48 Comments
Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

Any interview I've heard, read, or seen I get the same impression. OEL is a decent person with a good soul. I'd root for him no matter what sweater he wore.

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Truth.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

I'd be sad if he leaves. He was a big factor why I became Coyotes fan many years ago. Before Doan's retirement I was sure he would be captain and spend entire career in the desert. I know owners and GMs don't care too much about emotions I do: I don't want to see him in another jersey. I still believe with a new coaching system which fits better to his playing stile he can be the player once he was.

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Wherever he ends up, I hope he finds his game again. It would make for a great story.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

This makes me sad, but I understand the biz. Thanks for your always awesome work, Craig.

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O is a really good dude. This side of the sport definitely sucks.

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He seems like a great guy and I hope things work out for him wherever he ends up next. But I’m a little frustrated that he’s now suddenly open to expanding his destination list, and was so rigid last off-season. There was actually a market for him then and the team probably could have got a decent return. I’m guessing this time around they’ll end up taking back whatever cap dump is least offensive, along with some token “asset”.

Thinking along the lines of Yandle and a 2nd from FLA. Or Gostisbehere and Patrick from PHI. Or Myers and a 2nd from VAN. That kind of thing.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

I am conflicted on this one. No question OEL has been awful for the last few years but his precipitous decline coincides with Coach Tocchet’s arrival. Since I can’t imagine he currently has any significant value on the trade market, and no team is going to take on his contract without quid pro quo, is it worth waiting a year to see if he can reset with a new coach? If he does get his game back (confidence is a powerful force) his trade value will be much much higher. If he doesn’t improve he will be a valuable asset in the quest for Shane Wright.

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No ideas how this plays out. As I wrote, this is not an easy trade to make.

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While BA isn't experienced in his current position, we are lucky that he has as many connections as he has. He's going to need them.

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That's why I was hoping Armsttong would fire Tocchet from the get-go. But alas, here we are.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

It seems to be the time that the team and OEL part ways for obvious reasons. If the ownership group wants you gone, it is inevitable that will happen. With the team already down to just three D-men with contacts for next season, the Coyotes blueline will have a whole new look. Maybe GMBA can swing a deal for a defenseman to replace OEL… Hamilton and Jones are out there. It’s really too bad about OEL and I’m sure most Coyotes fans wish him well.

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They won't be pursuing Hamilton or Jones. The time is not right for that, but he will dip into free agency to help fill out the blue line.

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It seems the way things go... perhaps neither of them even want to come to AZ. Until we get a winning culture here, attracting free agents is difficult and the only attraction is the nice weather. Do the Coyotes NEED a star quality player like Jones or Hamilton? ABSOLUTELY!

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Hoping for Oleksiak and/or Hakanpaa. Our blueline has lacked that size/grit combo for too long. I miss the Jovo, Morris, Aucoin days of big, tough, nasty blue liners.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

I figured this would start coming out. I was really hoping a change in coaching and maybe a loss of thr C would really help OEL refocus and have a return to form. You could see it before he got injured, and after he said that ...I don't know what I'm doing... quote. He was focused and decisive for the most part.

Have to figure, whatever trade happens, the one that's most favorable for the Coyotes will likely involve the yotes retaining salary, and getting some form of picks/prospects back. But I have no idea what the value would be cause those last couple seasons really hurt the value.

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Yeah, again, this is a tough deal to make.

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

Question about NMCs: If a player agrees to waive his NMC to go to one team, does the NMC then continue with the new team even though he agreed to waive it to go there? Let's say a team like Winnipeg actually really wanted OEL but he was unwilling to go there. Could a 3rd team, say Vancouver, get involved where OEL waives his NMC to go to Vancouver only to have them immediately send him to Winnipeg now that he's waived the clause???

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They altered that rule in the last CBA so that NMCs and NTCs now transfer.

Derek Stepan referenced it in a recent interview. He got burned by it because his deal fell under the previous CBA so his clause did not transfer.

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2020/07/examining-some-major-cba-changes.html

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Jun 20, 2021Liked by Craig Morgan

Thanks Craig. Step's interview is actually what made me think of that issue. I'm sure when he signed that deal with the Rangers that he thought there was no way on earth he'd end up on Ottawa.

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He had a more bizarre year than most.

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He still has NMC in this case. Every future transaction is up to his agreement.

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Thanks Craig. Well soon see how determined the desire is for change within the organization. A little quiet so far.

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I think things will ramp up very soon here.

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The fact is some people are leaders and some are not ... #squarepegroundhole . I have no doubt, without the pressure of wearing the C, #23 will again become a very good NHL Dman, with another team. He is a good egg!

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I had wondered last year if the Canucks would consider making Myers part of the return. He's on a hefty contract of his own, but slightly less. And at least he'd give us some size on the back end.

Also, I feel like the veteran entitlement thing in the league is really overblown. OEL has a NMC, but that's the only reason he should get a say. His declining play and failure to even come close to justifying his contract means he should be happy to land anywhere. But alas, NHLers have it different...

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Brandon, he was given the NMC as a reward for his years of play before, not his last few. He is not entitled, he earned it NMC in Chayka's eyes. Last year he used it to his advantage to stay in Phx. It seems now he is willing to waive it for more teams. Its his right to use the NMC to his advantage. If you think he is entitled, I would say put the blame on the former GM who gave it to him. I would hop e that team management is not so focused on salaries when making decisions about players, but it seems they are. Does not bode well for the future success of the team. Are the Coyotes going to be a team of 3rd line pluggers to keep contracts down at 65 mil or so? i hope not.

I am a bit surprised that this is coming out now before a coach is named. GMBA has enough on his plate trying to find the best coach without worrying about dumping OEL for less than value. Probably best that he start over with another team, but just sad, he could have been a face on the Mt Rushmore of Coyotes along with Doan and a few others at some point in the future.

