Player Discussion: Mathieu Olivier

[EspenK]

I tend to agree that paying him more than 3.75mm a year is questionable. But it has absolutely nothing to do with Boone Jenner's contract. I mean anything over 1.8 is paying him more than KJ. Or more than 975K is more than Fantilli.See the illogicalness (spell check doesn't think this is a word but I like it) of the comparisons.

 

[Jovavic]

Fantilli makes more than 975k after rookie bonuses, but your point remains. I think 4 years and up to 3 million cap hit is a fair contract for him. If he wants longer term then the money gets lower.

 

[red devil]

Not sure if this is new information but Dreger mentioned on Insider Trading that Wadell and Oliver's agent have started preliminary contract talks

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Was hoping it was gonna be his deal announcement when I saw new post.

 

[Doggy]

For those searching this nearly three hour podcast, Olivier comes up at 1:19:50. That's one hour, nineteen minutes and fifty seconds into the podcast. So just jump way ahead.

Correction: they talk Olivier and Laine for a minute or two at the above time but then went away from it. Still listening to see when they go back to Ollie.

OK, Ollie actually shows up at 1:37:00. I think it's like an hour long interview.

 

[ColumbusTrill]

Interesting note from that, he had a herniated disc in his last season in Nashville. Played through it til February. Said he could barely walk some days. Had endoscopic surgery on it and only missed a month

 

[Xoggz22]

Was hoping it was gonna be his deal announcement when I saw new post.

Me too. I was thinking what a nice gift during the down period... maybe... there is still time.

 

[koteka]

I think he is going to hit the market. I have listened to a couple of the other team’s broadcasts recently. Other teams are very aware of Olivier’s value. The Rangers broadcasters absolutely love him and said he is not only the best fighter in the NHL but a legit hockey player, and every team could use a guy like him.

 

[Doggy]

I think he is going to hit the market. I have listened to a couple of the other team’s broadcasts recently. Other teams are very aware of Olivier’s value. The Rangers broadcasters absolutely love him and said he is not only the best fighter in the NHL but a legit hockey player, and every team could use a guy like him.

Am I in the minority here? I think you can relax, a deal get's done before the TDL and it's gonna be a fair deal for both sides. I have faith that GMDW knows what he is doing.

 

[MoeBartoli]

I’m hoping the Jackets keep Olivier. But it’s a tricky contract. Olivier brings much to the table as everyone knows. At the same time he’s ideally on your 4th line (albeit a very good 4th liner - the kind you want one a good team). So how much can/will the Jackets commit for that role?

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I looked back at my post and I thought that a 4 year $2.75m AAV with a lot of bonus (to essentially make it fully guaranteed) would be a fair deal. I'll stick with that.

A highly skilled team with a guy who won't tolerate dirty runs at the team stars is part of the equation for a top team. If Voronkov can get a little meaner, then a combo of him and Olivier give the CBJ a physicality/toughness level that a lot of teams lack now and I think that having this toughness will serve them well.

With the cap going up like it's projected (to around $100 million I've read), $3 million is a very workable number for a guy like Olivier. I hope Waddell gets it done sooner rather than later. Like Koteka said, there will be a demand for Olivier. He's not going to come as cheap as we'd ideally want.

 

[koteka]

I looked back at my post and I thought that a 4 year $2.75m AAV with a lot of bonus (to essentially make it fully guaranteed) would be a fair deal. I'll stick with that.

A highly skilled team with a guy who won't tolerate dirty runs at the team stars is part of the equation for a top team. If Voronkov can get a little meaner, then a combo of him and Olivier give the CBJ a physicality/toughness level that a lot of teams lack now and I think that having this toughness will serve them well.

With the cap going up like it's projected (to around $100 million I've read), $3 million is a very workable number for a guy like Olivier. I hope Waddell gets it done sooner rather than later. Like Koteka said, there will be a demand for Olivier. He's not going to come as cheap as we'd ideally want.

The problem is that Olivier can play the role of “tough guy there to protect the young high draft picks” like he did with us. You get a team in a rebuild with plenty of cap space and they can outbid anyone on a 3 year contract. So we can offer 5 x $3.25 but a rebuilding team could offer 3 x $5. Or a team on the brink of Cup (NJ?) could offer 2 x $4 with the rising cap and have that potential Stanley Cup run to entice him.

 

[Doggy]

The problem is that Olivier can play the role of “tough guy there to protect the young high draft picks” like he did with us. You get a team in a rebuild with plenty of cap space and they can outbid anyone on a 3 year contract. So we can offer 5 x $3.25 but a rebuilding team could offer 3 x $5. Or a team on the brink of Cup (NJ?) could offer 2 x $4 with the rising cap and have that potential Stanley Cup run to entice him.

I really hope GMDW gets Ollie signed soon, I am worried about your mental state.

 

[koteka]

I really hope GMDW gets Ollie signed soon, I am worried about your mental state.

Don’t worry about my mental state. I am just a realist. I expect people to make the best decisions for themselves, so I expect Olivier to hit free agency. I worry about this board’s mental state because I got called all sort of name when I said the same thing about Gavi.

 

[TingleBiscuit]

Don’t worry about my mental state. I am just a realist. I expect people to make the best decisions for themselves, so I expect Olivier to hit free agency. I worry about this board’s mental state because I got called all sort of name when I said the same thing about Gavi.

