NHL regular season point totals and league standings for this year's semi finalists.

Carolina (2),
Las Vegas (5),
Dallas (8),
Florida (17)
note: Calgary (16) had more points than Florida in overall standings..

Good chance Las Vegas (5) and Florida (17) will meet in finals. So, what happened to Boston (1), Toronto (3), New Jersey (4), Edmonton (6) Colorado (7)?

Some top regular season teams failing to make it through to the semi finals may share common structural characteristics. For example, no player listed in the top 10 salary group made it into the semi finals. There are some semi finalists making big salaries (Eichal, Stone, Bobrovsky, Tkachuk and Barkov)...but not top 10.

If you are wondering about the Sens. Stutzle is tops on the Sens but 51st on the NHL list. Brady T is 55, Chabot 58 and Norris is 68. Leafs have 3 skaters (Matthews, Tavares and Marner) earning in the top 10.
- spatso

Leafs will never win a cup with the core 4, way to much cap space in just 4 players leaves no room for GOOD depth.

NJD will be fine they have similar cap structure to OTT, no one above 9M(so far).

TBL could be starting their downward slide to rebuild mode.

EDM has just had bad GMs making bad signings and trades(Nurse at 9.25M overpaid) Campbell at 5M ouch and their inability to get GOOD depth players is hurting them.

as for Boston...overconfidence maybe who knows.

New owners will give PD and DJ at least the first quarter of the season before making any moves. I would be nice to have Dubas and/or Coach Q in the back pocket, if needed.
- GrimmdaGoalie

In all probability that will be the case.
I am sure though that the serious bidders already have a team working. To analyze the structure of on and off ice personnel. I would imagine have a rough draft of their blue print in place. Perhaps even discreetly talking with potential candidates .

When it comes to salaries on the remaining teams in the playoffs ....
The only reason Florida is where they are is because Bobrovsky is the Conn Smyth winner hands down at this point. No Bob ... Florida would be done. And Bob is making $10 million a year in cap hit and finally playing up to his salary.

As for Vegas .... Cap circumvention allows them to be where they are. The highest salary cap team in the NHL.

So all this talk about % of cap in a core 4 or 6 is a little disingenuous. Vegas crushes them all. If it wasn't for LTIR, they would be toast.

Dubas put together a good team. But what killed him was
1) The pandemic stopped the salary cap from rising (expected to have hit $90 million+ by 2021 ... but an unforeseen circumstance stopped it and caused many teams to do have to do the LTIR dance)
2) Players not playing. In Toronto's case, the top 4 are periphery players. Nobody to muck it up in front.
There are many ways to build a successful team. I kind of laugh at comparisons like Ottawa not spending a lot in salary on a player ... in top 50, etc. We also don't have players on the level of McKinnon, McDavid, Matthews, etc. So why would we have top salaries?

But the hard reality is that no matter how good your team is , only one GM and only 1 coach can win the Stanley Cup. Does that mean that 31 GM's and 31 coaches had a horrible year? To win requires a lot of luck mixed in with skill and determination. But you need luck .... the hockey bounce, staying healthy ....

When it comes to salaries on the remaining teams in the playoffs ....
The only reason Florida is where they are is because Bobrovsky is the Conn Smyth winner hands down at this point. No Bob ... Florida would be done. And Bob is making $10 million a year in cap hit and finally playing up to his salary.

As for Vegas .... Cap circumvention allows them to be where they are. The highest salary cap team in the NHL.

So all this talk about % of cap in a core 4 or 6 is a little disingenuous. Vegas crushes them all. If it wasn't for LTIR, they would be toast.

Dubas put together a good team. But what killed him was
1) The pandemic stopped the salary cap from rising (expected to have hit $90 million+ by 2021 ... but an unforeseen circumstance stopped it and caused many teams to do have to do the LTIR dance)
2) Players not playing. In Toronto's case, the top 4 are periphery players. Nobody to muck it up in front.
There are many ways to build a successful team. I kind of laugh at comparisons like Ottawa not spending a lot in salary on a player ... in top 50, etc. We also don't have players on the level of McKinnon, McDavid, Matthews, etc. So why would we have top salaries?

