Confirmed with Link: Alex Semin and Hurricanes agree to 5 year, 7 million avg deal

[Identity404]

Karmanos may have opened his wallet to be a near cap team now,but I seriously doubt we are going to be buying out anyone with significant salary like ruutu. Especially considering he has been injured and hasn't been able to prove his uselessness yet. The team will at least allow him to suck for a whole year before they even consider wasting money on a buyout.

 

[Oenatzu]

I'm honestly surprised that we were able to sign him for long term with the current UFA crop. While the 7m he'll be making is a lot of money, it's still less than what he could've got this summer.

Now that the offense is set for years to come it's really time for JR to open his eyes and take a look at this defense we have here.

 

[CanesAvs16]

Well even though there have been moments in which the hurricanes have played like absolute garbage and been stuck with 5-6 AHL players on our team, this salary cap situation isn't looking as horrible to me as it could. Think about it, at least half of our AHL team now has NHL experience

 

[WhiteTrashAmerican]

Not too worried about our cap situation. Jokinen/Mcbain will probably be gone in a trade for a dman. Hall, Brent, Bowman, Wallace are all cheap guys to resign and we can fill the other slots with whoever. No chance we are moving ruutu or that anyone takes him

 

[tarheelhockey]

Basically it comes down to ditching Jokinen. Everything I write below is based on the assumption that we find a way to get rid of his contract.

Going into next season we have 5 of our top 6 positions set, or all 6 if you want to view Ruutu that way. We have 3 wingers (Dwyer, Bowman, Westgarth) and no centers in the bottom-6.
We have 5 defensemen locked in, and need to pick up a 6th-7th.
We need a backup goalie.

Ditching Jokinen's contract gives us $9.6M to work with. If you assume we trade him for a roster player, go ahead and factor in that salary at the position of your choice.

- Sign Ellis or equivalent for $1M, a modest raise.
- I'm not sure what Riley Nash will get as an RFA, but let's say $1.3M
- Assume JR will never backtrack on LaRose, and sign him at his current $1.7M
- Sign Tim Brent or equivalent plug for $1M, a $250K raise
- Sign Hall for $850,000, a $200K raise
- Sign Wallace for $900,000, a $200K raise

At that point we have 14 forwards and 2 goalies. We have $2.9M left over to spend on defensemen, which will be about $2M if we sign Sangs/plug to be our 7th defenseman. That's a fair amount of flexibility when you consider we have the option to trade other players around as necessary.

I don't think any of the assumptions above are unrealistic -- the key is getting Jussi off the books somehow.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Trade Jokinen and Ruutu in package, please. Can't stand them anymore. Brent should go, too.

Ever heard of a "no trade clause"? Ruutu has one, so does Gleason. Both have crappy contracts that would be hard to unload anyhow.

 

[StormCast]

Doesn't hurt to be running about 90% capacity this season, + more investors to spread the risk. We might well be cap team next year. Hell, in the new division we almost have to be.

It doesn't hurt but when you factor is some of the lowest ticket prices in the league, the number of ticket promotions, lower than average media deals, etc. the financial impact isn't as great as it may seem.

 

[tarheelhockey]

It doesn't hurt but when you factor is some of the lowest ticket prices in the league, the number of ticket promotions, lower than average media deals, etc. the financial impact isn't as great as it may seem.

Lower than average or not (btw, how do you know that?) the team signed a new television deal last March which will increase the number of broadcast dates from 65 to 82 starting in 2014. That's a 26% increase, and presumably the revenue from the deal reflects that increase.

At an average ticket price around $40, the extra 1,700 fans per game (which they can count on sustaining in the future, due to realignment) is $68,000 in revenue per home date. That's nearly $3m across a normal season. Add the parking and concessions that come with each fan and there's another million or more, and then add the playoff revenue that comes with icing a better team.

Then factor in the new ownership commitments that spread out the risk-reward dynamic among a whole bunch of investors rather than lumping it all onto Karmanos.



It doesn't make sense to sit on the wrong side of the playoff bubble year after year, saving a couple million in salary at the expense of several million in revenue. If the team sees an opportunity to advance from 10th to 7th by spending $7m on Semin instead of $5m on PA Parenteau, that is a sensible business move.

 

[StormCast]

Lower than average or not (btw, how do you know that?) the team signed a new television deal last March which will increase the number of broadcast dates from 65 to 82 starting in 2014. That's a 26% increase, and presumably the revenue from the deal reflects that increase.

At an average ticket price around $40, the extra 1,700 fans per game (which they can count on sustaining in the future, due to realignment) is $68,000 in revenue per home date. That's nearly $3m across a normal season. Add the parking and concessions that come with each fan and there's another million or more, and then add the playoff revenue that comes with icing a better team.

Then factor in the new ownership commitments that spread out the risk-reward dynamic among a whole bunch of investors rather than lumping it all onto Karmanos.


It doesn't make sense to sit on the wrong side of the playoff bubble year after year, saving a couple million in salary at the expense of several million in revenue. If the team sees an opportunity to advance from 10th to 7th by spending $7m on Semin instead of $5m on PA Parenteau, that is a sensible business move.

I don't disagree but my point is that even with all that, it's not a windfall of new revenues that will make the team a consistent to-the-cap spender.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Ever heard of a "no trade clause"? Ruutu has one, so does Gleason. Both have crappy contracts that would be hard to unload anyhow.

I know people on here like to **** on Gleason, but his contract isn't enough to scare people off. Not having anyone else to play actual defense should be the reason the Canes don't trade him. I've gotta imagine Jussi is gone though, one way or the other. Isn't Vancouver an unholy mess up front with Kesler and Booth out?

