My random trade proposal of the day:

Martin to Dallas for Brett Ritchie and a 2nd.

Ritchie is a young (just turned 21), big bodied RWer who has yet to play in the NHL, but is really close and has produced at every level he's played at, including with the Calder cup winning Texas Stars last year.

Can't help but bring up the top 6 today. Breaking down the roster looking at ideal positions (assuming we re-sign remaining RFA's):

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Bennett-Malkin-Hornqvist
Spaling-Sutter-Downie
Comeau-Goc Adams

Letang-Martin
Maatta-Ehrhoff
Scuderi-Bortuzzo
Despres

Broken down into ideal positions:

1st W - 1st C - 3rd W
2nd/3rd W - 1st C - 2nd W
3rd/4th C/W - 3rd C - 3rd W
3rd/4th W - 3rd/4th C - Scratch

1st D - 1st D
2nd D - 2nd D
3rd D/scratch - 3rd D/scratch

In hindsight that pick could be shea Webber , datsyuk or Jamie Benn. Thats hindsight. Don't get me wrong I don't mind Spaling as a player. He is a try hard. But him getting arbitration could cost us another player on a team that lacks depth as it is
- Jordy8

sure. but I think most people, in hindsight would look at a guy drafted in the 2nd round and say "hey made it to the nhl and has solid third line, potential at max top 6 guy, written all over him, thats pretty good."

Can't help but bring up the top 6 today. Breaking down the roster looking at ideal positions (assuming we re-sign remaining RFA's):

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Bennett-Malkin-Hornqvist
Spaling-Sutter-Downie
Comeau-Goc Adams

Letang-Martin
Maatta-Ehrhoff
Scuderi-Bortuzzo
Despres

Broken down into ideal positions:

1st W - 1st C - 1st/3rd W
2nd/3rd/IR W - 1st C - 1st/2nd W
2nd/3rd/4th C/W - 3rd C - 3rd/4th W
4th W - 3rd/4th C - Scratch

1st D - 1st D
2nd D - 2nd D
3rd D/scratch - 3rd D
3rd D

- YouMeAndDupuis9

fixed

My random trade proposal of the day:

Martin to Dallas for Brett Ritchie and a 2nd.

Ritchie is a young (just turned 21), big bodied RWer who has yet to play in the NHL, but is really close and has produced at every level he's played at, including with the Calder cup winning Texas Stars last year.
- cap1681

If he is ready for NHL right now, I would do it. We have a good history of dealing defenseman to Dallas for forwards :-)

My random trade proposal of the day:

Martin to Dallas for Brett Ritchie and a 2nd.

Ritchie is a young (just turned 21), big bodied RWer who has yet to play in the NHL, but is really close and has produced at every level he's played at, including with the Calder cup winning Texas Stars last year.
- cap1681

Doubt you get Ritchie alone let alone a pick. suspect he slots in their top 9 this year.

Getting anything more than another rental back for MArtin would probably take assets on our end.

martin + for ritchie would be realistic

fixed
- ChrisMS

Changing his player evaluated opinions to your opinions isn't fixing, its being an ass.

Changing his player evaluated opinions to your opinions isn't fixing, its being an ass.
- Guile

Speaking of asses, what bug crawled up yours today? I guess you missed my nudge nudge, just joshin' you smiley face at the end.

SONIC BOOM!

sure. but I think most people, in hindsight would look at a guy drafted in the 2nd round and say "hey made it to the nhl and has solid third line, potential at max top 6 guy, written all over him, thats pretty good."
- ChrisMS

I agree. All I'm saying is when the team is at the ceiling and the arbitrator is nice to this guy and costs us a booth or Mueller and james neal hits a hot streak how will ppl feel in January about this guy

Don't necessarily disagree with Gunner's Spal article but I was against bringing back Stemps, Gibbons, and the rest of FA's other than Goc. And that includes JJ. Team needed a ctrl+alt+del.

Neither Stemps or Gibbons were anything special IMO. Move on and see if you can get something better.

Management obviously feels Spal is a better option.

If nothing else, he is a bigger body than Stemps and, of course, Gibby. Mgmt wanted to get the team bigger. This fits into that mold.

I think Spal will be no worse of a player than Stemps, but with a bigger body. Reading differing opinions on how physical he is.

Time will tell...
- 87_71_11_29

I agree 100%. I really don't see the love affair with Gibbons. Dude had 1 good game and got hurt. If you're that small in the NHL you need more skill. His size will just make him injury prone, we saw that in the playoffs. Reg season maybe not so much.

Stemp seemed pretty much meh to me. I never noticed anything he really did. For 900k Id take him back but him and the rest of the bottom 6 were just interchangeable parts. Benching BB for player x showed no difference in the teams play. Same with Adams, you sit him and put Vitale in, no difference.

That's all different now.

Doubt you get Ritchie alone let alone a pick. suspect he slots in their top 9 this year.

Getting anything more than another rental back for MArtin would probably take assets on our end.

martin + for ritchie would be realistic
- ChrisMS

Don't see him cracking the line-up with them getting Hemsky. They seem like they are all in to try and win a cup this year, and are very thin on defense.

I agree. All I'm saying is when the team is at the ceiling and the arbitrator is nice to this guy and costs us a booth or Mueller and james neal hits a hot streak how will ppl feel in January about this guy
- Jordy8

I don't think Neal's hot streak reflects on Spalling alone, Hornqvist is part of that equation as well. Missing out on 2 guys who are a long shot shouldn't change our opinion on this trade.