But the hard reality is that no matter how good your team is , only one GM and only 1 coach can win the Stanley Cup. Does that mean that 31 GM's and 31 coaches had a horrible year? To win requires a lot of luck mixed in with skill and determination. But you need luck .... the hockey bounce, staying healthy ....
- OttawaB

the only category that Brady is not equal or superior to Mathew is points, other than that they are both the same but Brady is physically bigger and Stu will very soon join the top tier in the NHL, 90 points in his 3rd year, took Drai 4.5 years to hit 90+..playing with McDavid

the only category that Brady is not equal or superior to Mathew is points, other than that they are both the same but Brady is physically bigger and Stu will very soon join the top tier in the NHL, 90 points in his 3rd year, took Drai 4.5 years to hit 90+..playing with McDavid
- Mithos

You may also want to check out Matthews speed vs Brady, his puck handling, his shot .... and , oh ya, his +/-. Brady has never had a + year in that category and Matthews has only had 1 minus year. Comparing Brady to Matthews from a hockey skills viewpoint is kind of useless. Brady has more grit and determination, sure. But that won't get you +10 million in a contract.
As for Stutzle, time will tell on how he grows. So paying him beyond his current salary is ridiculous .... based on what you hope he becomes.
Neither Sens player has wowed me with defensive play. They lead the team in scoring last season but were also minus players. Blame that on whomever you like. But don't start comparing Stutzle to Draisaitl until he becomes Draisaitl.
I thinkthat Brady and Stutzle are being paid well and when their contracts come due, we may have to pay them way more or lose them. So the Sens have 5 more years to win now at these pay rates (for all the guys). And god help the Sens if another "pandemic" hits (or recession) where league growth stalls and the Salary Cap stalls again. Then we will be in the same boat as the Leafs/Tampa/Vegas, etc. etc. when it comes to salary cap issues.

Reynolds out for good it seems

“The other groups have reached out [to Reynolds],” the source told Garrioch. “But like Reynolds has mentioned previously, Remington was his team and that isn’t going to change.

When it comes to salaries on the remaining teams in the playoffs ....
The only reason Florida is where they are is because Bobrovsky is the Conn Smyth winner hands down at this point. No Bob ... Florida would be done. And Bob is making $10 million a year in cap hit and finally playing up to his salary.

As for Vegas .... Cap circumvention allows them to be where they are. The highest salary cap team in the NHL.

So all this talk about % of cap in a core 4 or 6 is a little disingenuous. Vegas crushes them all. If it wasn't for LTIR, they would be toast.

Dubas put together a good team. But what killed him was
1) The pandemic stopped the salary cap from rising (expected to have hit $90 million+ by 2021 ... but an unforeseen circumstance stopped it and caused many teams to do have to do the LTIR dance)
2) Players not playing. In Toronto's case, the top 4 are periphery players. Nobody to muck it up in front.
There are many ways to build a successful team. I kind of laugh at comparisons like Ottawa not spending a lot in salary on a player ... in top 50, etc. We also don't have players on the level of McKinnon, McDavid, Matthews, etc. So why would we have top salaries?

But the hard reality is that no matter how good your team is , only one GM and only 1 coach can win the Stanley Cup. Does that mean that 31 GM's and 31 coaches had a horrible year? To win requires a lot of luck mixed in with skill and determination. But you need luck .... the hockey bounce, staying healthy ....
- OttawaB

I think you are missing the point entirely. It is not that top 10 players are not worth top 10 money. It is the salary impact that top salaries have on depth. There is a paradigm shift where teams are going $8m. on their top players directly off their entry level deals. There is growing recognition the NHL player performance peaks at age 25-26. So teams have shifted and they are now paying for best years. As you pay the young guys early and avoid bridge deals it has the benefit of slowing down the awarding of retirement contracts for UFAs that are 30+.

In order to win 16 games in the playoffs you need depth. If you are paying your top 4 skaters 50% of your cap, can you hope to put together a line up that will have the depth to win 16 playoff games?

I understand exactly what you are stating. I just don't agree with your premise.

... by your statement I look at Florida .... Barkov/Tkachuk/Ekblad/Bobrovsky/Reinhart .... look at the % they make of the cap.

Dallas with Seguin/Benn/Hintz/Robertson/Hieskenin

Go down the list of contenders .... Edmonton, Tampa, Toronto, Colorado, etc.

They all have cap issues when you look at the %'s their core group makes. Sometimes they win, most times they don't. As I said earlier, only 1 team can win the Cup no matter how well a team is built. I think any team, even a top heavy team has the ability to win. Every team remaining has at 2 or 3 guys or more making over $9.5 million ...... except Carolina. But their turn to pay comes quickly as most of their team hits UFA or RFA in 1-2 years.

Interesting NY Post (Brooks) is reporting that Marty Walsh newly appointed head of the NHL PA is about to have his first meeting with Bettman. Walsh will advise that the PA will not agree to any increase to the cap beyond 6% per year over the next 3 years. So, a cap of $100m 3 years from now.

