Hey if callahan brings in a 1st line center prospect (a legitamate one) I'll be happy. Highly thought of guys like Schenn don't always match the billing but this team certainly has no shot at a top line center right now via the pipeline or FA and I think it's the team's biggest flaw right now and going forward. They can survive without Callahan and even thrive without him (although he helps them thrive more of course). But he's going to be losing his physical abilities within the first few years of a deal and if it's a 7 year deal...oh boy.
What if the team goes for something with ridiculous cash like a 3 year 24 mil deal? Guys like Hank and Crosby get 7.5/8 per year but they also get that for 8-10 years. Callahan should be happy with a mega bucks deal that leaves him with the chance to sign ANOTHER contract in 3 years while he's still a viable player. The Rangers keep the still useful capt around but don't commit for any length of time.
I don't know if it works in the cap so I'm going to go through the process for fun
Hank, cally, Nash, Girardi (assumin 7 mil) - 31.3 mil.
McD, Staal, Step, Klein, Hags - 12.2 mil
So that takes up 43.5 mil.
Leaves a good 20 (Prob more like 24 mil if the cap goes up. Capgeek has it at 71. If that's the case then they'd have 27 or 28 mil. I'll pretend it will only be 24 mil leftover though just for the sake of fun) mil leftover going into next season. STralman, MZA and Brass will prob be back although Brass isn't needed and I can easily imagine him being traded. I think they should keep him for a 2 year deal similar to Steps. But Brass isn't bringing anything that is that great and if they want to they can jet his ass outta town this off season and replace him with a cheaper option.
Those three guys (if they all stay) will prob cost about 10 mil combined so that leaves 14 mil left.
Kreider will get what 2-3 mil on his initial RFA contract? Let's be super generous and put him at 4 mil. This leaves the team with 10 mil.
Kreider- STep- Nash
Hags- Brass- Cally
MZA-
Mcd- Girardi
Staal - Stral
Klein
Hank
Talbot
So the team has 10 mil to play with, they have 6 spots to fill (LD, the 4th line and two 3 line spots) and all the following guys to split it between.
Dorsett, Carcillo, J. Moore, Falk, D. Moore, Boyle, some random FA.
Dors is already signed at 1.6 so that leaves us with 8.4 mil and three spots to fill on the 4th line. Between UFA, Boyle, D Moore, Carcillo, Fasth, Lindberg, Those 3 guys will take up 5 mil at most leaving 3.4 mil.
Miller takes up 900K. Talbot with a mere 600k
This leaves a shade under 2 mil for the final spot on the third line and some 7th D man.
The 4th line could also easily only cost 3.5 mil. kreider could also only get 2.5 or 3 mil. If that's the case the team would have an extra 3 or 4 mil to play around with for the 4th line. Stralman doesn't necassarily have to be brought back for 3-4 mil or at all really. But I was trying to use extremes on several guys just to see if the cap would work under the utmost extremes. I had fun doing this and understand if it's a steaming pile of goat sh**.
Based on cap increases if next year really i 71 mil than based on what I put down the team would actaully be under the cap by 4 or 5 mil with every spot filled. If the cap goes up AGAIN the next year they'd have enough to re-sign Staal. They could also trade Callahan, Brass, Girardi, Stral. by then especially if someone like Kristo, McI, Allen, Skjei, Fasth, Lindberg has stepped up and made them expendable.
In reality Callahan will likely get something for 6 or 7 years and be a 6 mil cap hit or we'll lose him and get nothing for it.
Girardi will be about the same although I see him as getting around 7 mil.
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