I mean guys waive their NTCs. If Billy G goes to Staal and says in working on a trade with Buffalo, I can send you to Pittsburgh instead, what happens? I’m not ruling out that someone would rather go to the Sabers but I guess anything is possible, but seems unlikely that if Guerin was so deadset in moving Staal that he was willing to lose a trade to the Sabres that Rutherford couldn’t have gotten him.
- Victoro311

Maybe Staal didn't want to go somewhere where he would be a 3C?

I get the whole POV that this is terrible for MIN. But from the pens standpoint, I'd be concerned about Staal falling off a cliff at 36 yrs old.

Is Bjugstad the new number 1 center for MIN? Lmao
- YouMeAndDupuis9

That's what I was worried about if Staal came here. 36 year old center going from top line and PP to 3C sounds like a recipe for his production to plummet. Although for that price I might have given it a shot.

He probably says no. And who's to say Guerin didn't like the return from Buffalo more?

I dunno man. He'll be available at the deadline again anyway.
- BINGO!

In the previous thread I was comparing Bjugstad and MoJo. I don’t think MoJo is as much a negative asset as Bjugstad due to being a better player when healthy, but they both have comparable ages, cap hit, injury concerns, and center/wing versatility. I don’t know if there was a trade to be had there involving Bjugstad for Staal, we certainly would have added, but I do know that the discrepancy between the two returns for comparable players dealing with the same GM is too big to justify what Rutherford got/didn’t get and says to me that he was single minded in pursuit of cap space with the deal. I am worried about who Rutherford is so dead set on in free agency that he’s willing to make bad trades for cap space.

I get the whole POV that this is terrible for MIN. But from the pens standpoint, I'd be concerned about Staal falling off a cliff at 36 yrs old.

Is Bjugstad the new number 1 center for MIN? Lmao
- YouMeAndDupuis9

I would be shocked if he fell off a cliff - he shows no signs of slowing down, at least that I have noticed.

Good question about 1C in MIN. It could be argued they have no 1C or 2C but rather 5 3/4 Cs. What garbage. They should definitely start the rebuild now. Here are their centers:

Johansson
Rask
Bjug
Eriksson Ek
Sturm

That is by far the worst center group in the league. They should use every one of their draft picks on centers for the next 3 years.

Maybe Staal didn't want to go somewhere where he would be a 3C?
- Tojo.

Brassard all over again?

Speaking of Brassard, he fell off a cliff and hasn't come back and probably never will.

I would be shocked if he fell off a cliff - he shows no signs of slowing down, at least that I have noticed.

Good question about 1C in MIN. It could be argued they have no 1C or 2C but rather 5 3/4 Cs. What garbage. They should definitely start the rebuild now. Here are their centers:

Johansson
Rask
Bjug
Eriksson Ek
Sturm

That is by far the worst center group in the league. They should use every one of their draft picks on centers for the next 3 years.
- Hockey66

Isn’t Johansson a wing?

Bjug and Johansson will be lucky to play in 82 games combined.

Have you guys watched Chefs Table BBQ on Netflix get? There’s an Australian dude who dry ages his beef 200 (frank)ing days!

That's what I was worried about if Staal came here. 36 year old center going from top line and PP to 3C sounds like a recipe for his production to plummet. Although for that price I might have given it a shot.
- Tojo.

He's still a hell of a good player, though. And maybe the reduced minutes actually benefit him. I don't think his production would plummet. Even if his production was cut in half, he'd still be a valuable 3C and better than anything in FA.

Isn’t Johansson a wing?
- kfinl170

He probably should be but he switches back and forth. I think he played mostly center in Buffalo, but that's probably more of a factor of the center situation in Buffalo than anything else. They have Eichel and then a bunch of crap.

Have you guys watched Chefs Table BBQ on Netflix get? There’s an Australian dude who dry ages his beef 200 (frank)ing days!
- j.boyd919

Love that series! His, while interesting at times, I thought was the worst episode. He takes himself way too seriously. I loved the 85 year old pit master woman and the dude from South Carolina.

I would be shocked if he fell off a cliff - he shows no signs of slowing down, at least that I have noticed.

Good question about 1C in MIN. It could be argued they have no 1C or 2C but rather 5 3/4 Cs. What garbage. They should definitely start the rebuild now. Here are their centers:

Johansson
Rask
Bjug
Eriksson Ek
Sturm

That is by far the worst center group in the league. They should use every one of their draft picks on centers for the next 3 years.
- Hockey66

Detroit is still in the nhl technically

Love that series! His, while interesting at times, I thought was the worst episode. He takes himself way too seriously. I loved the 85 year old pit master woman and the dude from South Carolina.
- Rinosaur

Charleston is wack

Brassard all over again?

