Player Discussion Joel Armia - Your favorite Finnish player Edition

[ahmedou]

Empty net GOAT

 

[Hoochi Papa]

Yeah I'm really not sold on retaining the services of the 32 year old who's only had 1.5 good seasons out of his most recent 4 year contract. Oh and he happens to be in a contract year right now.

I like Armia plenty and his recent form is exciting but Hughes is paid to manage assets and he needs to 'manage' to replace Armia with a younger, faster option even if it costs draft picks or futures. Armia's had a lot of bad games too. A lot.

Armia and Evans should happily chase the bag as FAs and I wish them well in their pursuit.

Pay for the skill, not will. It would be a very Bozovin thing to keep Armia and Evans at market value. It was this kind of deals that clogged the Canadiens' cap. After the 2021 extension, we saw Armia's true colours. He had an elite salary for a 4th line player, and most of the time he was a liability.

The same could happen with Evans. I don't feel comfortable paying him based on a contract year. If the combined salaries of Armia and Evans are 7-8 million, it will be a problem sooner or later. Based on Gallagher, it could be a problem as soon as the ink is dry.

Great players to have when they're relatively young and the price is right. But it's the type of deal you move on once contract has expired and let Islanders pay them in free agency. Armia proved it already. Kudos to them for being this good but if it's bottom-6 players that your team is missing, you're not doing it right. Overpay for Rantanen and let youngsters, borderline NHL players, veterans on PTO and less exciting free agents willing to play close to a minimum show what they got.

When Armia had one of the best 4th lines I've seen a while with Corey Perry and Eric Staal, BargainBin rewarded Armia, instead realizing that there are veteran players who are willing to change their role and play for peanuts to remain relevant. It was the skillset of Perry and Staal that made it so special. You could tell they still had a lot of offensive talent left while grinding with a grit. That is the type of player Montréal should search for.

 

[EXPOS123]

Pay for the skill, not will. It would be a very Bozovin thing to keep Armia and Evans at market value. It was this kind of deals that clogged the Canadiens' cap. After the 2021 extension, we saw Armia's true colours. He had an elite salary for a 4th line player, and most of the time he was a liability.

The same could happen with Evans. I don't feel comfortable paying him based on a contract year. If the combined salaries of Armia and Evans are 7-8 million, it will be a problem sooner or later. Based on Gallagher, it could be a problem as soon as the ink is dry.

Great players to have when they're relatively young and the price is right. But it's the type of deal you move on once contract has expired and let Islanders pay them in free agency. Armia proved it already. Kudos to them for being this good but if it's bottom-6 players that your team is missing, you're not doing it right. Overpay for Rantanen and let youngsters, borderline NHL players, veterans on PTO and less exciting free agents willing to play close to a minimum show what they got.

Great post - totally agree