"Montreal needs LD"

You dont follow the news much, do you.

Coyotes reject , Hammer can simply be retained a Mil or two and the coyotes can get decent value for him

Killorn and Hammer are far from cap dumps

Nope. Hadn't seen the Edmundson trade, actually but good to know. Sub in a different team, since this really isn't an out-of-the-question scenario.



They are when you're in the positions the Coyotes and Bolts find themselves in. Speaks more to the potential desperation of those teams and their cap situations than the quality of the players.

Cole is better Hjalmarsson in all metrics less expensive and does not require anything to keep him and with all the gyrations you blocked Byram who will absolutely be with the Avs next season. Honestly this is so convoluted and blocks so many prospects the Avs would be just better off signing their own guys and someone like Toffoli.

tampa finds better deals for killorn

Can you explain how we need LHD, after we just traded for a LHD, and now we have too many LHD?

It’s quite laughable at this point, not only do we have too many LHD on the roster we have more than enough LHD prospects as well.

"Convoluted gyrations". Lol, okay buddy. Byram isn't blocked with Hammer's deal expiring after this season just like Cole's, except with Hammer we have a good chance of upgrading our PK, which needs to get better if we're gonna take the next step. Your "Random Ideas" team (made from your armchair just like mine) had almost the same exact defense configuration, except your team kept Cole instead of adding Hammer, and you left Timmins off even though he has already actually seen playing time in several call-ups. You would leave him rotting in the minors and promote Byram and have him play limited minutes on a bottom pair instead, even though he still likely needs some physical development to withstand banging with grown men in the NHL at 19? There's a reason Timmins played in the bubble and Byram didn't see the ice, even with a completely depleted defense corps. That's fine if you disagree on Byram, I posted in my OP that it might be an unpopular opinion, but I think it's what's best for the organization and for his development based on the reports I've seen, and what it would mean for the cap management the next few years.

As for the other prospects, Kaut has looked good in limited minutes but we're just gonna jump straight to putting him on the 3rd line on a team with Cup aspirations and hope that he can handle it instead of finding a way to upgrade both the 2nd and 3rd lines? PEB and Calvert's deals are done after this season and Bowers and Newhook/Beaucage can take their place if they're ready. In my plan O'Connor could also be replaced after next season. You had Anderson coming on for a 2-year deal in your team as well, and put Kaut on the 4th line instead of Martin, which I'd say is a gamble if you're hoping a rookie can replace Nieto. How are the prospects not blocked in your scenario as well? While I like home-grown guys too, it's a bit of a reach to just expect them to step in a produce at a level that the veterans I had coming in have proven they can produce. Every fan likes their team's prospects and thinks they can't fail but that's just naive.

Don't be so dramatic with your critiques if you have basically the same team in mind, lol. I hadn't seen your plan til I went to see if you had any ideas of your own given the big words you wanted to post on the internet. For the record, I would've liked your ideas before Joe insisted he wants to keep Gru and Frankie, and if you could find a way to make your Columbus trade work instead of offering them a bag of pucks for Elvis.

I have a life and didn't see the Edmundson trade til someone pointed it out. As I said in my response to him, replace Montreal with another team looking for a LD. Really not as big a deal as you guys seem to want to make it, lol

As long as it's with one of the teams isn't listed on his 16-team NTC list? Sure, it's possible.

Been busy all weekend and didn't see the Edmundson trade. I can go in and edit the trade if it makes you fellas feel better aboot it, eh? Obviously they needed LD or they wouldn't have traded for one...

Number 1 Hjalmarsson isn’t going to improve the pk, the problem with the pk is the concept and I’d take Cole over him regardless. Playing Timmins instead of Byram is problem for a number of reasons first and foremost being that Byram is significantly better than Timmins and is flat out a stud and is going to be the top pairing with Makar sooner rather than later. Playing him 3rd pairing is a way to ease him into the lineup something that is going to happen regardless. I probably should have been more verbose in my critique than using convoluted gyrations because I like the idea of Cernack but that’s to make him the 2nd pairing and new PK anchor, and think the easier solution is to offer sheet him also allowing EJ to slide to 3rd pairing and more controlled minutes with his injury history. Kaut replacing Nieto or even LOC replacing him is easy because as much as I love Nieto he offers next to no offense something Kaut can on an initial 4th line or even 3rd line role because he does have significantly more skill and has proven he can play with highly skilled players there is a reason he was drafted 16th overall, and also because Martin is imo an awful fit with horrible shot differential stats. As for Elvis and Anderson I threw out there asking what it would take and it was before Sakic’s announcement about the goalie. My apologies for being short, but I really think Hjalmarsson and Martin are a waste of time and space.

