top-6, and ANA coaching gets fed up with Zegras for some bizarre reason.

Zellweger, yes, doesn't make sense to add since he'd be fighting with Mateychuk for 2LD, and the loser would be wasted on the 3rd pair.



Voronkov, too. I'm a huge fan of Fantilli/Sillinger/Voronkov being the top 3 centers going forward, then we just rotate in a veteran 4C (like Kuraly) for however long we need to. That's assuming Boone gets traded or moved to the wing, a la Tavares. We're also likely to have a top-5 pick, so we may pick up another center option there, in which case Sillinger would be shaping up to be an insanely good defensive-minded 3C.

Yeah, I was also going to mention that Voronkov could slot in at C as well, KJ MAYBE moves there eventually, tough it's looking less and less likely, and Brindley is the main guy in the system that could maybe be a factor too. Got distracted and just hit send though 😅😅 Same sentiment between us both though. While it's not a sure thing obviously, I'm a lot more confident they have the answers in the room than I was 6 months ago.

Yeah, the progress of KJ, Sillinger, and Chinakhov especially give me hope for the future. I think it's more addition by subtraction that we need (Peeke, Provorov, Tarasov, Jarmo/JD), trim the fat; form an identity; add another top-5 pick; get a new FO; let the kids grow and see where that takes us.