Post by Matt-Colorado on Jul 10, 2019 16:15:34 GMT -5
Randal Graves
July 10, 2019
Denver, CO
The GHL offseason off to a fast start as teams move towards the draft and free agency, makings trades to shed cap, gain picks, and acquire talent. Colorado owner/gm Matt Taylor has made 4 trades in the last 48 hours in an attempt to fill the holes on the Pioneers roster while also creating space to sign Rantanen and sign a couple of decent players in free agency.
Here's a recap of Colorado's roster moves:
- Announced the buyout of Cory Crawford. It was a high risk high reward gamble that did not pay off. Crawford is simply too injury prone to warrant taking 10% of the Pioneers cap space.
- Sent minor leaguer Michael Carcone to Hartford and brought back Craig Anderson to the team. Anderson left Colorado in 2014 for Ben Bishop. Anderson is hoping to bounce back from a down year in Hartford while Bishop is poised to rob the bank in the early part of free agency. Look for Anderson to start every 4 or 5 games and be a mentor for projected starter Jordan Binnington.
- Sent Goulbourne, Boston's 2019 5th, and Ilya Kovalchuk to Seattle for Sam Laberge. Nothing special here, but that 6 million in cap space along with Crawford's buyout can net 3 to 4 players in UFA depends on how crazy prices get.
- Sent Chatfield and New Yorks 2019 3rd to Hartford for Sam Bennett. Bennett was taken 7th overall in 2015, 3 spots after Draisaitl. I remember that on draft day, Colorado was torn between Hayes, Bennett, and Draisaitl. While taking Draisaitl has been a homerun in Colorado, Bennett has failed to develop into the offensive threat he was projecting to become. 28 points in 146 games and three teams in three seasons Bennett will look for greener grass in Colorado. Bright side: he is 23, and he is better right now than anyone that 3rd round pick turns into would be this year. As it stands right now, he's a great physical checking forward who will play right away on the 3rd and 4th lines.
- Blockbuster 1 for 1 hockey trade, sending TJ Brodie to Baltimore for Phil Kessel. Sometimes trades hurt. Management, the players, and the fans all love TJ Brodie. He was the heir apparent to Bouwmeester on the blueline, but landing Spurgeon last offseason, and hte massive depth issues up front made it clear one of them would be on the move. Phil Kessel finally lands in Colorado--I'm pretty confident that a few years ago O'Reilly was on the verge of being sent to New York in a straight swap for Kessel, and now they'll likely share a line. Look for Kessel and Rantanen (assuming RFA goes well) to rotate on the top line and top pp unit throughout the year. Huge trade, fills a big need for both teams.
Matt Taylor was available for the following comments:
"Very happy to get Phil Kessel in Colorado. He's an exciting player, tremendously talented, he's a living meme that our fans will love. Kessel is a dynamic player, can pass and shoot, should fit in well with Leon, the two Ryan's and Mikko. This might have been one of the easiest trades I've been involved with. Eric in Baltimore and I had this wrapped up in an hour--I pitched the idea and he said he was just about to call me with the same trade in mind."
"Craig is excited to come back. He knows he's on the back end of his career, wants to help a team win. Bringing him in was one of the first trades I made after taking control of the team...maybe I'm a bit sentimental but it felt like the right move for us to bring him back. Hartford made the trade real easy, given their cap situation and his contract I think it was a win / win for both teams. Now we don't have to fight over the goalie leftovers in UFA, and we can focus on the rest of our roster having our starter and backup set for the season."
"Sam Bennett, meat and potatoes hockey player. Not exactly what everyone thought he'd become in 2015, but he's very good at his role, and there's still a chance his game develops some more offense. Either way I'm happy to acquire his rights--I don't see any issues with his negotiations, he's the type of player who does his job no matter what is it."
What's the plan for the draft?
"Wait to see who falls to us at 16, that's pretty much it. We've got our eyes on RFA/UFA right now, we need to find a dump truck to transport all of Mikko's cash and get Graves and Bennett bridged most likely, and then we've stil got a few holes to fill. It'll be fun."
Any more trades in the works?
"I might have one or two more surprises for you before the offseason is over. I'm always talking to someone in the GHL, whether it's serious trade talk or just shooting the shit, it's important to keep in touch and share ideas, helps you keep the pulse of what's going on in our league."
How do you feel about your team next season?
"As long as we can fill our vacant spots, a couple of forwards, a couple of defenders we're looking good. We don't need starters or top talent, we need depth. Detroit looks tough this year and the division as a whole is getting better. That being said I still see us as one of the top teams in our division so making the playoffs is an absolute must...we aren't rebuilding anymore, we want to get back to 2017 and fight for the top of the conference. We'll get to the post season, and hopefully win a game this time around.
Getting a new coach any time soon?
"We're in the process of narrowing down our candidates and should make a hire soon."
There you have it, things are happening in Denver. More to come this weekend as the draft enters it's early "off the clock" draft window.
