Racers BIG Summer (Trade) Block Party
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:10 pm
Welp, we had a good run there, finishing around the top of the WG year after year... until we didn't.
So it's time to move some Racers vets to contenders, or teams that think they're contenders. I've got emotional attachments to some of these guys, but business is business. So let's go!
What am I looking for? Obviously depends on the player, but it should be clear what I want to do here: build for the future. So that means picks and prospects.
Max Pacioretty
Without the burden of the captaincy and the public pressure of playing Montreal, Pacioretty has flourished in Vegas. His last three years in Vegas he's played 158 games and has 154 points. Point-a-gamers on dynamic offenses don't come around every day. With Eichel all healed up and Mark Stone getting his shit sorted out, you're going to be looking at another point-a-game-and-then-some season for ol' Patches next season. Jump on this stud if you want a top forward.
Ryan O'Reilly
Remember when I said this would be emotional for me? ROR is a fucking beast, and he's the last OG Racer. He's been a leader on our team for the past decade. Not a guy I want to let go of, but he's an awesome complimentary piece. Over the past four seasons, ROR has played 287 games and has 250 points. That's over a 70 point pace averaged over four years. Oh, and if you think he's slowing down because his regular season totals were a bit "off" this past season? I hope you saw him in the playoffs. Right back into ROR beast mode! 12 points in 12 games. Felt like him and Perron were the only ones showing up for the Blues at times. ROR's a solid guy with a big bushy beard and never takes penalties so he's got more opportunities to score.
Brent Burns
What's that? You need d-points? This guy gets those. Is there a little bit of gray popping up in that beard of his? Oh maybe, but he still had 54 points last season. Do 54 point d-men grow on trees? No they do not. Last year, Brent Burns was the 12th highest scoring defenseman in the NHL. So that means he's a number one d-man on plenty of SCHL teams, and that also means that if you're picking him up as your second or third d-man, you're rockin' out with your cock out. Really shouldn't have to say much to sell this guy. You think he's done? You think he's washed up? The numbers say otherwise, and the numbers don't lie.
Tyson Barrie
Tyson Barrie cracked the 40 point barrier in only 73 games played last year. "Oh, well that's just because he played on the Oilers." Is it though? This guy puts up decent numbers wherever he goes. Is he a shit show when it comes to defending? He sure is! Should you care about that? Hell no. You just need to worry about his points. Now, it's completely true that he doesn't have any trade protection, but any team that deals for this cat is going to use him likely on their PP1 and he thrives there. So really, it's a pretty low-risk pick-up for a right-shooting offense-first d-man. AND he's only one season removed from playing at a 70-point pace. Good thing d-men aren't volatile! Errr... Anyway, TB could be a pretty nice pick-up for your squad. He finished 32nd overall in d-man scoring last year, so again, this is like a #2 guy on most teams. Quality asset on the block here.
Phil Kessel
Yeah yeah yeah. Dunno where he's going to end up signing, but I don't think he's done yet. If he ends up somewhere good/exciting, I'd just be looking for a pick-upgrade for the guy. Maybe nobody bites on him, and that's okay, I just want to make sure this is here for posterity's sake so when he goes off for a surprising 70 point season, I can dredge up this thread and pull out an "I told you so!" (see: Gostisbehere, Shayne or Ovechkin, Alex if you believe this point production is just silly salesmanship on my part - these projections have been eerily accurate as of late). And oh yeah, he's fuckin' Iron Man! The guy had over 50 points in the tire fire that was the Arizona Coyotes. Jump on this bargain bin dude if you want some cheap points for a small expenditure. (Miss you, Z-Bad!)
So it's time to move some Racers vets to contenders, or teams that think they're contenders. I've got emotional attachments to some of these guys, but business is business. So let's go!
What am I looking for? Obviously depends on the player, but it should be clear what I want to do here: build for the future. So that means picks and prospects.
Max Pacioretty
Without the burden of the captaincy and the public pressure of playing Montreal, Pacioretty has flourished in Vegas. His last three years in Vegas he's played 158 games and has 154 points. Point-a-gamers on dynamic offenses don't come around every day. With Eichel all healed up and Mark Stone getting his shit sorted out, you're going to be looking at another point-a-game-and-then-some season for ol' Patches next season. Jump on this stud if you want a top forward.
Ryan O'Reilly
Remember when I said this would be emotional for me? ROR is a fucking beast, and he's the last OG Racer. He's been a leader on our team for the past decade. Not a guy I want to let go of, but he's an awesome complimentary piece. Over the past four seasons, ROR has played 287 games and has 250 points. That's over a 70 point pace averaged over four years. Oh, and if you think he's slowing down because his regular season totals were a bit "off" this past season? I hope you saw him in the playoffs. Right back into ROR beast mode! 12 points in 12 games. Felt like him and Perron were the only ones showing up for the Blues at times. ROR's a solid guy with a big bushy beard and never takes penalties so he's got more opportunities to score.
Brent Burns
What's that? You need d-points? This guy gets those. Is there a little bit of gray popping up in that beard of his? Oh maybe, but he still had 54 points last season. Do 54 point d-men grow on trees? No they do not. Last year, Brent Burns was the 12th highest scoring defenseman in the NHL. So that means he's a number one d-man on plenty of SCHL teams, and that also means that if you're picking him up as your second or third d-man, you're rockin' out with your cock out. Really shouldn't have to say much to sell this guy. You think he's done? You think he's washed up? The numbers say otherwise, and the numbers don't lie.
Tyson Barrie
Tyson Barrie cracked the 40 point barrier in only 73 games played last year. "Oh, well that's just because he played on the Oilers." Is it though? This guy puts up decent numbers wherever he goes. Is he a shit show when it comes to defending? He sure is! Should you care about that? Hell no. You just need to worry about his points. Now, it's completely true that he doesn't have any trade protection, but any team that deals for this cat is going to use him likely on their PP1 and he thrives there. So really, it's a pretty low-risk pick-up for a right-shooting offense-first d-man. AND he's only one season removed from playing at a 70-point pace. Good thing d-men aren't volatile! Errr... Anyway, TB could be a pretty nice pick-up for your squad. He finished 32nd overall in d-man scoring last year, so again, this is like a #2 guy on most teams. Quality asset on the block here.
Phil Kessel
Yeah yeah yeah. Dunno where he's going to end up signing, but I don't think he's done yet. If he ends up somewhere good/exciting, I'd just be looking for a pick-upgrade for the guy. Maybe nobody bites on him, and that's okay, I just want to make sure this is here for posterity's sake so when he goes off for a surprising 70 point season, I can dredge up this thread and pull out an "I told you so!" (see: Gostisbehere, Shayne or Ovechkin, Alex if you believe this point production is just silly salesmanship on my part - these projections have been eerily accurate as of late). And oh yeah, he's fuckin' Iron Man! The guy had over 50 points in the tire fire that was the Arizona Coyotes. Jump on this bargain bin dude if you want some cheap points for a small expenditure. (Miss you, Z-Bad!)