Speculation: Rumour, Trade, and Free Agent Speculation 2017-18

[scelaton]

That Kane contract...oh boy. I mean Kane is good for 25 to 30 goals a year but he pretty much plays a solo game. This was his first year above 50 points as well.

Yup, some people have short memories.

“Common sense tells you, there are three priorities that you look for as a player: money, chance to win and lifestyle,” Kane told reporters at Tuesday’s locker clean out. “Those are the three priorities and it just depends on how you rank them.”

That about says it all and his history shows how he ranks them.
This was a big mistake for San Jose. They chose to judge Kane on a ~30 game body of work wile he was auditioning for his main "priority", instead of the previous 8+ years, on and off the ice.

 

[DRW204]

Yup, some people have short memories.

“Common sense tells you, there are three priorities that you look for as a player: money, chance to win and lifestyle,” Kane told reporters at Tuesday’s locker clean out. “Those are the three priorities and it just depends on how you rank them.”

That about says it all and his history shows how he ranks them.
This was a big mistake for San Jose. They chose to judge Kane on a ~30 game body of work wile he was auditioning for his main "priority", instead of the previous 8+ years, on and off the ice.

You do get more money by playing good, and by playing good you help the team, which is evidently how GM DW felt. It seems like he likes it in SJ and apparently the SJS players like him as well. I don't fault him for looking at those 3 priorities, those are the same 3 factors ppl/I consider when evaluating different employment opportunities. Salary, work-life balance, and chance to succeed. I am a fan of Kane's on the ice, hopefully his act is truly cleaned up, but this is still clearly an over-payment and he's been over paid since his deal w/ WPG....Good for him and his agent though

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Can't see why we want to get rid of any of our D next year unless something good comes along and changes our plans.

Poolman is looking decent so far but no way I would want to trade away Myers to open up a spot for him. Not when we dont have to. I'd be okay dealing him to get us a long term center but other than that not worth it getting rid of him for a meh first.

Enstrom is gone, he has to be. We still have Kulikov, Chiarot, Morrow and then Niku pushing for a spot. With Myers still around and Poolman in press box none of these guys need to play their off side either.

That 'meh' first could be the 2C we need in a couple of years.

You don't trade Myers in order to open a space for Poolman but Poolman makes it possible to trade Myers rather than losing him for nothing. Its just asset management.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

not sure if this has been brought up but assuming an 80M cap Kanes deal is the exact same % of cap hit as hist Jets deal..unless it goes against the old cap of 75m

Saw that point being made in the main board thread. That doesn't justify it. Kane has finished developing and is not the player he was projected to be. He is not a 30+ goal scorer. He is a 25+ goal scorer. He is not a 60 pt player. He has hit 50 just twice. He is still a good forechecker and PK'er. He plays a very good physical game but is also often injured.

I don't think he is worth either 7 years or 7 mil - even on the inflated UFA market. That term takes him through his 33 YO season. I doubt he is much good past 30. 5x5.5 would be about right for him, IMO. Allow extra for the UFA market and 6x6 is still the top end. I didn't think he would get even the 5x5.5 with his history. There was obviously not much interest in him at the TD. Sabres settled for less than they expected for him.

 

[scelaton]

You do get more money by playing good, and by playing good you help the team, which is evidently how GM DW felt. It seems like he likes it in SJ and apparently the SJS players like him as well. I don't fault him for looking at those 3 priorities, those are the same 3 factors ppl/I consider when evaluating different employment opportunities. Salary, work-life balance, and chance to succeed. I am a fan of Kane's on the ice, hopefully his act is truly cleaned up, but this is still clearly an over-payment and he's been over paid since his deal w/ WPG....Good for him and his agent though

Apologies for being pedantic for a minute, but pro hockey players are different. Financial security is a given for top-tier NHLers and work-life balance is the same across the board. The chance to succeed is a very important motivator, but the key ingredient that determines work satisfaction for all of us is relationships--with our peers, with the organization we work for and, in the case of public personae, the larger community.

Here's what Scheifele said when he signed his contract:

"I haven’t stopped smiling since I found out.” said Scheifele. “I wouldn’t of wanted to stick around if it wasn’t such a great community like Winnipeg.”

Here's what his boss said.

“Mark is an exceptional individual, he embodies so many of the things that we as an organization want to embody,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff on a conference call. “He embraces the community, he gives back to the community, he respects the game, he respects himself, there’s probably not a truer match for our organization than a player like Mark Scheifele.”

See the difference? Kane doesn't and that's a shame. Good for his agent though, as you say!

 

[DRW204]

Apologies for being pedantic for a minute, but pro hockey players are different. Financial security is a given for top-tier NHLers and work-life balance is the same across the board. The chance to succeed is a very important motivator, but the key ingredient that determines work satisfaction for all of us is relationships--with our peers, with the organization we work for and, in the case of public personae, the larger community.

Here's what Scheifele said when he signed his contract:

"I haven’t stopped smiling since I found out.” said Scheifele. “I wouldn’t of wanted to stick around if it wasn’t such a great community like Winnipeg.”