July 10, 2019
Denver, CO
Pioneers Offseason in Full Swing, add Anderson, Bennett, and Kessel
The GHL offseason off to a fast start as teams move towards the draft and free agency, makings trades to shed cap, gain picks, and acquire talent. Colorado owner/gm Matt Taylor has made 4 trades in the last 48 hours in an attempt to fill the holes on the Pioneers roster while also creating space to sign Rantanen and sign a couple of decent players in free agency.
Here's a recap of Colorado's roster moves:
- Announced the buyout of Cory Crawford. It was a high risk high reward gamble that did not pay off. Crawford is simply too injury prone to warrant taking 10% of the Pioneers cap space.
- Sent minor leaguer Michael Carcone to Hartford and brought back Craig Anderson to the team. Anderson left Colorado in 2014 for Ben Bishop. Anderson is hoping to bounce back from a down year in Hartford while Bishop is poised to rob the bank in the early part of free agency. Look for Anderson to start every 4 or 5 games and be a mentor for projected starter Jordan Binnington.
- Sent Goulbourne, Boston's 2019 5th, and Ilya Kovalchuk to Seattle for Sam Laberge. Nothing special here, but that 6 million in cap space along with Crawford's buyout can net 3 to 4 players in UFA depends on how crazy prices get.
- Sent Chatfield and New Yorks 2019 3rd to Hartford for Sam Bennett. Bennett was taken 7th overall in 2015, 3 spots after Draisaitl. I remember that on draft day, Colorado was torn between Hayes, Bennett, and Draisaitl. While taking Draisaitl has been a homerun in Colorado, Bennett has failed to develop into the offensive threat he was projecting to become. 28 points in 146 games and three teams in three seasons Bennett will look for greener grass in Colorado. Bright side: he is 23, and he is better right now than anyone that 3rd round pick turns into would be this year. As it stands right now, he's a great physical checking forward who will play right away on the 3rd and 4th lines.
- Blockbuster 1 for 1 hockey trade, sending TJ Brodie to Baltimore for Phil Kessel. Sometimes trades hurt. Management, the players, and the fans all love TJ Brodie. He was the heir apparent to Bouwmeester on the blueline, but landing Spurgeon last offseason, and hte massive depth issues up front made it clear one of them would be on the move. Phil Kessel finally lands in Colorado--I'm pretty confident that a few years ago O'Reilly was on the verge of being sent to New York in a straight swap for Kessel, and now they'll likely share a line. Look for Kessel and Rantanen (assuming RFA goes well) to rotate on the top line and top pp unit throughout the year. Huge trade, fills a big need for both teams.
Matt Taylor was available for the following comments:
"Very happy to get Phil Kessel in Colorado. He's an exciting player, tremendously talented, he's a living meme that our fans will love. Kessel is a dynamic player, can pass and shoot, should fit in well with Leon, the two Ryan's and Mikko. This might have been one of the easiest trades I've been involved with. Eric in Baltimore and I had this wrapped up in an hour--I pitched the idea and he said he was just about to call me with the same trade in mind."
"Craig is excited to come back. He knows he's on the back end of his career, wants to help a team win. Bringing him in was one of the first trades I made after taking control of the team...maybe I'm a bit sentimental but it felt like the right move for us to bring him back. Hartford made the trade real easy, given their cap situation and his contract I think it was a win / win for both teams. Now we don't have to fight over the goalie leftovers in UFA, and we can focus on the rest of our roster having our starter and backup set for the season."
"Sam Bennett, meat and potatoes hockey player. Not exactly what everyone thought he'd become in 2015, but he's very good at his role, and there's still a chance his game develops some more offense. Either way I'm happy to acquire his rights--I don't see any issues with his negotiations, he's the type of player who does his job no matter what is it."
What's the plan for the draft?
"Wait to see who falls to us at 16, that's pretty much it. We've got our eyes on RFA/UFA right now, we need to find a dump truck to transport all of Mikko's cash and get Graves and Bennett bridged most likely, and then we've stil got a few holes to fill. It'll be fun."
Any more trades in the works?
"I might have one or two more surprises for you before the offseason is over. I'm always talking to someone in the GHL, whether it's serious trade talk or just shooting the shit, it's important to keep in touch and share ideas, helps you keep the pulse of what's going on in our league."
How do you feel about your team next season?
"As long as we can fill our vacant spots, a couple of forwards, a couple of defenders we're looking good. We don't need starters or top talent, we need depth. Detroit looks tough this year and the division as a whole is getting better. That being said I still see us as one of the top teams in our division so making the playoffs is an absolute must...we aren't rebuilding anymore, we want to get back to 2017 and fight for the top of the conference. We'll get to the post season, and hopefully win a game this time around.
Getting a new coach any time soon?
"We're in the process of narrowing down our candidates and should make a hire soon."
There you have it, things are happening in Denver. More to come this weekend as the draft enters it's early "off the clock" draft window.