The Case For Buying Out Andrei Sekera

[Soundwave]

Right so what will happen next year? I don’t know and neither do you. There’s more outlandish statiscal anomalies this year than last that’s for sure.

We have to hope and pray to be a bubble team like the Flames or Avs apparently. And we're supposed to be happy about that.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

People are either forgetting or just over looking do not care he came back from a serious injury.. my guess is he is still not at 100%

It's obvious that he's not 100% and given his age he may never get there. So whats the alternative? Trade RNH who is just entering his prime? Klefbom who is cheaper and younger and still has upside? Keep the team exactly the same and hope that Yamamoto and this year's 1st rounder is our saviors?

 

[MessierII]

We have to hope and pray to be a bubble team like the Flames or Avs apparently. And we're supposed to be happy about that.

Hooks me those lottery numbers eh

 

[Soundwave]

To be honest if it meant a more solid foundation long term with a real shot at winning a Cup with Hall or Barzal on the roster, I'd gladly erase last year.

One playoff appearance flash in the pan to have ultimately an untalented team around McDavid was not worth it.

Last year means nothing to me. One playoff round win whoopity doo, spare me the comparisons to 2006.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

To be honest if it meant a more solid foundation long term with a real shot at winning a Cup with Hall or Barzal on the roster, I'd gladly erase last year.

One playoff appearance flash in the pan to have ultimately an untalented team around McDavid was not worth it.

Last year means nothing to me. One playoff round win whoopity doo, spare me the comparisons to 2006.

Barzal was never going to happen so enough of that pipe dream. This team would be + Hall, - Lucic and + Erickson Ek. Regardless, it's done and we need to look forward unless you've discovered a time machine. What do we do given the current players and situation that we're in?

 

[Aerchon]

Maybe we could get your boy Marincin back? You always insisted he was so much better than Klefbom.

Truth hurts but ive always said Marincin is better defensively... This year that is most likely true again. Hard to imagine a worse year for Klefbom. Marincin could possibly be an upgrade over Klefbom this year.

 

[Soundwave]

Barzal was never going to happen so enough of that pipe dream. This team would be + Hall, - Lucic and + Erickson Ek. Regardless, it's done and we need to look forward unless you've discovered a time machine. What do we do given the current players and situation that we're in?

Nothing. We have to suffer until Chia is gone, there is nothing that will really improve until then. IMO he probably has cost us a Cup Final or Cup in the near term already. Had we played out cards right we would be playing for a Cup next year, Nashville would be gassed after two big runs and wouldn't be able to hold down McDavid, Drai, Hall, Nurse, RNH etc. no one else in the West would want a piece either.

 

[Aerrol]

Absolutely not. I'm much more confident in Sekera rebounding than I am Russell not regressing or Lucic rebounding. He's our only legit veteran dman as far as I'm concerned. We need to give him a chance to get healthy and back to it.

 

[VainGretzky]

Looking at some real bad anchor contracts around the league I can see at the next CBA that their will be buyout provision again of bad contracts that wont affect the cap ,

 

[Jumptheshark]

It's obvious that he's not 100% and given his age he may never get there. So whats the alternative? Trade RNH who is just entering his prime? Klefbom who is cheaper and younger and still has upside? Keep the team exactly the same and hope that Yamamoto and this year's 1st rounder is our saviors?

if he is not healthy LTIR

if we try to buy him out when he is not healthy that could bite us in the ass

 

[MessierII]

Nothing. We have to suffer until Chia is gone, there is nothing that will really improve until then. IMO he probably has cost us a Cup Final or Cup in the near term already. Had we played out cards right we would be playing for a Cup next year, Nashville would be gassed after two big runs and wouldn't be able to hold down McDavid, Drai, Hall, Nurse etc.

Hahaha yeah buddy. No. We’d be the new York Islanders this year. You can’t win with bad D. It just can’t be done. Someone would have to go for a D man regardless. At best we’d be like Toronto this year. Who are going absolutely nowhere until they improve their D. That’s assuming we had a goalie capable of standing on his head a lot.

 

[Mr Positive]

Looking at some real bad anchor contracts around the league I can see at the next CBA that their will be buyout provision again of bad contracts that wont affect the cap ,

I believe the only reason that was done was because they lowered the cap, like 10% or something. It's not meant to help teams erase mistakes. I doubt the cap goes down, although maybe it could if the league does it at the same time they address esgrow, in a way where the players don't really get a pay cut

 

[Soundwave]

Hahaha yeah buddy. No. We’d be the new York Islanders this year. You can’t win with bad D. It just can’t be done. Someone would have to go for a D man regardless. At best we’d be like Toronto this year. Who are going absolutely nowhere until they improve their D. That’s assuming we had a goalie capable of standing on his head a lot.