Bettman will likely counter with a proposal for an even higher cap if PA can agree to 84 game regular season with cuts in the training camp and exhibition schedule. Translates into a top salary range above $15m for the best players negotiating new deals. MacKinnon is currently $12.6m and McDavid is $12.5m.

Theoretically teams would be able to offer a max deal deal of 20% of cap. So, think in terms of a UFA offer of $20m for a 30 year old McDavid.

If these numbers are confirmed, $9.5m x 8 for DeBrincat is not unreasonable and entirely doable. I would still have misgivings about making DeBrincat the teams top paid player.

Reynolds out for good it seems

“The other groups have reached out
- Mithos[to Reynolds],” the source told Garrioch. “But like Reynolds has mentioned previously, Remington was his team and that isn’t going to change.

Very perplexing situation. I am not sure why the Remington Group and Reynold would fold so fast after not getting the 30-day negotiation window, which was a stretch of an ask to begin with.

Furthermore, it seems like most groups like what Reynolds brings to the table and could probably be easily included in another or the winning bid. However, Reynolds seems to only support one group. I get he likely would not have the same ownership level with other groups than he would have had with Remington but seems a little strange overall. Of all celebrity endorsed bids, it’s hard to have liked Reynolds most. Ticked a lot of boxes and has had success with sports with his soccer team.

Bit of a missed opportunity if you ask me.

However, onward and upwards. I think I am ok with most of the remaining bids but am not sold on the Sparks group. Way too many hands in the cookie jar if you ask me. The biggest thing for me is the winning bid goes to a party that wants the team to win and grow in this city.

Very perplexing situation. I am not sure why the Remington Group and Reynold would fold so fast after not getting the 30-day negotiation window, which was a stretch of an ask to begin with.

Furthermore, it seems like most groups like what Reynolds brings to the table and could probably be easily included in another or the winning bid. However, Reynolds seems to only support one group. I get he likely would not have the same ownership level with other groups than he would have had with Remington but seems a little strange overall. Of all celebrity endorsed bids, it’s hard to have liked Reynolds most. Ticked a lot of boxes and has had success with sports with his soccer team.

Bit of a missed opportunity if you ask me.

However, onward and upwards. I think I am ok with most of the remaining bids but am not sold on the Sparks group. Way too many hands in the cookie jar if you ask me. The biggest thing for me is the winning bid goes to a party that wants the team to win and grow in this city.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

The more talk and self promotion around any bid almost always suggests that these guys are on the outside trying to catch the leaders. Neither Kemmel Brothers or Andelaur have made a single sound about their respective bids. These guys are clearly inside the tent. They have already experienced NHL ownership and the league knows exactly what they would be getting. If there is anyone else inside the tent we may not even know their name.

Guys adding last minute celebreties to their bid are not impressing anyone who is a part of the bid evaluation process.

nick kyprios does not impress me

Ownership groups of Andlauer and Kimel are interesting. But don't fall asleep on the 3rd group of Steve Apostolopoulos. Apparently that 3rd group is just Steve A and his 2 brothers. The NHL does like small groups or single owners where you know who is going to cut the cheques. And Steve A was one of the bidders for $6 billion to want to buy the Washington Commanders of the NFL.

As for the Neko Sparks Group .... I can't see the NHL being happy with another large group of prospective owners stirring the pot (and smoking it).

It might not surprise me to see some combo of 2 of the first 3 groups getting together for the final buy.


Back to the original premise of the thread .... Senator goalie. I could see a trade with Anaheim where we send Debrincat to Anaheim (he would probably stand a good chance of re-signing there). In return we take Gibson and maybe a first rounder or second round pick. Quick and dirty, no fuss no muss.

I also like the idea of looking to St. Louis for a trade with Debrincat. But we would need to take bake some salary as well. ..... Maybe 2 first rounders and that ugly contract of Parayko. With injury potential of Ottawa defence, it would be nice to have 5 guys who can play top 4 defence pairings. Then toss in a Kleven/Bernard Docker to round out 7 d-men. That can free up trading Brannstrom and Thompson for some further draft capital (or a goalie).

Ownership groups of Andlauer and Kimel are interesting. But don't fall asleep on the 3rd group of Steve Apostolopoulos. Apparently that 3rd group is just Steve A and his 2 brothers. The NHL does like small groups or single owners where you know who is going to cut the cheques. And Steve A was one of the bidders for $6 billion to want to buy the Washington Commanders of the NFL.

