Confirmed with Link: Avs sign Maxim Noreau

[Foppa2118]

Yes, and no #2.

Sakic is clearly going for quantity over quality hoping that one of them will pull a Holden.

Which is kinda Pejorative Slured considering the D is the biggest problem on the team, and the problem is quality not quantity.

They seem to be adding every D man they can find that doesn't really address the problem of a lack of another legit two way guy in the top 4.

Locks

EJ - one way
Hejda - one way
Barrie - two way ($67.5k)
Stuart - one way
Holden - two way ($150k)

Battling for a spot (max 2-3 guys stay)

Guenin - one way
Wilson - one way
Redmond - one way
Noreau - one way
Elliott - two way waiver eligible ($67.5k)
Siemens - two way ($70k)
Gervais - two way ($200k)


So that's 7 D men on one way deals, plus two guys in Holden and Barrie who aren't getting sent down, plus Elliott who's waiver eligible and will surely be claimed if sent down. That's 10 D men that aren't getting sent down, and that's not even including Wilson who they'd be paying $2.375M to play in the minors.

Something definitely has to happen here, unless Josh lost his mind and got talked into throwing millions at depth defenders.

 

[Freudian]

So is it one or two years he's signed for?

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Regarding his defensive play

Nicola Berger ‏@BergerNeueLZ 9m
@TheGoalieGiant He certainly could over here. He was Ambris go-to-guy logging A LOT of minutes. Hard to tell how it translates though.

 

[Balthazar]

Something definitely has to happen here, unless Josh lost his mind and got talked into throwing millions at depth defenders.

Like what? Most of these guys have either 0 trade value (free agent signed, pending waivers) or negative trade value (Wilson).

 

[Alex Jones]

I don't mind bringing in a ton of defenders and seeing who makes it. I always like some competition in camp.

 

[Balthazar]

I don't mind bringing in a ton of defenders and seeing who makes it. I always like some competition in camp.

It's all good but those one-way contracts are hard to understand. Those who don't make it will get NHL salary to play in the AHL.

 

[Belenos]

$625'000 in each of the two years according to Swiss media.

 

[Cooperman]

Having work for four years as a scout in the Q, and knowing pretty well people in the Victoriaville Tigres organization, i can tell you that they were raving about the leadership qualities of Maxim Noreau, their captain at the time.

Very skilled, on the small size, 5'11,6', oustanding character.

Patrick Roy and André Tourigny know him very well, especially Roy who is pretty close to Jérôme Mésonéro, Tigres GM.

 

[SwissLeaf]

I'm a fan of Ambrì. You're getting a great offensive d-man.
He's very mobile, has good vision, great shot. He was our PP quarterback. He's not very good in the own zone, but neither is he bad...a little above average in the Swiss league. He's a great leader on and off the ice.

I will truly miss Maxim. I wish you guys lots of fun with him. Take care of him!

He also had offers from the KHL before he re-signed with us, but he preffered to stay, even though we weren't in the playoffs since 05/06, before this season (similar to the Leafs...heck, even the same colors)

Good luck Maxim, good luck Avs!

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

It's all good but those one-way contracts are hard to understand. Those who don't make it will get NHL salary to play in the AHL.

What should we care that they make NHL salary in the AHL? Shouldn't we view that as a positive that the owners aren't afraid of spending money for the team?

 

[member 116861]

Because why not?

 

[tigervixxxen]

As long as they make under 900k then their salary won't impact the Avs cap if they get sent down. But the question is they don't care about getting claimed on waivers and losing them? Is it insurance if they have trouble signing Barrie and/or Elliott? Are they certainly done with Wilson and/or Guenin?

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

As long as they make under 900k then their salary won't impact the Avs cap if they get sent down. But the question is they don't care about getting claimed on waivers and losing them? Is it insurance if they have trouble signing Barrie and/or Elliott? Are they certainly done with Wilson and/or Guenin?

They are either bringing in players in order to move some like Elliott or maybe they are going to wait until training camp is over to move out players?

