hawksfan50
Registered User
- Feb 27, 2002
- 14,105
- 1,983
With the exception of a rare chance at a franchise player like Crosby ---ordinary just good prospects via the draft are going to be less valuable than acquiring experienced --and now better and in greater quantity,and over the next 3 years even YOUNGER UFA's...and perhaps even RFA's (even with giving up 5 first rounders for one of those).
IF you believe your new "re-vamped" team with UFA (or maybe even RFA) acquistions--providing you have the CAP room,is going to makle your team a contender over the next 5 years--you probably would now give up 5 first
rounders more readily if a certain younger RFA who can be a franchise player for your team --or at east one of its key linchpins in the process---can be acquired by
forcing his current team to decide between him and perhaps another young star they might also have to try to match on RFA offers..it simply may not be feasible for some teams to keep all their young stars --if they have lots of them whose contracts are up and they are going into just their 2nd or 3rd contracts...some other teams could view them as more valuable targets than any first rounder they might get in the next 5 years (starting in 2006 draft) ...so--even though Ottawa still has some CAP room and could createa few million more by use of a couple of buy-outs-- what if certain clubs felt they would pay say MARIAN HOSSA a "Max Cap of $7.4 million a year? IF ottawa matches,then they might not be able to also keep both Havlat and Spezza should some other clubs also put in big offers for these RFA's...or, Ottawa might consider $7.4 million too steep for 1 player,or wonder about how it would affect team chemistry to pay Hossa $2.8 million more than their deservedly highest paid player (Alfredsson)..
So --GM's of teams wit lots of Cap room will be looking carefully at some of the opportunity costs involved with RFA's now--and it may be easier to give up 5 first rounders now under the new CBA,because if you no longer see your team as a bottom feeder due to better and cheaper UFA acquisitions (due to the unprecedented glut this summer) ,and you have a chance to steal a YOUNG RFA
star NOW for merely 5 first rounders likely not to be near the top of any round one in the 5 drafts from 2006 -2010,and this move could put you into elite contender statatus NOW...then you probably are going to go for it much more now than you woud have under the old CBA...
IF you believe your new "re-vamped" team with UFA (or maybe even RFA) acquistions--providing you have the CAP room,is going to makle your team a contender over the next 5 years--you probably would now give up 5 first
rounders more readily if a certain younger RFA who can be a franchise player for your team --or at east one of its key linchpins in the process---can be acquired by
forcing his current team to decide between him and perhaps another young star they might also have to try to match on RFA offers..it simply may not be feasible for some teams to keep all their young stars --if they have lots of them whose contracts are up and they are going into just their 2nd or 3rd contracts...some other teams could view them as more valuable targets than any first rounder they might get in the next 5 years (starting in 2006 draft) ...so--even though Ottawa still has some CAP room and could createa few million more by use of a couple of buy-outs-- what if certain clubs felt they would pay say MARIAN HOSSA a "Max Cap of $7.4 million a year? IF ottawa matches,then they might not be able to also keep both Havlat and Spezza should some other clubs also put in big offers for these RFA's...or, Ottawa might consider $7.4 million too steep for 1 player,or wonder about how it would affect team chemistry to pay Hossa $2.8 million more than their deservedly highest paid player (Alfredsson)..
So --GM's of teams wit lots of Cap room will be looking carefully at some of the opportunity costs involved with RFA's now--and it may be easier to give up 5 first rounders now under the new CBA,because if you no longer see your team as a bottom feeder due to better and cheaper UFA acquisitions (due to the unprecedented glut this summer) ,and you have a chance to steal a YOUNG RFA
star NOW for merely 5 first rounders likely not to be near the top of any round one in the 5 drafts from 2006 -2010,and this move could put you into elite contender statatus NOW...then you probably are going to go for it much more now than you woud have under the old CBA...