Rumor: Trade Thread XVII: Callahan's Reckoning.

[Ail]

Yes, because that was the point I was making.



Sure, it's ok to be realistic too.

No it's not. This is Rongostown.

 

[AHB*]

I think its ridiculous to say that overpaying a guy by a couple million dollars will "prohibit contention for years"

If you think about it in the context of what he will be making, versus what he will be overpaid, then yes, it can certainly hinder contention and potentially prohibit it, especially if he continues the downward trend and injury prone play we've seen this season.

You may look at a Cally and say, well, he's worth 5 million per year over 6 years. If we give him 6 over 7, you may say, well, that's really only 1 additional year and then 1 million per year over the first 6. Fair enough.

Now, think about other players that make 6 million per year. Think about that extra 6 million we could have for future free agents or for guys that develop in house (Kreider, Zucc, etc.)

I'd rather overpay by 1 mil per year for a star player maybe paying them 8 mil per (no specific names in mind, but you get my point) then pay, what has become our 3rd best RW an extra million to keep him in blue.

He brings important things, but his real value isn't close to the 6.8 he's asking, especially for that TERM.

It's not about the few million we have to pay to keep him in blue, it's about where else that money could and should be spent.

We will have a ton more flexibility without his and Richards massive contracts on the books. If we can get Statsny at 6.5, it won't hurt. Maybe Kreijci or Bobby Ryan hits the market after this season, or a pipe dream in one of Kane/Toews. Maybe Tavares hits it a couple of years down the line. Signing Callahan now, impacts the moves we can make IF young, great players hit the market like that. With open cap space we can offer JT 8 or 9. We can offer Kane or Toews similar.

I'm not saying any of those guys will end up in blue or even FA. But signing callahan to a huge contract isn't the answer. He's overrated by us because we love him. Because he's something we lacked for so long and we built him. But all the signs point to him breaking down. They point to him becoming a lesser player, even looking at this year.

Don't make a mistake Glen. It's what has held us back for years. These middle-aged players who get retirement contracts from us and slowly deterioriate in front of our eyes. The only difference this time, is this player is one of our own. The only time we should ever be handing out long term contracts of 5 Million plus are if the player is 27 and younger.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

The ideal situation would be to deal Callahan by Friday. Work on the other guys over the break. McKenzie said Sather will trade Callahan and Girardi if they aren't signed by the March 5. Fat chance getting a deal done with Callahan. Not when the agent wants 7 years and $47.95M and there is no room to negotiate. Girardi is iffy. What about the other guys like Boyle/Moore and Stralman? Those guys should have value in trades. Dorsett will be returning after the break. If they can't sign Girardi,do they sign Stralman? The whole thing about dealing both Girardi and Callahan together within days or hours of each other.....

Ideal scenario:

- Trade Cally for a good offer by the freeze this Friday. I'd really rather not risk pushing it through the Olympic break and up to the deadline.

- Work the phones with agents and other GMs over the break to see where you stand with the rest of the UFAs.

- Sign or trade Girardi by March 5. This decision should be based made on an evaluation of what he's demanding and what is available on the market. (Imagine you can get Coyle, Dumba and a 1st for him - he should be traded even if he's willing to sign for $4MMx7.)

- If you've traded Girardi, signing Stralman is a priority. If you've signed Girardi, sign or trade Stralman by March 5 depending on his demands.

- Trade one or both of Moore & Boyle by March 5, depending on what you can get in return for each. If either of them is not receiving offers equal to/superior to a 2nd (or equivalent value in multiple lower picks and/or prospects), keep that player and work on a sub-$2MM per year deal.

- See what Pouliot wants for a 2 year deal. If it's more than $2MM per year, try to trade him prior to March 5. If not, keep him and work on negotiating the deal.

- Carcillo depends on Moore, Boyle and the terms of his deal. If it's truly as simple as "if he's on your roster at year's end" then explore the market for him prior to March 5. Especially if you've decided to keep both Boyle and Moore, you can trade him, play Dorsett, and wind up getting a free pick/prospect in the overall exchange.

