Idk about 2 Dmen. Switch Mukh for a good forward prospect

I'd happily part with Gritsyuk, Filmon, or anyone in Utica, and you could probably convince me to give up Boqvist or Zetterlund.

Some would say though that Mukh is a good forward prospect, he just hasn't realized it yet. He plays like a winger.

Not sure why it has been reported Ottawa doesn't intend on dealing debrincat. Unless they over pay in the 9/10m range I don't see him staying. Better off to recoup assets imo but it would be cool to see him stay with the young Ottawa core.

Just curious, as a general matter, what are the expectations for Cats next contract?

I don't know what's been reported but I'd expect similar to Bratt and Meier, long term in the 8-9 range

I thought Cat was not going anywhere? Didn't Friedman announce that yesterday?

He did . But maybe in the summer

Somewhere in the 8-9 mill on a 8 year deal

Severson trade wouldn't work in the summer since he'd have no value then

Makes sense, but assuming they invest similar in Bratt, another smurf in NJ at that price seems an odd decision based on Fitzgerald's past comments about adding size ... maybe those comments are obsolete. I guess they will find out if size matters in the playoffs this year. That forward group is tiny

I think he cares more about size on defense, I don't think size on offense is that big of a deal

Same here. So many great players are under 6 ft. And successful in regular season and playoffs

They typically have had protection... but the game has changed. Maybe its no longer relevant. Rangers thought it still mattered after Wilson pounded Buchnevich & Panarin in 21. Looked like NYs series, but a few hits later and NY was home. Changed their offseason as well.
Hughes & Hischier are going to be run constantly

No different than today, to be honest.

I generally think the need for size, grit, toughness for playoffs is a bit dated. Colorado played with speed, skill. Tampa won with Point, Kucherov. Penguins were often one of the smaller teams in league.

As long as guys stand up for each other, and we play with a heavy bottom-6 and blueline, we should be okay.

Even Bratt has three fights on his resume (Marchand, Grundstrom, one other).

I wouldn’t be happy about losing Gritsyuk or Zetterlund. But Mukhamadullin probably has far more trade value than either or them.

Agree it's dated, but what is different from today is 7 game series vs one game. Over the course of 7 games, I believe there is more of a concerted effort to wear targeted players down, which is not as effective a strategy for one off games, but can be more effective when playing seven in a row. Hischier in particular, who lives in the dirty areas, will take a beating, if targeted. I hope I am wrong, as I prefer the current style of NJ hockey, but I am morbidly curious. As far as I am concerned, success in playoffs is gravy this season. It will be a great experience for them & help the team build toward a more sustainable run in the future.
Either way, it's good to know Brawling Bratt is always available for a scrap when needed

I'd rather have Holtz + Severson + 2nd instead of the first

I hesitate to trade Holtz at all but I'd do Holtz+Severson without a pick

Ok, that could work depending on Severson extension

My guess is he wants long term around 6m

Not sure how much I'd go... 5 years x 5.0 AAV ideally...