Speculation: The Offseason Thread V: Needs to End Edition

[RangerBoy]

JM Liles. The Leafs could save $3M in cap space buying him out.

The Leafs have been trying to move D John-Michael Liles with no success. There has been speculation he may be bought out during the window in the new collective bargaining agreement that starts Friday and closes Monday.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/07/31/nhl-free-agents-still-looking-for-a-home

John-Michael Liles buyout from CapGeek.com
2013-14: $875,000
2014-15: $875,000
2015-16: $2,375,000
2016-17: $1,250,000
2017-18: $1,250,000
2018-19: $1,250,000

Cap hit of $3,875,000

http://capgeek.com/buyout-calculator/?player_id=553

Not a cap crunching buyout.

 

[RangerBoy]

Jim Cerny answered a tweet about Lundqvist

Glen Sather would prefer that, yes RT @Wisco_Blueshirt: @JimCerny The plan is still to sign Hank before the season starts right?

https://twitter.com/JimCerny/status/362660212970233856

Henrik is still in Sweden. Maybe when he returns sometime in August which is less than 2 hours away,the contract can be ironed out.

The Rangers met with Newport Sports about Lundqvist in late June before the draft. Nothing has been leaked since late June. Its going to be a 7 or 8 year deal with the first number starting with an 8 or 9. Its won't be cheap. Some guys you have to pay. Henrik is one of them.

The Rangers haven't spoken to Callahan about an extension

Callahan is entering the final season of his current contract with the Rangers. He said there haven't been any discussions about an extension.

The Rangers also have to work on extensions for goalie Henrik Lundqvist and defenseman Dan Girardi, but their most pressing order of business this summer is signing restricted free agent Derek Stepan to a new contract before training camp begins. They avoided salary arbitration with Mats Zuccarello on Tuesday by settling on a one-year contract.

The Rangers, by the way, have only three players signed for at least the next three seasons (Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Ryan McDonagh).

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=679139&navid=DL|NHL|home

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

Jim Cerny answered a tweet about Lundqvist



https://twitter.com/JimCerny/status/362660212970233856

Henrik is still in Sweden. Maybe when he returns sometime in August which is less than 2 hours away,the contract can be ironed out.

The Rangers met with Newport Sports about Lundqvist in late June before the draft. Nothing has been leaked since late June. Its going to be a 7 or 8 year deal with the first number starting with an 8 or 9. Its won't be cheap. Some guys you have to pay. Henrik is one of them.

The Rangers haven't spoken to Callahan about an extension



http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=679139&navid=DL|NHL|home

and Richards will be bought out, thats why I dont get why people are going nutso over the cap after this season, its also likely to go up.

 

[Tawnos]

and Richards will be bought out, thats why I dont get why people are going nutso over the cap after this season, its also likely to go up.

Just for fun. A roster with a $68m cap. Keep in mind that most of the young players on the roster are placeholders and I didn't put a ton of thought into the resigning hits.

FORWARDS
Carl Hagelin ($2.250m) / Derek Stepan ($4.000m) / Rick Nash ($7.800m)
Chris Kreider ($2.250m) / Derick Brassard ($4.000m) / Ryan Callahan ($5.700m)
Mats Zuccarello ($2.750m) / J.T. Miller ($1.244m) / Jesper Fasth ($0.900m)
Daniel Winnik ($2.500m) / Oscar Lindberg ($0.760m) / Derek Dorsett ($2.000m)
Andrew Yogan ($0.800m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Ryan McDonagh ($4.700m) / Dan Girardi ($5.500m)
Marc Staal ($3.975m) / Michael Del Zotto ($3.500m)
John Moore ($2.000m) / Dylan McIlrath ($1.295m)
Justin Falk ($1.500m) /
GOALTENDERS
Henrik Lundqvist ($8.500m)
Cam Talbot ($0.800m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $68,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,724,167; BONUSES: $1,632,500
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $908,333

 

[BBKers]

Jim Cerny answered a tweet about Lundqvist



https://twitter.com/JimCerny/status/362660212970233856

Henrik is still in Sweden. Maybe when he returns sometime in August which is less than 2 hours away,the contract can be ironed out.

