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2025-2026 Off Season Thread - The Rehappening

Do we even need it to be a #1 defensively? McCabe-Tanev is a legitimately real gud matchup pair.
I personally wouldn't think twice about adding EK. I've always wanted us to lean more offense than D anyway.

I'd say just flip Carlo to them and have them retain 50% and add some sweetener if needed, but I want to use the Carlo bullet on a forward if trading him.

I'm sure Dubie will do it for Cowan, but I'm not doing that. Not sure if there's anything in the middle that could form the basis of a deal when we have no picks to trade.
 
Scratch that Carlo proposal. Makes no sense for them. I was thinking if they extend him, but eh, they won't want that.
 
My worry is, will 69 Matty show up this year, and how close will Tavares come to 38 again? If both of those don't work out well, we're in trouble. I think Willy will do his thing and get 40 and Knies will improve and move into 35 territory himself, but what the others (Robertson, Maccelli) are going to contribute isn't clear and can't really be relied on. Marner still gave you around 30 goals. Sure, Roy will maybe replace half of that, but it feels like we really need another scorer badly if we want to just equal last year's output.

Matthews is the obvious big one, but as I said earlier today, the return of the cock would eliminate whatever offensive deficit Mitch leaves in his wake that there is.

- Tavares won't score 38 most likely. His shooting% was goofy last year, but his customary 27-32 is probably still pretty likely.
- Knies also probably unlikely to score at the same rates, his shooting% was also goofy. I'm more worried about him rounding out his game, getting better at finding time and space with the puck and doing things with it. He shows flashes of IQ, but only just flashes so far imo. Got a bit better as the year went on though
- Robbie and the Italian will both very likely produce if given the role to produce in. Gotta commit to that and not panic and put fucking Lorentz on the 2nd line every time one of them turns the puck over.

We played a lot of offensive blackholes last year a lot of minutes and/or we played a horrifically passive style that's gotta go.
 
Danza's transition metrics are very good. He is one of the few guys that excel on the rush and I hope Berube adjusts for that. North-south dump and chase and being entirely reliant on ozone pressure to generate offense ain't gonna be great for Danza I think.
 
Danza's transition metrics are very good. He is one of the few guys that excel on the rush and I hope Berube adjusts for that. North-south dump and chase and being entirely reliant on ozone pressure to generate offense ain't gonna be great for Danza I think.

One of my glimmers of hope going forward is that in the year ender, Tree specifically spoke about changing tactics to be more aggressive. When you talk about more offence from the blueline, you're talking about being more aggressive in transition, and more pinching.
 
And shift JT to the wing. It's not a terrible idea

It's not, though unless if he slips through the cracks I don't know if I want to lock him into UFA level term after 1 decent year with 18% shooting.

Bertuzzi him though? Yeah sure, let's go.
 
One of my glimmers of hope going forward is that in the year ender, Tree specifically spoke about changing tactics to be more aggressive. When you talk about more offence from the blueline, you're talking about being more aggressive in transition, and more pinching.
Should probably get a new coach then
 
Coach is the same so don't hold your breath on the tactics front.

getting a defenceman who can be a legitimate point threat and keep up with Matthews and Nylander offensively is the most obvious and impactful way they could improve, now that a competent 3C with size is in the fold.
 
Danza's transition metrics are very good. He is one of the few guys that excel on the rush and I hope Berube adjusts for that. North-south dump and chase and being entirely reliant on ozone pressure to generate offense ain't gonna be great for Danza I think.
I’m expecting softer faster pass-first version of Bunting.
 
"led to"

Of those 70 there will definitely be some that only a playmaker as good as Mitch could have pulled off. But a whole big bucket of those are like the two you brought up earlier...shovel pass in the neutral zone to Auston that 90% of the league could make 90% of the time. A point to point pass on the PP that 99% of PP QB's make 99% of the time.

and yeah, don't get me started on 2nd assists. The fakest bullshit point in universe.
 
Fwiw, Mitch had 35 assists at 5v5 last year. 19 1st assists, 16 2nd assists. He was T-14 in 5v5 1A's

Ahead of him were noted playmaking superstars Pierre Luc Dubois, and Phillip Danault.

I'm not worried about his PP contributions, because I'm pretty sure he's the reason it keeps breaking when we need it.
 
Last 2 years:

1st Apples:

Marner: 38
Domi: 37
Matthews: 31
(Maccelli in his 22-24 yrs): 28
Nylander: 27
Tavares: 27
Rielly: 27

2nd Apples:

Mitch: 26
McCabe: 19
Domi: 16
Matthews: 15
 
Rando list of (maybe) #1 defenders who might be available now or in the not so distant future

- Doughty
- Weegar
- Andersson
- Ferraro
- Quinn Hughes
- Harley
- Parayko
- Karlsson
- Hamilton
- Sanheim
- Matheson
- Chabot

None of them other than maybe Karlsson jump out at me as particularly gettable any time soon without the cost being dumb.
 
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