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The Official Post-Bitch 2025-26 Regular Season Thread

I stopped reading at ChatGPT.
I'm sorry. We'll ask Claude instead for you.

San Jose sends: A 2027 first-round pick + a 2026 second-round pick + a filler contract to help Toronto's cap flexibility (e.g., a $1-2M bad contract they want off the books)


Toronto sends: Morgan Rielly + retains 15% of salary (~$1.125M), bringing Rielly's cap hit to San Jose down to ~$6.375M
 
Honestly 4 x $7.5 is not a killer contract under the new cap(s) for what he is.

And his skillset is still something I want us to be prioritizing on our blueline, not getting rid of.

We already have oodles of capspace and still have much worse wastes of capspace to dump first.
 
The only justification for trading him seems to be that we have to trade someone.

The Leafs problem is their management consistently lowered the talent level of the team and the coach was an idiot. I don’t see how trading your most talented defenseman helps.

Also what idiot is writing articles about what the Leafs plan to do when the Leafs have no GM or plan yet.
 
I'm sorry. We'll ask Claude instead for you.

San Jose sends: A 2027 first-round pick + a 2026 second-round pick + a filler contract to help Toronto's cap flexibility (e.g., a $1-2M bad contract they want off the books)


Toronto sends: Morgan Rielly + retains 15% of salary (~$1.125M), bringing Rielly's cap hit to San Jose down to ~$6.375M

Claude might be worse
 
Anyway, it makes no sense to even think about doing anything without a proper process in place… let Gillis cook. New coach might = a rejuvenated Reilly
 
We have like $20m in capspace, even after re-upping maccelli and robertson.

and that's even with contracts for actual bad players like Domi Carlo Joshua. I would love to dump those 3.

but we should be caring about adding players, not dumping them.
 
Drafting is essential for any organization’s success, but that has proven especially true for the Stars. What has gone into the preparation for said drafting is what has proven to be the key behind Dallas’ success year after year at the end of June.

“Good evaluation by our amateur [scouting] staff,” Stars assistant GM Scott White told Daily Faceoff. “Led by Joe McDonnell, he and his staff have done a good job. We’ve traded some of our Draft Capital over the last [few seasons] and have still found a way to hit [in the Draft.]

“We’ve been able to bring in some skilled hockey players.”

In addition to his role as AGM, White is also the General Manager of the Stars’ AHL Affiliate, the Texas Stars. In this role he has had a first-hand view of the Stars’ draft picks after they turn pro.

White has been with the organization as its AGM of the Stars and overseeing its AHL Affiliate going back to 2009. His responsibilities include pro scouting, helping out in the personnel department and working in conjunction with the amateur scouts – including college scouting. To say he has taken in a lot of hockey is an understatement, and certainly has had a front row seat to all of the young talent that has come through Dallas’ pipeline.

Having so many players turn into NHL caliber-talent is something that makes life easier for any organization, and the Stars have been the poster boys for that for the last number of seasons. Even with some less than ideal, heavy contracts the Stars have had to deal with over the years, having a consistent flow of talented players on entry-level deals has made life easier in roster construction.

But even considering this, the work doesn’t stop at the drafting. White and the Stars are back at looking at the next crop of talent they can scout and, hopefully, get a crack at the following year in the NHL Draft. Drafting is only a part of the battle; development is arguably even more crucial, and the Stars have been able to execute this consistently.

In addition to the aforementioned higher profile names in Heiskanen, Oettinger and Roberston – and 2015 second round pick Roope Hintz, who has emerged as one of the league’s most underrated centermen – the Stars have seen a steady flow of younger talent join their roster over the last number of seasons. Names like Mavrik Bourque, Thomas Harley, Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven are staples on the Stars’ roster in the young 2024-25 season.

Bourque and Stankoven have just begun to get their feet wet at the NHL level, but both have already made impacts; in the case of the latter, we have an under the radar Calder Trophy contender. In the case of Harley and Johnston, they are already contributing on the club’s top defensive pair and forward line, respectively. Both were standouts in the Stars’ playoff run last season.