MTL left side currently

Chariot
Romanov
Mete
Edmundson
Kulak

The last thing they need is a LHD for now

Yeah, I got it. 5 people have posted about the Edmundson trade, which I obviously didn't see before posting this scenario and have now said way too many times. Reading comprehension either isn't strong with Habs fans, or no one takes the time to read posts in threads around here. For chrissakes...

Lets be real no one is gonna take the time to read a novel like that lmao Regardless, unless 2 of those players are moved which I don’t see happening, Habs aren’t gonna need a guy like Zadorov.

I appreciate the thoughtful follow-up response. I apologize if I seem snappy as well. I'll be honest, I was so excited to find this site and this armchair GM tool this week cause I've always loved tinkering with lineups and trades and FA ideas as an armchair GM, but after a week of playing with the interactive tool and posting a couple of offseason blueprint ideas, I'm pretty put off by the forums. There's a stark lack of intelligent or constructive responses on the vast majority of threads I've read. People post their ideas and get canned, condescending responses like "this is laughable" or "Montreal would hang up", without any response as to alternative ideas or how people think things could work. Case in point, see the comment above this one... It's fine to not agree with someone's idea, but at least provide some rationale as to why or explain what you think could be a better move. From what I've seen, this community kinda sucks and I wish I could just have the tool without having to read the dumb responses or that I could turn the comments off. I know I don't have to read them but who doesn't want to share their ideas and have some good dialogue about what their team could do? It's been a buzzkill and really turned me off from wanting to spend anymore time on this site. Anyways, enough whining about mean/dumb people on the internet.

Byram:
Obviously Byram is a better prospect and has a higher ceiling than Timmins. No one in their right mind would argue against that. Byram could eventually create an all-time great tandem with Makar. I've just seen quite a bit of speculation that he isn't quite physically ready for the NHL, and the fact that he didn't set foot on the ice despite being desperately needed in that series almost confirms that fact in my mind. The skill is there and he's tearing up the WHL and doesn't have much more to prove there, but he likely still needs to add some strength to deal with the physical game he'll see night in and night out playing against grown men in the NHL. The Avs defense is already young and rushing a prospect up before he's ready can have a detrimental effect on their development, especially for a guy with the hype Byram has around him. And with as close as the Avs are to a cup you want to make sure the moves you're making are putting you in the absolute best position, both for this season and long-term. I just don't think they need to rush Byram until they 100% feel he's ready, and you have Timmins there already showing he can handle the physical game. Timmins needs seasoning as well, but he's physically ready. I just really feel like if Byram was physically ready, we would've seen him on the ice instead of someone like Connauton because of the skills he possesses. And all of that is before you consider that pushing Byrams ELC back could actually help with managing the cap as key core players are due extensions and raises the next few years. The kid's gonna make a ton of money in his career with the trajectory he's on, but if they can push his pro contract back a year by playing him less than 10 games this season, that helps extend the cap flexibility. You see this type of prospect management strategy all the time in pro sports and if he still has anything to work on, whether that's defense, special teams, or just physical strength, there's no need to rush him and particularly no need to put him on the roster ahead of a (healthy) Timmins.

