GDT: 'Twas the day after July 1st... Free Agent Frenzy

[PredsV82]

Looks like lecavalier was pretty close to being a predator, and may still end up being the guy.

http://www.sportsworldnews.com/arti...ly-wants-deal-before-bonus-kicks-in-video.htm

So, now that the $2 million bonus has been paid by Philly, I think Poile has to consider sucking it up and taking the full cap hit, maybe getting a pick upgrade for the trouble. (i.e. VLC and a 3rd for a 5th)

If he is really serious about getting a center for Neal there isn't much better out there now

 

[maplepred]

His stats were only really bad last season only, maybe he just had an off year?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=26809

What's his current contract situation? How much and how many years left?

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

His stats were only really bad last season only, maybe he just had an off year?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=26809

What's his current contract situation? How much and how many years left?

4 years (til he's 38) at $4.5M per.

 

[RomanEmpire]

Vinny would be good in my book. Last year was really his only "bad" year of his career. As stated in the article, he was drawn to Philly because of Lavi's offensive system & he wasn't even hardly there.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

4 years (til he's 38) at $4.5M per.

$6 million in actual dollars according to one article

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

$6 million in actual dollars according to one article

Took those numbers off of Hockey Buzz's cap page...Cap Geek confirms the cap hit at $4.5M. $2M of the $6M for this coming season was in bonuses paid out today.

Salary structure as follows, with included bonus amount in parentheses:
$6M ($2M)
$4.5M ($2M)
$3M ($500k)
$3M

 

[INDhockeyfan]

His stats were only really bad last season only, maybe he just had an off year?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=26809

What's his current contract situation? How much and how many years left?

His cap hit is 4.5M for the next 4 yrs but the actual salary is different.
This season is 6M with a 2M bonus that Philly paid already. Next season is 4.5M with a 2M bonus. The it is 3.5M total and 3M total for the last 2 yrs. I can see why Poile would want Philly to retain salary for their own stupid contract. The 4.5M cap hit is not bad at all considering that is about what Fisher is making it is term that is the problem since he'd be 38 when the contract ends

 

[ChesterCopperpot1*]

Anyway we can send them Nystrom? Trade stupid contract for stupid contract.

 

[PredsV82]

His cap hit is 4.5M for the next 4 yrs but the actual salary is different.
This season is 6M with a 2M bonus that Philly paid already. Next season is 4.5M with a 2M bonus. The it is 3.5M total and 3M total for the last 2 yrs. I can see why Poile would want Philly to retain salary for their own stupid contract. The 4.5M cap hit is not bad at all considering that is about what Fisher is making it is term that is the problem since he'd be 38 when the contract ends

if money truly isn't a problem with this team now then I think we are in a "beggars can't be choosers" situation

yes, the last year or two of the contract may be a lot of money for a washed up player but if we want to compete for the playoffs in the coming season we need to add a center and VLC looks to be about the best/only option

Anyway we can send them Nystrom? Trade stupid contract for stupid contract.

that would defeat the purpose of the trade from Phillys standpoint.

Nystroms contract isn't hurting us, and it won't hurt us going forward.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Anyway we can send them Nystrom? Trade stupid contract for stupid contract.

Nystrom/Stalberg going back is the only way I'll do Vinny. We will really regret it in three years.

I would love to add Vinny and think it is fairly likely, but we either need cap retention or a bad contract going back.

Stalberg for Vinny, straight up.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

if money truly isn't a problem with this team now then I think we are in a "beggars can't be choosers" situation

yes, the last year or two of the contract may be a lot of money for a washed up player but if we want to compete for the playoffs in the coming season we need to add a center and VLC looks to be about the best/only option

To be fair, adding Vinny doesn't make us better than Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, and probably Dallas (on paper at least). The Central is stacked.

 

[PredsV82]

Nystrom/Stalberg going back is the only way I'll do Vinny. We will really regret it in three years.

I would love to add Vinny and think it is fairly likely, but we either need cap retention or a bad contract going back.

Stalberg for Vinny, straight up.

again, the ONLY reason we will get Vinny is if Philly gets significant cap relief. Sending back another contract negates the reason for the deal from Phillys standpoint.

I dont understand why anyone is bemoaning these contacts, other than the fact that Stalberg has been a huge disappointment. We are not in any way hurting for cap space, and its not like its our money.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

To be fair, adding Vinny doesn't make us better than Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, and probably Dallas (on paper at least). The Central is stacked.

Thank goodness for us the season isn't played on paper. Not a soul would have had Colorado winning the division last season and Minnesota was being proclaimed a "legit contender" yet again before an eventual fourth-place finish.

Would be thrilled with Stalberg for Vinny though. Kills two birds with one stone.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

again, the ONLY reason we will get Vinny is if Philly gets significant cap relief. Sending back another contract negates the reason for the deal from Phillys standpoint.

I dont understand why anyone is bemoaning these contacts, other than the fact that Stalberg has been a huge disappointment. We are not in any way hurting for cap space, and its not like its our money.

Right now we aren't. Who knows what our situation will be three off-seasons from now. I would love it if it was a two year deal at that caphit, but I don't want to handcuff us down the road.

 

[PredsV82]

To be fair, adding Vinny doesn't make us better than Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Minnesota, and probably Dallas (on paper at least). The Central is stacked.

irrelevant. VLC will make us better than we would be without him. Objecting to him is valid only if you think there is someone better we can actually get or you believe we'd be better of without him than with him

 

[PredsV82]

Right now we aren't. Who knows what our situation will be three off-seasons from now. I would love it if it was a two year deal at that caphit, but I don't want to handcuff us down the road.

if the cap actually goes down in the future rather than up, there will be a lot of teams in a lot more trouble than we are.

