Around the League '16-'17 Other Teams' Free Agent Frenzy

[Ziggy Stardust]

Again, you are comparing multiple players to 1 (goaltender).

And those examples prove that you don't have to spend so much on a goaltender.

Were Vernon, Osgood, Fleury, Niemi, Ward, Khabibulin, Crawford, Murray, etc., the best at their positions? They were good enough. Investing so much money in net isn't very wise, especially when they still have some significant holes to fill up front.

 

[Winger23]

Yeah like that powerhouse center Andy McDonald in 07? You're also comparing multiple players (centers) to 1. You changed the argument.

So you have to go back 10 years to find a weak center from a stacked team? I have to support the centers as being the most important part of the team. Price to me is worth no more than 8 million per year, I would have let him walk.

 

[HookKing]

So you have to go back 10 years to find a weak center from a stacked team? I have to support the centers as being the most important part of the team. Price to me is worth no more than 8 million per year, I would have let him walk.

Again, you are comparing multiple positions to 1. Moreover, teams can't just go out and find multiple great centers. 1 goaltender can make a huge difference. Does Montreal even make the playoffs without Price? Of course your team can win with good enough goaltending if you have enough skill elsewhere. Montreal doesn't. Not even close.

 

[HookKing]

And those examples prove that you don't have to spend so much on a goaltender.

Were Vernon, Osgood, Fleury, Niemi, Ward, Khabibulin, Crawford, Murray, etc., the best at their positions? They were good enough. Investing so much money in net isn't very wise, especially when they still have some significant holes to fill up front.

Were Kopitar, Toews, Krecji, McDonald the best at their positions? They were good enough. What was it Lombardi said about building from the back out?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Were Kopitar, Toews, Krecji, McDonald the best at their positions? They were good enough. What was it Lombardi said about building from the back out?

Yes, most of them were among the best centers in the league. The aforementioned goalies weren't considered to be among the best. Montreal doesn't even have an Andy McDonald like center, who at the time was a 70+ point center.

 

[Legionnaire]

Ever seen a team win a Cup with a crappy group of centers? I haven't.

New Jersey Devils?

 

[Legionnaire]

Yes, most of them were among the best centers in the league. The aforementioned goalies weren't considered to be among the best. Montreal doesn't even have an Andy McDonald like center, who at the time was a 70+ point center.

Well, Osgood is going to end up in the HHoF sooner or later so how bad could he be?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Well, Osgood is going to end up in the HHoF sooner or later so how bad could he be?

They've run out of names to induct. And he hasn't been inducted so I'm not sure what assumption you're going on. Is Corey Crawford a future HOF goalie as well?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

New Jersey Devils?

The 94-95 team that clutched, grabbed be trapped their way to a Cup? They didn't have any world beaters down the middle but they had a very balanced lineup. Broten, Holik, Carpenter, Dowd down the middle (lot of defensive specialists), Lemieux, Richer, MacLean, Guerin, McKay, Peluso, etc., on the wings, and Stevens, Niedermayer, Daneyko, Driver, Chambers and Albelin on the blueline. They were a better team when they won the Cup again in 2000 and 2003, and they also didn't completely rely on Martin Brodeur. FYI, Brodeur never won a Conn Smythe in his career.

 

[KINGS17]

It's funny watching Montreal fans defend the Price contract.

I didn't realize the object of the game was to find the best player at a single position, and then pay him the most money for a player playing said position.

Who cares about Stanley Cups when you have the best (and it's debatable) goalie in the world and he is the best paid goalie in the world.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

To be fair, Cup run Andy McDonald was surely a 1C, that was before he started getting concussed badly. near PPG for a two year stretch.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Quick's contract looks better every year it seems.

Price and Lundquist contracts are atrocious. Quick has the 11th highest cap hit of all goalies, behind Lehtonen and Varlamov even. Can be upset about his injuries, but his contract is a bargain in comparison.

 

[Brodeur]

New Jersey Devils?

We got lucky in '95 and squeezed out the last bit of usefulness from Neal Broten who was almost a point per game after being acquired. The overall depth of that forward group was better than most folks would remember.

The '03 team was a bit rough in SCF after Joe Nieuwendyk got hurt against Ottawa. Pascal Rheaume stepped up and played some big minutes against Anaheim. Mike Rupp had the game of his life in game 7 thankfully.

