Pens easily decline

EJ blocks and COL isn’t trading their 23 1st

The Leafs have like 10 dmen better than Staal.

Rebuild is the way to go. I strongly support what you propose.

From Montreal, with love

EJ needs to list 19 teams he can be traded to and FLA is probably on it tbh. It doesnt really make sense for the Avs to move him though since they dont have a replacement RD this season. If FLA is flipping EJ anyway then the Avs should offer more picks in place of EJ

Ideally Id want the Avs to keep their 2023 1st too but if it gets them Bennett at 3x4.425M then im ok with it, thats a pretty reasonable ask as the main piece

The only teams I’m sure are on EJ’s list are the Canadian team and AZ. Regardless COL isn’t dealing him and everybody in COL knows that. Agreed the contract is nice but he’s never even had a 50 pt season and while I think people on CF way undervalue 1st rd picks not in the lottery, COL needs to add some young cost controlled talent they took a pass on the 22 draft and only have the 1st in 23. Yeah I know it’s about winning now but COL’s core MacK, Makar, Mikko, Landy, Nichushkin, Byram, Girard (maybe), Newhook (probably) should be a contender for the duration of MacK’s contract and is going to get expensive Makar ($14M?) and Mikko so getting some young talent in pipeline needs to be a serious consideration.

Avs can't afford that contract moving forward without moving a major piece out which they don't want to do. Avs can't afford to move out major assets for rentals but they also can't afford to take on salary considering their cap situation and contracts upcoming. They're just going to have to go with what they have and hope some of their youngsters develop into impact players as the middle-class squeeze hits.

Hard no for the Avs there.

Id move Girard for him in a heartbeat but thats probably more of an offseason type of move than a TDL trade. If Newhook doesnt become a 2C and the Avs dont make a move to get one then their forward core just isnt going to be good enough come playoff time. Girard isnt even playing like a $5M player right now (and last year) and as a LD he plays the Avs deepest position. With Byram and Toews already on LD having Girard is kind of a waste of cap when theres such a big hole at an important position like 2C

(yes I realize he just scored the OT winner lol but still)

The pens couldn’t do it if they really wanted to get fleeced like that lol. They don’t have the cap

Why exactly should the Pens consider this trade? RHD is a position of strength, we don't have the space for him, and EJ's value seems much higher in the Pens trade then the Avs one to me.

Agreed. No way trading the #1 next year, but Bennett for Girard and a couple of picks -- maybe something like the 2024 4th and 2025 2nd -- or a pick and a Ranta-type prospect would work. For the Panthers, Girard is a huge upgrade over every LD in Florida besides Forsling. In Colorado, I'm liking what I'm seeing out of Englund and if the Avs decide to get another D at the TDL, Bennett makes $500k less than Girard, so they'll have some $$ to work with.

Avs will likely have to fill 2 holes on D next year if they move Girard(who is the new favorite player to hate on). He most likely slides over to the right when EJ retires at the end of this year. I was hoping EJ would do 1 last run next season, but his legs are gone.
How would you replace Girard with the 500k left over from the Bennet Trade? Behrens is not ready for the nhl and Englund is a fine 7th D but not a full timer. Avs will need to address the 2c spot if ERod or Newy don't take it, but they shouldn't weaken their biggest strength for someone who had 1 good year and is just a grittier JTC. Im a Bennet fan, but he isn't worth Girard 1 for 1

What makes you think EJ is going to retire? Im pretty sure he will be back on a relatively cheap deal next year. I think hes been fine as a 2/3RD this season and I think the same will be true next season. This is from The Althletic from 4 days ago:



Id replace Girard with any 3rd pair LD from UFA - Maatta, De Haan, Kulikov would be my top targets but anyone cheap will do

Ever since joining Florida in early 2021 Bennett been very solid - its been almost 2 calendar years spanning across parts of the past 3 seasons now where hes been playing like a 2C. Meanwhile Girard hasnt really been good analytically (hes actually been pretty bad tbh) since 20-21

I try to plan for the worst and hope for the best. EJ's legs are going if not already gone. Manson returning will help. I would love EJ back on a 1 year cheap deal. He a class act and everything but I think there needs to be expectation he could hang em up. Don't read the athletic and that Gives me hope that he is planning for another year.

