The Hockey Writers Daily - July 11, 2023
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In today’s edition, what the DeBrincat deal means for Nylander, the Bruins and Scheifele, the Red Wings ‘Yzerplan’ progress, the Rangers and Tarasenko, an intro to one of the newest Canucks, and much more.
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What the Alex DeBrincat Trade Tells Us About Nylander’s Value
For fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs who just witnessed the Alex DeBrincat trade to the Detroit Red Wings for what many see as an underwhelming return, don’t panic if your first thought is that any trade sending William Nylander to another destination is also going to wind up in an underwhelming return for the Maple Leafs and new GM Brad Treliving. Also, don’t get ahead of yourself if you’re thinking that the $7.875 million deal DeBrincat signed in Detroit will be anything similar to Nylanders’ next contract.
There are some similarities between the two players but their situations are different. Both are worth giving up a number of assets to acquire, they’ve been making roughly the same money for the past few seasons, and both were asking for roughly the same on an extension (DeBrincat’s settled for much less but his ask was rumored to be not far off). But, DeBrincat’s situation and Nylander’s are not the same.
Bruins Have the Pieces to Acquire Jets’ Scheifele
One team has a potential answer to Sweeney’s needs and that’s the Winnipeg Jets. Mark Scheifele is entering the final year of his current eight-year contract for $49 million which carries an average annual value (AAV) of $6.125 million for the upcoming season. Fellow THW colleague Greg Liodice recently wrote that the Jets and Scheifele would both benefit from a trade, which would end his time in Winnipeg. If Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff decides to make him available, the Bruins have the assets to acquire the 30-year-old.
Rangers Need to Find Cap Space to Re-Sign Tarasenko
As it goes in sports, something unexpected happens when you think you have it figured out. And that is precisely what happened when Vladimir Tarasenko fired his agent. According to The Athletic‘s Jeremy Rutherford, Tarasenko fired agent Paul Theofanous and signed J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey (from ‘Vladimir Tarasenko back to ‘square one’ in free agency after another agent switch,’ The Athletic, 7/5/23).
Tarasenko is now available, and the Rangers can keep him if they maneuver their roster accordingly. The dilemma for Drury and the Rangers is not if they can find the money to offer Tarasenko; it’s if they make the necessary moves to present an offer and he signs somewhere else.
Unfortunately, for the Rangers, the other locations he may sign outside of the Ottawa Senators are all in the Metropolitan Division. Letting Tarasenko leave to go to the New Jersey Devils or Carolina Hurricanes, who have already gotten better this offseason, put the Rangers in a precarious situation.
Red Wings: What Is the “Yzerplan” Exactly & How Is It Progressing?
In the public sphere, the Detroit Red Wings’ rebuilding strategy under Steve Yzerman is commonly referred to as the Yzerplan. Trust and belief in it is a sign of patriotism among Red Wings fans. Questioning it, though, is akin to challenging anti-communist sentiment in post-war America – downright traitorous.
But what exactly is the Yzerplan?
Sure, “draft and develop” is the party line. But then how do you explain the flurry of free agent signings—a collection of mid-level players—this summer and last? Aren’t those players taking up roster spots that could go to prospects?
To answer these questions, I did a deep dive into the Yzerplan. This is my attempt to dissect Detroit’s rebuilding strategy in order to better understand it, measure how the organization is progressing, and what’s next for the Red Wings.
Meet the New Canucks: Matt Irwin
The Vancouver Canucks prioritized defence and physicality on July 1 signing Carson Soucy, Ian Cole, and Matt Irwin to bolster their blue line for the 2023-24 season. All three are over 6 feet and aren’t afraid to put their bodies in harm’s way whether that be with a hit or dropping down to block a shot. In this edition of Meet the New Canucks, we’re going to focus on the only guy that hasn’t been featured yet, Victoria, BC’s own Matt Irwin.
3 Maple Leafs Breakout Candidates for the 2023-24 Season
The Toronto Maple Leafs have big expectations heading into the 2023-24 season. They made some big additions to their group, signing Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, John Klingberg, and Ryan Reaves. However, they have the potential to be even better if some of their players end up having breakout campaigns. There are three players who stand out as prime breakout candidates from the Maple Leafs, so let’s discuss them now.
More stuff from THW and around the NHL:
NHL News & Rumors - NHL Rumors: Senators, Penguins, Flames, Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens - Meet the New Canadiens: Lias Andersson
Edmonton Oilers - Oilers 2023 Free Agent Targets: Max Comtois
New Jersey Devils - Devils News & Rumors: Development Camp & Kane
From TSN - Flyers sign D York to two-year, $3.2 million deal
From Sportsnet - Senators president of business operations Anthony LeBlanc resigns
From the NHL - Dubois excited for opportunity to 'fully be me' with Kings
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