The Rangers met with Newport Sports about Lundqvist in late June before the draft. Nothing has been leaked since late June. Its going to be a 7 or 8 year deal with the first number starting with an 8 or 9. Its won't be cheap. Some guys you have to pay. Henrik is one of them.

The Rangers haven't spoken to Callahan about an extension



http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=679139&navid=DL|NHL|home

Spoke just two days ago with somebody that has met Hank regularly this summer. He said Hank wants a 7 year deal close to $9M. He will get that deal. You are right on here

 

[LaffyTaffyNYR]

Spoke just two days ago with somebody that has met Hank regularly this summer. He said Hank wants a 7 year deal close to $9M. He will get that deal. You are right on here

7 years, 60M = 8.57 per.

 

[Boruto]

From here on out, the summer will be a dragggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

 

[Ola]

From here on out, the summer will be a dragggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg.

I am thinking along the line of this:

-By my count we have 19 forwards on 1-way deals or kids that I think more or less is ready.

-We have an issue on left D with our two top guys there overall and the third being our best, and only?, offensive threat from the blueline.

-We had a season destroying PP last season, the year before that, and the year before that.

We have done nothing this off-season to help our PP.

-We have a roster that isn't fully adjusted to AV (while the Gabby trade actually marked the start of a little more creative roster).

I do NOT like the roster we have now, but I do think it is CLOSE. A few moves should get us a lot closer. We haven't had a whole lot of flexibility this off-season. Stuff will happen during the year. There is a lot to talk about!

 

[Boruto]

I am thinking along the line of this:

-By my count we have 19 forwards on 1-way deals or kids that I think more or less is ready.

-We have an issue on left D with our two top guys there overall and the third being our best, and only?, offensive threat from the blueline.

-We had a season destroying PP last season, the year before that, and the year before that.

We have done nothing this off-season to help our PP.

-We have a roster that isn't fully adjusted to AV (while the Gabby trade actually marked the start of a little more creative roster).

I do NOT like the roster we have now, but I do think it is CLOSE. A few moves should get us a lot closer. We haven't had a whole lot of flexibility this off-season. Stuff will happen during the year. There is a lot to talk about!

With a new coach, there has to be a lot of sifting during the first month of the season and attempting to address holes that are not glaringly obvious might be a little premature, especially given how tight the cap is with Stepan yet to be signed.

Pfftt, "a lot to talk about" always ends up back at Boyle, DZ, or our need to move Pyatt

 

[RangerBoy]

This is from early July

Privately, a lot of GMs believe league revenues will soar next year, meaning the cap is going right back up, perhaps by as much as $10-million. That anticipation – and thinking big-picture, long-term thoughts – will play into their buying decisions.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...id=rss1&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Boston gave Iginla a games played performance bonus. The Wings have the same deal with Alfredsson. They modeled the contracts after the Brendan Shanahan contract in 2007.

Another $3.7 million will be paid to Iginla as a bonus once he plays just 10 games, but the CBA allows Boston to roll that amount onto its cap the following season if it exceeds the $64.3-million ceiling this year.

The thinking behind this structure is that the Bruins won’t mind being charged for that $3.7-million bonus (plus the additional $500,000 he could potentially earn for playoff performance) in 2014-15 because the salary cap is expected to climb back as high as $70 million.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/johnston-creative-contracts-benefit-both-parties/

Jeremy Jacobs is the big boss on the Board of Governors. He said the cap is going up. Chiarelli structured a contract which gives Boston flexibility this season and won't hurt them for 14-15 with the cap rising.

The Rangers will need every penny with Lundqvist,Girardi and Callahan group IIIs. Del Zotto and Brassard arbitration eligible. Kreider is also arb eligible.

 

[Crease]

Really not thrilled with the idea of having a 35, 36, 37-year-old goalie with a $9m cap hit. I know the the cap is expected to rise, but that's still a huge chunk of the team's cap space. The guy plays 65+ games a year. Plus playoffs. Plus Olympics and probably a future World Cup or two. He's putting a lot of miles on those knees. How many elite years does he have left in the tank?

