A Big Free Agent Splash, Montour and Stephenson - Deep Dive Ep. 145 

I agree 100% with Dylan about Stephenson. Makes zero sense to block your francise players in Wright/Beniers from top 6 minutes. "hey youre the future, but go suffer as 3C/4C" That is not a stamp of approval. I'd love to be wrong on this one, but i can't think of one redeeming quality of this move. Absolute train wreck.

If RF was going to behave so out of character, I wish he had done it for the controversial ECH Pettersson offer sheet. 😂

can someone please check if ron francis got bodyswapped with an evil twin recently because it sure feels like that happened

I like the Montour deal, but the Stephenson one is meh because of the term

I hate the “cups in the room” argument so, so much. That just gets you a bunch of old guys who’ve probably taken a physical beating. They had 11 cups in their room last year (which would have tied for third among playoff teams) and it didn’t help them (or those teams).

I was waiting for this Deep Dive. I was so eager to hear your thoughts about these deals and damn I’m super disappointed about the Stevenson contract after hearing about the whole picture. Dylan I’ve never seen you look so frustrated and sad man air hugs buddy😢

Wow. I know you guys are amateurs, but shocked at your lack of knowledge about The Kraken. 1. Kraken want to be hard to play against. That means all 4 lines. 2. Moving Yanni to “4th line center” is a good situation to be in. Furthermore, it’s hilarious you think Yanni cares. Speaks again to your ignorance about Seattle and our players. 3. This isn’t a stat problem. The issue for the Kraken has been “how do you get guys like Stephenson and Montour in the room” when they aren’t available in the expansion draft? These types of players have been exactly what The Kraken have been missing in order to have this team get to the next level. 4. How do you evaluate and monetize the potential value of these additions when it comes to developing our young players? You mention this like it’s an afterthought, but it’s a huge factor for this young franchise. Especially with all the great young talent in the prospect pool. Who is going to set the example? Vince Dunn? Jared McCann? Awesome guys, but I don’t think them alone. It’s really unfortunate for you to allow analytics to cloud all the great potential upsides, especially with regard to how these additions might dramatically help the performance of the team as a whole. And that’s what Ron Francis, the actual pro GM, has to concern himself with.

Just catching up with this even though it was last week. I wish you could find a way to be more positive about incoming players. Maybe you don't like the contract, but I agree with the Vegas fan below, there are many positives to both of these guys. Dumping on them, especially Stephenson, is not a good look.

Finally, it would be very ironic if Stephenson does end up pushing Matty down the lineup, cause he was the one that took Matty’s spot in the All-Star game in 2023.

I agree with a lot said here, but I think this speaks to Ron and lots of GMs confidence that the cap is going to keep going up aggressively. After years of stagnation the cap is just going to keep going up, and I think in 5 years a good second line center is just going to cost 6 million.

If they’re going to slowly work Wright in behind a guy like Stephenson…. What was the point of hiring Bylsma? The coddling has got to stop. Play him, play him all the minutes he can handle. He’s literally the only difference maker who can pull this team out of the disaster that was last year. Too much pressure? Maybe, but they f&$#ed up letting Hakstol have any say on his development. Note how his draft compatriot just signed for 60$m. That’s got to sting. He’s 2 years from even being able to negotiate on that.

One other additional thing, the thing you guys mentioned about GM’s spending crazy amounts of money whenever the cap goes up, it’s not an NHL-only thing. The NBA in 2016 had a very similar problem, and that disastrous free agency class was a factor for the NBA’s parity struggles in the late 2010’s.

The Kraken had to improve the offense....Montour will help with the PP....Stevenson I believe will help with the PK.....I think this is an indictment of Beniers....hence, why I think there hasn't been a contract extension with Beniers.

Adding Stephenson was an investment in Shane Wright and Matty Beniers.

I am okay with the Montour contract. I think he holds value for 4 or 5 years assuming no major injuries. Worried about the Stephenson looking like a bad contract by next year...or possibly next Wednesday.

I think this just shows how much Ron is under this season as a GM

Vegas fan coming in peace, been a listener since I met RJ at the airport once lol. But I think you guys are too down on Stephenson. His speed, hockey IQ, and passing are are all elite. He also kills penalties. He was Vegas' 1C on some deep playoff runs and our 2C for the cup run. He makes the team better immediately. I do agree that there's a risk of blocking Wright and Berniers, which isn't good. And the term on the deal isn't ideal. But if you're looking to get back in the playoffs, your chances just went way up.

I think you fellas missed the main positive about Stephenson...he's a scratch golfer.

I think they put Wright on the wing and maybe have Matty center him while he can go next front. That way they both maintain top 6 minutes and create a lasting camaraderie. 🤷.

Totally with Dylan on Stephenson. Ron is truly a Seattle GM cause he’s acting like Jon Schneider with the Seahawks. Big splashy overpays to older guys past their prime to make up for what you aren’t nailing in the draft. This is a bummer of an off-season. Why expensive 7 year deals to older players when you have so many kids coming up? Why Ronnie?

I'm disappointed that you didn't talk about Catton. That kid is going to be a star in the NHL. I am a biased Spokane Chiefs fan.

Regardless of what we may think about these moves in a positive or negative light, these two signings signal that players still want to come here and that we’re still a great destination to go to.

Stephenson will be the most important player on the team next year. This is so much stock to put into a guy that doesn't really do anything well.

Why are you worried about the contract money? It's not our money... I don't care.. great that they got these players and didn't let them go elsewhere!

First! LFGSK!