Totally forgot about UFA,s not needing to be protected .We just may have to wait until he is a UFA to get him resigned
Zack Smith extension?? Yay or nay??
- Thread starter topshelf15
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TheNewEra
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Thinking ,that may be where the nhl is kinda headed .You can have a great team,but with too many long term contracts you will get screwed somewhere .So a Gonchar type of deal may be just the tonic
PierresGabriels
Registered User
Wait for the year to play out a bit, but so much yes!
Zack Smith Checks so many boxes:
- Big guy
- Putting up goals (caveat: ATM)
- Can take faceoffs
- Can be trusted in all situtaions
- Good checker
- Aggitator
- Homegrown
- Decent 2way game
- Can play with a variety of players
Let the year go on a bit and sign this guy to a reasonable mid-term deal!
Zack Smith Checks so many boxes:
- Big guy
- Putting up goals (caveat: ATM)
- Can take faceoffs
- Can be trusted in all situtaions
- Good checker
- Aggitator
- Homegrown
- Decent 2way game
- Can play with a variety of players
Let the year go on a bit and sign this guy to a reasonable mid-term deal!
Will drop the gloves ,to defend a teammate
All sorts of reasons to like him .Can he keep it up i guess is everybodies worry right now
Very Stable Genius
#WeLostOurKarlssons
Another difficult decision for Dorion, but I would have to believe it is in the Sens best interest to start to negotiate sooner rather than later.
If Dorion waits too long and Zack keeps playing as he has been, he runs the risk Zack's agent advises him to just wait until July 1st allowing the market to set the price.
I also agree with your view that this team hasn't got another player with Zack's overall skillset.
IMO Zack has been one of the most effective players in the top six through the first 4 games.
Pretty easy to understand why Boucher would like to have 2 or 3 clones of Zack.
If this keeps up expect a contract ask in the range of $3.4M - $3.7M for 4 years.
The Sens definitely need to find out what his numbers are. It is a good problem to have when a guy is out-performing his contract.
If his demands are low enough (3.2 million on a mid-term contract) we need to bite the bullet and suck it up. Those would be great numbers for his production. On the other hand, if he wants something in the 4 million neighborhood, we'll need to see the end of the season for a number of reasons:
1. His value won't get much higher. Contractually, the worst case scenario is that he scores 30 goals and puts himself in the 4+ million category and out of the Sens budget. This is not much higher than the 3.5 million he'd likely get on the open market right now. There simply isn't a lot to lose by waiting. Either he'll price himself off the team with his play or balance himself out enough to get him a contract he can hope to fulfill longterm.
2. We'll know the market better. Strategically, as much as it could cost more to sign him when FA is available, unless he is VERY reasonable with his contract demands, now is not an option to sign him. When FA hits, his agent will also know the market better and the Sens won't make a panic re-signing. If the cap ends up stagnating or team revenues are low, this will have a big impact.
I just don't see many good reasons to rush it right now when his value is at an all-time high.
PS: Who is his agent?
If his demands are low enough (3.2 million on a mid-term contract) we need to bite the bullet and suck it up. Those would be great numbers for his production. On the other hand, if he wants something in the 4 million neighborhood, we'll need to see the end of the season for a number of reasons:
1. His value won't get much higher. Contractually, the worst case scenario is that he scores 30 goals and puts himself in the 4+ million category and out of the Sens budget. This is not much higher than the 3.5 million he'd likely get on the open market right now. There simply isn't a lot to lose by waiting. Either he'll price himself off the team with his play or balance himself out enough to get him a contract he can hope to fulfill longterm.
2. We'll know the market better. Strategically, as much as it could cost more to sign him when FA is available, unless he is VERY reasonable with his contract demands, now is not an option to sign him. When FA hits, his agent will also know the market better and the Sens won't make a panic re-signing. If the cap ends up stagnating or team revenues are low, this will have a big impact.
I just don't see many good reasons to rush it right now when his value is at an all-time high.
PS: Who is his agent?
Should have done this at the last trade deadline, but we should move him for picks/prospects and replace him in free agency. Could probably get a 2nd+ for him at the deadline.
Not sure signing Smith to a 3-4M deal for 3-4 years (McGinn/Beleskey-type deal) is the best move for a budget team.
Not sure signing Smith to a 3-4M deal for 3-4 years (McGinn/Beleskey-type deal) is the best move for a budget team.
danielpalfredsson
youtube dot com /watch?v=CdqMZ_s7Y6k
- Aug 14, 2013
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There are a few things to consider.
If Smith scores anywhere near 25 goals this season, he is going to be put into a position to cash in on a great free agent contract. Beleskey got 5 year x 3.8M after one 20+ goal season when his previous career high was 11 goals. There'll be an extra (roughly) 70 million worth of cap space in the NHL as a result of Vegas entering the league. This is the optimal year to become a free agent. If Smith cracks 20 goals, someone will give him 4M+ on a long term deal. He'd be stupid not to cash in.
Whether Ottawa can fit him in at that price/term, or whether they value him enough to move pieces around to fit him in at that price/term is the big question.
Another factor is that Ottawa might wait to extend him until after the expansion draft. Smith and the Senators could agree on a deal and wait to sign it until after Vegas selects a player from Ottawa. The benefit to this is that the Senators get an extra protection spot. The downside is that Vegas can negotiate with UFAs prior to the expansion draft so although it is less likely because they are only allowed to sign 10 free agents and Ottawa will likely have Methot exposed, Vegas could still poach Smith. The other downside is that Smith will probably cost less to extend now in both dollars and term than if the Sens wait until the off season to extend him and he cracks 20 again this season.
