Compete Level

I’m trying to figure out what’ll happen with the Leaves. I think Marner’s gone, Matthews/Nylander/Knies stays, Tavares may take enough of a pay cut to come back (like, a huge pay cut). I wonder if they use Marner’s money on Sam Bennett.

The problem I see is that they need another reliable scorer now, even before Marner leaves, and the best free agent on the market is… Marner. Bennett is an asshole and I think they need some of that, outside of a plug like Reeves, but what’s his point ceiling, 50?

As for Marner, I think Anaheim or Chicago will probably give him the necessary cash. The former would be a huge change in terms of media pressure, the latter would be geographically closer. I don’t see Detroit giving him $14 million a year so they’re probably out, but if the Wings got Marner and a legit D, they’d be a playoff team.

I don’t know if any contender has the cap space for him.

Apparently someone on Bleacher Report thinks the Isles will take Hagens first overall, which probably should be taken with an enormous grain of salt. But I don’t see how they’d just go up and pick him.

Flip picks with SJ, get a second rounder at least. SJ clearly wants Schaefer. Then flip picks with Chicago, whose fan base (at least) pines for Misa. They’d get Hagens, if that’s who they really want, two additional assets, and the other teams get their chosen players.

This will not happen. Isles will just take Schaefer because they have no D whatsoever in the pipeline. SJ takes Misa. Chicago takes Frondell or Desnoyers.

Grand Moff Larkin wrote: ↑Fri May 16, 2025 1:05 pm Is he expected to play center or wing? I know he was drafted as the latter but has been doing more of the former

Imagine they will give him a look at center but I fully expect him to end up on the wing.