I'm still adjusting to how comfortable the patrons of this site are with personally attacking each other without providing anything else substantive to the discourse- I've already taken a few shots by people who (reassuringly) seem themselves rather socially maladjusted. I certainly see no reason to question your mental state.

I'm far from understanding how you see the Gavrikov and Olivier situations as comparable, however. Gavrikov was clearly undervalued due to the deplorable state of the Jackets' league-wide (lack of) profile and respect at the time of his departure, but was clearly projectable as a durable, high-IQ top-4 shutdown defenseman with ability to play L/R competently. The team was obviously trending downward and had no clear direction, he'd never played for another NHL team before, and he made it clear he wanted to graze in a different pasture. He was successfully traded to an immediate cup contender for a significant return prior to free agency.

Please help me understand the comparable here, because you seem to be claiming that any of this substantiates likelihood that Olivier, a bottom-six enforcer on a uptrending team who recognized his potential and swung on him, allowing him to earn his way into a specific, irreplaceable niche within a potential future dynasty (with all of the fame and fortune this success predicts, and whose success he will unavoidably share and earn credit for), is going to walk in free agency for no return to instead join a middling team with dubious outlook simply to chase a relatively modest short-term cash benefit and babysit the kids?

 

[koteka]

Please help me understand the comparable here, because you seem to be claiming that any of this substantiates likelihood that Olivier, a bottom-six enforcer on a uptrending team who recognized his potential and swung on him, allowing him to earn his way into a specific, irreplaceable niche within a potential future dynasty (with all of the fame and fortune this success predicts, and whose success he will unavoidably share and earn credit for), is going to walk in free agency to instead join a middling team with dubious outlook simply to chase a relatively modest short-term cash benefit and babysit the kids?

There are people in hockey who were always treated well - high draft choices in the CHL or top European players or Americans put on the national development team who became high draft choices in the NHL who have been praised forever and are basically gifted their shot in the NHL based on pedigree. There are also guys who earn their spots on their teams the hard way, by outworking everyone else. The first group know what it is like to be feted, because they have always been feted. The second group, of which I would include unheralded 6th round draft pick Gavrikov and undrafted Olivier, were never wined and dined and had teams praise their services. (I think you can put Panarin and Bob and probably Josh Anderson in that group, too.) These guys tend to want to go the free agency route, be told they are wonderful, and see how much they can get. The high picks that succeed tend to get signed by their teams (and often as soon as they are able to) because the team has to keep them — these are the guys they have marketed around. The Jackets never marketed Gavrikov or Olivier — these are the lunch pail guys that make a team better, but they were unheralded over achievers.

 

[TingleBiscuit]

These guys tend to want to go the free agency route, be told they are wonderful, and see how much they can get. The high picks that succeed tend to get signed by their teams (and often as soon as they are able to) because the team has to keep them — these are the guys they have marketed around. The Jackets never marketed Gavrikov or Olivier — these are the lunch pail guys that make a team better, but they were unheralded over achievers.

Gotcha. I get the comparable that they're both mined diamonds from the rough; that's certainly true. But I'd suggest that the similarity ends there. Olivier went from being on the outside looking in to becoming one of the most heralded guys in the league right now (to be fair, a sword which cuts both ways). This team was instrumental in that. He has zero reason to feel taken for granted, commands an outsized share of the team's present limelight (a great deal of which he has earned himself, true, due to how articulate and personable he is), has expressed no interest in leaving (to my knowledge), and our GM has unambiguously named as his top priority to re-sign ASAP.

I hope for the team's sake that your take is incorrect, but I respect it. I just get the feeling that we've reached a rare moment where everyone feels the magic this team is brewing up right now, and no one wants off this ship.

 

[domi28]

Please help me understand the comparable here, because you seem to be claiming that any of this substantiates likelihood that Olivier, a bottom-six enforcer on a uptrending team who recognized his potential and swung on him, allowing him to earn his way into a specific, irreplaceable niche within a potential future dynasty (with all of the fame and fortune this success predicts, and whose success he will unavoidably share and earn credit for), is going to walk in free agency for no return to instead join a middling team with dubious outlook simply to chase a relatively modest short-term cash benefit and babysit the kids?

Olivier has made just north of $3m for his career and is already 28. Unless Waddell is offering something close to $3m AAV Olivier would be doing a disservice to himself to not at least test the UFA waters and see what other teams are offering. This is his one, and possibly only, chance he has to get paid for a great season. If Waddell isn't going to be the guy to pay him someone else will step up and pay Olivier thinking he's the missing piece for a deep playoff run and with the rising cap nobody is going to be hurting for space come July 1st.

 

[TingleBiscuit]

Olivier has made just north of $3m for his career and is already 28. Unless Waddell is offering something close to $3m AAV Olivier would be doing a disservice to himself to not at least test the UFA waters and see what other teams are offering. This is his one, and possibly only, chance he has to get paid for a great season. If Waddell isn't going to be the guy to pay him someone else will step up and pay Olivier thinking he's the missing piece for a deep playoff run and with the rising cap nobody is going to be hurting for space come July 1st.

Nothing you said is false; I just don't understand everyone's impression that for any reason CBJ is going to be any less willing to offer fair market rate than anyone else. This isn't a poverty franchise (contrary to peoples' uninformed whining about such things), we know what we have, he's a valuable priority, and he hasn't expressed any interest in leaving. We have access to the same analytics as everyone else, and are perfectly capable of developing and making a competitive offer.

Sometimes I just feel like our fanbase has a worse inferiority complex than a 16-year old girl who got made fun of once by the mean girls.