Here's what his boss said.

“Mark is an exceptional individual, he embodies so many of the things that we as an organization want to embody,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff on a conference call. “He embraces the community, he gives back to the community, he respects the game, he respects himself, there’s probably not a truer match for our organization than a player like Mark Scheifele.”

See the difference? Kane doesn't and that's a shame. Good for his agent though, as you say!

Work-life balance is just an example of a lifestyle, obviously this specific one is the same across the board for NHL players.

Some player want a certain lifestyle ie: being close to home, not wanting to play in X city or wanting to play in X city/state, play with X player etc. again, work life balance was just an example and I cant really fault him for lifestyle being one of his criteria to evaluate a contract from a team. Stastny will likely evaluate the same criteria when signing his deal. Who gives a chance to win, money/term/TCV and the lifestyle for him and his family.

Kane is not a top tier NHLer. So the total contract value is not the same as it would be for a guy like Tavares. It is likely not the same from team to team, partly due to his doing of course. If a team is offering him more term and money than another and is in a city you desire and is a team that has been a perennial playoffs team, wouldn't you take that? A player can chase money only to a certain extent. SJS offered him a 7x7 contract prior to July 1 where he hits the open market with multiple bidders. How is he really chasing $?

When Kane/SJS issue statements i am sure it will statement along those lines too. What else will they say lol? He's a crap teammate, he's selfish, he does 0 for the community etc. Why would they sign him if that's the case. At this point in time there is a level of comfort it seems between SJS and Kane, and by all accounts the players for the team vetted for him. Not to say it doesnt have potential to blow up in their face. Scheifele is a consummate pro and 100x a better teammate than Kane. I am not surprised that is what he said.

edit - Just want to make it clear, not disputing the fact that he is overpaid or has been a crap teammate in the past... just saying i cant really fault him for using those 3 criteria for evaluating contracts.

 

[ps241]

See, now you're defending Little. We can't really accept that here.

I'm really curious to see how much Maurice trusts Roslovic next year. Aside from that brief 1st line stint he had, he really hasn't played much. Same goes with a guy like Poolman; I'm worried that if Maurice does not like them, they'll have a hard time cracking ten minutes a night.

Next season will be interesting so much of this comes down to mid term asset management and how hard we are going to go for it next year. By that I mean are we willing to use Myers as a rental if we are not extending him because injuries notwithstanding that could have a big impact on Poolman's usage. Roslo looked really good to me but I agree how much will PMo trust him I guess only time will tell. No matter what we will have the assets to roll 4 very nice lines again if we want to.

 

[DRW204]

so Kane's contract is official.... has a m-NTC where he can be traded to 3 teams . holy shit

 

[bustamente]

Sharks are going to regret that contract if playoffs Kane shows up next year, he started out well with Buffalo but fizzled as the year went on until he got traded, then perked up again in San Jose only to fizzle out again in the playoffs, what are they going to pay Couture and Pavelski.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

so Kane's contract is official.... has a m-NTC where he can be traded to 3 teams . holy ****

That contract is epically bad. Holy overpay Batman! And that is almost a full NMC. Makes that contract virtually immovable.

I guess it makes the TD trade look very good for SJS. They got a franchise player for a late first and scraps. I mean, he must be a franchise player for that contract, right?

 

[The Ugly Truth]

Apologies for being pedantic for a minute, but pro hockey players are different. Financial security is a given for top-tier NHLers and work-life balance is the same across the board. The chance to succeed is a very important motivator, but the key ingredient that determines work satisfaction for all of us is relationships--with our peers, with the organization we work for and, in the case of public personae, the larger community.

Here's what Scheifele said when he signed his contract:

"I haven’t stopped smiling since I found out.” said Scheifele. “I wouldn’t of wanted to stick around if it wasn’t such a great community like Winnipeg.”

Here's what his boss said.

“Mark is an exceptional individual, he embodies so many of the things that we as an organization want to embody,” said Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff on a conference call. “He embraces the community, he gives back to the community, he respects the game, he respects himself, there’s probably not a truer match for our organization than a player like Mark Scheifele.”

See the difference? Kane doesn't and that's a shame. Good for his agent though, as you say!

I see the mythical good ole Saskatchewan farmboy aw shucks ma'am hockey player just won't go away.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is 2018 - not 1950. If it's important for you that hockey players continue to mumble the same trite, meaningless things whenever speaking to the media then fine. The reality is that what Kane said is completely honest and correct. It's just that after years of hearing hockey players striving to be as bland as possible it may be jarring for you to hear someone speak honestly. Try not to hate a player for being honest.

 

[scelaton]

I see the mythical good ole Saskatchewan farmboy aw shucks ma'am hockey player just won't go away.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is 2018 - not 1950. If it's important for you that hockey players continue to mumble the same trite, meaningless things whenever speaking to the media then fine. The reality is that what Kane said is completely honest and correct. It's just that after years of hearing hockey players striving to be as bland as possible it may be jarring for you to hear someone speak honestly. Try not to hate a player for being honest.

