Around the League Thread Part III: Free Agent Frenzy Hangover

[BringTheReign]

Does this say much about the defensemen? Or just about how deep some teams are verse others? (Hedman excluded…)

I mean, Chychrun is the most impressive on the list if that’s the largest factor.

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

That Nurse contract is absolutely ridiculous, one of the worst I've ever seen.

 

[DAkings20]

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Darnell Nurse's agent probably had a hard time keeping a poker face while proceeding to signing. like what's the catch

 

[Reclamation Project]

Ken Holland getting WORKED OVER! I bet he got a full NMC too.

 

[King'sPawn]

Holland was a great pre-cap GM. The salary cap has done a great job separating good GMs from the bad ones.

 

[Mats26]

We aren't getting a top D with these ridiculous contracts. Hope Clarke pans out and prices come down in 4 years. Sergachev should fire his agent if he doesn't get 9 million in 2 years.

 

[King'sPawn]

Holy crap is this contract bad.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Holland was a great pre-cap GM. The salary cap has done a great job separating good GMs from the bad ones.

Really good point, book full of blank checks makes damn near anyone look good

Full credit for the Euro drafting in that era but sheesh you would think a guy that had Nic Lidstrom would know a thing or two about elite all situations dmen.

 

[Kingspiracy]

That Nurse contract is absolutely ridiculous, one of the worst I've ever seen.

Does he owe Adam Larsson a fruit basket for bolting? That probably put the acid on Holland thinking hed have no dmen left.

 

[kingsboy11]

Can Nurse's agent work for me? Jesus christ that deal is outstanding for Nurse and horrible for the Oilers

 

[King'sPawn]

Can Nurse's agent work for me? Jesus christ that deal is outstanding for Nurse and horrible for the Oilers

No kidding. I'm considering applying to work for the Oilers so I can be set for life.

 

[Reclamation Project]

KingPuckChoo would get 5 years/1 million per from Kenny Holland!

 

[KingsFan7824]

You know how everyone is always joking that players don't want to go live in Edmonton? Of course it's going to take a terrible contract to keep a soon to be high profile UFA D-man up there. Do we not pay attention to our own jokes? A 29 year old Hyman isn't going there without term and a full NMC either. Danault isn't coming here without the 6 years/NMC.

Not that Holland has been a good GM since Lidstrom and the rest of that late 2000's Wings team finally aged out. However, bad contracts are the price of doing business in the NHL. They're basically impossible to avoid.

 

[deeshamrock]

Can Nurse's agent work for me? Jesus christ that deal is outstanding for Nurse and horrible for the Oilers

brutal, Holland got taken to the cleaners. You think he'd learn from that mistake that happened before, Loui Eriksson's contract is also buyout proof.

Holland took a huge risk, that could easily backfire badly. And it wasn't necessary. Nurse doens't have that kind of leverage, I'm not sure what Holland was thinking.

Buyout-Proof: Darnell Nurse's Extra Protection

This isn’t the first time the league has seen contracts structured in a way to prevent buyouts. In the summer of 2016, just a few days after free agency opened, PHR published a piece examining how Loui Eriksson’s deal (and several others signed that day) was essentially buyout-proof. As we enter the final season of that six-year, $36MM deal, Eriksson is still technically active but was scratched for basically the entire 2020-21 campaign. He played just seven games for the Vancouver Canucks this year and has just 14 points over the past two seasons. Despite his obvious struggles, there wasn’t a way to clear his contract off the books–at least not without trading him.

 

[BringTheReign]

The most interesting part of these contracts to me is the back and forth between an individual getting paid and actually having the cap space to ice a contending team. Sure, us and CHI gave huge contracts on the books, but we have those out after we had minimal leverage given that those top tier players had won damn near everything they could for our franchise (and internationally). If they had trouble winning after that due to lack of cap space to add roster depth, it wouldn’t sting as bad to them having already won.

I know their agents coach them otherwise, but I don’t get how more star players who haven’t won’t yet don’t look at Tampa or Boston and realize how important bridge contracts and not gouging their teams’ for every penny is to winning a Cup in the cap era. No one should be surprised 5 years into their 8 year mega-deal when their team isn’t great yet they always act surprised anyways.

 

[Steve Zissou]

The best gif that illustrates this weeks signing...

 

[kingsholygrail]

Darnell Nurse's agent probably had a hard time keeping a poker face while proceeding to signing. like what's the catch

"He's signing it. He's signing it. I can't believe he's signing it."

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

"He's signing it. He's signing it. I can't believe he's signing it."