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Sorry, I wasn't speaking to his entitlement. I was referring to Craig's comment about how as a veteran, he's entitled to choose where he plays, which won't be Winnipeg. I disagree that just because you're a veteran, you have the right to be pickier than a younger player. Priviliged should come with play, not simply for hanging on in the league. So my comment was more about the whole mentality that veterans have somehow "earned" something rather than OEL exercising his NMC. Although speaking of contracts, as far as I'm concerned, OEL has reneged on his. Failure to play at an agreed upon level is, in my opinion, no different than the team "forgetting" to pay him now and again.

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I can agree its part of the game to be traded and it happens now a lot more than it used to due to the salary cap. So, players are always aware of it. But when a player has a NMC, NTC or whatever in his contract, he deserves the chance to use it with no criticism. A GM offered it to him, would he be a fool to not accept it?

On the contract, I suspect the GM's would love to put a base performance clause in a contract and penalize if the performance is not reached. But, its not happening. The PA will never go along with it. I've seen players get injured in year 1 or 2 of a multi year contract and they get paid. Would you not want them paid also? Just curious.

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I would say that's different. Performance clauses could go by a per game average, pending a minimum number of games played. Maybe even contracts would stipulate one would have to fail to meet those parameters for x number of seasons because hey, stuff does happen. But you're right, we'll never see that unless players all get substantial raises.

Again, I'm not criticizing OEL exercising his NMC, although I do think he has a moral obligation to open things up, but he (or most likely, his agent) may disagree. What I was criticizing was the more general notion that players have "earned" special consideration simply by managing to stick around the league for x number of years. Anyway, let's just hope this all gets resolved soon and that we don't have this looking for months.

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I suspect OEL will be more open to a trade now for several reasons 1) he knows he hasn't played up to what he has and a fresh start will be good 2) he knows the Coyotes are gonna be spinning there wheels through another rebuild. He is in the drivers seat, he can basically decide where he goes and that's a great position to be in. No Buffalo or Detroit for him. I suspect a lot of the team would like to be in his shoes now.

Really though, they need to decide on a coach before doing major player moves. Involve the coach in these decisions to a degree.

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I agree wholeheartedly. But coach or not, ownership wants him gone. That trumps the coach and even BA.

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If he doesn't end up going, it's going to be interesting to see how things go with Söderström, as OEL's not had a partner who can carry the play in some years. I think any one who tries to acquire him is going put him in an advantageous setup. I'd be interested in hearing the thoughts of whomever is hired on as the next coach should that occur before this potential trade.

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I know you have dismissed speculation about it before, Craig, but other teams have stripped players of captaincy while keeping them on the roster. The Sharks did it to Patrick Marleau, who stayed another 8 years. Dustin Brown is still with the Kings having been removed as captain in favor of Anze Kopitar 5 years ago. I know his recent production numbers look bad, but wouldn’t the Coyotes be foolish to send him away without at least giving him the opportunity to skate without the C?

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I feel like his decline goes beyond having the captaincy. Heck, even before he formally got it, his play declined. There are many issues to this: a coach he didn't jive with, the loss of his mother, etc. It's going to be a long way back for him, but this is probably a necessary step.

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I’m assuming his value is pretty low. Maybe a cap-dump and a pick? Something like Loui Eriksson and 40th overall?

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There are rumours Eriksson may be bought out anyway. He's almost more dead weight than OEL. Teams trading for OEL are hoping he can provide some return: I'd expect the Coyotes to be hoping for the same.

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OEL is about 2 years away from having to be worst contract in the NHL. Eriksson will be off the books by then. This would be BA exploring a desperate Benning who can’t afford to worry about 2 years from now and is one slow start away from termination.

OEL is a useful player and will almost certainly benefit from a change of scenery. Make no mistake, however, his contract is an absolute boat anchor. He’s owed $10.5m in real dollars next season. That’s almost 16% of the internal player budget (assuming $68m). Just getting rid of that cash and being able to sign two meaningful UFAs is worth it.

I’d bet you a large sum of money that If BA could simply tear up OEL’s contract, he’d do it in an instant.

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I'd question whether it is, in fact, the worst contract in the league in terms of dollars and term. But we really shouldn't be saying negative things. Rival GMs may be reading this. We should start defending OEL en masse to change the narrative. BA and CM don't know what they're talking about ;)

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I'd love to see OEL under a new coach, but I'd can't fault trying to ditch that contract. Very interesting decision forthcoming.

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Package Kuemper, Kessel and OEL to Edmonton. Solves most of their problems. Send us a #1, Neal, Koskinen, Yamamoto and one of their young defenseman.

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Jesus I hope this is a joke

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No joke. Leaves us a goalie who will lead us to a #1 pick, gets rid of some ridiculous salary commitments, gets some young blood in the system and Neal" s contract much sooner than OELs.

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I'd like to think that OEL, Kessel, and Kuemper could get us more than two salary dumps, a young complementary player, and a late first-round pick.

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OEL is worth about net zero. Kuemper and Kessel are each worth approximately a pick in the 50s.

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You're forgetting the young defenseman either Bouchard of Broberg.

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I'm still skeptical. I don't think we'd see Kessel and OEL moved in the same deal. Too much money. We'd immediately get less return as a result. Honestly, if the Oilers offered Neal, Koskinen, and either of Yamamoto or one of their defensive prospects for OEL alone I don't think I'd bite.

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If we can get a #1, Yamamoto and Bouchard for Kuemper , Kessel and OEL. We're just eating Neal and Koskinen contracts. But they are both means to the first overall pick in 2022. Embrace the race to #1.

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