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4 to 5 million is exactly what a player of Nyquist's age and production should be paid. Don't slow down to look at the Leftwinger, just keep driving.

If we take a defensemen not named Rasmus Dahlin I really hope it's Evan Bouchard. The way this kid plays looks legit, huge amount of poise with the puck.

Glad I'm not the first to mention this. Should Holland have started the rebuild sooner instead of holding on to the playoff streak? Sure, I won't disagree with anyone who wants to argue that point. However, all of you who see Hollands name and automatically scream about the sky falling, cannot claim these last 2 seasons of rebuilding haven't been wildly successful on his part. Tatar = 1st, 2nd, 3rd (fantastic haul for a middle 6 forward) Mrazek = 3rd, 3rd (great haul for a backup goalie that could be in Europe next year) Sheahan = 3rd (sucks we couldn't get more, but his value was at an all time low and we needed the cap for AA) Ott = 6th (fair) Vanek = 3rd (fair) Smith = 2nd, 3rd (highway robbery with Smith in the minors screwing up NYR's books) Jurco = 3rd (fantastic haul for an AHL/NHL tweener) Datsyuk = 2nd (between a rock n a hard place, traded out Chychrun for Cholo and got the cap space, fair) Kindl = 6th (thrilled just to get anything) I'm not at all mad about a single trade he's done since the rebuild started. And the Mrazek, Tatar, and Smith trades have me particularly happy. For a man who's never had to rebuild before he's doing grade A quality work so far. If you need every roster player to be traded in order to be happy, I think you're being a bit unrealistic with your expectations. Where I do draw issue, and where I think most of this boards frustrations truly lie, is with Blashill coming back. The whole "fresh voice" thing hasn't worked at all. Young players who had bright futures under Babs almost immediately regressed, and he's getting subpar performances from our vets as well (though aging plays a role with some). If we should damn anyone right now it's Blash, and if you wanna put Holland on blast, blast him for keeping Blash, otherwise Holland has been fantastic the last 2 seasons.

It's remarkable how much Larkin has grown as a player this season and, in contrast, how little AA has grown as a player this season. Is Larkin any more naturally talented than AA? Not really. Is Larkin ten times more self-driven to be the best player he can possibly be? Seems to be the case. Last year, someone high up -- I think it was Holland -- said the organization will be putting a lot of emphasis on "character" in their amateur scouting and drafting. Maybe those guys actually know what they're doing!

.......... You don't dislike Franzen and Nyquist because they suck. They were/are each better than the majority of the other forwards on any of their respective rosters, yet you don't rail against those other players. Your hate-fullness towards them is bigoted, whether that's due to nationality or not. Which is why your rationality on the this board constantly comes into question.

Heh, sorry 'bout that. "Great minds" and all that. Yup. I'm even ok with Blashill not running a fourth line of Abdelkader-Glendening-Helm. The more time Helm and Abdelkader spend on a bad Wings team's fourth line, the harder it'll be to 1) get our money's worth out of their contracts and 2) trade them.

Nyquist is what he is, and what I figured he'd be. Some people got over hyped about him, and now that he's not matching up to that he "sucks" in their eyes. His contract isn't that bad, either. AA is all flash and no substance. He needs to figure out that there's more to hockey than speed and highlight reel goals.

Relief is probably a better way to put it. I'm not sure there is any joy to be found in this situation under any circumstance.

After the Daley signing I decided I wouldn't post all season, so now that it's over and we finally have something to look forward to - here's to hoping for a little luck on the 28th! I'm not sure what the consensus is here, but I don't view this as a 5-7 year rebuild considering the pieces we have in place... 1-2 more years is possible depending on the lottery results. Think back to the 2014-2015 Bruins, (not unsimilar to us) they had a great run from 2007-2014 and then missed the playoffs in both 2015 and 2016. In 2018, they were 1 point shy of winning the Eastern Conference. They were a better team than we currently are after 2 years of missing the postseason - but I don't think the gap is drastic. Unlike us, they haven't had a top 12 pick since 2011, so they didn't change their fortune with elite prospects - contradictory to how most people visualize a re-build. Currently we have the #5 odds at drafting a franchise changing defenceman from Sweden, who has been compared to another #5 we are all familiar with...Hopefully this is some sort of omen and Rasmus Dahlin ends up in Detroit, but even if we stay in the top 5 we have the chance to add a great player in Tkachuk, Boqvist, Bouchard etc... Something that closes that gap I spoke of above. As was the case in Boston, development will be the key here - so if any of Larkin, Mantha, Rasmussen, or Cholowski can develop similarly to a guy like David Pastrnak - we may be a little closer than it feels. I'm sure some will disagree, but we have another 6 months of disagreement to look forward to so let the fun begin!

I agree. But the difference, for me at least, is that we wouldn't trade him for junk. IF we're trading him, it would have to be for a good return, whether he alone gets that, or we add a pick or prospect. I'd call Anaheim and see what it would take to get Montour, who is also a pending RFA. It would likely cost a little more than Athanasiou, but maybe a pick and / or prospect would get it done. If not, some other young potential top end defenseman.