Bennett as a fwd has had two seasons with more points than Girard and is having a bad season this year. He is a 3c and moving Girard for him would just make the Avs worse on D and more congested with misfit 2c's.

I flat out disagree with your any ufa ld comment. I guess ya gotta single someone out to hate on.

If you think Bennett is a 3C then were just not gonna agree on value at all. He was a 2C on the president's trophy winning team last season and is still FLA's 2C now. How do you figure hes having a bad season - hes scoring at about the same pace as last season with a higher xGF% - the only thing wrong is a low shooting percentage which will regress back up to normal over time. Looking back at the chart from my last comment Bennett has a xG differential/60 relative to teammates of +0.39 which is pretty fantastic and was at +0.06 last season. Girard is sitting at -0.32 xG differential/60 relative to teammates and was at -0.35 last season. I dont get why you mention Bennett having a bad season when Girard's analytics and production have taken a nosedive - shouldnt we be just as critical of Girard as we are for trade targets from other teams like Bennett?

Im not singling out or 'hating on' Girard for no reason (I wouldnt even say hating on, just analyzing like I would any other player) - he is by far the worst performing player on the team for his cap hit and he also plays the Avs most stacked position. I think that makes him expendable and he has the trade value to fetch a big forward upgrade too

I think there was a misunderstanding with the UFA LD part - im not saying any UFA LD is better than Girard, im just saying if we can move Girard for a 2C upgrade then remaining D spot could be filled by a cheap UFA and was just giving suggestions of players who could play 3LD behind Byram and Toews

I do firmly believe Bennet is a 3c and last year's goals wont likely be repeated. JTC was 2c on the cup winning team at points, it doesn't make me think he is a solid 2c or worth giving up Girard(a ld/rd reliable player) for. Maybe if it created real cap space, not 500k. Bennett is on pace for half the goals he had last year and while Girard is on pace for his worst season points wise, he isn't relied upon to produce steady points when the team is healthy. Bennet as 2c, would be. I agree we should judge Girard on how he is producing now, but I also don't condone trading assets at a low point, for a negligible return, when we know he can/will rebound. Last season he got hit with the vid, back issues that he tried to play through and he was strapped to J.Johnson for most of his shifts. I would like to see any defensman have a good year dealing with that.

I agree with UpsideDown about both Bennett & Girard. From what I've seen of Bennett and my reading the #s I think he's a real 2C. I also think Girard is *probably* expendable. But any trade really needs to wait until we see if/when Manson and/or Byram are coming back. My biggest concern is that despite all Byram's talent, he never plays anywhere near a full season and maybe even retires very young.

Theres a difference between Compher filling in for a couple playoff rounds (with some of the worst xG rates on the team during that run - he was in over his head when Kadri was out) and Bennett being the full time 2C with strong underlying numbers to back it up

Bennett has a lower goal pace cause hes shooting 6.4% while his career average is 10.1%. He also has 13.9ixG so hes getting his chances (actually a better ixG pace than last season), its just a matter of time before his shooting percentage comes back up to the average. His underlying numbers are all better this season than last but both his on-ice and individual shooting percentages are below expected. If you think hes just a 3C then were gonna have to agree to disagree cause based on production and underlying numbers everything seems to suggest his breakout was legit

Girard played with Jack Johnson only 23.5% of the time at 5v5. He put up poor results playing with Manson, EJ, and Byram as well. His pair was fine when playing with Makar or Toews but I think that reflects more on those guys than Girard. I know he had back issues but hes still nowhere near the player he was in 20-21 while everyone seems to think he is. I understand not wanting to sell low but theres a need for a 2C and Girard is the best trade option because of his position, trade value, and cap hit. Keeping him and waiting for a bounce back could take time and waste playoff runs the Avs could have otherwise gone all in for

Sorry but I'm another who doesn't think Bennett is a genuine 2C, he's a tweener 2C/3C at best imo. I'd consider a 1 for 1 as a maybe. The Avs definitely shouldn't add. Yes, Girard may well be expendable. Should we give him up easily? Absolutely not.