Article: Will Dean Evason's Blue Jackets Actually Bite On Freddy Gaudreau?

[Tony Abbott]

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[Pewterschmidt]

I gotta think Gaud's would be an upgrade on the cast of Tyson Left Coast's populating the CBJ bottom six.  Get it done Guerin!!  Start digging your way out of your unforced errors.

#christmasinjuly

[Willy the poor boy]

I'd say there's a better chance Deano fleeces Guerin into taking Laine off their hands.

[B1GKappa97]

Okay fine, you convinced us Tony. 

Freddy Hockey for Patrick Laine, straight up.

And they can take half the salary as a sweetener for us to give up a top-6 forward that's such a great fit for Dean's system.

 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

10 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I'd say there's a better chance Deano fleeces Guerin into taking Laine off their hands.

Laine and Jack Johnson for Spurgeon and Gaudreau would work for both teams salary-wise. No doubt in my mind that Spurgeon could get back to playing at a high level, but it will be harder to get out from his contract after he turns 35 this year, and Laine's deal ends after 25-26.

Not suggesting I want to trade Spurgeon, just something to consider with Buium likely being ready for NHL ice in the not too distant future.

[Citizen Strife]

If Columbus dumps Laine for Spurgeon and Gaudreau, they deserve to fail.  I say this as someone who knows Laine is a faberge egg.  I've been banging hard against Laine under teh assumption it'd take Heidt, Rossi, or someone else actually worth a future.  Waddell probably not that desperate to get Spurgeon...but stranger things have happened.

Edited July 23 by Citizen Strife

[Pewterschmidt]

50 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

Waddell probably not that desperate to get Spurgeon...but stranger things have happened.

42 year old Spurgeon coming off season ending surgery (back? core?).  Yah, not sure there's much tread on those tires and certain there's almost zero market value.

If Guerin can get a return trading Spurgy I'll gain respect for Guerin GM abilities.

[FredJohnson]

How much do they want to take him? Tell ya what, we'll give them NoJo for taking Frauddie off our hands. 👍

[mnfaninnc]

I do like picking up Laine and believe he'd help us win. Seeing him in Ovechkin's office helps everyone on the PP. But I also think we are one of a few teams that could fix Laine, both mentally and physically. 

I am certain that growing up the Koivu's were looked up to, almost as royalty in native Finland. I think Mikko is the key to fixing Laine and getting him playing hard. I don't know what happened in Winnipeg, but just about anyone in Columbus would get depressed. I think playing along side Kaprizov, just in the lineup, would also help him. 

This guys got a lot of tools and a tight locker room would help him. CBJ would have to take half his salary, and we'd have to trade players to get the other half. I could see Gaudreau as one of those guys. He's probably got CBJ on his list, but that could change since it was pre-Evason. I'm not sure Johansson would willingly go there either, but that gets us to $4.1m. We really needed someone in the $3m category to pair with Gaudreau to make this work. 

I'm bullish on Laine, and I believe he has a lot more to give a team. Why not try to turn him around, everyone knows we could use his scoring.

[FredJohnson]

I apologize for misspelling Frauddy's first name.

Rule #69 of spelling: i before e except when you're a fraud, then it's a y.

[FredJohnson]

I miss posting Deano Gifs. 

[Willy the poor boy]

1 hour ago, FredJohnson said:

I miss posting Deano Gifs. 

[MacGyver]

Laine=PLD Wild should not go near him. 

[mnfaninnc]

What is it with Laine that everyone hates?

Is it perceived laziness?

Is it an attitude, perhaps an entitled one?

Is it a lack of talent?

Is it because he was a Jet?

Is it because of turtlenecks?

The guy is loaded with a shot and with talent. He had a mental breakdown in CBJ (which looking at the roster would question anyone of "how did I get here?") Yes, he'd be a reclamation project, but if you hit on him, wow can he help this group! He's a large RHS wing with a powerful shot. This is the type of player we are missing. Someone will unlock his 40 goal potential, he's only 26, and it could very well be a native countryman. 

European players think differently and country loyalty runs very deep with them. They are similar to Swedes who will do whatever role gets them a W. If Mikko can motivate him, a big if, we've got another elite player on the team. Does anyone remember him before he was drafted? He skated hard. 

Now, it may be that while he's in the NHL program he can't be dealt. I would think that Waddell would want him to be gone, and someone useful for him in Laine's place. He's got 2 years to prove he deserves another contract. If you get him at 1/2 price it could be a real bargain/value, and for at least this year, those are the kinds of things Guerin needs to think about. 

