Confirmed Signing with Link: [NSH] F Steven Stamkos signs with the Predators (4 years, $8M AAV)

[SeanMoneyHands]

With this signing and adding Marchessault, the Preds just added 70 goals to their lineup. That's a pretty significant upgrade to their offense. They can now to toe to toe with Vancouver if they match up again in the playoffs.

 

[Oneiro]

The Preds don't have a good defense even with Skjei.

Up front, you have four aging guys relied upon to do 60+% of the scoring. I think they just prolonged early round purgatory for another half decade.

 

[Curufinwe]

Wonder if the 37 year old UFA Crosby will follow the same path as Stamkos.

 

[triggrman]

Sure, you know better. Its not like we haven't watched Stammer from his office getting gifts from Kuch for years now. I love Stammer, always will, but I won't lie about what he is now. All I am saying is don't expect him to be scoring 40 again this year.

Nyquist sure didn't seem to struggle at 33 years old playing with our bunch, since he put up by far the best numbers of his career playing with our band of misfit toys.

Again, Preds were 10th in goals scored last season with Sissons and Trenin playing in the top 6.

 

[Gnashville]

Nyquist sure didn't seem to struggle at 33 years old playing with our bunch, since he put up by far the best numbers of his career playing with our band of misfit toys.

Again, Preds were 10th in goals scored last season with Sissons and Trenin playing in the top 6.

Shh don’t tell them!! Let them think the Predators are a Clutch and Grab Trap team that has to win games. 1-0.

 

[LCPreds]

The Preds don't have a good defense even with Skjei.

Up front, you have four aging guys relied upon to do 60+% of the scoring. I think they just prolonged early round purgatory for another half decade.

What’s the alternative though? The lineup as constructed before FA was already a borderline playoff team so was already stuck in purgatory.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Kypreos said the other day that Tampa offered Stamkos 3M/year and that Stamkos exit wasn't pretty. Well I'd be upset too if my franchise that you've given all your life to lowballed you with that offer.

 

[Soundgarden]

Forsberg $8.5 until 35
Stamkos $8m until 38
Marchessault $5.5m until 38
O’Reilly $4.5m until 36

Josi $9m until 37
Skjei $7m until 37

Saros $7.7 until 38

Nashville rushing to paint themselves into a corner here.

We can worry about that when it becomes a problem, right now they're all playing well, we had the cap space and the cap is going up.

I'd rather spend money on actual star players than not use the space or overpay for a middling crap again.

What 2C are the Preds trading Askarov for? No way Stammer and Marchessault signed in Nashville to play with Novak

Forsberg-ROR-Evangelista
Marchessault-Stamkos-Nyquist

The Preds don't have a good defense even with Skjei.

Up front, you have four aging guys relied upon to do 60+% of the scoring. I think they just prolonged early round purgatory for another half decade.

We have a top 5 prospect pool and 2 1sts and 2 2nds to get a number 4 defenseman. It's not a problem. Josi-Skjei is a fine 1-2 punch.

 

[bossram]

Tampa wasn't going to need to pay him 8M AAV. That's the point. He was willing to take much less to stay. This is not a guy who wanted a change in scenery. BriseBois made one offer and then apparently never made any further attempt, and then last off-season wouldn't even talk to him when he wanted to secure his position on the team then. By the optics, by Stamkos' own words, BriseBois didn't want him back, and for many Lightning fans, we can't understand why. His intangibles are worth what he reportedly wanted.

And for all the talk of his bad +/- numbers last season, take a look at everyone else's numbers (look at Point or Cirelli). Kucherov was the top forward on the team last year (because he was on his crazy scoring kick). The new system they decided to go with last season, whether it was Cooper's idea alone or Blashill's grand plan or conceived in a group think tank, it failed. Have no idea why it was so bad in execution but the outcome on the ice clearly showed it did not work. So unless they've decided they're rolling it out again this year, and Stamkos was going to be a liability in that scheme, the rest of the team isn't going to fare well either by that sample size.

No, Stamkos isn't what he used to be on the ice, but Tampa wasn't going to have to pay him like he was. They were the only team that wasn't going to need to overpay for his services. Because he wanted to retire a Bolt, and BriseBois (and presumably Vinik as well) chose otherwise.

I happen to think the long term ramifications of that aren't going to be worth Tampa's reluctance to keep its captain.