Wow, you are making quite a debut!
Let's see if I got this right:
-Scheifele is dismissed as a mythical farm boy (another farm boy!) from the 50s, mumbling meaningless trite
-Kane is the new standard of honesty for the NHL circa 2018
-My comments somehow demonstrate that I am an out of touch "hater"

Appreciate the constructive commentary.

*Ignore*

 

[ulf]

Kanes coaches have always given him more minutes than nearly any other forward. He is a very good all round player and lousy teammate. I'm not a fan of of his but no denying his skill speed and grit.

 

[trebendan]

How about Myers to the Stars for Hanzal & their 1st?

 

[DRW204]

How about Myers to the Stars for Hanzal & their 1st?

Whole point is to shed the cap I would think

 

[Jets 31]

After what Kane signed for , my god what's Tavares going to get ? And now what is Stastny , a center , going to be offered ? I know Stastny is older but man some of these GM's are dumb .

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Kanes coaches have always given him more minutes than nearly any other forward. He is a very good all round player and lousy teammate. I'm not a fan of of his but no denying his skill speed and grit.

Most here have always conceded that he is a good player. He is now being paid to be a great or near great player - and he isn't that.

30 goals per season isn't his norm, it is his peak. He can be reasonably expected to play about 70 games and score about 25 goals, maybe a few more. He will likely total only about 45-50 points because he doesn't utilize his linemates very well. He squanders opportunities with low % shots. He is a good forechecker, a good PK'er and plays physically.

Would you accept that as a fair and accurate description of his game? Is that what gets 7x7 these days? Is he the type who will play at that kind of level until he is 34?

I think 5x5.5 would have been a good contract for him. 6x5.75 should have been about the upper limit.

 

[DRW204]

his % of cap hit isn't to far out of line (assuming 80M cap) from guys like Lucic, Okposo, Ladd, Bobby Ryan (just LOL at this deal) and Eriksson. Roughly 7.5-8.5% of % of cap hit if i recall. Assuming inflation, his contract is the exact same % of cap hit as the Jets, sure he hasn't improved as much, but he also wasnt a UFA at time of signing in 2012. it's a bad deal either way you look at it, similarly to the other Ws mentioned, just trying to think of some reasoning.

 

[Maukkis]

his % of cap hit isn't to far out of line (assuming 80M cap) from guys like Lucic, Okposo, Ladd, Bobby Ryan (just LOL at this deal) and Eriksson. Roughly 7.5-8.5% of % of cap hit if i recall. Assuming inflation, his contract is the exact same % of cap hit as the Jets, sure he hasn't improved as much, but he also wasnt a UFA at time of signing in 2012. it's a bad deal either way you look at it, similarly to the other Ws mentioned, just trying to think of some reasoning.

The reasoning is WWEEEEEEEEE!

 

[Trinity]

so Kane's contract is official.... has a m-NTC where he can be traded to 3 teams . holy ****

That's quite the risk. Not only from a production perspective, but because Kane just can't seem to behave off-ice, unless he's in a contract year.

And if Kane is getting$7 million per season, what's Laine worth?

 

[10Ducky10]

After what Kane signed for , my god what's Tavares going to get ? And now what is Stastny , a center , going to be offered ? I know Stastny is older but man some of these GM's are dumb .

I can't see Stastny going to a team like, for example, the Habs. I think he is looking to get the cup before retirement.

 

[Gm0ney]

I see the mythical good ole Saskatchewan farmboy aw shucks ma'am hockey player just won't go away.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is 2018 - not 1950. If it's important for you that hockey players continue to mumble the same trite, meaningless things whenever speaking to the media then fine. The reality is that what Kane said is completely honest and correct. It's just that after years of hearing hockey players striving to be as bland as possible it may be jarring for you to hear someone speak honestly. Try not to hate a player for being honest.

I don't think anyone is hating on Kane for being honest. It's just that his priorities have traditionally appeared to be primarily focused on the lifestyle/money side.

Of course, his biggest crime to local Jets fans is that Winnipeg did not suit his ideal lifestyle and he didn't make much of a secret about it...so I suppose maybe it IS the honesty than rankled people. He didn't hide his disdain for being in Winnipeg, and that rubbed people the wrong way. And why wouldn't it? Fans are paying significant amounts for these guys to play a game for millions of dollars - they should be thanking their lucky stars they have the opportunity to do what they do anywhere. When you play for Winnipeg, pretend you love it here - just like Selanne did.

 

[robertocarlos]

San Jose Sharks allow you to be yourself. What's TNSE's problem?

 

[Jetsfan87]

I can't see Stastny going to a team like, for example, the Habs. I think he is looking to get the cup before retirement.

While I agree with you and Statsny seems like the kind of player who would rather take less money for a chance to win (not that he will sign for 1m or anything), if Montreal offers him a longer deal/more money than anyone else he at least has to consider it....

 

[Saintb]

I am pretty sure Statsny is staying in the Peg.