Confirmed Signing with Link: [NSH] D Marc Del Gaizo re-signs with the Predators (1 year, $775k, two-way)

[Mrfenn92]

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[BonMorrison]

Showed some promise but probably gonna be in the AHL for most of the year.

 

[herzausstein]

Between him and stastney for that 3rd pairing LHD spot. Both show promise but ultimately i think it goes to Stastney

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

The sticking point here was probably the AHL salary. He was arguably the best defenseman in Milwaukee, so if Gravel has $300k, Blankenburg $350k, and Stastney got $400k in arbitration, then he ought to get an AHL salary in that range.

Outside chance if he really impresses in camp that the Preds could decide to keep him up as a #7/8 guy, and send the waiver-exempt Stastney down instead. But I think Stastney has really proven himself in his NHL games and seems to be ready. Whereas while Del Gaizo looked ok too in his 9-game cameo, he hasn't necessarily proven as much? One of them likely makes it, one sent down. I don't think the Preds would be too worried about losing Del Gaizo on waivers if he doesn't take the spot.

EDIT: PuckPedia has him at $125k on the AHL salary, so that is indeed a bit of a haircut for him and likely explains why it took this long: he expected more, but finally just caved in so he'd at least be good to go at the start of camp.

 

[herzausstein]

The sticking point here was probably the AHL salary. He was arguably the best defenseman in Milwaukee, so if Gravel has $300k, Blankenburg $350k, and Stastney got $400k in arbitration, then he ought to get an AHL salary in that range.

Outside chance if he really impresses in camp that the Preds could decide to keep him up as a #7/8 guy, and send the waiver-exempt Stastney down instead. But I think Stastney has really proven himself in his NHL games and seems to be ready. Whereas while Del Gaizo looked ok too in his 9-game cameo, he hasn't necessarily proven as much? One of them likely makes it, one sent down. I don't think the Preds would be too worried about losing Del Gaizo on waivers if he doesn't take the spot.

Puckpedia showing his minors salary at only 125K but he will be a UFA (group 6) at the end of the year and able to go somewhere with better chances of NHL time afterwards. Not much minors salary when considering Stastney got awarded 400K

 

[Armourboy]

I suspect he will come in handy this season. The odds we get as lucky as we did with injuries across the board on this team is probably pretty slim.

 

[Rock Paper Sissons]

Meh…. Would rather see guys like Matier, wilsby and prokop get a shot if injuries happen. We already have a seventh dman for first injury

Josi, Skjei, carrier, lauzon, fabbro, Stastney and Schenn.

 

[Treb]

Meh…. Would rather see guys like Matier, wilsby and prokop get a shot if injuries happen. We already have a seventh dman for first injury

Josi, Skjei, carrier, lauzon, fabbro, Stastney and Schenn.

Depth can go fast in a season. Also have to consider Milwaukee and Atlanta.

And Del Gaizo being signed doesn't mean Nashville can't call up the younger guys if they want.

 

[Armourboy]

Meh…. Would rather see guys like Matier, wilsby and prokop get a shot if injuries happen. We already have a seventh dman for first injury

Josi, Skjei, carrier, lauzon, fabbro, Stastney and Schenn.

Only way those guys are going to get a shot is if the entire Dcorp goes down. Depending on how things go Stastney may not even stay up if Josi or Skjei don't work out on the right side.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Meh…. Would rather see guys like Matier, wilsby and prokop get a shot if injuries happen. We already have a seventh dman for first injury

Josi, Skjei, carrier, lauzon, fabbro, Stastney and Schenn.

Matier and Prokop were barely adequate at the ECHL level, so they definitely aren't in the picture yet. Wilsby was serviceable in the AHL, but probably none of these guys (including Del Gaizo) ever stick in the NHL. It probably depends to a large extent on what types of holes they need to fill in any emergency recalls for injuries, but Del Gaizo, Gravel, and Blankenburg would likely be the top 3 recall options.

 

[Rock Paper Sissons]

Only way those guys are going to get a shot is if the entire Dcorp goes down. Depending on how things go Stastney may not even stay up if Josi or Skjei don't work out on the right side.

That’s why I’m saying we shouldn’t bring in del gaizo again because they won’t get shots in nhl….

 

[Armourboy]

That’s why I’m saying we shouldn’t bring in del gaizo again because they won’t get shots in nhl….

We've got better forward prospects that can't get shots, I'm not sure why you would think the Dcorp would be handled any differently. Besides as Porter pointed out, those guys are doing going to hang in the AHL let along getting a look in the NHL.

 

[Rock Paper Sissons]

We've got better forward prospects that can't get shots, I'm not sure why you would think the Dcorp would be handled any differently. Besides as Porter pointed out, those guys are doing going to hang in the AHL let along getting a look in the NHL.

