Something doesn't add up to the abrupt retirement of Barry Trotz as the GM of the Nashville Predators unless there was a meeting and decisions and whatever couldn't be reached or settled. Am I wrong? Or have you heard anything? -- @MatthewWil5345
I don't think there is anything fishy going on in Nashville. This to me seems quite simple. Trotz, a 63-year-old family man who has been in the game for four decades, realizes he's done a lot and can retire with a good conscience and still a healthy life to live. He's basically doing what everyone should aspire to do, leave on his own terms.
Trotz, Predators chairman Bill Haslam and CEO Sean Henry were up front about it all in the press conference Monday. Trotz was emotional but most importantly, he's also respectful of the job, understands the importance of time required to search for the right candidate to replace him, and is willing to work through the end of this season to ensure continuity while the Predators go through that search.
The timing makes a lot of sense. Trotz will work through this season, which can lead to a seamless transition to whomever the new general manager is going to be. If the Predators find that GM before this season ends, it will give Trotz the ability to pass the torch, so to speak, in a fluid and not rushed way. It's important that Trotz gave the Predators an end date months in advance. It's important that this is not an abrupt end to his tenure as GM and the Predators have to have an interim GM in his place.
Can GMs negotiate/agree to trades while the roster is frozen and then just announce them officially when it un-freezes? Could even give a player(s) a head start getting to know a new city and get settled. -- @TheRealHighley
The answer to both questions is yes, with some caveats, of course.
There is nothing that can prevent teams from working on trades during the roster freeze, which begins at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday and runs through 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 22. In fact, I expect there will be a lot of talking among general managers throughout the roster freeze, and probably some trades that are made unofficially and announced Feb. 23, or shortly after provided they are approved by the NHL, but nothing can be put on paper until the freeze is lifted. A player's rights will remain with the team he is on when the freeze goes into effect.
In reality, there is also nothing that can prevent a team from unofficially notifying a player and/or his agent that he is going to be traded when the freeze is lifted, but that's as much of a heads up he can receive. The player can choose to move to the new market on his own, but he will not be allowed any "benefits" provided by the team. He will not be given any moving stipends that could be negotiated into the deal until the trade is made official. Similarly, he is prohibited from using the facilities of the team acquiring him until the trade is made official. And if he is not at the Olympics, he must return to the club he plays for at the time of the freeze when practices resume Feb. 17. Remember, his rights will still belong to that team, and he could be in breach of contract if he doesn't return in time.
Any right-handed defensemen available in talks who the Penguins could pursue? -- @TopesWriter
This will be an interesting test of GM Kyle Dubas and the Pittsburgh Penguins' willingness to stick with the original plan this season of competing now while keeping the focus on the future.
Kris Letang is injured, out a minimum of four weeks with a fractured foot, but don't forget that includes about three weeks with no games because of the Olympic break. It's possible Letang could miss only five or six games, but his injury still leaves the Penguins thin on the right side of their defense. They have Erik Karlsson and Connor Clifton, but that's it without Letang. With or without Letang, depth on the right side of the blue line is an area of need for a team that has put itself in contention to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But where do the Penguins turn for it?
Among the top right-shot defensemen who could be available are Dougie Hamilton (New Jersey Devils), Braden Schneider (New York Rangers), Luke Schenn (Winnipeg Jets), Connor Murphy (Chicago Blackhawks), Justin Faulk (St. Louis Blues) and Nick Jensen (Ottawa Senators). It's a strong list, but the Penguins are likely not seeking a rental for assets, so you can probably eliminate Murphy, Schenn and Jensen. They're pending unrestricted free agents. Maybe Murphy is willing to come with a contract extension that could be enticing. He's 32 years old. Schenn is 36 and Jensen is 35. They don't fit the Penguins' theme of getting better in the short and long term.
Hamilton is 32 and has two years remaining on his contract with an average annual value of $9 million. Faulk is 33 with one year left on his deal, a $6.5 million AAV. They're not unreasonable to consider, but the Penguins are still building for the future while competing now, so the goal it seems would be to go younger, especially with Letang, 38, and Karlsson, 35, as their top two right-shot defensemen.
So that brings us to Schneider, who is 24 and a pending restricted free agent. He fits age-wise and with what the Penguins are likely in the market for being that he's physical, has size (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) and mobility, is a defense-first defenseman, has playoff experience and knows coach Dan Muse well. Muse was an assistant with the Rangers the previous two seasons.
The Rangers know all of that too, which is why the asking price for Schneider is expected to be high. The Penguins would have to give up future assets to get him, but they're also a team that is continuing to build for the future. It's a bit of a conundrum.
Do you have any clue when Igor Shesterkin will return? Pyotr Kochetkov is done. Thatcher Demko is done due to hip injury/surgery. Is it realistic that Shesterkin can return after the Olympic break, or do you think he might be done for the season too? -- @Haldol25
Shesterkin (lower body) has been skating on his own, Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. The next step is for the goalie to return to the full team practice. He hasn't done that yet. The Rangers will practice Wednesday and have a morning skate before playing the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The Olympic break begins for them when that game ends.
It's a good sign that Shesterkin is skating on his own and if he doesn't return to practice Wednesday or the morning skate Thursday, it's possible he might be ready to rejoin the team for practice when it returns Feb. 17, albeit without Sullivan, assistant David Quinn, and forwards Mika Zibanejad, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck. They will all be at the Olympics.
Shesterkin was placed on injured reserve, not long-term injured reserve. The Rangers have not stated that his injury is or could be season ending, so there's no reason to jump to that conclusion. That they're at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings should not impact the decision to have Shesterkin resume playing if he is healthy.
