I think their general preference with the fourth line is for it to be a crash and bang line which I don't know if Gambrell is suited for.I really think our center depth is going to be Thornton-Couture-Tierney-Gambrell next season. I think freeing up O'Regan and getting a stop-gap in Fehr opens up the spot beautifully for Gambrell to take it next year. I really think if Kane continues to look like he belongs that he gets $6 million like Couture and Pavs.
Ideally I'd want:
Still leaves us with $5 million for raises for Meier/Labanc. Gives us another year to figure out what we have in Norris + prospects and new draft addition this year, which I hope to god is a high skill center. After this, hopefully Couture/Pavelski take similar amount salaries to what they make, especially Pavelski, or if we're out of it we sell him and Thornton at the deadline to finally rebuild this.
I personally don't think we can get Tavares, and it's much more likely we'll be able to sign Kane long term.
Boedker has been playing a helluva lot better of late but I still think hes making too much against the cap compared to what hes produced. If you can get that number down it frees up some valuable cap space.
Using Capfriendly, I built out a potential roster for next year. I bought out Paul Martin. I traded Boedker and Karlsson. I resigned:
Hertl for 5 years at $5mil per.
Kane for 5 years at $6mil per.
Tierney for 2 years at $3mil per.
Demelo for 1 year at $1mil per.
Fehr for 1 year at $900k per.
I then signed Tavares for 7 years at $12mil per.
That has the Sharks at a cap hit of $77,798,334. The cap is expected to rise to $78mil-$82mil. So there isn’t much, if any room for Thornton at that point. Obviously if the cap goes to $82mil, they can offer him a heavily bonus ladened contract. If Thornton isn’t a fit and the cap goes up to $82mil, DW has the room to bring in EK65 (no Bobby Ryan) with trading Braun. That would be going all in for one major chance at winning the Cup.
So it is doable to resign Kane, Hertl, Tierney and to sign Tavares. DW just has to buyout Martin and trade Karlsson and Boedker.
At least Boedker is probably trade worthy now without retaining a piece of his salary
I say walk away if tavares is asking for 12 mil.
And that someone should be us. Tavares is definitely worth it. An elite 1C is definitely worth it. Look at Nashville pre Johansen, look at MTL now (more wrong with that team but in the past too), STL for the last few years, etc.I think its going to cost at least 10M, maybe a discount for a contender. 12M seems insane but you know someone would do it.
And that someone should be us. Tavares is definitely worth it. An elite 1C is definitely worth it. Look at Nashville pre Johansen, look at MTL now (more wrong with that team but in the past too), STL for the last few years, etc.
At this point, I say do whatever it takes to get Tavares here10M if he actually wants to come to SJ, 12M if we have to twist his arm haha
I want Tavares as well but I kind of agree with you. McDavid re-signed for 12.5M AAV. He was younger, an RFA and is arguably the best player in the NHL right now. Tavares is really good, elite infact, but he is behind McDavid and Crosby in terms of value.I say walk away if tavares is asking for 12 mil.
I want Tavares as well but I kind of agree with you. McDavid re-signed for 12.5M AAV. He was younger, an RFA and is arguably the best player in the NHL right now. Tavares is really good, elite infact, but he is behind McDavid and Crosby in terms of value.
That being said, I expect that 11-12M is what it will take to land him. He is going to get a lot of good offers and in the end it may be where he wants to play rather than how much.
I want Tavares as well but I kind of agree with you. McDavid re-signed for 12.5M AAV. He was younger, an RFA and is arguably the best player in the NHL right now. Tavares is really good, elite infact, but he is behind McDavid and Crosby in terms of value.
That being said, I expect that 11-12M is what it will take to land him. He is going to get a lot of good offers and in the end it may be where he wants to play rather than how much.
We've been saying we need a legit #1c for years and finally one might test free agency. This isn't the time to be cheap.
It is if it handcuffs the teams ability to add depth to the team.
People called the hawks stupid for signing kane and toews to 10.5 mil a year contracts because it will kill there depth. But yet people here will be happy to sign 1 player for 12, 13 and even up 15 mil a year.
The need for a center is real yes, but destroying the teams forward depth for that need is not the way to go.
The thing is it wouldn't destroy their forward depth. They have to move dead weight and they're fine. Hawks were dumb because of the length of a lot of their contracts for certain guys. Sharks doing it for one guy that is of crucial need is fine.
The sharks will actually be in the same boat as the hawks. The hawks cap hits are not that bad out side of the 2 top forwards.
Kane, toews 10.5 mil
Saad 6 mil
Anisimov 4.5
Duclaire 1.5 mil
Schmaltz 925k
Rest of the forwards under 800k
Seabrook 6.88 mil
Keith 5.5
Murphy 3.8
Rutta 925k
Rest of defense under 800k
Crawford 6mil
Forsberg 750k
Berube 700k
Sharks
Couture, pavs 6 mil
Boedker 4
Hertl 3(with a raise coming)
Karlsson 2
Donskoi 1.9
Meir 890k (1.6 if he hits bonuses)
Tierney 750k (with a huge raise coming)
Rest under 800k
Burns 8mil
Vlasic 7
Braun 3.8
Dillon 3.2
Rest under 700k (unless demelo some how gets a raise)
Jones 5.75 mil
Dell 1.9
That does not count kane or thornton also which i hope both sign. And i also did not add martins near 4 mil cap hit for rotting in the minors or buy out hit (2.0 and 1.4 mil).
The sharks would have more higher paid players then the hawks.
Sharks will have 23mil in cap space next year if the cap does go up the 5 mil its rumoured to be.
12 mil for tavares now down to 11 mil. 5 mil for hertl. Now down to 6 mil left. 3 mil for tierney. Now 3 mil left. 2 mil for martins buy out. 1 mil to sign 2 or 3 bottom 6 forwards and 1 7th defensmen.
And that means no more thornton and kane. And would still have to trade one of boedker or dillon. Just to fill the bottom 6 and defense out.
So if the plan is to sign tavares to the 12+mil contract for 7 years i hope to god kane and a refreshed thornton after surgery is enough to push the sharks to a cup win this year because the sharks cap situation will be bad for the next few years.
One, you're incorrect on the Paul Martin thing. Paul Martin's buyout creates two million of cap space. It doesn't add two million. If they move Boedker and Karlsson in the off-season that creates another six mil to use. They could sign Kane for six mil and if Thornton wants to stay, they can get creative with a one year deal but that's up to him. However, if we land Tavares, the need for Thornton isn't great.
Sorry it is 3 mil instead of 1 mil to sign at minimum 3 players.
And if you do your scenario of karlsson and boedker traded with kane at 6 mil. It then leaves 3 mil to sign at minimum 4 players.
And as has been my entire arguement this entire time is tavares is not worth 12 mil for a team that wants to compete. Because it destroys the offensive depth of the team.
The fact that the sharks would need to trade depth just to fit him in without just filling the team with min salary players is destroying the depth of the team.
I get it people are desperate for tge quick fix and tavares is the bright star at the other side of the fence. But killing the cap situation to get him is not smart hockey operations.