this doesnt fix anything. martinez isnt good

Are you serious? Martinez is very good

-2.4 GAR making 5.3 mil. -.04 OFF and -2.2 DEF. -1.0 xGAR. He isnt good. and he most definitely is not worth paying 5.3 mil for

we also dont need another 34+ year old defenseman making too much money and has been declining for half a decade. we need someone U25 who is speedy and strong on the puck. someone who can cover both sides if Dobson tries to skate with it

You are trolling, he's played 16 games this year and only 5 since returning from injury. He has been a core reason to the teams success over the last 5 games as well.

If you want to use GAR then maybe use an actual sample size like last year. 8.1 GAR and and 32 points.

I disagree that Martinez is hopeless, but he is kinda far down on my list too. Brett Kulak is my dream signing for 2LD. He's physical and plays well in the neutral and defensive zones, which would compliment Dobson quite nicely. His impacts over the last few years have said he's at least a #4 guy, even if he doesn't factor into scoring much. Could probably get him in the $3-$4 million range too, which would be perfect

I've got a soft spot for Ian Cole at LD2, not sure if he's sticking with Carolina or not, but I feel like he's similar to Kulak and might sign for a lower term/AAV and keep the seat warm for Sam Bolduc(hopefully). I think Kulak is getting enough buzz around him that he might price himself out of the Isles range in either term or cap hit. If they miss both those dudes, though, I think Martinez is a nice consolation prize and could probably be had for just a mid-round pick & a middling prospect (talking one of the Bridgeport lifers like Mitch Vande Sompel/Parker Wotherspoon/etc).

Officiallly the rumor was his camp would want 4×2.5

If that's the case, it's a no brainer then. Even if they would want something higher, you pay the price I think. Kulak's been one of the more undervalued players in the league for awhile now, I think he'd be a great fit with us

I don't think they should let themselves get priced out. He's not going to cost more than about $4 million a year I think, which we should be more than able to fit. I would argue that 2LD is the biggest issue this team is facing right now; our identity is defense and the team hasn't been as good defensively this year. To me, that's enough of a justification to splurge, especially when Salo and Bolduc aren't really projected to be slam dunk top-4 guys. Realistically, I think Kulak gets something in the 3-year, $9 million range -- right around what guys like Ceci, Montour and Forbort got last offseason. He can hold down the second pair with Dobson for a few years and if one of the young guys really takes off, you bump him down to 3rd pair without worrying, $3 million a year isn't unreasonable for that role.

As for the alternatives, Cole wouldn't be bad, but he's a little older and less consistent year to year. Martinez would be great if he could flirt with his 20-21 performance again, but he's gonna be 35 next year too and is coming off a major injury. His cap hit for 23-24 is also a little concerning, considering the RFAs we'll have to re-sign.

Agreed