What will Matt Irwin's next contract be and when?

[hockeyball]

I expect, especially with his recent surge, that we will see a contract extension for Matt Irwin in short order. He is a UFA this off-season (not an RFA) so he could choose not to re-sign at all, but let's assume he does:

How much will he get?

When will he be signed? (If you think he will sign between today and end of April, choose April)

For how long?

Click to read more...

 

[Internazionale]

He fully deserves a 3+ year deal, which should be offered immediately no doubt. I can see a significant boost up to 1.2, 1.8, 2.4 M for 3 years. He has been one of the most consistent and surprising players this year, and will only get better. Every time he comes off the ice, Larry Robinson is all over the kid with pats, praise and teachings which is also nice to see. But hey we are talking about Doug Wilson right now, so anything could happen....

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

A 3 Yr deal similar to Braun's but with a slightly better annual payout.

OR

He gets traded by DW for a bag of Planters peanuts.

 

[GodHatesTheSharks]

Probably something similar to Demers' contract.

 

[210]

My guess is a two year deal, year one being $750k/$125k and year two being $800k

 

[hockeyball]

Keep in mind guys he is a UFA, not an RFA. He's a 'rookie' but we have no RFA years with him sadly.

 

[do0glas]

I wouldn't be surprised with a slight overpayment here. Braun type contract maybe.

 

[JoeThorntonsRooster]

He's not slow and 35 years old and knows how to create offense so it'll probably be a decent contract. Murray, probably 3.5 million.

 

[Boy Hedican]

Irwin's 35? Dang...

 

[Hatrick Marleau]

Irwin's 35? Dang...

He probably meant 25 since he is 25.

 

[Boy Hedican]

I'm going with 35. Dang Mirwin, looking good for an old man.

 

[Juxtaposer]

8 years $69M.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Irwin's 35? Dang...

Read what he wrote.

 

[OrrNumber4]

Honestly, I don't think he should get more than what Demers or Braun got.

He has gaudy offensive stats, but his defensive struggles are plainly visible. Also, very short sample size. He was never a very productive player at the minor-league level either.

Remember how good Francois Beauchemin looked playing with Scott Niedermayer. Or Carle with Pronger. Or Fatass/Lukowich with Boyl.e

 

[ChubbChubby]

He's hot now, but it'd be unwise to sign him for a ton of money before he proves he is consistent.

His defense is still too green and he benefits from playing with Boyle for the most part. He has a great shot, but part of that is because no one knows he has a good shot yet. Once scouts start to realize it, they'll adjust the defense and less shots will get through. Remember how Braun used to be known for getting his shots through? Now it seems like he can't get a shot off without having it hit a shin pad.

Sure he may be a UFA, but he's still incredibly unproven and inexperienced so he probably won't fetch much in the open market anyway. It also doesn't help that he's 25 and lacks the NHL experience. 1.2-1.5 sounds about right for him, probably 2 years but maybe 3.

 

[lsx]

Honestly, I don't think he should get more than what Demers or Braun got.

He has gaudy offensive stats, but his defensive struggles are plainly visible. Also, very short sample size. He was never a very productive player at the minor-league level either.

Remember how good Francois Beauchemin looked playing with Scott Niedermayer. Or Carle with Pronger. Or Fatass/Lukowich with Boyl.e

Agreed. He has a good shot, and it gets through to the net sometimes...but not enough NHL time to commit big dollars.

 

[skilks]

This kind of contract is right up DW's alley. One season, but mostly unproven. 2 year deal at $1.4M/$2M

 

[RainbowDash]

1 yr @ $1m

 

[210]

Read what he wrote.

No, they shouldn't...it's funnier that way

 

[OrrNumber4]

On second thought...

Irwin IS going to be a UFA...so DW will have to pay him a little more than he paid Demers or Braun....

 

[Dicdonya]

I think he's worth 2mil or less for about 3 years. So anything in that range would make me smile. He's looking really sharp and if he can keep the offense coming it will help during the post Boyle era. Him, Demers, burns and Braun is a very decent/good group of off def.

 

[210]

Honestly, I don't think he should get more than what Demers or Braun got.

He has gaudy offensive stats, but his defensive struggles are plainly visible. Also, very short sample size. He was never a very productive player at the minor-league level either.

Remember how good Francois Beauchemin looked playing with Scott Niedermayer. Or Carle with Pronger. Or Fatass/Lukowich with Boyl.e

In his AHL career he's averaging almost a half point per game while playing against the opponents' top lines...that's pretty productive I think.

 

[OrrNumber4]

He's hot now, but it'd be unwise to sign him for a ton of money before he proves he is consistent.

His defense is still too green and he benefits from playing with Boyle for the most part. He has a great shot, but part of that is because no one knows he has a good shot yet. Once scouts start to realize it, they'll adjust the defense and less shots will get through. Remember how Braun used to be known for getting his shots through? Now it seems like he can't get a shot off without having it hit a shin pad.

Sure he may be a UFA, but he's still incredibly unproven and inexperienced so he probably won't fetch much in the open market anyway. It also doesn't help that he's 25 and lacks the NHL experience. 1.2-1.5 sounds about right for him, probably 2 years but maybe 3.

Braun has changed his game. He's playing a lot more cautiously now. He simply does not try and shoot as much. I highly suspect that his motivation has come from the coaching staff.

Personally, I get it. You want your defensemen to be good defensively....if Irwin never improves or Braun had never improved defensively, I wouldn't have minded parting with them even if they could put up 30-40 points/year. But the defensive improvement cannot come at the sacrifice of offense. I also have no desire for a defensively-competent d-man who can only get 15-20 points a year as anything more than a bottom-pairing guy.

 

[OldAsianSharksFan]

My guess is a two year deal, year one being $750k/$125k and year two being $800k

I think it'll be a little higher than that. He currently leads the teams defensemen in goals scored.

Anything around $1 mil is fine by me. Hopefully 2-3 years in length.

 

[OrrNumber4]

In his AHL career he's averaging almost a half point per game while playing against the opponents' top lines...that's pretty productive I think.

I think it is fairly productive, but not "very" productive, especially relative to his NHL-play.

I mean, he is also averaging (IIRC) half a point a game here. You have to think that that isn't a true indication of his abilities if he could barely do that in the AHL.