As for the Neko Sparks Group .... I can't see the NHL being happy with another large group of prospective owners stirring the pot (and smoking it).

It might not surprise me to see some combo of 2 of the first 3 groups getting together for the final buy.


Back to the original premise of the thread .... Senator goalie. I could see a trade with Anaheim where we send Debrincat to Anaheim (he would probably stand a good chance of re-signing there). In return we take Gibson and maybe a first rounder or second round pick. Quick and dirty, no fuss no muss.

I also like the idea of looking to St. Louis for a trade with Debrincat. But we would need to take bake some salary as well. ..... Maybe 2 first rounders and that ugly contract of Parayko. With injury potential of Ottawa defence, it would be nice to have 5 guys who can play top 4 defence pairings. Then toss in a Kleven/Bernard Docker to round out 7 d-men. That can free up trading Brannstrom and Thompson for some further draft capital (or a goalie).
- OttawaB

The Sparks group seems like a worse option with every passing day. They are still trying to secure funding even now? Highly doubt they are chosen.

On the goalie front, there are a couple UFA's available. Of course the question is if they would sign here.

Ownership groups of Andlauer and Kimel are interesting. But don't fall asleep on the 3rd group of Steve Apostolopoulos. Apparently that 3rd group is just Steve A and his 2 brothers. The NHL does like small groups or single owners where you know who is going to cut the cheques. And Steve A was one of the bidders for $6 billion to want to buy the Washington Commanders of the NFL.

As for the Neko Sparks Group .... I can't see the NHL being happy with another large group of prospective owners stirring the pot (and smoking it).

It might not surprise me to see some combo of 2 of the first 3 groups getting together for the final buy.


Back to the original premise of the thread .... Senator goalie. I could see a trade with Anaheim where we send Debrincat to Anaheim (he would probably stand a good chance of re-signing there). In return we take Gibson and maybe a first rounder or second round pick. Quick and dirty, no fuss no muss.

I also like the idea of looking to St. Louis for a trade with Debrincat. But we would need to take bake some salary as well. ..... Maybe 2 first rounders and that ugly contract of Parayko. With injury potential of Ottawa defence, it would be nice to have 5 guys who can play top 4 defence pairings. Then toss in a Kleven/Bernard Docker to round out 7 d-men. That can free up trading Brannstrom and Thompson for some further draft capital (or a goalie).
- OttawaB

I would agree that ANA and STL are pretty natural trade fits for DeBrincat... with Gibson being the obvious target from the Ducks. I'd suggest that in lieu of a high draft picks, it would be more likely for an inexpensive RFA forward (e.g. Comtois/McGinn) to be involved and/or possibly $1M-$2M of salary retention. As for the Blues, I don't think Parayko gets involved after the Chychrun addition. Instead, I could see names like Kapanen/Vrana coming up, and possibly even Billington if he was open to waiving his NTC. I could also see them being very interested in Jake Neighbours as a young forward with middle-6 upside.

I would agree that ANA and STL are pretty natural trade fits for DeBrincat... with Gibson being the obvious target from the Ducks. I'd suggest that in lieu of a high draft picks, it would be more likely for an inexpensive RFA forward (e.g. Comtois/McGinn) to be involved and/or possibly $1M-$2M of salary retention. As for the Blues, I don't think Parayko gets involved after the Chychrun addition. Instead, I could see names like Kapanen/Vrana coming up, and possibly even Billington if he was open to waiving his NTC. I could also see them being very interested in Jake Neighbours as a young forward with middle-6 upside.
- khawk

Interesting proposition trading Debrincat for a goalie. I am not sure Binnington or Gibson will be massive upgrades at that position. Both are pretty underwhelming of late. Neither achieving above a .904 save percentage over the last two seasons. Both have 3 years or so of term left if they don’t work out. If the Sens could get some depth players in addition, that would cushion the move a little. I wonder if Hellebuyck might be a better target but might not net you much extra in a trade and the Jets might be encountering cap issues depending on the direction they take.

I’d really like to see something worked out with Debrincat and move other money somehow and address goaltending another way. However, it is easier said than done as you have to plan a little for Sanderson taking a significant step next year and needed a hefty contract for the 2024/2025 season.

Interesting proposition trading Debrincat for a goalie. I am not sure Binnington or Gibson will be massive upgrades at that position. Both are pretty underwhelming of late. Neither achieving above a .904 save percentage over the last two seasons. Both have 3 years or so of term left if they don’t work out. If the Sens could get some depth players in addition, that would cushion the move a little. I wonder if Hellebuyck might be a better target but might not net you much extra in a trade and the Jets might be encountering cap issues depending on the direction they take.