He was a bit of a letdown for me this year. Holding out, wanting to prove himself and his stats were about the same as last year. At times, he looked very dominant on the ice, but unfortunately, most of the time, he was anything but dominant. Having said that though, he's only 23, has shown that, at times, can be a very good player and I'd hate to trade him and see him gain that consistency to his game with another team. I just remember the Penguins giving up on Markus Naslund back in 1996 and he was about the same age as AA and was posting very similar stats. Pens traded him to Vancouver for junk and he excelled into a superstar there. I'm not saying the same thing will happen here, but I remember watching Naslund play, sometimes even alongside Mario and I can tell you right now, AA shows more promise now than Naslund did then.

The problem with that theory is, $4.75M isn't close to the standard 30 goal scorer contract. The other problem is that you're basing his worth solely on goals scored, when he's not even a pure goal scorer. His first season and a half was an aberration, not the norm for Nyquist. Never in his career has he been a big goal scorer. He's always been more of a setup guy. Nyquist averages around 45 points per season. (this was a bit of a down season for him). Just for reference, a low-end 2nd line winger produces 35-40 points, mid-tier 40-45, high-end 45-50. So based on that, Nyquist produced at a mid-tier level this season, but generally produces at a high end level 2nd line winger level.

How do we feel about AA? I've gotta be honest: even if he wants to stay and is willing to sign a reasonable extension, I might look to move him at the draft if I'm Holland. I reached a point during last night's game, seeing him try to "I'm hot s***" deke past a defenseman for the 48,000th time this season and fail for the 47,997th time this season, where I just kind of threw my hands up in the air and really started to wonder if he isn't in fact a "problem kid." I'm sure Blashill and other players have told him he needs to grow his game. ("Maybe don't go for the low-percentage deke every. single. time.") I'm sure Blashill and other players have told him he needs to get much stronger, as the lightest breeze can easily separate him from the puck. That he apparently hasn't taken this advice to heart is not encouraging. He plays like a bottom-six winger. He plays bad possession hockey. He plays dumb hockey. For me, it's getting kind of old. Problem is, everyone else in the league can see this, so I doubt his trade value is especially high. I don't think he gets us a Justin Faulk. I'm not sure he could even get us a late 1st.

I bet we end up picking 9th or 10th just cause the lottery f***s us

If we stay 5 or 6, I am all in for Bouchard! He fits our bill nicely, PLUS he's RH'd! https://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-draft-ranking-march-2018/ Rank +/- Player Position Current Team 1 – Rasmus Dahlin D Frölunda HC (SHL) 2 – Filip Zadina LW Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) 3 – Andrei Svechnikov RW Barrie Colts (OHL) 4 – Adam Boqvist D Brynäs IF J20 5 – Brady Tkachuk C/LW Boston University (NCAA) 6 +1 Evan Bouchard D London Knights (OHL) 7 -1 Quinn Hughes D University of Michigan (NCAA) 8 +3 Barrett Hayton C Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) 9 – Noah Dobson D Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL) 10 -2 Oliver Wahlstrom C/RW U.S. National U18 Team (USDP) 11 -1 Ryan Merkley D Guelph Storm (OHL) 12 +2 Joe Veleno C Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) 13 – Bode Wilde D U.S. National U18 Team (USDP) 14 -2 Rasmus Kupari C Kärpät (Liiga) 15 +1 Joel Farabee LW U.S. National U18 Team (USDP) 16 +8 Grigori Denisenko LW Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) 17 – Serron Noel RW Oshawa Generals (OHL) 18 +5 Akil Thomas C Niagara IceDogs (OHL) 19 -1 Jared McIsaac D Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) 20 +1 Ty Smith D Spokane Chiefs (WHL) 21 -1 Benoit-Olivier Groulx C Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) 22 – Jett Woo D Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) 23 -8 Ryan McLeod C Mississauga Steelheads (OHL) 24 -5 Jesperi Kotkaniemi C Assät (Liiga) 25 +2 Allan McShane C Oshawa Generals (OHL) 26 – Isac Lundeström C/LW Luleå HF (SHL) 27 -2 Mattias Samuelsson D U.S. National U18 Team (USDP) 28 – Aidan Dudas C Owen Sound Attack (OHL) 29 – Jacob Olofsson C Timrå IK (Allsvenskan) 30 – Calen Addison D Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) 31 – Jack McBain C Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL) Canada’s Bludgeoning Blueliner Ranked as the third-best defenceman in this month’s ranking, Bouchard of the London Knights has continued to take substantial steps in his personal development. Throughout the 2017-18 OHL campaign, Bouchard has continued to reinforce his stellar and enviable two-way game. Seemingly unsurpassable in his defensive end and a lethal playmaker in the opposing zone, Bouchard’s all-around game has earned him a wealth of praise ahead of the draft, and deservingly so. Bouchard has been an exceptional force in London this season. (Photo by Terry Wilson/OHL Images) A native of Oakville, Ontario, Bouchard’s unique ability to read and understand plays before they develop have made him an astute defender of ample potential. Capable of dismantling plays devised by his opposition before jumping into the rush himself, Bouchard’s on-ice awareness and excellent positional play should allow for a smooth transition to the NHL-level. Perhaps the scariest fact of all is that Bouchard and his game have continued to mature consistently this season, making his absolute potential of the sky-high variety.