None of these are done in a vacuum. If it turns out you've moved Cally, Girardi, Boyle and Carcillo, you're more motivated to keep Stralman (especially), Pouliot and Moore. Deal those you know are not coming back and those who garner the best overall return. Fill in with guys who come back in the trade(s) and/or Miller, Fast, Lindberg and Allen.

 

[wolfgaze]

If you can actually get a first line center prospect in one deal, and another high level prospect in another deal, plus first round picks in each deal, then you really have to pull the trigger.

Which teams are going to trade a 1st line center prospect (or high level prospect) PLUS a 1st round pick for rentals like Callahan and Girardi? Neither are elite players and neither of them are having stellar seasons. I don't see them fetching any such return given their pending UFA status.

 

[LORDE]

This is truly uncharted territory for Sather... two homegrown, core players, about hit UFA status and putting the screws to him.

By the end of this, the Sather Magician pic will no doubt look more like the Sather Chihuahua being mounted by a very large pit bull.

 

[free0717]

I think things would have to go VERY far south for him to not play before a deal goes through.

In fact, I still think this Olympics deadline is posturing from NYR.

Although, with Callahan's injury history, its a larger threat than usual. But with that said, I still think the Rangers need to tread carefully to make sure they do this right. The real deadline is March 5.

We do need to act fast enough as the Stewart deal may be pulled. Stewart could take Callys spot pretty seamlessly although Stewie doesnt bring in night in, night out.

5 year 30 million dollars is a very generous offer. Although Cally is our captain and a heart and soul player, he is not a first liner. If Cally doesnt want the offer, then time to move him.

Sather is close with Girardi, Close enough for both camps to say split the diff and make a deal. We need Girardi and Stralman. RH defensemen are a commodity in this league. There are few good ones. Much easier to get a LH defenseman.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

We do need to act fast enough as the Stewart deal may be pulled. Stewart could take Callys spot pretty seamlessly although Stewie doesnt bring in night in, night out.

5 year 30 million dollars is a very generous offer. Although Cally is our captain and a heart and soul player, he is not a first liner. If Cally doesnt want the offer, then time to move him.

Sather is close with Girardi, Close enough for both camps to say split the diff and make a deal. We need Girardi and Stralman. RH defensemen are a commodity in this league. There are few good ones. Much easier to get a LH defenseman.

Is the "Stewart deal" anything more than Dreger opining on twitter? These things tend to take on a life of their own. Quite frankly, I'd be pissed if the Ranger rush themselves into any deal.

 

[NikC]

Didn't Gusta fetch a 1st as a rental initially?

I know he resigned with Nashville.

 

[Trxjw]

Who do you think the Rangers will be able to get on the centers FA market this off season?

Stastny? He can't skate well either, and doesn't out produce Richards only thing he has over Richards is age.

Stastny is actually a solid skater and his defensive game is light years beyond anything Richards has ever had in his arsenal. He also has as many points as Richards right now in fewer games, with about 40% less power play time per night.

I'm not saying he's a good idea, but he's certainly an upgrade over Richards.

 

[mas0764]

Which teams are going to trade a 1st line center prospect (or high level prospect) PLUS a 1st round pick for rentals like Callahan and Girardi? Neither are elite players and neither of them are having stellar seasons. I don't see them fetching any such return given their pending UFA status.

Well we keep hearing different things. Sometimes we hear that multiple teams will get involved and a lot of teams would LOVE to have Callahan. Other times we hear that he'll just be a rental and not fetch much.

Again, if the best offer is Callahan for Stewart, I'm not really inclined to trade him for that.

I think I'd rather make a Cup run with Callahan and risk letting him walk for nothing, rather than just take on Stewart just to say I got something (though in fact, you do get something for letting Callahan "walk for nothing" - its called cap room to sign a player who fits our needs better).