Nystroms deal is 2.5 and Stalberg is I think 3.5. Thats chump change in Cap land for a team thats 15 million under the cap, especially knowing that Weber, Rinne, and Josi's cap hits are locked in well past the expiry of these contracts and VLC's.

Smith is about the only player who will likely get a big salary bump in the next two to three years

 

[maplepred]

Really, if we don't get vinny, who are are going to get to play with Neal?

The contract is not that terrible, it's not great by any means but liveable.
Stastny got paid 7 mill per season and other than this past season (which happened to be a contract year), lecavalier has been better than stastny last few seasons.

If we can get vinny for basically nothing and then sign volchenkov or Pitkanen then we are ready to rock next season!!

Go Preds!!!

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Why do I have a sinking feeling that even with the coach he wanted to play for and a relative lack of other teams to go to, he won't waive for Nashville? Could it get much lower?

 

[Osprey]

By and large, we don't need bridge players of that caliber, and Poile hasn't shown a hesitancy to overpay for that level of player, as evidenced by last year's acquisition of guys like Cullen, Stalberg, Nystrom, and Hendricks. We have those types of mentor/character guys on the squad, and don't need to overpay for more of them. We need a higher level of offensive talent than that, which we can't seem to get even when throwing competitive offers out.

Oh, I agree. My point was more that it's still worthwhile to get players who are not your #1 choice, and even if you have to overpay. That could mean getting Lecavalier or Vrbata when Spezza or Stastny would've been preferable, for example. Even if they're not your ideal fit for the hole that you're filling, if they improve the team, talent-wise, it's better than just standing pat with what you have, IMO.

 

[PredsHabs]

Really, if we don't get vinny, who are are going to get to play with Neal?

The contract is not that terrible, it's not great by any means but liveable.
Stastny got paid 7 mill per season and other than this past season (which happened to be a contract year), lecavalier has been better than stastny last few seasons.

If we can get vinny for basically nothing and then sign volchenkov or Pitkanen then we are ready to rock next season!!

Go Preds!!!

No to Volchenkov- NJ fans say he has aged and become slow- Remember Hal Gill

Pitkanen is a no go. Injured, may have to retire.

 

[maplepred]

No to Volchenkov- NJ fans say he has aged and become slow- Remember Hal Gill

Pitkanen is a no go. Injured, may have to retire.

Who is our best bet for remaining free agent defensemen?


Also saw another article about vlc to Nashville.

http://fansided.com/2014/07/01/nhl-rumors-philadelphia-flyers-deal-lecavalier/#!69hA9

 

[PredsHabs]

My thoughts after the past week.

1. James Neal- Solid top line player added to the team. Good job Poile.

2. UFA- hope we do not add anyone who is left, we have enough mediocre players on this team. To say I am disappointed is the understatement of the year, but I am getting more accustomed to it year after year.

3. Trade possibilities-
1.VLC- Would not be a bad addition, but 4 years ????????
2.San Jose Sharks- Doug Wilson stated his team is rebuilding- Could one or more of Marleau, Thornton, or Pavelski be moved????
3.E. Staal ???????
4.Boston has cap issues

4. Our division is scary. Look at the additions.
Blackhawks- Brad Richards
Avalanche-Iginla, Stuart, Briere
Blues-Stastny
Jets- Perreault
Wild- Vanek
Stars- Spezza, Hemsky
Predators- Neal

5. Hopefully Poile has some more magic up his sleeve.
Do not forget we can form a solid line with players Poile has traded for lately.
Neal-Jarnkrok-Forsberg

6. Trade idea- Wonder what San Jose would want for Thornton and Marleau, both are signed for three years and would fit into our lines perfectly.
This would give us a three year window of older players to help with development of younger players and who knows what that team could do.
Could you imagine top six of
Forsberg-Thornton-Neal
Marleau-Jarnkrok-Smith

 

[PredsHabs]

Who is our best bet for remaining free agent defensemen?


Also saw another article about vlc to Nashville.

http://fansided.com/2014/07/01/nhl-rumors-philadelphia-flyers-deal-lecavalier/#!69hA9

About the same as UFA offensive pieces, leftovers.

What about Chris Butler did he sign anywhere?

 

[CMDEADLY]

Well, that's like, you know, just your opinion man...

Seriously, if you're bored in Nashville, you're not doing it right, and I am not a country music fan.

I'm not saying the city of nashville is boring. I am saying that the rest of Tennessee is boring. The players we are trying to bring here are 24-30 years old. I don't see most of them wanting to spend their years here. Especially not for a team that hasn't gotten past the second round of the playoffs before. I grew up here I know the greatness of our state. They are having to come in to a place that isn't sold as a top 15 city. Once you get here you find out that it's great, but the stereotypes of the south supercede that.

What I mean is that they think about where they are going and why they want to go there. It's not just, I'll go somewhere that offers me a lot of money, regardless of where it is, or how the system is. We are an in flux team with a new head coach. Free Agents will be weary of us for a bit.

 

[Dadof5boys]

Basically read any UFA thread on here for the past years and they will all read the same. First hope because Poile says he wants to improve the offense. Then we laugh at how overpaid everyone is (despite our cap space). Then how we cannot force people to play here. Then how we can always trade for someone. And finally our young guys can step up

This nails it.