Yeah the forward logjam sucks too for our young guys. But at least most of them are viable options. Guys like del gaizo are a wash.
Sure Porter said that but I can’t pass judgement on them after less than a quarter season. He also said matier wouldn’t even sniff the ahl last season but he did and was good. Time will tell. I am high on matier. Porter isn’t. To each their own.

 

[Armourboy]

Yeah the forward logjam sucks too for our young guys. But at least most of them are viable options. Guys like del gaizo are a wash.
Sure Porter said that but I can’t pass judgement on them after less than a quarter season. He also said matier wouldn’t even sniff the ahl last season but he did and was good. Time will tell. I am high on matier. Porter isn’t. To each their own.

" good " is a stretch. Del Gaizo being a wash is a stretch as well. He's better right now than any of those guys you listed. He's also proven to be decent coming off the bench. You don't want young players that need to develop just riding the bench, and all of them would be.

 

[Rebels57]

I wonder how many Preds fans just had brief Michael Del Zotto PTSD?

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I wonder how many Preds fans just had brief Michael Del Zotto PTSD?

I don't think Del Zotto ever played for us? But I don't care how bad he was elsewhere, if Del Gaizo can ever play 500 games in the NHL like Del Zotto, we'll take that as a win.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Yeah the forward logjam sucks too for our young guys. But at least most of them are viable options. Guys like del gaizo are a wash.
Sure Porter said that but I can’t pass judgement on them after less than a quarter season. He also said matier wouldn’t even sniff the ahl last season but he did and was good. Time will tell. I am high on matier. Porter isn’t. To each their own.

Atlanta was a tire fire in the ECHL last year, so it's hard to read too much into how Matier and Prokop fared there. I'm sure I would have caveated his deployment with acknowledgement of the potential for injury recalls to the AHL, which both of them received. Next season they should both stick in the AHL. But as to how much icetime they get, well that will again be down to injuries above them on the depth chart. A potential default Milwaukee D could be:

Del Gaizo - Blankenburg
Gravel - Ufko
Wilsby - Livingstone

... so Matier and Prokop are likely starting out as spares in the AHL, even as 2nd year pros. I mean, every fan wants every propsect his team drafts to succeed, and I'm no different. But nobody would deny that this doesn't exactly bode well for Matier and Prokop as NHL prospects, relative to historical trends for prospect development.

 

[Rebels57]

I don't think Del Zotto ever played for us? But I don't care how bad he was elsewhere, if Del Gaizo can ever play 500 games in the NHL like Del Zotto, we'll take that as a win.

25 games back in 2013-2014

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

25 games back in 2013-2014

Ah right. Well people seemed to like Kevin Klein, but I guess whatever Del Zotto did wasn't particularly memorable... or traumatic.

 

[Rock Paper Sissons]

Atlanta was a tire fire in the ECHL last year, so it's hard to read too much into how Matier and Prokop fared there. I'm sure I would have caveated his deployment with acknowledgement of the potential for injury recalls to the AHL, which both of them received. Next season they should both stick in the AHL. But as to how much icetime they get, well that will again be down to injuries above them on the depth chart. A potential default Milwaukee D could be:

Del Gaizo - Blankenburg
Gravel - Ufko
Wilsby - Livingstone

... so Matier and Prokop are likely starting out as spares in the AHL, even as 2nd year pros. I mean, every fan wants every propsect his team drafts to succeed, and I'm no different. But nobody would deny that this doesn't exactly bode well for Matier and Prokop as NHL prospects, relative to historical trends for prospect development.

I think Matier is much ahead of prokop. I don’t think prokop will amount to much but who knows. I agree we all want them to succeed of course. I again strongly disagree with you about Matier and I feel he earns himself regular ahl minutes without a doubt this season. I’m curious to see how that plays out so we can revisit this and see who was right. But there is so much to like about matiers game and I believe he ends up with the Preds one day as well. Maybe not the next Weber but I think he ends up at least a sixth pairing guy in the nhl. Mark my words. Dudes got skills. More than some of these ahl Joe schmoes. (I would say bums but don’t wanna “trigger” anyone and be classless lol)

 

[triggrman]

Ah right. Well people seemed to like Kevin Klein, but I guess whatever Del Zotto did wasn't particularly memorable... or traumatic.

I don't get the link between Klein and Del Zotto? Klein played like 350 games for us as a top 4 defender. MDZ played about as much as Chris Mueller did for us.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I don't get the link between Klein and Del Zotto? Klein played like 350 games for us as a top 4 defender. MDZ played about as much as Chris Mueller did for us.

Wasn't that the trade? I may be forgetting. Klein was going to be a UFA and the Preds sucked that year so gambled on salvaging the younger MDZ. I think Klein did well for the Rangers in their run and for a few more years, they liked him similar to the way we did?

 

[jumb0]

Wasn't that the trade? I may be forgetting. Klein was going to be a UFA and the Preds sucked that year so gambled on salvaging the younger MDZ. I think Klein did well for the Rangers in their run and for a few more years, they liked him similar to the way we did?

Yes, we swapped Klein for Del Zotto