On the other hand, if you are going to get a first line center prospect and a first, you absolutely do the deal. Even if you have to sign and trade Callahan to do it.

If the offer is somewhere in the middle, you have to weigh it when it comes in. I guess the point I'm making is that there are offers I'd take for Callahan, and there are offers I'd turn down and just see if I can ride this team and Lundqvist to a Cup.

I wouldn't say our Cup chances are great, and therefore the best move is turning some of these guys into top assets, highly valuable long term pieces, but if appealing offers aren't out there, well, certainly crazier things have happened behind hot goalies. And we have a goalie who is capable of being the hottest.

 

[mas0764]

We do need to act fast enough as the Stewart deal may be pulled.

And? Who actually wants Stewart as a long term centerpiece here? He's filler.

If he's the only player in that deal, then we don't lose anything by having that deal pulled.

 

[Slick Rick 61]

No news on the Girardi front really has me concerned. Given how close the two sides reportedly were, I take the NYR stance of trading him as more of a negotiating tactic to hurry the process along than I do with Callahan.

I think waiting on Girardi is a lot less worrisome than on a potential Callahan trade, given that top 4 RHD are a premium, and a bidding war would ensue. But I really think he's a guy they have to keep. Will losing him be catastrophic? No. But finding his replacement will prove difficult, and undoubtedly make them worse until they do.

 

[Ola]

Unfortunately in this day and age, players like Callahan will be getting $5-7 million. And that number will keep on increasing for players with expiring contracts. Just the way the business works. Precedents are and will be set and someone will always pay.

Of course, and I mean, in relation to the cap it's not that much. Look at what players made when the cap was 39m. 45m. 49m. And so forth. What a Rucinsky made then is equal to what, 5m today?

It just seem to be a bit hard to understand for someone like Slats. He will fight Brassard, Zucc, Stralsy and co with tooth and nails and end up bringing them to UFA ASAP where he is forced to pay market value or let them walk.

Slats just beyond stupid. Look around the league, what's the biggest fault with Stewert for example? Is his contract to long? ROFLMAO, it's of course the opposite. A long contract is always a plus, unless it takes a player long into his 30s or even 40s.

How people actually would PREFER to resign guys like Stralsy and Brass to SHORT contracts is beyond me. I am starting to loose hope in this place.

 

[Trxjw]

Is the "Stewart deal" anything more than Dreger opining on twitter? These things tend to take on a life of their own. Quite frankly, I'd be pissed if the Ranger rush themselves into any deal.

He brought it up again in prime time TSN coverage last night. So I'd wager it's a bit more than just his own speculation at this point. He went from, and I'm paraphrasing a bit here, "Callahan for Stewart would be a good deal for the Blues" on Twitter to "The deal is still there. Stewart would be a part of that." last night. To me, that's a bit more than just speculation.

It makes the most sense to deal Callahan before the Olympic break. If he's injured in Sochi, the Rangers are screwed. You're hedging your risk with what is possibly a lower return if you deal him prior to the roster freeze. However, I can't imagine that by now the Rangers don't have a good feel for what the market is, and then have a couple of days to negotiate the right trade.

Girardi and Stralman aren't going anywhere before the break. They aren't in jeopardy of getting hurt because they aren't playing in the Olympics. They can wait.

 

[Ola]

Why on earth would you want to resign Stralman to a 2 or 3 year contract if you can resign him for 4-6 years???

Litterary, WHY?

If you suggest that Stralman should get a 5 year contract, half the board would go "should Stralman really get 5 years? Seriously?" Like it's some award lol.

 

[Slick Rick 61]

How people actually would PREFER to resign guys like Stralsy and Brass to SHORT contracts is beyond me. I am starting to loose hope in this place.

Brassard is a frustratingly inconsistent, but talented player (I'd love to get a 3 year deal done for him this summer).

Stralman is a fine depth defenseman. Plug-and-play in the #4/#5 spot. Gives you solid minutes. Plays physically, positionally sound, and moves the puck up the ice.