I never mentioned +/-. It's bogus stat anyway.

I know TB wouldn't have had to pay that much. Brisebois really didn't value Stamkos enough to up his fairly low offer. Stamkos isn't what he was before and Brisebois knows that. Says something.

 

[Siludin]

Nashville looked strong against Vancouver, couple of those games could have gone the other way and then it's NSH/EDM round 2.
Adding Skjei, Stamkos, and Marchessault makes them more dangerous imo. They also have underrated prospect depth and youth in secondary scoring. They should be playoff-bound next year, and be a handful for whoever they face.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

 

[Else Ermine]

We can worry about that when it becomes a problem, right now they're all playing well, we had the cap space and the cap is going up.

I'd rather spend money on actual star players than not use the space or overpay for a middling crap again.

That's entirely fair and reasonable. Hell, just like last year's Penguins I'm excited to see how it works out, and I'd be very happy to see the Preds have success... but I genuinely feel the new guys are a step behind Forsberg and Josi already.

Most of this group was better yesterday than today, and the inevitable loss of foot speed has to be a concern.
How many playoff seasons are you hoping from this setup? I don't hate it but you guys are walking on a tightrope now.

 

[Soundgarden]

That's entirely fair and reasonable. Hell, just like last year's Penguins I'm excited to see how it works out, and I'd be very happy to see the Preds have success... but I genuinely feel the new guys are a step behind Forsberg and Josi already.

Most of this group was better yesterday than today, and the inevitable loss of foot speed has to be a concern.
How many playoff seasons are you hoping from this setup? I don't hate it but you guys are walking on a tightrope now.

They don't need to be on Forsberg's and Josi's level, Stamkos needs to be a no.2 C and a PP specialist, and Marchessault needs to be a 2nd line winger.

When Stamkos' contract is up we'll have paid off Johansen, Ekholm and almost the entirety of Duchene and Turris so there will be more cap room.

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Will gms stop overpaying near/above 30 year olds?

Sources say no.

Why would they?

Either the player works out or they develop and allergy to their shoulder pads or something.

 

[KingJoffrey]

Stamkos will have hard time to hit 25 goals without Kuch. This is very bad contract for aging player who is nowadays bad at 5on5.

 

[Soundgarden]

Stamkos will have hard time to hit 25 goals without Kuch. This is very bad contract for aging player who is nowadays bad at 5on5.

We have Josi, Forsberg and ROR. He'll be ok.

 

[thegazelle]

Uhm, Which sources help you indicate that Tampa was Ruthless? What if Steven just didn't want to play there anymore, like any player may want to after the contract is up. It's not all about some silly banner on a cieling.

From the interviews I have seen yesterday and today of Stamkos, it is abundantly clear that it was not his lack of effort or trying to consummate a deal. The implication seems rather clear in Stamkos' own words that it was the other side that chose not to pursue him.

A lot of players changed teams yesterday but for some reason this one just doesn't sit right with me. I can see both sides - if Tampa did not believe he is worth 8 million a year based on his numbers (which is strange as there are other players who are making close to that if not that, but not scoring 40 goals a season). Even if Stamkos' performance and offensive numbers have dropped and he is relegated to a power play specialist, I think there are more intangibles to consider rather than peak performance stats or contribution immediacy.

From Stamkos' perspective, he took some team-friendly contracts in order for him to put the team's success over his own. Given the short window of peak earning years in hockey, would he continue to short change himself in order to help out the team? Some would say yes, if he is a true team player. Others would say no.

I look at Crosby and I think throughout his career, he made max 8.7 million a year salary. Sure that doesn't include performance bonuses and I am sure he was/is raking it in for endorsements and such. But Crosby, despite who he is, accepted long term deals and kept the 8.7 million AAV going. One can argue that Stamkos should be able to do the same.

What burns me is that right after Stamkos left, they bring in Guentzel. Do I think Guentzel is worth $9 million, despite him being younger. 30 goals, 47 assists? Yet they can't pay $8 million to a guy who gave them 40 goals and 41 assists? Forget stats - the guy was captain for well over a decade, was the face of the team, and him and his family have been ingrained into life in Tampa. That's gotta be worth something and not necessarily from a direct monetary perspective.