 

[tarheelhockey]

I don't disagree but my point is that even with all that, it's not a windfall of new revenues that will make the team a consistent to-the-cap spender.

No, not all the way to the cap every year. I think we're now a middle-class team that has some flexibility to go up to the cap when the situation calls for it. That will allow us to be top-heavy, as Vagrant said, and then worry about adding depth talent when it looks like the timing is right.

 

[StormCast]

I know people on here like to **** on Gleason, but his contract isn't enough to scare people off. Not having anyone else to play actual defense should be the reason the Canes don't trade him.

Agreed. Another example of post repetition = reality in the eyes of some. Look, the guy is limited but is all too often asked to play a shutdown role. On deeper teams, he'd be considered a very valuable #4/5. Here he's considered to be overpaid and expendable.

No, not all the way to the cap every year. I think we're now a middle-class team that has some flexibility to go up to the cap when the situation calls for it. That will allow us to be top-heavy, as Vagrant said, and then worry about adding depth talent when it looks like the timing is right.

I think that's a fair way to look at it. You just hope it doesn't become a Florida Marlins-type cycle of build-slash-burn.

 

[Joe McGrath]

With the team likely being at or around the cap, I think it's important that we figure exactly what the rules are about being over the cap, things like LTIR(that you KNOW one of Pitts or Ruutu will qualify for at some point). I really don't know all the ins and outs but I think you can technically be over the capfor certain periods of time. Someone with a better working knowledge of this insanity can probably clarify.

 

[tarheelhockey]

With the team likely being at or around the cap, I think it's important that we figure exactly what the rules are about being over the cap, things like LTIR(that you KNOW one of Pitts or Ruutu will qualify for at some point). I really don't know all the ins and outs but I think you can technically be over the capfor certain periods of time. Someone with a better working knowledge of this insanity can probably clarify.

Basically we need Eric Staal to order a hit on one of the Finns.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Basically we need Eric Staal to order a hit on one of the Finns.

Maybe he's already tried?

EStaal absolutely BLEW UP someone in a white sweater behind the net (I couldn't see who it was). I mean, Mr. White Sweater got body slammed. You don't often see that at RCI at this time of season.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=62219767&postcount=396

 

[PaulProteus]

Maybe he's already tried?



http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=62219767&postcount=396

LOL. I *think* that might have been Dwyer that day, but perhaps he was just sharpening his skills.

 

[SCanedinavian]

LOL. I *think* that might have been Dwyer that day, but perhaps he was just sharpening his skills.

"Hey finns, this is what's coming for you". Jussi probably asked to be put on waivers

 

[tarheelhockey]

"Hey finns, this is what's coming for you". Jussi probably asked to be put on waivers

Message delivered.

 

[caniac315]

Yeah, a mistake on my part. I wanted to quote someone else, but accidentally quoted your post. Maybe i am harsh on this guy because of his past disappearing acts with the Capitals, but i still maintain that contract was a bit too much for this guy. As for your last phrase "If there's something you covet, you overpay for it", that statement would be true if there was no salary cap like in MLB, where the teams like the Yankees spent like mad men over the past decade. In today's cap world, to tie up 7M dollars in a guy like Semin for the next 5

years, given his past history, has disaster written all over it. If Semin was not on an one year deal entering free agency, would he still be this productive? The answer is probably no. Maybe Semin can shut me up by putting up great numbers all year, including the playoffs, but history says otherwise. So many teams passed up the opportunity to sign this guy last season, and before the season is even completed, he gets handed a 35 M dollar contract over 5 years (SMH). What a joke.

Isn't it good that you don't have to pay him?

 

[caniac315]

I am really taken aback by this thread. If you read the main board, there has been thread after thread about Semin and everyone here has had his back, saying what a good job he was doing and how we would love to re-sign him. Now that we have, almost everyone is against it! What is going on? You are afraid we are going to lose Pitkanen? Heaven help us all!

We would be criticized if we had let Semin go and criticized if we signed him at any amount. Such are the people on these boards. We may be paying a premium for him, but for me personally, I'm glad he's gonna be staying in Carolina.

 

[dogbazinho]

Anyone know if a NTC is included? If not I'm pretty happy about this deal.

 

[HisIceness]

Glad they came to an agreement. I bet Eric is too.

 

[Unsustainable]

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/semin-happy-to-sign-extension-just-play-hockey

"I'm very happy to sign here with this organization, this team," Semin said after Tuesday's morning skate at PNC Arena. "I like the Carolina fans, this city, everything. I like playing here."
What makes the Canes a good fit for him?
"I like playing here. Good team for me," he said. "It's a new life."
For the first seven years of the Russian's career, his life in the U.S. was based in Washington, D.C., playing for the Washington Capitals. He was a first-round draft pick of the Caps, had a 40-goal season for the Caps.

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/canes/semin-happy-to-sign-extension-just-play-hockey#storylink=cpy

 

[Chrispy]

Karmanos may have opened his wallet to be a near cap team now,but I seriously doubt we are going to be buying out anyone with significant salary like ruutu. Especially considering he has been injured and hasn't been able to prove his uselessness yet. The team will at least allow him to suck for a whole year before they even consider wasting money on a buyout.

I think that's a reasonable move given the injury. Plus, it appears they will get rid of Jokinen's contract this off-season, which takes $3 million off the cap. Also, Jokinen's buyout will be cheaper than Ruutu's ($1M a year for 2 years vs. $1.67M a year for 6 years).

 

[caniac315]

Am I blind or is there no GDT today? We do play the Jets tonight, don't we? Even vBookie has the game listed as the Jets v Panthers.