 

[Tawnos]

Really not thrilled with the idea of having a 35, 36, 37-year-old goalie with a $9m cap hit. I know the the cap is expected to rise, but that's still a huge chunk of the team's cap space. The guy plays 65+ games a year. Plus playoffs. Plus Olympics and probably a future World Cup or two. He's putting a lot of miles on those knees. How many elite years does he have left in the tank?

Brodeur continued putting up elite numbers until he was 37. That's the career trajectory I think we're all hoping Lundqvist takes.

 

[Crease]

Someone will pay Lundqvist that kind of money. I guess I'm just frustrated that the Rangers have put themselves in a position (read: zero goaltending depth) that they are going to have to make a 30-year-old goalie the highest paid at his position for 7+ years. I firmly believe Lundqvist's best days are behind him. In a vacuum, 7x9 is not a good contract considering his age, but the Rangers hands are tied here.

 

[Crease]

Brodeur continued putting up elite numbers until he was 37. That's the career trajectory I think we're all hoping Lundqvist takes.

We can hope until the cows come home, but it's still not a good bet.

 

[Jabroni]

Someone will pay Lundqvist that kind of money. I guess I'm just frustrated that the Rangers have put themselves in a position (read: zero goaltending depth) that they are going to have to give a 30-year-old goalie a retirement contract close to the max. I firmly believe Lundqvist's best days are behind him. In a vacuum, 7x9 is not a good contract considering his age, but the Rangers hands are tied here.

I think Hank could put up 30-35 wins when he's 35. That's still great, no? What number would you consider good for when he's in his mid to late thirties?

 

[Crease]

11 times in NHL history a goalie age 35+ won 35 games.

 

[Crease]

I'm not saying he absolutely won't be good in his mid-to-late 30s. I just don't think it's a good idea to commit that kind of money to him now for those years. If a goalie loses his game, you can't bury him in the lineup. I'd much rather give him a 4 year deal with a higher cap hit and then re-sign him again at 34 after re-evaluating where the franchise is and where he is health-wise. This is of course in a world where Lundqvist would be okay with a bridge contract.

 

[Jabroni]

11 times in NHL history a goalie age 35+ won 35 games.

What is the statistic for 30 wins? I do think Hank could put up those numbers.

 

[Crease]

What is the statistic for 30 wins? I do think Hank could put up those numbers.

25 times. But 17 goalies had 30 wins in 2011-12. Should we be okay with committing one of the highest cap hits to a goalie doing what passes as average?

 

[Tawnos]

We can hope until the cows come home, but it's still not a good bet.

Well, the choice is making that bad bet or losing him for the 5 or so years that it's a good bet that he maintains this level. The latter is more important to me than the former.

 

[Crease]

Well, the choice is making that bad bet or losing him for the 5 or so years that it's a good bet that he maintains this level. The latter is more important to me than the former.

Could an alternative be talking to him about a 4 year extension at a higher cap hit? 4x10 perhaps? $10m is a huge cap hit for a goalie no matter how you put it, but you avoid a possible nightmare situation on the backend.

 

[Tawnos]

By the way, the win numbers are somewhat misleading, since we're talking about pre- and post-shootout differences.

 

[Tawnos]

Could an alternative be talking to him about a 4 year extension at a higher cap hit? 4x10 perhaps?

From the sound of it, he doesn't want anything to do with that.

And it'd be more like 4x12.

 

[Championship*]

Lose Henrik, team falls into disrepair
Pay Him, run into cap problems down the line MAYBE

I'll roll the dice on option 2.

 

[Jabroni]

Could an alternative be talking to him about a 4 year extension at a higher cap hit? 4x10 perhaps? $10m is a huge cap hit for a goalie no matter how you put it, but you avoid a possible nightmare situation on the backend.

A 4-5 year deal at a higher cap hit and then a 2-3 year deal at 5-6 sounds better. I think these 2 options were discussed back in June when Hank first met to talk about contract extensions.