I'm sorry, but if they didn't sign Guentzel, maybe I can understand the Bolts' approach. But to me, this seems like a utter slap in the face of their team captain and an excellent ambassador for their team for many years. I am happy that Stamkos bolted (no pun intended).

 

[seanlinden]

The Preds don't have a good defense even with Skjei.

Up front, you have four aging guys relied upon to do 60+% of the scoring. I think they just prolonged early round purgatory for another half decade.

This is a "hot take"... but honestly, reasonably well rooted.

Nashville was not a paticularily good team last year, and still have $11m in dead cap this year between Johansen, Ekholm, Duchene and Turris. That's a lot of dead cap to overcome in a playoff round. Even next year, Johansen is off, but there's still close to $9m in dead cap. It doesn't become managable until year 3 with Duchene's penalty decreasing, where they've got $3.5m in dead cap.

Now you go ahead and look at their "core" who is locked up for the next 3 years.... and their ages.

Forsberg, 29 years old, $8.5m
Stamkos, 34 years old, $8m
Marchessault, 33 years old, $5.5m
O'Reilly, 33 years old, $4.5m
Novak, 27 years old, $3.5m
Josi, 34 years old, $9.06m
Skjei, 30 years old, $7m
Carrier, 27 years old, $3.75m
Saros, 29 years old, $7.74m

There's a lot more guys (and a lot more money) that are on the tail ends of their careers than those about to enter their primes.

 

[AvroArrow]

I don't fault the Bolts from moving on from Stamkos, it's just the way it was carried out. Super disrespectful to throw that 3M offer at him. I believe it's best for both sides to part ways at this particular time bu man, guy was the captain for how many years ? There's gotta be a level of respect you have for the player.

Big pick up for the Preds, his numbers were obviously inflated because of the PP and Kuch, but still a solid player. Really strong core in Nashville and if things don't work out, these guys will still have tremendous value when the eventual time to rebuild comes.

 

[Viqsi]

This is a "hot take"... but honestly, reasonably well rooted.

Nashville was not a paticularily good team last year, and still have $11m in dead cap this year between Johansen, Ekholm, Duchene and Turris. That's a lot of dead cap to overcome in a playoff round. Even next year, Johansen is off, but there's still close to $9m in dead cap. It doesn't become managable until year 3 with Duchene's penalty decreasing, where they've got $3.5m in dead cap.

Now you go ahead and look at their "core" who is locked up for the next 3 years.... and their ages.

Forsberg, 29 years old, $8.5m
Stamkos, 34 years old, $8m
Marchessault, 33 years old, $5.5m
O'Reilly, 33 years old, $4.5m
Novak, 27 years old, $3.5m
Josi, 34 years old, $9.06m
Skjei, 30 years old, $7m
Carrier, 27 years old, $3.75m
Saros, 29 years old, $7.74m

There's a lot more guys (and a lot more money) that are on the tail ends of their careers than those about to enter their primes.

True, but meanwhile, there's also a lot of kids learning from that core. They may not be immediate contenders (not unless we're ridiculously lucky) but the seeds have been planted and we're now fertilizing the soil.

 

[seanlinden]

From the interviews I have seen yesterday and today of Stamkos, it is abundantly clear that it was not his lack of effort or trying to consummate a deal. The implication seems rather clear in Stamkos' own words that it was the other side that chose not to pursue him.

A lot of players changed teams yesterday but for some reason this one just doesn't sit right with me. I can see both sides - if Tampa did not believe he is worth 8 million a year based on his numbers (which is strange as there are other players who are making close to that if not that, but not scoring 40 goals a season). Even if Stamkos' performance and offensive numbers have dropped and he is relegated to a power play specialist, I think there are more intangibles to consider rather than peak performance stats or contribution immediacy.

From Stamkos' perspective, he took some team-friendly contracts in order for him to put the team's success over his own. Given the short window of peak earning years in hockey, would he continue to short change himself in order to help out the team? Some would say yes, if he is a true team player. Others would say no.

I look at Crosby and I think throughout his career, he made max 8.7 million a year salary. Sure that doesn't include performance bonuses and I am sure he was/is raking it in for endorsements and such. But Crosby, despite who he is, accepted long term deals and kept the 8.7 million AAV going. One can argue that Stamkos should be able to do the same.