If Smith scores anywhere near 25 goals this season, he is going to be put into a position to cash in on a great free agent contract. Beleskey got 5 year x 3.8M after one 20+ goal season when his previous career high was 11 goals. There'll be an extra (roughly) 70 million worth of cap space in the NHL as a result of Vegas entering the league. This is the optimal year to become a free agent. If Smith cracks 20 goals, someone will give him 4M+ on a long term deal. He'd be stupid not to cash in.
Whether Ottawa can fit him in at that price/term, or whether they value him enough to move pieces around to fit him in at that price/term is the big question.
Another factor is that Ottawa might wait to extend him until after the expansion draft. Smith and the Senators could agree on a deal and wait to sign it until after Vegas selects a player from Ottawa. The benefit to this is that the Senators get an extra protection spot. The downside is that Vegas can negotiate with UFAs prior to the expansion draft so although it is less likely because they are only allowed to sign 10 free agents and Ottawa will likely have Methot exposed, Vegas could still poach Smith. The other downside is that Smith will probably cost less to extend now in both dollars and term than if the Sens wait until the off season to extend him and he cracks 20 again this season.
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Sens of Anarchy
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Viletho
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With the recent success we had with signing Free agent, how could you possibly want to bank on signing one to replace Smith?
But i agree with the bold, if he want to much, it will be difficult to give him that. We need that money for our core guy. The term have to be good.
But I found kinda weird by some to say to trade him for pick or let him walk, when some where complaining about the fact we didn't had a replacement for Mac in case he get injured again. Smith is exactly that, for now..
If the term are good, sign the guy. At worst, he will be playing a checking role in the 3rd line for 2 mores years.
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DrEasy
Out rumptackling
He's the only kind of tough guy we should have on our team. And with Neil possibly gone at the end of the year we definitely need Smith or someone like Smith. Don't know if McCormick is the cheap answer, probably not.
Erik Alfredsson
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After losing a guy like MacArthur, we can't really afford to lose Smith as well. I don't think they should throw a whole lot of money at him, but keep him around for another 2 or 3 years.
McGinn went for 3.33M, 3YRs
Vanek went for 2.6M, 1YR
Colborne went for 2.5M, 2YRs
Stempniak went for 2.5M, 2YRs
Weise went for 2.35M, 4YRs
Chimera went for 2.25M, 2YRs
Matthias went for 2.125M, 2YRs
Hudler went for 2M, 1YR
Vermette went for 1.75M, 2YRs
Purcell went for 1.6M, 1YR
Parenteau went for 1.25M, 1YR
Pirri went for 1.1M, 1YR
One of those guys + a 2nd round pick + cap savings > Smith at 3-4M for the next 4 years.
If you don't think we could sign a single one of those players by offering them more money than they were signed for (we could afford it if we decided to not re-sign Smith), I think you're selling the city and team short. UFAs primarily sign where they do because of money. We offer more money than our competitors and we'll sign free agents. We don't do that because we don't have money, resulting from a combination of being a budget team and poor salary decisions by our inept management.
What core guys??
Right now this team has one core guy, Karlsson.
It seems on every signing the same thing is repeated, "if player X wants more than Y$ then don't sign him, we need the money for the future signings".
IMO this team has to stop trying to solve bad contracts on the backs of its up and coming young players or on the solid performing veterans.
The problem isn't these players, its simply the fact there are at least two contracts that aren't returning close to the investment, Ryan & Phaneuf.
Now I do appreciate why the Sens traded for Phaneuf, but it was a panic move IMO, like the Ryan signing.
The team sacrificed the future for the present and until those deals expire, or Milbury gets another GM job, these contracts are likely untradeable.
So how many more young players or performing vets are going to be traded or let go in the coming years to cover the contract increases for Stone, Turris, Ceci, Karlsson, Hoffman, Smith, etc?
I'm not sure you realize that every player on this team today will have their contract expire before Phaneuf's or Ryan's.
This is what is frustrating me with this organization to the extent I dropped my STHs this year.
I also know quite a few other that have done the same thing simply because adding a bunch of older, cheaper players only insures one thing, another rebuild in the near future.
Not one of those guys can perform the role Smith does for the Senators IMO.
Ouroboros
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Our two biggest contracts, and they are definitely big contracts, are for secondary players.
TheNewEra
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lets give them more then 4 games before we say the sky is falling especially since they have shown that they can play in the past. Especially on Ryan lol since imo so far he has been our 2nd most consistently good forward (outside of dzingel). Yes the sample size is small but he hasnt done anything yet that has warranted the hate
Viletho
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Stone and Turris arent core guy to you? They are to me.
Their contract are up next season, they are probably going to get significant raise. We have to keep that in mind and i'm sure management already has that in mind.
The reality is that Ryan and Phaneuf are probably not going anywhere for now, so they have to take important decision regarding who they should keep or let go.
Smith might be one of them. I like Smith, i hope we sign him if he continue to play well. But i rather let him go and keep Turris and/or Stone. Best world, we are able to sign all player and we have no bad contract. But that's not our reality, unfortunately
Sens of Anarchy
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I would take Smith over all those guys. Some of that list are getting pretty long in the tooth. We need players that can play up and down the lineup. 3 million over 4 years for Smith would be a deal.
Calling them secondary players has nothing to do with this season.
Phaneuf is a 2nd pairing dman for us.
Ryan is behind Turris and Ryan without a doubt. Then he's on par or up to debate with Hoffman and Brassard. Thats secondary.
