The Official 2026 Off-Season Thread: Revenge of the Nerds
- Thread starter MindzEye
- Start date
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
"upswing"
MindzEye
Wayward Ditch Pig
Yes, but that's a year older, which is in the wrong direction. You don't trade Willy (or Auston) to get older.
LeafGm
Well-known member
Luckily Willy has a full NMC and loves it here, so he can tell the Jr. Bacon Jerkoff to shove it up his ass if he tries to trade him.
Tavares also has an NMC for the duration of his bargain contract.
LeafOfFaith
Well-known member
Willy is the kind of player you keep for life. Drafted and developed, has been a star from the outset, is the most clutch guy among them in the playoffs, can handle the media in his sleep, and consistently commits long term. They would be morons to deal him, and I don't care pretty much who they're getting that isn't named McDavid or Celebrini.
Knies is just scratching the surface and an argument could be made that he's the hardest type of player to acquire outside of drafting him. He has also been a dedicated team guy - vocal, unlike the other AZ boy - has gotten better each year, and is signed long term for cheap. We haven't even started to see what he can do yet.
They'd be so foolish to part with either of them. I would legit, no kidding around, be shopping Matthews first before those two, since he could be an injured shell of himself for the rest of his career, is only signed for two more years, and is apparently on the fence about staying. You could get the best return for him, even with his recent diminished performances, and build in a big way around Willy, Knies, McKenna, and Cowan. Again, not that I want them to go out and try to trade him, specifically because of his down years due to injury, but if forced to deal one, he's definitely not off the table for me.
The reality is, they don't need to part with any of them, and they shouldn't. Keep trying to grab good players without losing your own. Draft, sneaky trades, etc. Montreal got Hutson in the second round. Raddysh came out of nowhere and could be had for free. There's so many better ways to get better than taking a dumb risk and trading your most valuable assets. It's just a wrongheaded backwards method of teambuilding that only a lazy dummy would resort to because they lack the capacity to move creatively.
Knies is just scratching the surface and an argument could be made that he's the hardest type of player to acquire outside of drafting him. He has also been a dedicated team guy - vocal, unlike the other AZ boy - has gotten better each year, and is signed long term for cheap. We haven't even started to see what he can do yet.
They'd be so foolish to part with either of them. I would legit, no kidding around, be shopping Matthews first before those two, since he could be an injured shell of himself for the rest of his career, is only signed for two more years, and is apparently on the fence about staying. You could get the best return for him, even with his recent diminished performances, and build in a big way around Willy, Knies, McKenna, and Cowan. Again, not that I want them to go out and try to trade him, specifically because of his down years due to injury, but if forced to deal one, he's definitely not off the table for me.
The reality is, they don't need to part with any of them, and they shouldn't. Keep trying to grab good players without losing your own. Draft, sneaky trades, etc. Montreal got Hutson in the second round. Raddysh came out of nowhere and could be had for free. There's so many better ways to get better than taking a dumb risk and trading your most valuable assets. It's just a wrongheaded backwards method of teambuilding that only a lazy dummy would resort to because they lack the capacity to move creatively.
leafman101
Well-known member
If someone makes a godfather offer then no one is untouchable.
Makes no sense to refuse to listen to what teams would offer on guys, at the end of the day they are now our 2nd and 3rd best wingers.
Makes no sense to refuse to listen to what teams would offer on guys, at the end of the day they are now our 2nd and 3rd best wingers.
thehabhater
Some call me Tim
More fiction from everyone’s favourite fiction writer
CH1
The Artist Formerly Known as chiggins.
Hence the current Malhotra distortion
LeafGm
Well-known member
McKenna is a very exciting prospect, but it’s some wild-ass jumping of the gun to anoint him as the best winger on a team that includes a consistent 30-40 goal/80-90 point Willy Nylander as well as Matthew Knies.
The other issue I have with deeming Nylander & Knies expendable is, who are our next best offensive wingers pushing up the lineup behind them? Mattias Maccelli? Max Domi? Maybe Easton Cowan and/or Nick Robertson if they break out?
Going into next season depending on an 18 year-old to be our #1 winger and those four fighting for spots 2-5 seems pretty grim to me.
leafman101
Well-known member
IMO It’s pretty short sighted to not be willing to move your 2nd or 3rd best winger for a player at a more important position of need because your winger depth will be worse this year.
LeafOfFaith
Well-known member
Matthews 69G edition is very different than what we've seen the last couple of years. The injuries plus his contract situation and rumored disgruntled status are the only reasons to even think about putting him on the market. The other two are healthy and content and amazing players in their own right. And if we had a crystal ball and could see that Matty next year and the year after would be an injured mess with 25 or 30 goals, we'd look back and be so upset that we didn't deal him.
All I'm saying is, none should be traded. But if one was going to be, I'd want to weigh the offers he'd bring in against the others under the circumstances.