Montour signs! 7 yr deal with KRAKEN

[seakraken]

Let’s go!

Montour signs 7-year, $50 million contract with Kraken | NHL.com

Defenseman had 33 points last season, won Stanley Cup with Panthers

www.nhl.com

Click to read more...

 

[RainyCityHockey]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807831894471725506

 

[The Marquis]

I'm happy with this one. It will catch up to us, but he's a top tier defenseman, and if you want that level of player, you have to pay out somehow. 7m isn't going to feel that high in 5 years. Sure, the term is longer than any of us would like, except him. I think it's a good signing and I'm looking forward to seeing his level of talent out on the ice in Seattle. To me, he immediately became the best player on the team.

 

[Dowisetrepla]

I’m fine with this signing, fills a clear need. Free Agency be definition is where you have to overpay (both $ and length of contract)

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I want to be unhappy about the length but honestly Francis is doing what he can to make us more competitive and 7 years seems about par nowadays. Heck Tanev just got a 6 year deal at 34.

 

[The Marquis]

I want to be unhappy about the length but honestly Francis is doing what he can to make us more competitive and 7 years seems about par nowadays. Heck Tanev just got a 6 year deal at 34.

Thanks for the check back into reality. A 40 year old Chris Tanev making 5m is worse than a 37 year old Brandon Montour making 7m.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Thanks for the check back into reality. A 40 year old Chris Tanev making 5m is worse than a 37 year old Brandon Montour making 7m.

Ha ha. No problem.

Lindholm got 7 years at 7.75M after having a significantly worse season. I don't think the AAV is a big issue for Montour or Stephenson. It just seems like what is needed nowadays to get the deal done.

 

[Marco 85]

Panther fan here.

Montour is a solid D man coming off a subpar year
because of injuries.
He’ll eat up a lot of minutes.
If he returns to form offensively.
You’ll be happy.

But this 7 year contract will eventually be
an albatross. These long term deals.
Especially for a 30 year old.
Don’t work out.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Panther fan here.

Montour is a solid D man coming off a subpar year
because of injuries.
He’ll eat up a lot of minutes.
If he returns to form offensively.
You’ll be happy.

But this 7 year contract will eventually be
an albatross. These long term deals.
Especially for a 30 year old.
Don’t work out.

I don't think you are going to find many arguments here about this not hurting us in the 2-3 years. But it is a problem we can worry about then. With our upcoming kids, I would say we need them to be productive for 4-5 years to give us a really good team in 2+ seasons.

 

[The Marquis]

By the time 2029 comes around and Montour and Stephenson are sitting at 35 years old, the 13.5m they take up isn't going to feel that terrible, and if it truly does, then a buyout is totally an option. They aren't huge contracts whatsoever. They just feel big because of those last 2 seasons.

 

[seakraken]

7 yrs is a long time for a 30 yr old. but, still he's a big upgrade to shore up the D we've all been complaining about (some more than others! ). and, there's not a nothing chance these dudes retire or simply can't play before the contract is up.

 

[Irie]

I have a lot of questions about the fit.

Montour has to play the Right side. He spent the majority of his time on the left side in Buffalo (Becasue Botterill acquired every RHD that hit the market for a couple of years) and he was pretty bad.

Montour and Dunn does not feel better than Larsson and Dunn. Montour and Oleksiak seems like a defensive nightmare, unless Bylsma can convince Oleksiak to play the way he did in 21-22 and not the way he has played the past two seasons.

This move also feels like Borgen will have his minutes cut and will be demoted to the third pairing, and I think he has actually been a really solid #4. 25 point RHD with zero PP time, who skates as well as he does and plays a physical game - he isn't flashy, but he is steady and only improving. And then there is Evans. Evans should be getting the PP2 minutes, and this is likely going to limit his icetime and cut into his development as well.

The length and AAV are really bad as well. Hoping I am wrong on this one, but it feels like a major waste of cap and the completely wrong fit to me, I am just not seeing the upside here.

 

[seakraken]

I have a lot of questions about the fit.

Montour has to play the Right side. He spent the majority of his time on the left side in Buffalo (Becasue Botterill acquired every RHD that hit the market for a couple of years) and he was pretty bad.

Montour and Dunn does not feel better than Larsson and Dunn. Montour and Oleksiak seems like a defensive nightmare, unless Bylsma can convince Oleksiak to play the way he did in 21-22 and not the way he has played the past two seasons.