Speaking of Brassard, he fell off a cliff and hasn't come back and probably never will.
- Hockey66

Brassard had 32 points this year. Isles turned him into a 2nd line wing and it rejuvenated his career.

Detroit is still in the nhl technically
- Feds91Stammer

Larkin alone makes you better than Minnesota at center.

He's still a hell of a good player, though. And maybe the reduced minutes actually benefit him. I don't think his production would plummet. Even if his production was cut in half, he'd still be a valuable 3C and better than anything in FA.
- Hockey66

If Staal's production was cut in half, it would be significantly worse than McCann's and struggling to get to 30 points. And I felt that was a real possibility here.

If Staal's production was cut in half, it would be significantly worse than McCann's and struggling to get to 30 points. And I felt that was a real possibility here.
- Tojo.

This past year McCann scored at a 2.0 P/60 rate and Staal scored at 2.1 at even strength. Fairly comparable actually. If Staal kept to the same rate he would have sufficed given that he can actually play the center position.

Brassard had 32 points this year. Isles turned him into a 2nd line wing and it rejuvenated his career.
- Tojo.

He is currently getting the lowest TOI of any Islander player and I doubt he gets more than the $1.2M he was making this year. Going from 2C to a bottom six winger is hardly career rejuvination.

Larkin alone makes you better than Minnesota at center.
- Tojo.

Agree with this.

I can see a Murray staal swap, adams needed to acquire the piece before part 2 is made...buff wants Murray, bit nothing on roster excited pens.
- No2penc696

I would be shocked. The Sabres desperately need skaters with skill, particularly a 2C. He's not going to turn around and deal him for a meh goalie, they've got meh goalies.

This past year McCann scored at a 2.0 P/60 rate and Staal scored at 2.1 at even strength. Fairly comparable actually. If Staal kept to the same rate he would have sufficed given that he can actually play the center position.
- Victoro311

Agree with this. Staal's overall game is that of a top 6 center. If he has McCann at LW and Horny at RW on the 3rd line, I doubt his production dips below 75% of his current rate, even if he's not on the top PP.

Not only will he be playing fewer minutes keeping him fresher, but imagine how little defensive attention he will attract from the opposition given our current top 6.

I would be shocked. The Sabres desperately need skaters with skill, particularly a 2C. He's not going to turn around and deal him for a meh goalie, they've got meh goalies.
- Wetbandit1

I agree that Murray is a meh goalie, but the Sabres don't need a soon-to-be 36 year old on the last year of his deal. BUF is a ways from competing, so there is really no point to keeping Staal. Sure, he can help the development of the young wingers Olofsson and Kahun (still mad about that trade, BTW), but he is more valuable as a trade chip, IMO.

What about Jarry for Staal?

Larkin alone makes you better than Minnesota at center.
- Tojo.

The corpses of Nielsen and filppula disagree

I agree that Murray is a meh goalie, but the Sabres don't need a soon-to-be 36 year old on the last year of his deal. BUF is a ways from competing, so there is really no point to keeping Staal. Sure, he can help the development of the young wingers Olofsson and Kahun (still mad about that trade, BTW), but he is more valuable as a trade chip, IMO.

What about Jarry for Staal?
- Hockey66

This may be true, but what Buff needs more than anything this year is a legit 2C until we see what Cozens is capable of. If the Sabres rush Cozens (like they did Mittlestadt) then our future center depth is totally fried for years to come.

Also lookin' forward to seeing what Kahun can do with a decent center here.

I agree that Murray is a meh goalie, but the Sabres don't need a soon-to-be 36 year old on the last year of his deal. BUF is a ways from competing, so there is really no point to keeping Staal. Sure, he can help the development of the young wingers Olofsson and Kahun (still mad about that trade, BTW), but he is more valuable as a trade chip, IMO.

What about Jarry for Staal?
- Hockey66

I don't know what the new regime thinks of the goalies in the system, but they've got big time prospects at every level. Luukkonen wasn't great in the AHL/ECHL this year, but he's got tons of talent, enough to win MVP of the OHL and he's only 21. Ullmark is good enough to be a stop-gap. Plus Portillo who was just drafted looks