Around the League 2018-19 Offseason Part II

[Nubmer6]

Looking at the Blues cap space I get what they're doing. They only have around 5 million in projected space this year, and still need to sign Schmaltz and Edmundson. So they sign Maroon for cheap for this year, then give him a nice extension in January. With Bouwmeester and Gunnarson coming off the books next year it clears up space for when his extension kicks in.

That may explain why he took so long it took him to sign. He was probably deciding if he was willing to take the risk. If he gets hurt, that may affect the extension.

 

[MadDevil]

The joys of free agency and social media.

 

[Triumph]

It's very weird that 2 St. Louis sources are reporting Maroon to St. Louis - who would be leaking this and why, if it's not true? I see no incentive for St. Louis management to do it - if that's an offer they've made and Maroon is mulling it over, leaking that information seems like strongarming him. His agent has almost no reason to do it - if there's another team out there that Maroon wants to play for, are they really going to up their offer when the agent starts negotiating publicly? You would think if the agent is behind it that he would do it the other way - i.e. say Maroon is about to sign with New Jersey in order to get St. Louis to increase their offer. I see zero incentive for another team, like the Devils, to leak this info because it makes Maroon seem like a heel in his hometown if he doesn't sign there.

So yeah, only thing I can think is reasonable is that since Korac's information also comes with a clear circumvention of the NHL salary cap (a team can't negotiate a contract and also talk about an extension to that contract), Maroon's brother is running interference on that idea because someone told him it's not good for that to go public. Even that also seems unlikely.

 

[MadDevil]

Is his brother his agent?

 

[Billdo]

But I honestly don't think that is bad. Bridgeport is a complete embarrassment and a major problem. The team just set the AHL record for most consecutive seasons without a playoff series win. Bringing in credible AHL veterans to make them a real competitive team is totally the right move. They need an organization that teaches their prospects how to win badly and Lou is very smart to address that because it's been a real problem.

It's absolutely not a bad thing.

How about Gionta and Bernier? Are they still there?

Bernier for sure, it sure about Gio.

 

[NJDevs26]

Whelp... looks like we REALLY didn't want him...

Or he really wanted St. Louis. Fans only look at this one way, from the team perspective and not from the player perspective. If we weren't willing to beat that offer for one year then we have bigger problems than Maroon not coming back.

I don't really get the extension part of the rumor. Why can't he just sign a five-year deal now? If they're gonna clear cap to make room for him on a longer deal might as well do it in the offseason. Like Lou, sign the player first then worry about the cap. And if he is eventually getting a four-five year extension I wouldn't have wanted him back at that price anyway unless it was a super low AAV for four years.

But I honestly don't think that is bad. Bridgeport is a complete embarrassment and a major problem. The team just set the AHL record for most consecutive seasons without a playoff series win. Bringing in credible AHL veterans to make them a real competitive team is totally the right move. They need an organization that teaches their prospects how to win badly and Lou is very smart to address that because it's been a real problem.

Yeah well he never addressed it here for fifteen years, bringing in his same old slop isn't going to do it there.

 

[Billdo]

Whelp... looks like we REALLY didn't want him...

Maroon was really affected when he had to leave his family. I'm not sure there was much we could've done if he wanted to be near them. This deal kinda proves that because it's dirt cheap. Sometimes money isn't the key. Stinks that both guys we traded for are gone but it is what it is. Except Grabner, f him. Maroon I can appreciate though.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Of course you can’t really compete with the deal if he’s set on going home for personal reasons, but I’d be fine if Shero gave him triple the money on a 1 year deal or twice as much on a 2-3 year deal.

 

[Emperoreddy]

The extension is rumored to be for 4 years. We can’t match that.

 

[Billdo]

I would've been fine with giving him 3 years if that's what it took. 4 wouldn't happen. Maroon is the type of player who could really fall off a cliff at the end of a 4 year deal. I definitely think this was obviously a personal issue for him.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[Classic Devil]

If that Maroon report is true, we never had a chance here. He decided to take less money to be close to his family. I can't object to that.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

It's extremely fishy that we have hard rumors on term, dollars, and conditional extensions... but nothing has been made official yet.

I'd understand if he signs in STL, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is all a charade and he ends up somewhere else.

 

[JrFischer54]

If that Maroon report is true, we never had a chance here. He decided to take less money to be close to his family. I can't object to that.

if he is going to sign an extension in january then i dont think he really left money on the table to go home. smart "circumvention" to have a lower cap hit this year for the blues though

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

looking back at the OReilly deal - its pathetic how little they got for him.

St Louis may make a splash this year

 

[JrFischer54]

i get there is no way to prove it but you could argue that players signing 1 year deals and then extensions in January could be considered cap circumvention. definitely isn't in the spirit of the cba i'm surprised teams don't do this more often. of course there has to be a willing player to assume the risk of injury

 

[OmNomNom]

i get there is no way to prove it but you could argue that players signing 1 year deals and then extensions in January could be considered cap circumvention. definitely isn't in the spirit of the cba i'm surprised teams don't do this more often. of course there has to be a willing player to assume the risk of injury

well, it's a risk

what if that player gets a concussion or underperforms? would the team re-sign the player? there's nothing in writing, after all.

i doubt a player would ever sign something like that, and if that became a thing GMs did, you bet your ass the NHLPA would be all over that, for the reasons above. but I don't think any players are that dumb to risk that

 

[OmNomNom]

isles sign KHL 28-yr old Jan Kovacs

should be interesting to see how he does - he might end up being another Harri Pesonen lol

 

[Devils Dominion]

isles sign KHL 28-yr old Jan Kovacs

should be interesting to see how he does - he might end up being another Harri Pesonen lol

Hopefully, it would stink if he's good.

 

[GameSeven]

i get there is no way to prove it but you could argue that players signing 1 year deals and then extensions in January could be considered cap circumvention. definitely isn't in the spirit of the cba i'm surprised teams don't do this more often. of course there has to be a willing player to assume the risk of injury

I was going to bring this up too, future promises are addressed in this CBA clause:

The Club and the Player represent and warrant that there are no undisclosed agreements of any kind, express or implied, oral or written and that there are no promises, undertakings, representations, commitments, inducements, assurances of intent, supplements or understandings of any kind between the Player or his Certified Agent and the Club that have not been disclosed to the NHL, with regard to: (i) any consideration of any kind to be paid, furnished or made available during the term of the SPC or thereafter; and/or (ii) and future renegotiation, extension, amendment or termination of this SPC.

But good luck getting the league to act without an aggrieved party to challenge the issue. Further, with the implied risk the player assumes, I doubt the league would press the issue.

 

[JrFischer54]

I was going to bring this up too, future promises are addressed in this CBA clause:



But good luck getting the league to act without an aggrieved party to challenge the issue. Further, with the implied risk the player assumes, I doubt the league would press the issue.

there is already talk of them doing an extension and he isnt even signed yet by them lol. they would never be able to prove it but still you dont have to be smart to see whats going on

 

[JrFischer54]

well, it's a risk

what if that player gets a concussion or underperforms? would the team re-sign the player? there's nothing in writing, after all.

i doubt a player would ever sign something like that, and if that became a thing GMs did, you bet your ass the NHLPA would be all over that, for the reasons above. but I don't think any players are that dumb to risk that

i agree. the risk is on the team also though what if the player performs insanely well? he would be in line for a bigger payday.

 

[Blender]

Kovar will probably be ok, but he has no Mozyakin to feed off of in New York.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Lou wyd

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Scott Niedermayer getting his number retired in Anaheim.