What burns me is that right after Stamkos left, they bring in Guentzel. Do I think Guentzel is worth $9 million, despite him being younger. 30 goals, 47 assists? Yet they can't pay $8 million to a guy who gave them 40 goals and 41 assists? Forget stats - the guy was captain for well over a decade, was the face of the team, and him and his family have been ingrained into life in Tampa. That's gotta be worth something and not necessarily from a direct monetary perspective.

I'm sorry, but if they didn't sign Guentzel, maybe I can understand the Bolts' approach. But to me, this seems like a utter slap in the face of their team captain and an excellent ambassador for their team for many years. I am happy that Stamkos bolted (no pun intended).

Personally, I get the feeling that it came down to Tampa feeling the need to do "Tampa things" (creative salary cap magic) -- signing a 34 year old player for 8 years to get an absolutely ridiculous deal... and Stamkos feeling like his situation was being taken advantage of "too much".

With Guentzel, at 29 years old, there was no salary cap magic available.

With Stamkos, there was obvious salary cap magic available, but not every player wants to have his retirement date pencilled in multiple years in advance...and if you're Tampa who thinks that you SHOULD be able to get Stamkos on a $3 - $4m AAV, but he wants a 4 year deal at $6m per... that's a heck of a bridge to overcome just emotionally.

 

[Soundgarden]

This is a "hot take"... but honestly, reasonably well rooted.

Nashville was not a paticularily good team last year, and still have $11m in dead cap this year between Johansen, Ekholm, Duchene and Turris. That's a lot of dead cap to overcome in a playoff round. Even next year, Johansen is off, but there's still close to $9m in dead cap. It doesn't become managable until year 3 with Duchene's penalty decreasing, where they've got $3.5m in dead cap.

Now you go ahead and look at their "core" who is locked up for the next 3 years.... and their ages.

Forsberg, 29 years old, $8.5m
Stamkos, 34 years old, $8m
Marchessault, 33 years old, $5.5m
O'Reilly, 33 years old, $4.5m
Novak, 27 years old, $3.5m
Josi, 34 years old, $9.06m
Skjei, 30 years old, $7m
Carrier, 27 years old, $3.75m
Saros, 29 years old, $7.74m

There's a lot more guys (and a lot more money) that are on the tail ends of their careers than those about to enter their primes.

That'll be a problem when it becomes a problem, right now our core is in their primes and we just added a top 4 defenseman and two top 15 goal scorers.

If we need to move a contract 4 years from now we can.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

It will be interesting to see if Stamkos can score 40 goals on Nashville. If Forsberg can, I think stamkos can.

 

[seanlinden]

t

That'll be a problem when it becomes a problem, right now our core is in their primes and we just added a top 4 defenseman and two top 15 goal scorers.

If we need to move a contract 4 years from now we can.

4 years from now? these contracts could start to turn sour in 1...

Take Stamkos as an example... he had 81 points this year including 40 goals. 19 of his goals and 39 of his points came on the powerplay. The combination of him on the left wing, and Kucherov on the right, with the option of shoot or pass, has been absolutely deadly for the Bolts over the last few years.

There is no Kucherov on Nashville. If he pots 25-30 goals and 60 points next year, that's going to be a struggle for the Preds.

 

[triggrman]

This is a "hot take"... but honestly, reasonably well rooted.

Nashville was not a paticularily good team last year, and still have $11m in dead cap this year between Johansen, Ekholm, Duchene and Turris. That's a lot of dead cap to overcome in a playoff round. Even next year, Johansen is off, but there's still close to $9m in dead cap. It doesn't become managable until year 3 with Duchene's penalty decreasing, where they've got $3.5m in dead cap.

Now you go ahead and look at their "core" who is locked up for the next 3 years.... and their ages.

Forsberg, 29 years old, $8.5m
Stamkos, 34 years old, $8m
Marchessault, 33 years old, $5.5m
O'Reilly, 33 years old, $4.5m
Novak, 27 years old, $3.5m
Josi, 34 years old, $9.06m
Skjei, 30 years old, $7m
Carrier, 27 years old, $3.75m
Saros, 29 years old, $7.74m

There's a lot more guys (and a lot more money) that are on the tail ends of their careers than those about to enter their primes.

I don't know how we were not a good team last season. Finished way better than the experts here predicted, and after October were one of the better teams in the league, for the remainder of the season.