Cole/Special Teams:
For the most part I do agree that a coaching change is sorely needed to improve the special teams, but not really sure why you're thinking so highly of Cole and thinking that Hammer wouldn't improve the PK unit. I really didn't see much this year to make me think that Cole is still deserving of many minutes on a cup-contending team. Once EJ went down our defensive effectiveness fell off a cliff. Dallas' offense wasn't lighting the world on fire against the Blues, but we made them look like the freaking Lightning in our series. A lot of that can be blamed on relying on young guys, but that's where vets like Cole are supposed to step in and be the steadying force. All I saw from Cole was turnovers, playing out of position, and worthless chipping the puck out of the zone when we got possession and had a chance to create a counter-attack with a good transition pass. He was brought in to mentor our young guys and help change the culture around our team, and he has contributed to that, but I think it's time for a change of the guard. We can agree to disagree again here on Cole, but I do think if we can find an upgrade we should. I've played with Goligoski instead of Hammer since the Coyotes will likely just be looking to cut salary any way they can. What would you think about tinkering that deal to feature Goligoski (possibly slightly higher cost) instead? I feel like that move would be more of a blocking move than Hammer, but I'm just not sold on keeping Cole around.

Kaut:
I also think that Kaut is going to be a good player and that he'll be a mainstay on our middle-6 lines in the coming years, but I feel similar with him as I do with Byram and think that if we can fill the spots with a proven veteran on a shorter-term contract, it puts us in a better position to chase the cup. I'm not opposed to giving the kids a chance, but with the cap space to utilize and the environment created by the flat cap and pandemic, the Avs should be in a position to capitalize and bring in guys who've been there before. Kaut will get his chance at playing time at some point this year when the injury bug inevitably bites, but it's not like he set the league on fire and made himself indispensable in his last call-up.

Martin:
Martin has been a fan favorite in his time with Toronto and NYI, and I honestly think you're undervaluing his contributions. Fun fact, he is the NHL record holder for hits in a single season. He is 100% a 4th line guy and mostly there to F $#!+ up, but he makes stuff happen - he actually has 5 goals in the playoffs, as a 4th line winger, FYI. I've been watching the Islanders in the bubble and he just always seems to be in the middle of making stuff happen, whether it's scrapping with the other teams tough guys to fire up the team, wreaking havoc in front of the net that results in a goal, or delivering a big hit on someone. All year long I felt like the Avs were a bit of a soft team, and when Calvert and then Landeskog went down against Dallas, MacKinnon was left nearly by himself to provide grit while also carrying the scoring load. Yes, Z is known for big hits but he has poor timing with them and often takes himself out of the play to throw the hit, and I honestly don't expect to see him back next year. This team needs an upgrade in toughness, and Martin is that grinder type. Unless Kaut can show a real nasty mean streak in camp, I don't see him bringing that to the table. Going up against physical, grindy teams like Dallas, St. Louis, and Vegas all year long, I think the Avs need more guys like this to be able to battle them. We have the skill and speed to skate circles around them, but when things get mucked up our team seems to fall apart and we don't have those guys to bang and crash and produce ugly goals. I think Martin would fit in well with Calvert and PEB after watching them spark stuff all year long with Nieto, and give us a dose of grit and nastiness that we just don't seem to have right now. If you don't like Martin maybe they can find someone else - Simmonds? Way more expensive Domi? We certainly ain't prying Tom Wilson from the Caps... It's slim pickings but I feel like they need to find some sandpaper somewhere.

Hammer's remaining salary due is $2M. I don't see why they'd consider him a "dump" to save money... And they have to replace him with a roster player making at least $750k. So they're giving the Avs a pick and substantially downgrading their D for a $1.25M maximum salary savings? Doesn't pass the sniff test.

Cap hit is still $5M though, right? I'll admit I don't completely understand all the minutiae around how the finances work with salary vs signing bonuses vs cap hit and how exactly that impacts the team's cap, but the tool has him showing as counting for $5M against the team's cap so that' what I'm basing my moves on.

Regardless, maybe I'm obtuse, but the site is showing that the Coyotes have about $1.1M left in cap space for next year's roster and only 17/23 players signed. My math skills didn't go above high school calculus but I don't really understand how they're just going to stand pat and be able to fill out the rest of the roster, even with league minimum players, and especially without downgrading their roster in some way. My moves were based on assumptions that they are going to have to move some salary and that teams will want to make trades that theoretically make sense for them and not just take bad contracts for some used goalie pads and a high five.