[Citizen Strife]

He hasn't played near a full season in five years.  I wouldn't want his contract bogging down even more of the Wild's issues.

[MrCheatachu]

18 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

but just about anyone in Columbus would get depressed

Have you ever been to Finland in the winter?  I had to go to Helsinki in November for 2 weeks, I can't imagine how it would be in Dec-Mar.  I can assure you, I was getting paid well less than $8.7M to do it.

18 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

CBJ would have to take half his salary, and we'd have to trade players to get the other half. I could see Gaudreau as one of those guys. He's probably got CBJ on his list, but that could change since it was pre-Evason. I'm not sure Johansson would willingly go there either, but that gets us to $4.1m.

As you have pointed out, Laine has far more upside than the 1-2 punch of FreddyG/MoJo.  If you're asking them to retain, you can't also ask them to pick up your scraps.  CBJ would effectively be paying $8.7M for FreddyG/Mojo in this scenario...which would be insane.

[mnfaninnc]

5 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

As you have pointed out, Laine has far more upside than the 1-2 punch of FreddyG/MoJo.  If you're asking them to retain, you can't also ask them to pick up your scraps.  CBJ would effectively be paying $8.7M for FreddyG/Mojo in this scenario...which would be insane.

These 2 guys are more cap dumps for us, but Freddy and Johansson could be useful for them. I realize that it would take more to obtain Laine, but am not sure which prospects or picks it would take. For me, I'd suggest a 2nd in 2025 and it will probably also require a prospect. I don't know where they stand on defense, but I'm thinking Peart would be my prospect. 

[Willy the poor boy]

18 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

What is it with Laine that everyone hates?

Is it perceived laziness?

Is it an attitude, perhaps an entitled one?

Is it a lack of talent?

Is it because he was a Jet?

Is it because of turtlenecks?

The guy is loaded with a shot and with talent. He had a mental breakdown in CBJ (which looking at the roster would question anyone of "how did I get here?") Yes, he'd be a reclamation project, but if you hit on him, wow can he help this group! He's a large RHS wing with a powerful shot. This is the type of player we are missing. Someone will unlock his 40 goal potential, he's only 26, and it could very well be a native countryman. 

European players think differently and country loyalty runs very deep with them. They are similar to Swedes who will do whatever role gets them a W. If Mikko can motivate him, a big if, we've got another elite player on the team. Does anyone remember him before he was drafted? He skated hard. 

Now, it may be that while he's in the NHL program he can't be dealt. I would think that Waddell would want him to be gone, and someone useful for him in Laine's place. He's got 2 years to prove he deserves another contract. If you get him at 1/2 price it could be a real bargain/value, and for at least this year, those are the kinds of things Guerin needs to think about. 

You've said his troubles started in Columbus, but I've heard they started in Winnipeg and that's why they traded him. He couldn't get along with the other players and that seems to have carried over to Columbus. Buyer beware.

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

You've said his troubles started in Columbus, but I've heard they started in Winnipeg and that's why they traded him. He couldn't get along with the other players and that seems to have carried over to Columbus. Buyer beware.

This is fair. Would you say a team that has some prominent Swedes on it and a FO Finland star would have a good chance at changing this narrative? If not that, who could do it?

[Willy the poor boy]

43 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

This is fair. Would you say a team that has some prominent Swedes on it and a FO Finland star would have a good chance at changing this narrative? If not that, who could do it?

I'm no psychologist, but I would think it would be hard to change your personality at this stage in life at least in a quick pace and especially in a highly competitive environment like a pro sports league. I don't think being around fellow countrymen would matter. 

[mnfaninnc]

17 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

I'm no psychologist, but I would think it would be hard to change your personality at this stage in life at least in a quick pace and especially in a highly competitive environment like a pro sports league. I don't think being around fellow countrymen would matter. 

Thanks for your perspective.

I wonder what is so dislikable about the guy?

[raithis]

Quote

prospects like Liam Öhgren, Marat Khusnutdinov, or perhaps even Riley Heidt may block out Gaudreau from such a role as soon as this season.

It's refreshing to see an article that isn't stating how the veterans are going to block the prospects. 

If they are good enough to shove a player down the depth chart, they will.  Every prospect who has shown they deserved to be here and could consistently back it up has stayed up.

Hell, I'd argue at least one of those players will do that in training camp.  I feel like it will be Ohgren personally, but we'll see what happens.  Freddy's definitely got to go into training camp as if he's trying to prove something or he'll get passed up.