Continuing the Drive for Five: What the End of Garth's Five Year Plan May Look Like
by BCISLEMAN on Sep 7, 2009 10:47 PM EDT
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As I pointed out on another thread, it would be great if Garth pursued some limited options consistent with rebuilding to improve the team. Perhaps if there is some good news coming out of this next meeting on the 22nd, Wang might give him the green light to go after Babchuk, sign Phil Kessel to an offer sheet, and trade Park for Byfuglien.
The other scenario is also of interest. We stay with the guys we have and give everyone a shot. Maybe do the Park-Byfuglien thing, but otherwise just trade Weight, Biron, and Sutton for picks.
Then we fall into the bottom five, catch lightning in a bottle and get boosted to #1 overall again. Phoenix is just a few spots back and wants Hall bad enough to trade their first rounder from Calgary which either doesn’t make the playoffs or bows out in the first round. With a top five pick, a mid first round pick, four second rounders, and two third rounders, we have more than enough assets to draft Cam AND Teemu.
Boston will be desperate for cap space and will likely be happy to talk turkey regarding Stuart who they will not be able to sign. I am guessing that LA may have done well enough to impress Kovalchuk and LA may, in turn, be impressed enough with him to drop Frolov. If we can sign him to a two to three year deal, that should give Teemu enough time to fulfill his Jokerit contract and get seasoned at Bridgeport.
Fowler, Hamonic, and MacDonald should be well blooded by the start of the 2011-12 season as well and, along with Stuart, should be more than adequate replacements for Witt, Martinek, Sutton, and Meyer. And the rebuild should be completed shortly as DeHaan, Ness, Niemi, the younger Kessel, and Klementyev join the defensive core while Streit and Gervais are eventually traded for picks.
Koskinnen and Nilsson should be completely ready and, if DP is healthy and is performing well, his contract will be short enough that he would look very attractive to Colorado if their goaltending is still unresolved. A first and a third round pick from them together with a first and third rounder for Streit and a first or second rounder for Gervais will keep the flow of talent going. Also players like Anders Lee, Casey Cizikas, and Matt Martin should be pushing for roster spots which will add complexity and depth. And then Garth’s five year plan—begun in 2008—will have been completed. Let the Drive for Five recommence!!!
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Too many variables
One way or another the Isles ought to be in good shape by 2012. If not, something will have gone quite wrong (not a first for this franchise, but…).
But a lot of those specific scenarios are so far down the line and require a perfect world for me to even dream about. I still prefer to be conservative with the rebuild, pick our spots. I’m not sure Phil Kessel, at the rate and compensation required, is one of those spots.
On another long-term issue: By 2012, the term left on DiPietro’s contract will still not be short: He’ll have 9 years left! And those should be his worst 9 years. We are stuck with him, whether he salvages his health/career or not.
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
Meant to add...
That 1983 video montage is excellent.
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
With Kessel as with Babchuk, I would favor pursuing obtaining him for the terms I have outlined…NOTHING MORE. I certainly can see us falling into a position where we would have a good shot at the #1 overall again and I can equally see Phoenix falling into place a couple of spots back. It’s not a lock to happen, but its not totally unrealistic either.
Simply don’t agree as to DP. Of course, he may never play again or he may not ever play well enough to be anything more than a backup to Mikko. If either of those scenarios transpire, I suspect that he will retire. If, however, he begins to really shine and becomes the star we drafted him to be and if Mikko also begins to shine and if the Avs still haven’t found an answer in goal in a few years, they will undoubtedly be interested in DP and Garth will undoubtedly negotiate with them.
He will be 31, just one year older than Roberto is now, and he will be due three years less and $24 mil less than the Canucks are into Roberto now. Of course, for this idea to work, he has to put up numbers over the next three seasons that are comparable to what Roberto has been doing. If he does, and the other two variables hold true as well, I would just about guarantee that such a deal takes place. Garth would not want a goaltending controversy to spoil locker room chemistry and he would also want to keep the talent flow going.
OK…I can deal with the rest of the speculation but not DiPietro being able to be dealt to the Avs. If you can get Bryzgalov on waivers and Chris Mason for a 4th round pick along with all the more reasonable UFA pickups then why would you want DiPietro for 9 years without a team dumping their crappy long-term contracts on you back (which the Avs don’t have)?
Further, the Avs are clearly in a rebuild themselves (at an earlier stage than the Isles) and are invested Anderson right now – if he doesn’t pan out why wouldn’t they go with a younger prospect (as Anderson is virtually the same age as DiPietro)?
I appreciate your optimism, but this simply isn’t going to happen…
This would be dependent on DP being healthy for three years and playing well enough to get Vezina buzz on a consistent basis. That is what we drafted him to be and if he became that—-a VERY big if, I agree—I think it is possible. Colorado might have done most of its rebuilding by then. Certainly they would be much further along than we are now and getting a franchise goaltender might be the last missing piece—especially if they can get him for $4.5 mil when a goaltender of that quality is going for as much as $6-7 mil. Anderson is NOT that sort of goaltender. He is a placeholder until they can develop a prospect or obtain a FA who can be their next Roy. If DP is performing well enough to be thought of that way—again, very unlikely I know—it might happen. If he is performing at a lesser level, he might be worth a 2nd round pick.
Now about Andy Sutton...
Anaheim lost Pronger and Beauchemin in the offseason. Will the replacements be satisfactory? Will Andy stay healthy this year? Will he return to the form he had several years ago? If the answers to these questions are all yes, Anaheim MIGHT consider dealing the first rounder they received from Philly for Pronger. In that case, we might come out of the 2010 draft with Hall AND Fowler!!!
Being a fan, without going over to fanatic, I sincerely hope that we are playing for the cup in 2012. Having said that, I can only hope for now…
Ask me again in 2012.
SHOOOOOOOT IT!!!! Anon
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