Pinching pennies so you can pay a backup goalie big bucks seems like a bad idea in a salary cap world

More of a tandem than a starter and a backup.

Jake DeBrusk doesn’t sign for that dollar figure, but there probably is a good forward available at that price. Not JDB.

here's how i think this can work: leverage the love these two men have for each other against their negotiations. "boys, we've got $11M to spend on goaltenders." I honestly think there is a decent chance they would rather keep the band together.

Forbort isn't signing for $800K. He'll be in demand as a free agent.

i would avoid giving lindholm that ticket.

You do realize they pinched Pennies with a 4.5m overage this year and still have the best record over the past two years.

You got advice for Buffalo? They seem to need it.

Ok, keep him in his ufa year

I think Forbort won't be back. Wotherspoon will be re-signed and have the inside track for 6/7 D over Mitchell.

It will be interesting to see what the Bruins do. They really kind of need to make a decision on Ullmark before UFA starts. If they sign a big UFA with Ullmark still on the books, then they might need to pay to dump him, which would be a terrible consequence of indecision. I think he will be traded before the draft, but I wouldn't expect too much in return. 1 year left, 15 team no trade list, and a limited number of teams desperately looking for a goalie should drive down his price. Maybe a 2nd round pick or equivalent prospect. A low return could make the decision to risk roster building in UFA much more difficult.

You willing to offer an 8 year, $32M contract with a full NMC for Ullmark? I don’t think that gets it done, but maybe there relationship allows for it?



Agree. Think he is going to be in the 1.5 to $2M range, but a lot of players that fit his profile get lost and end up at the minimum.



You can systematically choose a discount, but are you foregoing pursuing a premium player in free agency? I am curious because you’ve focused on age curves in the past.

Who would you target?

Jesper Boqvist deserves 10 mill AAV imo. My goat

#70 on the ice, #1 in our hearts...

NJD fell apart after losing him. Coincidence? I think not.

uhhhh no. when did i mention giving ullmark an 8 year offer? no. no no no.

i don't think lindholm is a premium player. What I've seen makes me think he will not age well, and it is WAY better to not sign a guy to anyone than to sign a guy to a six year deal at big money just because you have the cap. There are a lot of guys that I think would be good targets on a 1-2 year deal. Wennberg, Domi, Monahan etc. A couple guys I think might even be decent on a four year deal like bertuzzi. No one that I think is the long term solution at center. Rather keep the powder dry.

Only way keeping Ullmark makes sense is if you intend on keeping him beyond just next year. Otherwise it's bad asset management cause Bussi will be waiver eligible and will get claimed, and you're losing whatever return you can get back for Ullmark.

I’m just flagging that probably the one way to realistically keep them at the dollars figure you are mentioning is additional term.



That’s fair. I don’t believe you’ll get that caliber of player on 1-2 year deals and I view Bertuzzi as high a risk as Lindholm at this point. You could also go for the older player on the shorter contract (Stamkos).

i'm pretty convinced stamkos isn't going anywhere.

I could say Swayman taking four years at $6M, as its a more player friendly term, and Ullmark sticking around for another couple years at $5M. Goalie markets can get weird. I don't think it's likely, but I don't think it's crazy.

you know bertuzzi fits with this club. I think his numbers at the end of this season are going to limit what he gets on a long-term deal. He's probably going to wind up as a half point per game player with 15ish goals, and I just can't really see him getting much more than 3x5. I'm way more comfortable with Bertuzzi at 3x5 than Lindholm at 6x7-7x8.

I doubt you get Bertuzzi on a short term contract at 5m, but if you could get Bertuzzi at that dollar figure … I’d like him.

I believe the choices are goiing to be the 27 to 29 year old with longer term vs the 32 year olds with shorter term. You can be patient and hope there are opportunistic plays.

I believe Sweeney is going to pursue Lindholm if the rumors of his pursuit and revisiting by Friedman is correct.

You can keep a third goalie if you’d like. We have a lot of cap flexibility.

If we get a first rounder or the equivalent, I’m fine trading him but trading him for below that starts making you think about the benefit of the two goalie system

things have changed since then.

I’m assuming this is tied to the pursuit of Lindholm?

What’s changed in the past 1.5 weeks?