If he is ready for NHL right now, I would do it. We have a good history of dealing defenseman to Dallas for forwards :-)
- YouMeAndDupuis9

He may not be NHL ready right now, but he's really close, and would strengthen our winger prospects, something that is a weakness for us.

I mean, I understand that viewpoint. But with the types of proposed packages we throw around for Kane, it's not really an absurd return for Neal. Yes, Neal is not as good as Kane, but 40 goals...good value long term contract...etc...etc... its not out of the realm of possibility to think we could have gotten Hornqvist and Forsberg, IMO.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

The big difference is that we know what James Neal is, while we don't know exactly how big Evander Kane can be. You have to base your value on what you think he can be, as opposed to what he is at this moment. Potential counts for a lot.

I agree. All I'm saying is when the team is at the ceiling and the arbitrator is nice to this guy and costs us a booth or Mueller and james neal hits a hot streak how will ppl feel in January about this guy
- Jordy8

I for one am glad Neal is gone. would be shocked if he hits 30, let alone 40, and would be really shocked if he outperforms hornqvist. booth and mueller could be absolute busts... besides the fact if they come at down;e/stemp money we still could sign one after signing spaling. I believe pens get a comp pick if they dont sign spaling? correct me if I'm wrong on that one.

To the guy complaining about stats: your logic doesn't make sense. Stats don't change what your "eye test" shows you; they just objectively show you what's been going on. Don't be shocked if he's terrible; people saw it coming. There's nothing that could have been learned by watching him play that doesn't show up in these stats. He didn't score 13 goals on paper and 25 in real life. His possession numbers indicate that when he was on the ice, opposing teams are outshooting his team; that wouldn't change by watching him play.
- isles10289

Please define 'terrible'

Is terrible a 30 point 3rd-4th line player (regular) that makes ~2M?

Maybe it's a 6M dollar 2nd line center that scores 40 points?

I don't think anybody expects him to be the missing piece, right?

And we start talking about his potential salary...like the 2M is some kind of curse...

Doesn't he get a $750K deduction from salary (in our reasoning) since we gave up a 5M player in Neal and got two guys who will be making about 6.25M (Hornqvist makes 4.25M)?

Please define 'terrible'

Is terrible a 30 point 3rd-4th line player (regular) that makes ~2M?

Maybe it's a 6M dollar 2nd line center that scores 40 points?

I don't think anybody expects him to be the missing piece, right?

And we start talking about his potential salary...like the 2M is some kind of curse...

Doesn't he get a $750K deduction from salary (in our reasoning) since we gave up a 5M player in Neal and got two guys who will be making about 6.25M (Hornqvist makes 4.25M)?
- icedog97

I don't get where that 750K deduction is coming from...

I don't get where that 750K deduction is coming from...
- Guile

Neal was a 5M cap hit...we traded him for two guys...they will probably make a combined 6.25M...so the increase (in cap hit) is 1.25M...and the increase is because we got the extra player...Spaling

So he might be making 2M...but in terms of that trade...it's a net increase of 1.25M...just saying

He may not be NHL ready right now, but he's really close, and would strengthen our winger prospects, something that is a weakness for us.
- cap1681

According to Capgeek dallas has less space then us with 19 guys signed. I doubt that trade works for them

Don't see him cracking the line-up with them getting Hemsky. They seem like they are all in to try and win a cup this year, and are very thin on defense.
- cap1681

They still have peverly on IR. top six is hemsky/spezza/benn/nickuskin/seguin and who? quite possibly ritchie. Trading Martin for a quality young forward makes sense for the other team IF

1. its at the deadline and they are going for it
2. they have the assets to make a move for a rental
3. martin agrees to go there

makes sense for the pens IF
1. letang is healthy
2. maatta doesnt sophmore slump
3. At least TWO of despres/samuellson/pouliot/harrington/bortz/doumalin show they can play top 4 roles
4. its to a west coast team (most likely)
OR
5. pens are somehow out of the playoff race.

Please get the notion of Booth as a good signing out of this blog. Concussions have unfortunately killed what might have been. He no longer has the skill to be top six.

people called for a top 6 + in return for neal and JR delivered. added depth. I for one dont disagree with the idea of stemp and gibbons for the price of Spaling but that call was also made in hindsight. check
- ChrisMS

No hindsight here http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=60768

No hindsight here http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=60768
- Ryan_Wilson

If only we knew Stemp would go for under 1 mil back then huh? The changes to our armchair GMing...

No hindsight here http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=60768
- Ryan_Wilson

stemp seems about 1.4 off and gibbons 200,000 off the other way. You kinda made my point about hindsight.

They still have peverly on IR. top six is hemsky/spezza/benn/nickuskin/seguin and who? quite possibly ritchie. Trading Martin for a quality young forward makes sense for the other team IF

1. its at the deadline and they are going for it
2. they have the assets to make a move for a rental
3. martin agrees to go there

makes sense for the pens IF
1. letang is healthy
2. maatta doesnt sophmore slump
3. At least TWO of despres/samuellson/pouliot/harrington/bortz/doumalin show they can play top 4 roles
4. its to a west coast team (most likely)
OR
5. pens are somehow out of the playoff race.
- ChrisMS

Dallas's top 9 - Spezza, Seguin, Benn, Hemsky, Nichushkin, Cole, Eakin, Roussell, Garbutt.

It would be hard to crack that top 9 right now.

They are thin at defense. It just seems like it makes sense.