2000 team was beautiful though. Very easy to forget that the Devils led the league in goals in 2000-01. But for a few years, the Devils could score with the best of them.

 

[johnjm22]

Stars sign Radulov.

So far this off season they've added Radulov, Methot, Bishop, and Hanzal.

 

[jfont]

Stars sign Radulov.

So far this off season they've added Radulov, Methot, Bishop, and Hanzal.

Dallas will be solid this year..

 

[Keith Sweaty]

Dallas doing big thangs

 

[KINGS17]

Dallas upgraded by losing Sharp and adding Radulov.

Now they need to work on getting rid of Lehtonen and his almost $6M cap hit, but it's only one more year.

To do that they will have to go through the trade market in some kind of cap dump move. Question is what do they do with the cap space if they get it? Only way to continue to improve is via a trade.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Dallas upgraded by losing Sharp and adding Radulov.

Now they need to work on getting rid of Lehtonen and his almost $6M cap hit, but it's only one more year.

To do that they will have to go through the trade market in some kind of cap dump move. Question is what do they do with the cap space if they get it? Only way to continue to improve is via a trade.

They have 21 players under contract and still have $4M in space, though they still have to re-sign Faksa, Ritchie and Oleksiak. They could just ride out Lehtonen for the season and deal one of their excess dmen.

Worth noting that both Seguin and Spezza have two years remaining on their deals.

 

[KINGS17]

They have 21 players under contract and still have $4M in space, though they still have to re-sign Faksa, Ritchie and Oleksiak. They could just ride out Lehtonen for the season and deal one of their excess dmen.

Agreed, but just think of what they could do if they had Lehtonen's cap space and were willing to move a high-end prospect.

I see them doing something substantial at the trade deadline, or even earlier in the season, when their isn't much left to Lehtonen's contract.

Suppose Colorado is out of it again and they haven't moved Duchene yet. I could see something happening there with Lethonen for Duchene, if Dallas is willing to give up the right package.

EDIT: Regarding Spezza and Seguin, I think they could trade the Spezza contract in the next off season. Only one year remaining on it. Problem is though another dumb GM gave an NTC/NMC to Spezza.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Someone can really screw with Dallas if they offer sheeted Faksa at over $4M.

He's only 23 and made strides in his sophomore season.

 

[Martyros]

Is there a west coast team that didn't get better? Colorado and Winnipeg? Even Vancouver got a little better.

 

[Martyros]

New Jersey Devils?

What year? Scott Gomez, Bobby Holik, Jason Arnott, Nieuwendyk weren't crappy at all....Even in 95, Broten was solid.

 

[Bandit]

Wonder if Radulov in Dallas affects Nichushkin's desire to come back to Dallas at all, or if he even can at this point for the upcoming season?

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Wonder if Radulov in Dallas affects Nichushkin's desire to come back to Dallas at all, or if he even can at this point for the upcoming season?

Could probably use him as trade bait.

 

[KINGS17]

Interesting post over on the Edmonton board:

I honestly can't wrap my head around the situation.

McDavid clearly says team and cups important above all. His character suggests he is not just saying that but the rumors put him as the greediest sobs ever to play the game. With no regard for ever winning a cup, with Edmonton anyways.

The most elite, arrogant, and overpriced UFAs with long track records of success/cups only ask for 10.5... How clueless/classless is this kid? If the rumors are true anyways.

He could sign for 9mill for 8 years Make more than the best player in the game with similar term...

With the crazy numbers being tossed around for both McDavid and Leon there is absolutely no reason not to sign both to 4 year bridge deals at low dollars. Make them actually earn thier money. If they Excell and gets cups and we can get afford both moving forward. So be it. But signing them at those prices is going to hurt the team beyond imagination.

4 years for McDavid at 8 to 9 per year.

4 years for Leon at 6 to 7 per year.

Right now. With thier sample size. The cap situation expecting to flat line... that's all these two nucklheads are worth on a cup contender.

It's a zero sum game for the players. They only get 50% of the HRR no matter what. Every dollar the superstars take is a dollar out of a teammate's pocket. I see some interesting times coming in the NHLPA. We could even see some support for the idea of non-guaranteed contracts coming from players who are underpaid due to under performing superstars eating up too much cap space.