I’d really like to see something worked out with Debrincat and move other money somehow and address goaltending another way. However, it is easier said than done as you have to plan a little for Sanderson taking a significant step next year and needed a hefty contract for the 2024/2025 season.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I would agree that Hellebuyck is the most appealing trade target, but I don't think OTT is a good direct trade partner for them without a stable goaltending option to offer in return. That said, I could see WPG being added to a potential ANA trade, premised on Gibson heading to WPG, DeBrincat heading to ANA, and Hellebuyck coming to OTT. It would seem to make sense for all teams involved, and allow each team to address a pretty glaring issue.

I would agree that Hellebuyck is the most appealing trade target, but I don't think OTT is a good direct trade partner for them without a stable goaltending option to offer in return. That said, I could see WPG being added to a potential ANA trade, premised on Gibson heading to WPG, DeBrincat heading to ANA, and Hellebuyck coming to OTT. It would seem to make sense for all teams involved, and allow each team to address a pretty glaring issue.
- khawk

I had the same thoughts of a three way trade. Although just gibson is quite a downgrade for the jets.

Jets will have some thinking to do since Dubois doesn't seem too inclined to stay, and theyve spun their wheels a bit. If they trade Hellebyuk it may be for some kind of rebuild or retool.

If the jets go that route they may want picks though, and opt to make a similar trade of Dubois.

Only caveat is that Hellebyuk is a UFA at the end of next year.

I had the same thoughts of a three way trade. Although just gibson is quite a downgrade for the jets.

Jets will have some thinking to do since Dubois doesn't seem too inclined to stay, and theyve spun their wheels a bit. If they trade Hellebyuk it may be for some kind of rebuild or retool.

If the jets go that route they may want picks though, and opt to make a similar trade of Dubois.

Only caveat is that Hellebyuk is a UFA at the end of next year.
- david22

So is Debrincat. In that way, they have the same value....

Back to the original premise of the thread .... Senator goalie. I could see a trade with Anaheim where we send Debrincat to Anaheim (he would probably stand a good chance of re-signing there). In return we take Gibson and maybe a first rounder or second round pick. Quick and dirty, no fuss no muss.

I also like the idea of looking to St. Louis for a trade with Debrincat. But we would need to take bake some salary as well. ..... Maybe 2 first rounders and that ugly contract of Parayko. With injury potential of Ottawa defence, it would be nice to have 5 guys who can play top 4 defence pairings. Then toss in a Kleven/Bernard Docker to round out 7 d-men. That can free up trading Brannstrom and Thompson for some further draft capital (or a goalie).
- OttawaB

Gonna be a lot of teams looking for goalies this year. Not just starters, but also backups. CAR needs to sign at least one of their guys. And everyone says BUFF is a goalie away from the playoffs. All the talking heads in the past couple of days wih the CAL GM announcement say one of Conroy's first moves is going to be to trade Vladar so Wolf can push Markstrom. Gonna be a lot of movement at the position.

To tie the goalie, GM and coach issues all together...I don't think anything gets done until the new owner is agreed to in principal.

So is Debrincat. In that way, they have the same value....
- GrimmdaGoalie

Kind of my concern. Warry of going through this again in a year.

Kind of my concern. Warry of going through this again in a year.
- david22

DeBrincat and a sweetener (to offset higher cap hit) for Clayton Keller.

Thoughts?

To Arizona Coyotes
Filip Zadina, Tyler Boucher, 17th Pick Overall (DET) + another pick (DET)

To Ottawa Senators
Clayton Keller

To Detroit Red Wings
Alex DeBrincat (8 years @8.25M), Mathieu Joseph

Thoughts?

To Arizona Coyotes
Filip Zadina, Tyler Boucher, 17th Pick Overall (DET) + another pick (DET)

To Ottawa Senators
Clayton Keller

To Detroit Red Wings
Alex DeBrincat (8 years @8.25M), Mathieu Joseph
- AlfieisKing

I wonder if the Coyotes want to keep Keller, since he's locked in long term nd they need somebody to play on that roster / meet the cap floor.

When will Debrinicat have the most value as a trade target, assuming he hasnt signed an extension? At the draft since he's still technically an RFA?

I wonder if the Coyotes want to keep Keller, since he's locked in long term nd they need somebody to play on that roster / meet the cap floor.

When will Debrinicat have the most value as a trade target, assuming he hasnt signed an extension? At the draft since he's still technically an RFA?
- david22

Draft and trade deadline with 50% retention.