This move also feels like Borgen will have his minutes cut and will be demoted to the third pairing, and I think he has actually been a really solid #4. 25 point RHD with zero PP time, who skates as well as he does and plays a physical game - he isn't flashy, but he is steady and only improving. And then there is Evans. Evans should be getting the PP2 minutes, and this is likely going to limit his icetime and cut into his development as well.

The length and AAV are really bad as well. Hoping I am wrong on this one, but it feels like a major waste of cap and the completely wrong fit to me, I am just not seeing the upside here.

You raise good points!

check out this article as they give Fit an A.

NHL contract grades: Brandon Montour gives Kraken what they need on the blue line — The Athletic

Seattle Kraken sign defenseman Brandon Montour to a seven-year deal with a $7.14 million AAV.

apple.news

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I have a lot of questions about the fit.

Montour has to play the Right side. He spent the majority of his time on the left side in Buffalo (Becasue Botterill acquired every RHD that hit the market for a couple of years) and he was pretty bad.

Montour and Dunn does not feel better than Larsson and Dunn. Montour and Oleksiak seems like a defensive nightmare, unless Bylsma can convince Oleksiak to play the way he did in 21-22 and not the way he has played the past two seasons.

This move also feels like Borgen will have his minutes cut and will be demoted to the third pairing, and I think he has actually been a really solid #4. 25 point RHD with zero PP time, who skates as well as he does and plays a physical game - he isn't flashy, but he is steady and only improving. And then there is Evans. Evans should be getting the PP2 minutes, and this is likely going to limit his icetime and cut into his development as well.

The length and AAV are really bad as well. Hoping I am wrong on this one, but it feels like a major waste of cap and the completely wrong fit to me, I am just not seeing the upside here.

I think you can try Dumo-Montour and then roll with Oleksiak-Borgen. I would really want Evans up there because he is more than ready. I think this is a good fit from the perspective of moving to Bylsma style of controlled zone entries.

I have no issues with the AAV though I think the term is 2 years too much. That being said, if the cap keeps going up and we keep drafting well enough for our ELC players to contribute, this should not be much of an issue.

 

[majormajor]

I'm more excited for Montour than Stephenson.

A lot is riding on his health though. He was electric in 2022-23, worth more than this. Then arguably worth less this past season when he was dealing with recovery from shoulder surgery. I think there's potential for Montour to be a great player here if he's feeling good. I love the way he plays.

By the time 2029 comes around and Montour and Stephenson are sitting at 35 years old, the 13.5m they take up isn't going to feel that terrible, and if it truly does, then a buyout is totally an option. They aren't huge contracts whatsoever. They just feel big because of those last 2 seasons.

I think it's going to be awful. $13.5m? That's a superstars worth of money that will be tied up with players who might not be playable at that point. Even if they're okayish players at age 35 it's a huge burden.

 

[The Marquis]

I'm more excited for Montour than Stephenson.

A lot is riding on his health though. He was electric in 2022-23, worth more than this. Then arguably worth less this past season when he was dealing with recovery from shoulder surgery. I think there's potential for Montour to be a great player here if he's feeling good. I love the way he plays.



I think it's going to be awful. $13.5m? That's a superstars worth of money that will be tied up with players who might not be playable at that point. Even if they're okayish players at age 35 it's a huge burden.

13.5 in 7 years. Not now. 7 years is a very long time. Now that the escrow is done, we’re likely to see those contracts go up. Im talking dollars though, not contracts. Ownership in 6 years is going to look at 13.5 and see a buyout opportunity on both if it isn’t working out at that point.

 

[majormajor]

13.5 in 7 years. Not now. 7 years is a very long time. Now that the escrow is done, we’re likely to see those contracts go up. Im talking dollars though, not contracts. Ownership in 6 years is going to look at 13.5 and see a buyout opportunity on both if it isn’t working out at that point.

We'll see the cap jump up by ~$4m each offseason until the escrow is gone, but hockey related revenues I don't imagine are going up 5% each year are they? Maybe more like 3%. So it won't jump upward as much after escrow.

Anyways, when these guys are 35 the cap will have gone up by about 20% from now. So $13.5m will be the equivalent of $11m today, which is still superstar money!

If you buy both of them out at that point it's four years at $4.5m, which is like a pretty good mid-lineup player.

