Confirmed with Link: Canucks re-sign F Drew O'Connor to 2-Year, $5M Deal ($2.5M AAV)

[Mr. Canucklehead]

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[Mr. Canucklehead]

Figured this deserved its own thread.

Nice signing, solid value. O'Connor seems like a good fit with what the Canucks are envisioning for the forward group moving forward - big, mobile players.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

I like that mgmt is getting their business out of the way early.

 

[Nucker101]

Only turns 27 this year, I think I would've gone 3 years but this is fine too.

 

[TruGr1t]

Paid a touch of a pending-UFA premium, but worthwhile to lock-up a piece of that trade who has looked pretty good since arriving.

 

[StreetHawk]

Paid a touch of a pending-UFA premium, but worthwhile to lock-up a piece of that trade who has looked pretty good since arriving.

Yeah, they do have some cap tied up in the bottom 6 with Joshua, Sherwood, Bleuger and now O'Connor.
That's like $9 mill between these 4, so an AAV of $2.25 mill per. Going to need Raty and someone else to come in under $1 mill each.

 

[credulous]

seems alright but i don't understand why this management group is so eager to throw money at bottom of the lineup guys who have 5 good games. i would have waited until the offseason. it's possible that money could be put to better use and i don't think the risk of losing o'connor is really relevant

 

[Josepho]

He's been good but I expected an AAV closer to 2.

 

[ziploc]

Yeah, they do have some cap tied up in the bottom 6 with Joshua, Sherwood, Bleuger and now O'Connor.
That's like $9 mill between these 4, so an AAV of $2.25 mill per. Going to need Raty and someone else to come in under $1 mill each.

The good news is that there is a lot of speed and grit there, and they aren't ancient of days. Should be tough to play against and can pot goals as well. Would obviously look a lot better if/once Joshua gets his game back.

 

[Bgav]

everyone getting signed but boeser. goodbye sweet prince

 

[StreetHawk]

everyone getting signed but boeser. goodbye sweet prince

He's the hardest one given the expected cap number and term. Term being the big sticking point would be my guess. Not a great skater, so unless they feel he processes the game fast like Paveski (who was a worse skater), have to consider the term. See if something gets done or not.

 

[Quinning]

The cap hit is a bit suspect and these guys tend to coast a bit once they are locked up. They play best when they are scrapping for their next contract.

I guess we'll see. It's only two years either way.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

Only two years makes it quite palatable. Will be interesting to see how he is going forward.

 

[Vector]

I really like this contract. Pretty much right in-line with what he would get in a free agent but maybe a year less. Higher AAV due to increasing cap but otherwise the same contract that they've given to Suter, Blueger, and Sherwood.

 

[bobbyb2009]

He's been good but I expected an AAV closer to 2.

Me too. Closer to 2 but under, like 1.5-1.75. I like what I have seen so far from the player, but energy guys often can't sustain and become replaceable. With Joshua as the 3LW, DOC is the 4LW on this team if we can be competitive. Seems like a little too much to me and reminds me of Benning deals where it was always a little too high by 500K-1M and then added up to a death by a thousand cuts. And now there is this comparable contract for guys like Sherwood to use for negotiation. But a bottom 6 that has Sherwood, Joshua, DOC, and Bleuger types, is a pretty darn solid look. If Garland and Super remain as 3rd line types, that is a pretty darn useful bottom 6 IMO. But what does that leave for $$ to keep QH and built a top 6?

 

[ProviesGhost]

Wait, is it Friday already?

 

[StreetHawk]

Will always be cycling through the bottom 6. Guys are only getting 2 year deals save for Joshua due to his size. Suter, Heinen, etc. got short term deals.

 

[bobbyb2009]

I really like this contract. Pretty much right in-line with what he would get in a free agent but maybe a year less. Higher AAV due to increasing cap but otherwise the same contract that they've given to Suter, Blueger, and Sherwood.

Aren't Suter and Bleuger on 1.6 and 1.8m Deals? Did the cap go up 50%? Because the difference between those deals and 2.5 is approx 50%. And is DOC as valuable as Bleuger and Suter (and Sherwood at 1.5)? So, the cap goes up 12%- if DOC was of the same Value, he would be making what, approx 1.75-2 due to the increase? Is he of greater value? Serious question....

 

[arttk]

everyone getting signed but boeser. goodbye sweet prince

pretty sure he would be signed if he is asking for 2 years term

 

[Vector]

Aren't Suter and Bleuger on 1.6 and 1.8m Deals? Did the cap go up 50%? Because the difference between those deals and 2.5 is approx 50%. And is DOC as valuable as Bleuger and Suter (and Sherwood at 1.5)? So, the cap goes up 12%- if DOC was of the same Value, he would be making what, approx 1.75-2 due to the increase? Is he of greater value? Serious question....

He surpasses all of those contracts but it's not a big jump. Here's all these players and the percentage of the cap they were and will be taking up:

Blueger = 2% & 1.9%
Sherwood = 1.7% & 1.6%
Suter = 1.9% & 1.8%
O'Connor = 2.6% & 2.4%

 

[sting101]

MOOOAAR GRINDERS

Hopefully it's a sign and trade in a package for a top6C

 

[Baby Pettersson]

Dude has been one of the team's best forwards since we acquired him. Fits in like a glove. So I'm happy with this deal. Also makes the trade solid now that we locked the 2 pieces up.

 

[Bleach Clean]

seems alright but i don't understand why this management group is so eager to throw money at bottom of the lineup guys who have 5 good games. i would have waited until the offseason. it's possible that money could be put to better use and i don't think the risk of losing o'connor is really relevant

They are targeting big and fast players. In a flat cap environment, I would agree, wait. In a rising cap environment, best to re-sign these trait-based players early.

I'm just not a fan of the cap hit, but it's manageable.

 

[beachcomber]

seems alright but i don't understand why this management group is so eager to throw money at bottom of the lineup guys who have 5 good games. i would have waited until the offseason. it's possible that money could be put to better use and i don't think the risk of losing o'connor is really relevant

Size and speed. Can't have enough of it. If it means we are nearing the end of having to watch ineffective plodders like Bains, Karlsson etc then I'm all for it. He can play up and down the lineup. Good signing.

 

[sensodyne17]

That MPetey trade now looks like a massive haul. Initial reactions about giving up the first round pick looks stupid again (like Hronek)... BUT WHY DID WE PAY A FIRST ROUNDER FOR TWO UFAS?? As if management didn't target these players directly and had extensions lined up.

DOC had 16 goals, 33 points last year and has 8 goals, 18 points in 57 games so far. Standard contract for a bottom six forward, but most importantly, he fits the profile of the team that they are trying to build. Younger, faster, bigger.

That first round pick (and Fernstrom) got:

Marcus Pettersson #2 LD (now locked up for six years)
DOC Bottom Six F (now locked up for two more years)

Got rid of two bad contracts totaling in $4.25M cap next year:
Vincent Desharnais (should not be on a NHL roster that is looking to compete... signing never made sense)
Danton Heinen (just a no event player... no size, no speed, no scoring - a ghost on most nights)

Great use of that first rounder - much better use of a first rounder compared to using it on rentals like Lindholm. Using first round picks for rentals is not a viable strategy for a team in our competitive cycle, especially when the organization is asset depleted. Imagine we used that first and a prospect for Guentzel and re-signed him instead of using that money for Debrusk, Heinen, Desharnais (9M). Team would be substantially better.