Cut 5

[Assistant GM]

Thank you for all the feedback. This is kind of what I was thinking.
Goaltending is extremely tough to come by in our pool via trade and extremely important to be competitive. I was hoping for more ‘I think Murray can bounce back’ comments. We are in the midst of our 2022 draft, which we draft players not in our league yet and draft eligible players (no pick ups during the season). I have 1 pick remaining and I’d like to grab a prospect goalie. I’m thinking annunen (col) or skinner (edm). There are longer term prospects with higher upsides, but I hate waiting 5 years and taking up roster space on a player that might never realize their potential.
Thanks again for the help.

[Eskimo Brother]

Annunen would be my pick of the two there.

[Smurf54]

I was on the "Murray will bounce back" train a couple of years ago when he first arrived in Ottawa. But I've lost any faith in that happening at this point.

Of the two prospects you mentioned, I definitely think that Annunen has the higher ceiling. But I also think he has a longer road to the NHL. So while he's worth stashing for the future, you really need someone who can play now. Skinner could fit that bill, depending on what happens with the goaltending situation in Edmonton (with Koskinen gone, the path is there for him to become a 1B behind Smith, or whoever they bring in if he retires).

[stevegamer]

My 5 cuts:

Tatar & Comtois - You have plenty of better LW options

Elliott - yes he's on Tampa, and you could do well if Vas gets hurt. However, if Vas gets hurt, they go get a better goalie.

Murray - This guy has been overrated for so long. He needs Ottawa to turn into a powerhouse, and himself to turn into an average NHL starter. last year he was mediocre, and that's his 2nd best year in the last 5. He's NHL backup quality with injury issues. Yes, I think dreidger has more of a chance to be his teams starter. However, if you think Murray has trade value in any way, shape, or form, keep him & drop Dreidger.

Last drop is probably Jokiharju, but I am not super thrilled about being so light on D.

[Assistant GM]

Update. I saw this thread was a part of the most recent ‘Forum Buzz’ article and wanted to post an update.
I was able to make a move to acquire Binnington for Eklund and Sandin. This was before Husso was traded to Detroit. So, I got lucky in the goaltending department with the Murray trade and Binnington becoming the undisputed #1 again. I then used my last pick in our draft to select Annunen.
After my trade, I only needed to drop 4 players.
Goodbye to Tatar, Elliott, Dreidger and Jokiharju.
Thanks again to the forum for your feedback and Rick Roos for his typical well written and in depth article.

[Feenom]

Middlestat
Tatar
Elliot
Jokijarhu
Greenway/Tolvanen

I am giving Comtois another shot, Murray has value if he's healthy. Tolvanaen is the guy I was thinking about with Greenway. I feel Greenway will get more ice time now that the cap crunch is in Minny. Nino's signing has me worried about Tolvanen. Good luck.

UPDATE: just saw the date.....