Haha no, a smart GM would augment and bring in pieces to help on D. With all due respect to the Islanders as well, McDavid is far better than Tavares, while Drai and Hall are better than Barzal and Bailey.

We would be closer to what the Penguins are in a weaker conference. Old farts like Kesler eventually would break trying to keep up.

Toronto will be playing for a Cup sooner than the Oilers under this management, book it.

 

[MessierII]

Haha no, a smart GM would augment and bring in pieces to help on D. With all due respect to the Islanders as well, McDavid is far better than Tavares, while Drai and Hall are better than Barzal and Bailey.

We would be closer to what the Penguins are in a weaker conference. Old farts like Kesler eventually would break trying to keep up.

Crosby and Malkin are better than mcdavid and drai at this point. Sorry buddy your pipe dreaming. Even last years pens were one shot from losing to the senators. We weren’t waltzing our way to a cup just by keeping Hall.

 

[Kalost]

holy over reaction

 

[Speed220DChalavan]

Buying him out would be absurd:

There's a good chance he rebounds with a full summer of training. He remarked that he's been playing with a brace and he's hoping he can skate without one in the off-season

 

[nabob]

Truth hurts but ive always said Marincin is better defensively... This year that is most likely true again. Hard to imagine a worse year for Klefbom. Marincin could possibly be an upgrade over Klefbom this year.

How is he doing in the AHL this year? He kind of fell off the radar when the Leafs (worst D depth in the league) didn't want him.

 

[McShogun99]

We need Lamorello to make all these bad contracts just disappear.

 

[Soundwave]

Crosby and Malkin are better than mcdavid and drai at this point. Sorry buddy your pipe dreaming. Even last years pens were one shot from losing to the senators. We weren’t waltzing our way to a cup just by keeping Hall.

With a smart GM who would make smart adds here and there sure we would.

LA and Chicago are done, Anaheim is old, and Nashville will likely be gassed soon. We definitely had a window to do some damage but Chia has basically moved us into another type of rebuild instead where now we have to wait for Yamamoto, Pulju, and our 2018 1st to hopefully develop enough to help McDavid.

 

[CupofOil]

Why jump through all these hoops just so we can keep Klefbom.

At least as good a chance Klefbom will continue to suck as it is Sekera wont return to form.

Just trade Klefbom for a ham sandwich and be done with it. Besides Talbot Klefbom is very clearly the next biggest goat. Id rather sell low on Klefdoh than cripple our cap management by buying out Sekera.

Yes, lets trade Klefbom for a 2nd round pick and have pay 6 more years of dead cap to buy out a top 4 defenseman just because he didn't recover from a torn ACL injury as quickly as people wanted. Come on guys, are you serious with this stuff?

This season was always going to be a write off for Sekera. I've been around people who have had the same injury, I've seen it all too many times in pro sports where it takes at least a full calendar year to recover from that injury so lets give him a break here and reassess next season. If he looks this bad through a good portion of next season then you consider buying him out but to do it now would be foolish IMO especially if there's no backup plan in place to compensate for his departure.

As far as Klef is concerned, you never EVER give up on good young players after one poor season. I'd have no problem dealing him in a package for an upgrade but otherwise, you let him work through these difficulties instead of panicking and dumping him at low value.

 

[Soundwave]

I'd rather just keep Sekera next year. I don't think he'll rebound fully ever, but buying out so many players causes damage on your cap that can't be undone.

Long term I'd rather retain a lot of money and move him elsewhere. If you retain then you have no punitive cap damage for other years, it's just the term of the contract.

If you reaaaaaaally were dying to get rid of him, I'd rather retain 2 mill per for duration of his contract and send him to Buffalo or something.

 

[fuswald]

I liked Sekera and he likely will return to form.
Even with a bum knee and a brace he is more reliable than Klefbom. Don't want to buy out Klefbom either.

 

[PatrikOverAuston]

A buyout makes the most sense right now as the cap liability would be timed to begin right when Seattle is expected to join the league. That hit would be more than offset by a $5M+ gain like we saw with Vegas this year.

I'm honestly more comfortable with that plan than trading Klefbom and hoping Sekera becomes a #3 again, which at 32/33 is going to be extremely difficult.

 

[Soundwave]

Maybe Buffalo would take him back for like Nathan Beaulieu or something. He might waive for there since he spent a lot of his early career there and probably knows the area well and the travel is better out East.

Summer 2020 I would move Lucic to Seattle @1 million retained + EDM 2nd. This makes his effective salary for Seattle 3/4/3 million ... not that bad. Hopefully he's not a jerk about the NMC and accepts moving back to his home area (but with a nice amount of cushion space so he doesn't have to deal with Vancouver dorks).

I'd be looking to dump Russell every summer starting this summer if he's willing to waive his NTC. If not, full ahead on that after this summer.

 

[Faelko]

I don't think you buyout anyone until the next CBA is figured out, you never know what it'll look like.