I think he gets held on to and is dealt at the trade deadline. His 2m would basically make up the further cap hit, so keep him and recoup at the deadline if they can get a better return then. Just kinda stays as a buffer being the team will basically be set for 2 more years after he’s removed

Assume CAR is a placeholder but don't see a fit for Jost there. Fiala would be of interest though.

I’m not a Jost guy. He’s got nice speed and can make some things happen on the forecheck, but he is very limited offensively and I think he would just get in Boldy’s and Rossi’s way!

I think we saw very different players this year. I saw a guy that was way too talented for the linemates he was playing with and did his best to try and make something happen. I am very much not making an equivalence statement here, but does that remind you of someone else?

My only thought on this is that I don’t think Evason elevates him in the lineup, which doesn’t help anybody. I think he could put up 50 with Rossi and Boldy while playing PP2. That would have decent trade value that you wouldn’t need to move at the deadline if we’re in the hunt because he’s still RFA.

It was a coup trading Strum for him, but dammit. Use the guy!

I liked what Jost showed in an elevated role at the end of the season. I’d love to see him slide into the top 6, but I don’t know how that happens here. Kaprisov-Hartman-Zuc, Boldy-Rossi-Gaudreau. Unless they finally move Gaudreau to L4C where he belongs. My lines would be Kaprisov- Jost- Zuc, Boldy-Rossi- Hartman, GREEF, Duhaine-Gaurdeau-Dewar/Delaurious.

Yeah, I think there’s more to Jost than he’s shown and CAR would be a team that values that and what he brings. But yeah, just a place holder.

I would personally feel better if the lines got thrown in a blender. But Jost not being on PP2 was an absolute tragedy.

Hopefully Evason learned a lesson and tries that a little more. He refused to make line changes against the Blues. Agree 100% on Jost PP2. Made no sense!

I agree, I think he is was underutilized. Idk how much offense anyone can produce with Duhaime and D Lo. I think Dean was too rigid with not shuffling his lines this year leading up to playoffs.

But that said, I also agree that I don’t see this regime giving him much opportunity in the top 9. GREEF is basically fixed and they don’t seem inclined to demote Freddy or Hartman.

That last part also concerns me regarding possible returns from a Fiala deal. I’ve got my eyes on Mercer in NJD and he put up Freddy numbers as a rook last year. If we get an NHL player back, Im concerned it’ll be another Jost scenario.

Fit is probably a bad choice of words - to your point, I think he would fit in nicely as a third line type player in CAR system but I don't think there's much room for him right now. Maybe if Nino leaves he's a cheap option to fill in on third line but I'd also like to give some of our younger guys a chance to fill that role because it seems that a couple of them are ready.

One thing I’ve been kicking around in my head is splitting up Zucc and Kap. I realize the negatives, but I don’t like the idea of playing Rossi with Boldy and then someone like Gaudreau.

I think Boldy can play with Kap and it would do wonders for his continued development. Zucc can maybe mentor Rossi and teach him the ways of being undersized.

Haven’t really settled on a line combos I like, and it kinda depends on what comes back for Fiala, but I don’t think those two should be automatically written in ink as being linies.

What is your take on that?

I’d go so far as to say none of the lines, even the GREEF line, should be safe.

Fiala

To be clear, I am 100% not saying Jost can do what Fiala does, but I do think he can be an everyday top 9 guy that can play PP and PK that scores 50 pts. I actually think he could allow Foligno to play with Rossi and Boldy, which is appealing to me for some reason.

You definitely see more in him than I do…

I see him as a bottom 6 guy who is best suited for the 3rd line whose best years will be 35ish points. His value is in his versatility and speed, not his processor speed or skills…