Confirmed Signing with Link: [LAK] F Alex Turcotte signs extension with the Kings (3 years, $775k AAV)

[Patagonia]

Safe and tradeable deal. Financial security for the player. Doubtful in justifying his draft status, but young enough on recovering to get a bigger deal after 3 years.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

2019 draft was lame, Jack Hughes - then everyone else. Lots of fringe chumps taken in that 1st round.

Certainly for the CHL (and particularly the OHL and QMJHL) it was. Cozzens, Byram and Dach the top three picks from major junior. Surrounded by a bunch of guys from the NTDP (Hughes, Caufield, Zegras, York, Boldy, and Spencer Knight) and the aforementioned Seider.

 

[Paper]

What a bizarre contract to sign if you're Turcotte. Like, unless you have absolutely zero confidence in your ability to stay healthy and improve, why would you take this to 3 years at "minimum wage"? Just wild to take the security of 3 years guaranteed, over the potential of even just improving to an "NHL caliber player" by the third year of the duration of that deal, for an additional $300k or so, at least. Especially as a prospect with his sort of draft pedigree.

League minimum is $750,000 in the NHL but peanuts in the AHL.

Last season he spent roughly 66% of the season in the AHL with his $70,000 salary. So despite having a $894,167 magical cap hit, he made closer to the vicinity of $330,000 in actual cash.

Currently CapFriendly is reporting $150,000, $775,000 and $775,000 AHL salary. (So not one-way in his first year).

But that means if he were to stay in the AHL 66% of the time on this contract, he would make $358,000 next year, still more than he made this year, and guaranteed an additional 1.55M in the next 2 years for $1.9M total. Significantly more than if he signed a 2-way contract for say $900,000 NHL salary and $90,000 AHL salary and played there 66% of the time ($1.1M total).

Of course he's hoping to become an NHL regular, but the additional $375,000 he would make if he was playing 100% with a $900,000/$90,000 contract doesn't outweigh risking $1.4M if he became a full-time AHLer. And if he does become a full-time NHLer then he'll get paid next contract anyways.

Meanwhile it helps him stay in the NHL as they don't want to be paying a huge AHL salary, so they're rather a two-way contract in the AHL with everything else equal and it never hurts to have a small cap hit when they are trying to build their roster.

EDIT: Numbers got changed on CapFriendly, think it's correct now.

 

[slappipappi]

I guess he doesn't believe in himself that much and wanted security.

This is under the QO he would have received.

I recall when Bickell signed a similar deal with Chicago some years back. It basically guaranteed him playing time, and if he produced the Hawks got a bargain. It gave Chicago every reason to play him. I expect Turcotte wants playing time and gave the kings every reason to give it to him.

Bickell proved himself and got a 4 year $16MM extension.

 

[Treb]

I recall when Bickell signed a similar deal with Chicago some years back. It basically guaranteed him playing time, and if he produced the Hawks got a bargain. It gave Chicago every reason to play him. I expect Turcotte wants playing time and gave the kings every reason to give it to him.

Bickell proved himself and got a 4 year $16MM extension.

Bickell wasn't a 5th overall just coming off his ELC. He had signed a 1 year deal in between.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Uhhh, does Moritz Seider ring a bell at all?

Chump.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

Wao so cheap!!

GM Rob Blake really is hitting it out of the park recently.

 

[bland]

The two-way for year one is a "show me" incentive for Turcotte to make the requested gains over the summer and claim his spot. Years two and three are to deter another organization from claiming him should they decide to risk waiving him at the end of camp.

Turcotte was taken out of college early with some wondering in retrospect if it was his agent trying to get him to sign his ELC as early as possible so his frail nature wouldn’t prevent him from earning any money out of hockey at all.

This is a smart, ultra competitive kid with good wheels who specializes in high speed connectivity. Pucks move up ice and into dangerous areas at pace and with consistency. His touch on the puck hasn't developed to what you would hope for a top 5 pick, but it isn't poor. His shooting skills are adequate, but not a strength of his game.

The downside is that the injuries and fear of more have taken some of the intensity out of his game, and it's that intensity that covered for the lack of elite skill and made him such a valuable asset.

Still don't know what to expect out of Turcotte, and it's one of the most interesting things to look forward to out of what looks like another black hole season. The Kings are showing that they are willing to be as patient as it takes with the three year commitment. Just wish they knew how to develop and use players at his level.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Wao so cheap!!

GM Rob Blake really is hitting it out of the park recently.

We all wish we had a Rob blake

 

[funky]

We all wish we had a Rob blake

I am sure, 99% of Kings fans would drive Blake to your city and leave him for you

 

[bland]

We all wish we had a Rob blake

He is the worst GM in team's history, have at him.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

When Blake was in San Jose, he did everything right. Consummate pro, perfect mentor, even better human being.

LA fans are so unkind to him. The man just got rid of PLD's nightmare contract! And signed a top-5 pick to less than 800k a year!

Blake was also at Patrick Marleau's retirement ceremony. Gosh I loveBlakey.

 

[kilowatt]

I think Turcotte is betting on himself. What he needs more than anything is to play games in the NHL, and this all but confirms he won't see any more AHL time.