With the consistent flow of high caliber, younger talent into the lineup, it has allowed the Stars to better-slot veteran players who are now on the back nines of their careers.

Once franchise cornerstones and staples of the top line, forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have slid into middle-six, support roles for the higher end offensive players. Benn, in particular, has found his niche often on the club’s third line – or checking line, as some old school fans may call it – and has embraced the role. As the team’s captain, Benn has meant a lot for younger players who have played on his line while breaking into the NHL, Johnston being a prime example of that.

The support cast of veterans has been important for the Stars’ younger players, and year over year we’ve seen them sprinkled throughout the lineup. Forwards Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment continue to be important pieces in the club’s middle-six, while longtime veteran rearguard Esa Lindell – fresh off signing a five year contract extension – has, even in a reduced role, been an important part to the Stars’ back end.

Aside from the trade that saw them acquire defenseman Nils Lundqvist from the New York Rangers, the Stars have not been ones to easily part with high end draft picks. Being one of the main reasons for their success, you’d imagine trading higher round picks would be tougher to justify.

“It’s a double-edged sword (to trade higher round picks),” White said. “You don’t like to be sitting at the Draft, like this year in Vegas, and not have a lot of draft capital. You get excited at the Trade Deadline, which is ultimately what it’s about: trying to improve the big club and give them the best chance. Sometimes draft capital is how you make the group better short term.

“It’s going to catch up to us at some point; fortunately it hasn’t caught up to us yet.”

Though the Stars did hang onto its first round selection last year, it was the only pick they had in the 2024 NHL Draft until round 5, which White alluded to; they only had three picks overall. But going back to the 2009 NHL Draft – coincidentally, the year White joined the organization – the Stars have had at least one first-round pick in every single year with the exception of 2023; what do you know, another anomaly.

Great drafting does have one less than ideal side to it: when it’s time to pay all their players. Heiskanen, Hintz and Robertson have each signed long or medium term deals, while Oettinger is fresh off a brand new eight-year extension that was announced Thursday. Harley is in year one of a bridge deal of his own, as well. But that leaves names like Bourque, Johnston and Stankoven on their ELCs – if they continue their current trajectory, they will be due big raises in the coming years.

But the NHL is cyclical, and when those aforementioned young stars (pun absolutely intended) are in need of new contracts, the veterans currently taking up large percentages on the salary cap like Benn (expires next summer) and Seguin (expires in 2027) will be finishing up their big deals. If there is one thing the Stars have proven to be, it’s sustainable, and sustainability takes planning. With the repertoire that White and the Stars have been able to put together over the last number of years, there is a reason for optimism on how they will find a way to continue their success and keep their nucleus intact.
 
So Ryan Martin is more a lawyer capologist guy and Scott White is a hockey drafting and development guy. Two different directions, guess it depends on who you supplement them with.
 
If Gillis is president I'm oddly indifferent on who is GM, and it's not because it doesn't matter, I just don't feel we have enough info on who is the best to fill that particular role. His whole thing is having different departments that specialize in certain areas (I.e. lawyers/capologists and draft/development guys with the nerd department being at the focal point for all decisions).

It's an ambitious vision and a lot can go wrong going against the grain like that. It has to all fit perfectly for it to be an optimized setup. But hey let's give it a whirl.
 
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in dallas White is definitely the organizational AGM (and AHL GM) and Janko is the capologist and analytics AGM.

White gets priority listing on the website right under Nill.

in some orgs, you might call Nill the Prez and White the GM.
 
If they only hire a GM, I'd probably have more interest in a Janko type tbh. He was the architect behind one of the more successful nerdie departments in the league.

But idk what their vision is. I guess we'll have to wait. It all makes sense if they hire White with Gillis as the POHO. But elliotte and dregs are probably the most connected and have stopped mentioning Gillis for awhile so idk if I'm fully buying this pr campaign for his candidacy.
 
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