I think of all the times I bring a killer argument/counterobjection to the table ready to present and the other party just says 'we'll accept' and the biting of my tongue is the hardest thing in the world

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

You know how everyone is always joking that players don't want to go live in Edmonton? Of course it's going to take a terrible contract to keep a soon to be high profile UFA D-man up there. Do we not pay attention to our own jokes? A 29 year old Hyman isn't going there without term and a full NMC either. Danault isn't coming here without the 6 years/NMC.

Not that Holland has been a good GM since Lidstrom and the rest of that late 2000's Wings team finally aged out. However, bad contracts are the price of doing business in the NHL. They're basically impossible to avoid.

That deal is FAR worse than a terrible contract. I understand paying a Edmonton premium, but he got bent the hell over. 8 years, AAV 2-3 million too high, NMC, buyout proof structure, etc. Holland gave up EVERYTHING, handing the GM who takes over after him a boat anchor.

 

[Reclamation Project]

I think of all the times I bring a killer argument/counterobjection to the table ready to present and the other party just says 'we'll accept' and the biting of my tongue is the hardest thing in the world

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

That deal is FAR worse than a terrible contract. I understand paying a Edmonton premium, but he got bent the hell over. 8 years, AAV 2-3 million too high, NMC, buyout proof structure, etc. Holland gave up EVERYTHING, handing the GM who takes over after him a boat anchor.

That's my beef with it. ZERO concessions. What's the benefit to Edmonton? They didn't save money, term, or AAV; there's full no movement protection; the bonus structure ensures a buyout is super punishing. Why? I might even be higher on Nurse than most and sure by the middle years he may not even be raw overpaid at all vs. the market...but what was the urgency here with a year until UFA and coming off his best (unsustainable) season with numbers pumped by McJesus (check his splits, it's uuuugly).

 

[KingsFan7824]

That deal is FAR worse than a terrible contract. I understand paying a Edmonton premium, but he got bent the hell over. 8 years, AAV 2-3 million too high, NMC, buyout proof structure, etc. Holland gave up EVERYTHING, handing the GM who takes over after him a boat anchor.

That's not the problem of the current GM. The current GM is there for himself. That might be an organizational issue, but then you either get rid of the current GM, or tell the current GM that he can't hand out that contract. Ownership signed off on it. That's not a do whatever sort of contract with some role player for a year or two. That's a significant investment which has to pass through the top.

The most interesting part of these contracts to me is the back and forth between an individual getting paid and actually having the cap space to ice a contending team. Sure, us and CHI gave huge contracts on the books, but we have those out after we had minimal leverage given that those top tier players had won damn near everything they could for our franchise (and internationally). If they had trouble winning after that due to lack of cap space to add roster depth, it wouldn’t sting as bad to them having already won.

I know their agents coach them otherwise, but I don’t get how more star players who haven’t won’t yet don’t look at Tampa or Boston and realize how important bridge contracts and not gouging their teams’ for every penny is to winning a Cup in the cap era. No one should be surprised 5 years into their 8 year mega-deal when their team isn’t great yet they always act surprised anyways.

TB has the tax thing. It might be overstated, but it also can't be discounted. Boston has lucked out. Who knows what Marchand's contract looks like if he had exploded offensively in his late 20's before signing his current contract. The interesting one is going to be Pastrnak. If they get him at another stupidly good contract, then you know there's some sort of cult going on in Boston.

That's my beef with it. ZERO concessions. What's the benefit to Edmonton? They didn't save money, term, or AAV; there's full no movement protection; the bonus structure ensures a buyout is super punishing. Why? I might even be higher on Nurse than most and sure by the middle years he may not even be raw overpaid at all vs. the market...but what was the urgency here with a year until UFA and coming off his best (unsustainable) season with numbers pumped by McJesus (check his splits, it's uuuugly).

What's the benefit to Edmonton? What's the alternative for Edmonton? The only reason Keith, at 38, agreed to go there, was to be closer to his son. How many players around the league are in that situation? How do you get players to go to Edmonton? How do you get players to stay in Edmonton? This isn't the NBA, so McDavid alone doesn't make them a contender. The only incentive is money.

 

[deeshamrock]

I'm not sure about this one. 4M is a little high, considering he's been inconsistant. If he returns to form, it's a fair deal. If he doesn't, then it's three long years.

4M left for Sanheim

 

[Basilisk]

That Nurse contract is absolutely ridiculous, one of the worst I've ever seen.

Imagine how much it would be if his name was "Doctor"............!!!