Around the NHL - 2023 offseason edition

[Clam Jensen]

Helle is great

but for how long

Not 7 more years, sheesh

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It has nothing to do with the player, that's gonna end up being like Cory Schneider 2.0 for them. He's not gonna be the difference maker between a series v the Avs/Stars. They're gonna be stuck in purgatory in the West. It's shades of the Lou Devils, but hey it's not my team so I don't give the slightest f*** what WPG does. Good for their fans I guess not seeing 2 homegrown stars leave for once. But for the franchise's health, both are bad moves.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Not 7 more years, sheesh

8, including this year lmao

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

you dont see whats bad about giving a 31 year old goalie a 7 year deal?

alrighty then!

Right, it's like what we did with Cory here. Winnipeg won't sniff Cup contender status there, better off taking the futures and building around those guys but Canadian owners are a tough breed I guess.

 

[Mgd31]

Isn't Scheifele a pretty flawed player? Like terrible defensively and overrated offensively? Also had no idea he was 30, I thought was like 26

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Is Scheifele a pretty flawed player? Like terrible defensively and overrated offensively? Also had no idea he was 30, I thought was like 26

Yes

 

[Devs3cups]

Right, it's like what we did with Cory here. Winnipeg won't sniff Cup contender status there, better off taking the futures and building around those guys but Canadian owners are a tough breed I guess.

Similar, except that Cory was over 2 years younger when he signed his 7 year deal. So it's even worse imo.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Scheifele is pretty good today. Good offense, great finishing, zero defense.

Considering that offense falls off quickly, but defense tends to hang on longer, I'd be pretty worried about how this contract ages.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

you dont see whats bad about giving a 31 year old goalie a 7 year deal?

alrighty then!

So what I thought, all players over 30 are going to turn to dust in a year.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Horrible deals. They pretty clearly had Chevy bent over a barrel here, if he didn't cave and give them that term (which is the problem) they would walk for nothing.

I am glad we have nothing to do with that. We probably could have gotten him cheaper, but still.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

So what I thought, all players over 30 are going to turn to dust in a year.

They're not a Cup contender in the slightest definition of the word, they're also like the 4th best in the division currently. The Avs, Stars, and Wild are better than them. The Hawks rebuild is gonna take 2-3 years and they'll most likely be better. The Blues are arguably the most annoying team to play in that conference and are basically the Islanders West with how they play in the regular season v playoffs. It made no sense for them to extend them from a hockey perspective.

Horrible deals. They pretty clearly had Chevy bent over a barrel here, if he didn't cave and give them that term (which is the problem) they would walk for nothing.

I am glad we have nothing to do with that. We probably could have gotten him cheaper, but still.

Gonna end up be like Gaudreau 2.0 and how we got Timo when this team trades for Saros or Schmid becomes a stud. I have no worry Fitz will do the right thing if the goaltending collapses again for this team.

 

[Guttersniped]

Money talks people.

Honestly...I don't see what's so bad about them. I know we laugh about any player over 30 getting term but where's that money gonna go instead?

Nothing wrong with the Hellebuyck deal. I didn’t want us to give it to him, a bit too much risk, but this is market value.

People had some ridiculously low ball contract predictions for Helly, including the Jets fan in the trade thread where 1/3 of the posts were him berating Devils fans for not wanting their goalie enough. He had it at 5 years. In your f***ing dreams dude.

 

[HBK27]

I mean, good for Winnipeg fans for signing their long-time core players long-term...

...but oof, those contracts will probably get mighty ugly in a few years and I don't see Winnipeg really competing for a Cup during that timeframe.

Probably a good move on each player's part, as I doubt they were getting that big of a contract on the open market.

 

[JrFischer54]

you dont see whats bad about giving a 31 year old goalie a 7 year deal?

alrighty then!

i'm not commenting on the jets situation but if buck is really truly that much more of an improvement over the playoff version of our goalies last year then i 100% would be fine with the contract for the devils as a ufa. i dont care about the back end years if he would significantly increase our cup winning chances in the next 4 years sign me up. so yes as a franchise at some point you have to say screw the cap 7 years from now and just get the guy you need to try and win NOW. for the record im completely fine running it back with the duo we have but i wouldnt be opposed if fitz went out and got a goalie and paid him that much either.

 

[JrFischer54]

Right, it's like what we did with Cory here. Winnipeg won't sniff Cup contender status there, better off taking the futures and building around those guys but Canadian owners are a tough breed I guess.

the problem with this is the team will just continually be in a constant rebuild. players get to a certain point and walk because they don't want to play there. i don't think they are cup contenders either but hey thats why they play the games to find out. its a good deal for a small market franchise to keep their guys

 

[Saugus]

Isn't Scheifele a pretty flawed player? Like terrible defensively and overrated offensively? Also had no idea he was 30, I thought was like 26

Also has a reputation for being a jerk. Rumors of locker room issues have swirled around Winnipeg for years, and he's definitely one of the names that keeps coming up.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

i'm not commenting on the jets situation but if buck is really truly that much more of an improvement over the playoff version of our goalies last year then i 100% would be fine with the contract for the devils as a ufa. i dont care about the back end years if he would significantly increase our cup winning chances in the next 4 years sign me up. so yes as a franchise at some point you have to say screw the cap 7 years from now and just get the guy you need to try and win NOW.

