2021-2022 Non-Stars NHL Discussion

[Kcb12345]

 

[BG44]

That feels like the nail in the Malkin coffin.

 

[Kcb12345]

 

[Zrhutch]

The line is gonna form to the left for Malkin’s services and I hope Dallas is near the front of it, but it is absolutely criminal for the game if he isn’t finishing his career in Pittsburgh.

 

[Kcb12345]

Seems like a team such as Detroit will swoop in and offer Malkin a bigger deal than Dallas can afford

Seeing conflicting reports on what Pittsburgh offered him, but last one I saw from an apparently reliable source they said offered him 4x$6.1m. Doubt Dallas spends even near that much on a single forward in free agency considering they are likely prioritizing a dman


Also its 6 years for Rakell so not 5.

 

[BG44]

If, and I expect when, Dallas seriously pursues Malkin, anyone that is surprised hasn't been paying attention. This would be no different than when they first pursued Pavelski. It's definitely in the Dallas playbook for sure.

The thing that I'm thinking that will see him land elsewhere is, at least to this point, Nill seems quite invested with not going beyond the end of Benn's contract with big money. It's not a coincidence that so many contracts end in 2024-25. It's plausible that Nill would go an extra year like Malkin reportedly wants, but I'm guessing that it's more likely Nill sticks to 3 years. Again, that's only based on the fact that his current cap strategy seems to put a fairly strong emphasis on 2024-25. Maybe he'll make an exception for Malkin though.

 

[BG44]

Seems like a team such as Detroit will swoop in and offer Malkin a bigger deal than Dallas can afford

Seeing conflicting reports on what Pittsburgh offered him, but last one I saw from an apparently reliable source they said offered him 4x$6.1m. Doubt Dallas spends even near that much on a single forward in free agency considering they are likely prioritizing a dman

My counter would be John Tavares. The money never made any sense, but Dallas went far down the path with him even though it didn't feel like cap-wise it could work. With Nill, they've been in on some big game when you wouldn't typically expect it. Pavelski was also a surprise IMO for the type of money he was going to get.

I don't know if it's an owner thing where Gaglardi likes going after flashy names or if it's totally Nill, but there are reasonable ways to make the money work, and I think Malkin could be too enticing for Dallas just based on their history with Gaglardi and Nill running the ship.

 

[Kcb12345]

My counter would be John Tavares. The money never made any sense, but Dallas went far down the path with him even though it didn't feel like cap-wise it could work. With Nill, they've been in on some big game when you wouldn't typically expect it. Pavelski was also a surprise IMO for the type of money he was going to get.

I don't know if it's an owner thing where Gaglardi likes going after flashy names or if it's totally Nill, but there are reasonable ways to make the money work, and I think Malkin could be too enticing for Dallas just based on their history with Gaglardi and Nill running the ship.

He really does seem like a guy the Stars would want, but who knows. Hopefully they are in contention for him

I will say though, adding another 35+ really slow player would be hilarious. It's fine when they're smart and super skilled players like Malkin and Pavelski, but damn that would be one slow top 6. I don't think he's as slow as Pavelski but still, probably around Jamie Benn speed at this point.

I still feel there's a good chance he stays in Pittsburgh however

 

[LT]

Didn’t Nill say something about always trying to add elite talent when it’s available? Feel like I remember that being a justification for going after Tavares and Karlsson.

 

[starsfan4ever]

I’m surprised more cap gymnastics haven’t happened with some roster players being shipped out and replaced with younger talent. Guys like Faksa come to mind. I think the organization places a high value on him tho when production from some of our AHL players would be serviceable. Too bad Benn and Seguin can’t restructure their money to make deals work.

 

[Kcb12345]

I’m surprised more cap gymnastics haven’t happened with some roster players being shipped out and replaced with younger talent. Guys like Faksa come to mind. I think the organization places a high value on him tho when production from some of our AHL players would be serviceable. Too bad Benn and Seguin can’t restructure their money to make deals work.

Nill talked about moving out some salary weeks ago to make space for free agents/possible trade acquisitions. Guess there's still time but really seems like something you'd wanna do before free agency

Maybe after free agency if teams missed out on someone there will be more interest I suppose.