I agree with you that it isn't the worst thing in the world to have to do buyouts. But my overall feeling after today is that we're just as directionless as we feared. We're putting cost burdens into the deep future when we might be competitive, without really making the team anything special next season. I don't know if the team can make the playoffs even with Stephenson and Montour.

 

[The Marquis]

We'll see the cap jump up by ~$4m each offseason until the escrow is gone, but hockey related revenues I don't imagine are going up 5% each year are they? Maybe more like 3%. So it won't jump upward as much after escrow.

Anyways, when these guys are 35 the cap will have gone up by about 20% from now. So $13.5m will be the equivalent of $11m today, which is still superstar money!

If you buy both of them out at that point it's four years at $4.5m, which is like a pretty good mid-lineup player.

I agree with you that it isn't the worst thing in the world to have to do buyouts. But my overall feeling after today is that we're just as directionless as we feared. We're putting cost burdens into the deep future when we might be competitive, without really making the team anything special next season. I don't know if the team can make the playoffs even with Stephenson and Montour.

On your last point, I’m not sure they can either, which is why I’d like to see them make some trades still.

 

[Remparts666]

I have a lot of questions about the fit.

Montour has to play the Right side. He spent the majority of his time on the left side in Buffalo (Becasue Botterill acquired every RHD that hit the market for a couple of years) and he was pretty bad.

Montour and Dunn does not feel better than Larsson and Dunn. Montour and Oleksiak seems like a defensive nightmare, unless Bylsma can convince Oleksiak to play the way he did in 21-22 and not the way he has played the past two seasons.

This move also feels like Borgen will have his minutes cut and will be demoted to the third pairing, and I think he has actually been a really solid #4. 25 point RHD with zero PP time, who skates as well as he does and plays a physical game - he isn't flashy, but he is steady and only improving. And then there is Evans. Evans should be getting the PP2 minutes, and this is likely going to limit his icetime and cut into his development as well.

The length and AAV are really bad as well. Hoping I am wrong on this one, but it feels like a major waste of cap and the completely wrong fit to me, I am just not seeing the upside here.

This. I hate this contract for the kraken . It’s bad for Evans , he is going to be better than montour within 2 yrs. At this price, That is not what they needed in my opinion.

 

[The Marquis]

This. I hate this contract for the kraken . It’s bad for Evans , he is going to be better than montour within 2 yrs. At this price, That is not what they needed in my opinion.

Evans is a left side D man. This only has a passive impact on him. This replaces Schultz, not Evans. Evans can make his way up full time when Dumo’s contract is up at the end of next year or at the TDL.

 

[Remparts666]

Evans is a left side D man. This only has a passive impact on him. This replaces Schultz, not Evans. Evans can make his way up full time when Dumo’s contract is up at the end of next year or at the TDL.

True but as the other poster eluded to , he is not getting any PP time with Dunn and montour . I’m just frustrated for my fantasy team and you obviously do not care about that

 

[The Marquis]

True but as the other poster eluded to , he is not getting any PP time with Dunn and montour . I’m just frustrated for my fantasy team and you obviously do not care about that

Hahaha. You aren’t wrong about the PP. he won’t see much time when those two are healthy since they are both PP1 level D men.

Well, I’ve made it to the finals in my Fantasy Hockey league 3 years in a row, winning once. I don’t have Ryker Evans.

 

[GrungeHockey]

He makes the team better, there's no question about that, but it's a huge overpay imo. We might regret this big time down the road.

I'd also say he wasn't very good defensively in Buffalo so did playing with that Florida system make him look better than he is? It's quite possible, but then again everybody plays worse in Buffalo.

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

Panther fan coming in peace. He’s going to slot in nicely into your top-4. Great guy, solid player, and he’s got a deep gas tank as far as cardio goes.

Really effective on the offensive side as I’m sure you’re all aware. He’s not terrible defensively but I think he needs a partner who will really help him out defensively. He’s prone to make some boneheaded mistakes sometimes.

With all of that said, I hope you guys get the most out of him as we did!

 

[majormajor]

Montour at least gives us the possibility of being an elite player. He showed that a year ago.

Is he going to do that for much of this contract? Probably not, and maybe not at any point. But you have to take chances to get players of that caliber. So the deal has some appeal to me.

It's the Stephenson deal that I can't fathom.