Committing to guys like that long-term is not an insignificant risk and can really screw up your salary cap structure if you're not careful. Look at a team like Philadelphia. They hand out term like candy and now their flexibility is limited.

Short/Intermediate-term deals give you flexibility. In a salary cap world, that's almost as important as players themselves.

 

[Vitto79]

Didn't Gusta fetch a 1st as a rental initially?

I know he resigned with Nashville.

yep he did. I think Steve Eminger did at one time too

Quincey did in Detroit and hes been terrible.

 

[Beer League Sniper]

Not trading Callahan before the Olympics is a huge gamble. The eyes of the entire hockey world are going to be on him. If he underperforms or gets injured, his value could be almost nil. But, if he goes beast mode, the market for him could explode.

Still not a risk we should take as an organization, but who knows, maybe Sather likes to let it ride...

 

[Gardner McKay]

I don't normally hate on Eklund like every one else but damn... his blog this morning is a demonstration of how clueless he really is. We all heard for days from Brooks/Dreger/etc. that it was the term and not the money and he finally comes out with it today from a "source".

 

[Matt4776]

Why on earth would you want to resign Stralman to a 2 or 3 year contract if you can resign him for 4-6 years???

Litterary, WHY?

If you suggest that Stralman should get a 5 year contract, half the board would go "should Stralman really get 5 years? Seriously?" Like it's some award lol.

Because if you sign him to a 6 year contract he'll be 33?

5+ year contracts should be reserved for the elite/very good players.

I love Stralman. He's one of my favorite Rangers.

He does not deserve a 5 year contract.

 

[pld459666]

Stastny is actually a solid skater and his defensive game is light years beyond anything Richards has ever had in his arsenal. He also has as many points as Richards right now in fewer games, with about 40% less power play time per night.

I'm not saying he's a good idea, but he's certainly an upgrade over Richards.

Not to mention that Stastny is a much better face off guy (just about as good as Boyle)

If Richards was the same player he is today, but 28 years old, I'd have no issues keeping him around at 6.66.

But at 34 years old to start next season and clearly declining as a productive player, you don't take the chance that he will maintain a 50 point average.

cap foot print being equal, I take Stastny at 7.5 over Richards at 6.66 starting the 2014-15 season every day of the week.

 

[broadwayblue]

Because if you sign him to a 6 year contract he'll be 33?

5+ year contracts should be reserved for the elite/very good players.

I love Stralman. He's one of my favorite Rangers.

He does not deserve a 5 year contract.

You wouldn't give him a 5 year deal at 2M/year?

 

[pld459666]

Because if you sign him to a 6 year contract he'll be 33?

5+ year contracts should be reserved for the elite/very good players.

I love Stralman. He's one of my favorite Rangers.

He does not deserve a 5 year contract.

I would have no issues giving Stralman a 5 year deal as long as the numbers were right.

He' not overly physical so it's not like his body will take a beating over that time thus reducing his mobility or effectiveness.

I see the same player in year 5 that I see in Stralman today.

solid 2nd/3rd pairing RS defenceman.

18.75 over 5 for Stralman is a deal I do in a heartbeat.

 

[Blue Blooded]

Ola's point is that with the cap going up, long term contracts are a lot better as they get "cheaper" with every year. If we sign Strålman 2 years his next contract will likely be more expensive as the cap has gone up. Therefore it is better to lock him up longer now and keep his salary in check vs the inflation.

Nash's contract may look like a steal in a few years when top level UFA's pull $10M+/year over 7-8 years.

 

[pld459666]

You wouldn't give him a 5 year deal at 2M/year?

Why would he take JUST 2 million per year?

Stralman will probably be offered somewhere neat 4 per maybe even more over 5 years.

Righty shooting RS defenceman are at a premium. He's learned how to play defence under Torts and the kid can skate.

such an underrated player for this team.

He's a compound/spackle type of player. One of those guys that don't get noticed, but is just as important in building a wall as are the studs.