 

[Captain Awesome]

Not to mention we're on the cusp of free agency and not a word on Robertson, Hintz, or Oettinger. Those three players dictate the entire direction of what kind of things they can do in free agency. I don't know why they aren't signed yet, Robertson and Oettinger at the very least.

 

[Kcb12345]

Not to mention we're on the cusp of free agency and not a word on Robertson, Hintz, or Oettinger. Those three players dictate the entire direction of what kind of things they can do in free agency. I don't know why they aren't signed yet, Robertson and Oettinger at the very least.

That makes some sense to me tbh. Extra space to use to sign UFAs, then worry about the big RFA contracts and it'll give you more time to move out money if necessary. Plus, I'd imagine they have some general idea of what price range those guys will end up in already, at least for Robertson & Oettinger.

Unless I'm wrong and it doesn't matter how much you spend during the offseason as long as you're under the cap at a certain point? Then in that case I'm not sure why they haven't unless they're just focusing on getting everything else out of the way first

 

[BG44]

It's not common for high level RFAs to be signed prior to free agency. Its probably way more common for a top RFA to sign just before camp or during camp than it is for them to sign before free agency.

 

[BG44]

Then in that case I'm not sure why they haven't unless they're just focusing on getting everything else out of the way first

Its a pretty simple explanation: leverage. The only leverage a RFA has is urgency when they don't have arbitration rights. There's zero benefit for a RFA to cave on contract demands. RFA contracts are honestly the easiest to predict, but they rarely get done in a timely manner. The bigger a RFA is for the team, the more leverage they can assert. Jason Robertson missing games, Oettinger missing games ... that's a major setback for the team that wants to make the playoffs and agents know it.

The only time you see them done early typically is if its a rather significant, long term deal or both parties are on the same page about wanting a bridge. Bottom line, its a not even remotely concerning that they aren't signed unless they're missing camp or games.

 

[Captain Awesome]

That makes some sense to me tbh. Extra space to use to sign UFAs, then worry about the big RFA contracts and it'll give you more time to move out money if necessary. Plus, I'd imagine they have some general idea of what price range those guys will end up in already, at least for Robertson & Oettinger.

Unless I'm wrong and it doesn't matter how much you spend during the offseason as long as you're under the cap at a certain point? Then in that case I'm not sure why they haven't unless they're just focusing on getting everything else out of the way first

IIRC you can go 10% over in the off-season, so $8M+.

I’m not worried about them not re-signing obviously, but I am worried Nill is gonna go a little crazy in free agency and then they’ll be bridging Robertson as a result, which will bite them in the ass when the cap really matters down the line.

It's not common for high level RFAs to be signed prior to free agency. Its probably way more common for a top RFA to sign just before camp or during camp than it is for them to sign before free agency.

Sure, but more than at any recent time I can remember the margins are very thin, and having these guys squared away gives you a crystal clear picture of what you can and can’t do. Even if he had an idea.

 

[BG44]

Sure, but more than at any recent time I can remember the margins are very thin, and having these guys squared away gives you a crystal clear picture of what you can and can’t do. Even if he had an idea.

In a very odd move for Jim Nill, he actually already said in an interview exactly what he expects both players to be making. I'm pretty sure he said $3 to $5 million for Oettinger, but I'd have to look at Robertson. I think he might have only said $6 to $7 million. His ranges though do seem to suggest they may be looking at bridges which will give them a bit more to play with ... not a ton but something.

I agree that clarity is important, but even with the flat cap it's just not been a thing that's happened regularly. Dallas was really fortunate with Heiskanen to have it done early last year, and like I said, that may have been because they were wanting to do a max-term contract. Bridge deals do tend to take a bit longer. Most of the Heiskanen and Robertson level RFAs from last year were signed pretty late.

Brady Tkachuk didn't sign until 2 days after the official start of the season. Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson signed just over a week before the season officially started.

 

[Satan]

how do you muppets always go off topic

 

[M88K]

Topics are more of guidelines or suggestions. Like speed limits, nothing is ever off topic

 

[Satan]

Topics are more of guidelines or suggestions. Like speed limits, nothing is ever off topic

mate