Oh boy do I have a surprise for you if you think Hellebuyck was better in the playoffs last year than what we had.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

i'm not commenting on the jets situation but if buck is really truly that much more of an improvement over the playoff version of our goalies last year then i 100% would be fine with the contract for the devils as a ufa. i dont care about the back end years if he would significantly increase our cup winning chances in the next 4 years sign me up. so yes as a franchise at some point you have to say screw the cap 7 years from now and just get the guy you need to try and win NOW. for the record im completely fine running it back with the duo we have but i wouldnt be opposed if fitz went out and got a goalie and paid him that much either.

Akira Schmid in the playoffs last year had a .921 SV% and 2.35 GAA

how much better than that do you think that Hellebyuck would be, realistically?

 

[JrFischer54]

Oh boy do I have a surprise for you if you think Hellebuyck was better in the playoffs last year than what we had.

thats why i put if. IF fitz thinks he is and this isn't just about buck this goes for any ufa goalie similar age

Akira Schmid in the playoffs last year had a .921 SV% and 2.35 GAA

how much better than that do you think that Hellebyuck would be, realistically?

i agree thats why i'm fine running back with them and said if they implode again then looking elsewhere. i wouldn't be splitting hairs with age and salary at that point but you would be

 

[Guttersniped]

I have to admit, I find this pretty cool:

Screw the video, just show the picture. They’re f***ing adorable.

Instead of just pouring on gems they have a tiny arena inside. That’s the best championship ring ever.

 

[Bleedred]

Hellebuyck would have been sweet as a rental, but I wouldn't want anything to do with him on this contract, though it potentially could be fine early on.

But Hellebuyck is also at the same age that good ole' Cory Schneider fell off, as well as too many other goalies to name. It doesn't mean he will, but he'll likely be pretty not good by the end of this deal.

 

[Guadana]

Man fans really haven't grasped how elite player salaries, especially D-man salaries, haven't kept up with cap inflation.

Chara signed for 7.5M when the cap was 44M. Estimated cap next year ~87.5M. Chara would be making nearly 15M with a similar cap percentage. Lidstrom also signed that year, for even more.

Well maybe you say to me "Friend MasterofGrond, Dahlin is not as good as those players" to which I say, sure. Let's look at guys getting contracts right around 13% of the cap between the lockouts. 31 year old Bryan Mccabe, 32 year old Timonen, 32 year old Dan Boyle, Dion Phaneuf, Brian Campbell.

I mean, even without the benefit of hindsight, I'd rather have Dahlin than those guys at that point in their career right? People out here posting "well it's an overpayment right now, maybe it's ok if he grows into it while the cap goes up" smh.

its okay, hockey is changing, gms have better understanding how to manage their teams under the cap.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

They're not a Cup contender in the slightest definition of the word, they're also like the 4th best in the division currently. The Avs, Stars, and Wild are better than them. The Hawks rebuild is gonna take 2-3 years and they'll most likely be better. The Blues are arguably the most annoying team to play in that conference and are basically the Islanders West with how they play in the regular season v playoffs. It made no sense for them to extend them from a hockey perspective.



Gonna end up be like Gaudreau 2.0 and how we got Timo when this team trades for Saros or Schmid becomes a stud. I have no worry Fitz will do the right thing if the goaltending collapses again for this team.

I don't know True North's finances, but the whole "bottom out to rebuild" thing is what makes sense if you can absorb huge losses for a few years. Basically if your team is a billionaire's plaything and not the crown jewel of some private equity fund. That's turning into a huge competitive advantage in sports, how much money the owner has and how willing they are to accept short term pain.

In any case Winnipeg already signaled they aren't rebuilding, and have trouble keeping talent they do acquire, even if that talent is homegrown. These contracts are fine I say. Even if they turn so bad Winnipeg needs to rebuild the only way to rebuild is to ice a bad team and get high picks right? So they can play some old Jets legends for the fans while they bottom out. They don't need that cap space, since they won't be trying to sign UFAs, and need to hit the floor.

 

[Guadana]

Hellebuyck deal is sofreaking bad. Im so happy we are far away from it.

There are no good goalies after 32-33 years in NHL. Even Bobrovsky has only one good playoff from his deal and he was a better goalie.

that was his deal but that was idiotic deal for idiotic management. Or for manager who has only few years until being fired. Or for idiotic manager who has only few years until being fired.

 

[JrFischer54]

I don't know True North's finances, but the whole "bottom out to rebuild" thing is what makes sense if you can absorb huge losses for a few years. Basically if your team is a billionaire's plaything and not the crown jewel of some private equity fund. That's turning into a huge competitive advantage in sports, how much money the owner has and how willing they are to accept short term pain.

In any case Winnipeg already signaled they aren't rebuilding, and have trouble keeping talent they do acquire, even if that talent is homegrown. These contracts are fine I say. Even if they turn so bad Winnipeg needs to rebuild the only way to rebuild is to ice a bad team and get high picks right? So they can play some old Jets legends for the fans while they bottom out. They don't need that cap space, since they won't be trying to sign UFAs, and need to hit the floor.

lol i always say that about bad teams when people mention they dont have any cap space. like what are they going to do with it anyway if they are rebuildling?