 

[tigervixxxen]

They are either bringing in players in order to move some like Elliott or maybe they are going to wait until training camp is over to move out players?

Maybe but like others have said they don't have much by way of trade value so what are they planning. The RH offensive D sounds very much like an Elliott/Barrie situation. I don't think Sakic and Roy are screwing around, if either won't sign they just are not going to put up with it.

Nice move on the tweets too. Awesome to get that info and we are all capable reporters

 

[chet1926]

I don't mind bringing in a ton of defenders and seeing who makes it. I always like some competition in camp.

I'm of the same mindset. It's pretty clear we need to get better defensively. Obviously it's tough to find the top end guys. So why not find guys like Redmond, Noreau, Holden etc. who may have gotten lost in the shuffle on previous teams and give them a shot.

Holden obviously paid off well last year and hopefully Redmond or Noreau can do the same this year. You can't always just add top end talent, but there is no reason we can't depth and see what happens. I'd rather have a top guy (EJ), two middle pairing guys (Barrie, Hejda) and a bunch of guys that are #5-6 caliber, than what we had a couple years ago where it was EJ, Hejda and then a bunch of AHL caliber players.

Sometimes you just have to work on depth and then hope to add a big time player down the road.

I'm also glad to see the Avs using all of their resources. In my books this year they brought in Bleackley, Wood, Magyar, Pepin, Linholm, Pajpach, Nantel via the draft and then brought in Noreau, Everberg, Henley and Rendulic to the prospect pool by using their resources they've made the team deeper, which is something we have severely lacked the past 5-7 years.

 

[Former Ladder]

My guess is that they will compete at training camp and then the best 8 will stick and the rest will be sent down (if they can be). Then next year, after having a year in NA and in our organization, they get another shot when many contracts are up for the big club and AHL.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Maybe but like others have said they don't have much by way of trade value so what are they planning. The RH offensive D sounds very much like an Elliott/Barrie situation. I don't think Sakic and Roy are screwing around, if either won't sign they just are not going to put up with it.

Nice move on the tweets too. Awesome to get that info and we are all capable reporters

Well decided to find out something about him since we are lacking in Swiss posters. Better to have some idea about him rather then just guess who he was. Like I said before, sounds like a better Stefan Elliott. Maybe he's that PPQB we've been needing for a long time.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Yeah I think a lot of the two way contracts are getting cleared out next year and the year after. Guys Sakic and Roy would not have signed.

 

[henchman21]

Adrian Dater ‏@adater 2m
Avs sign Swiss League D-man Maxim Noreau to minor-league contract

Dater must have been in that elevator for a while.

 

[Freudian]

If he sticks, I'm going to call him Dr Noreau.

 

[Balthazar]

Adrian Dater ‏@adater 2m
Avs sign Swiss League D-man Maxim Noreau to minor-league contract

Dater must have been in that elevator for a while.

He was stuck in traffic actually

Adrian Dater ‏@adater 3h

Don't even think of driving I-25 north right now. Back up for miles

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Dater says it's a one year deal. I guess we'll see.

 

[StayAtHomeAv]

So what are the odds this guy is claimed on waivers if he does not make the 8 man rotation?

 

[henchman21]

So what are the odds this guy is claimed on waivers if he does not make the 8 man rotation?

Eh nobody knows... lots of decent players pass through waivers, some poor players get claimed. Seems like a shot in the dark. I doubt many people expected Cliche to get claimed, .

 

[Foppa2118]

Like what? Most of these guys have either 0 trade value (free agent signed, pending waivers) or negative trade value (Wilson).

Something as in they're going to have to move Elliott and do their best to move Wilson, and even then they'll be sending down guys on one way deals.

It's not a cap issue, it's that teams don't usually sign that many one way deals knowing 2-3 of them will be in the minors. Maybe one guy but this many is rare.

It seems like they may be already resigned to moving Elliott no matter what. Then they'd only be paying one guy an NHL salary in the minors, unless they find someone to take Wilson which doesn't seem likely.