Confirmed with Link: Brady Skjei re-signed [6 years, $5.25MM AAV]

[UAGoalieGuy]

They need to add dislike buttons to this site. Some of these comments wow.

What did you honestly think hed get on a bridge? $3MM? Probably would have got $4MM or more, then if he plays well youd have to resign him for $7 or $8MM.

 

[SA16]

They need to add dislike buttons to this site. Some of these comments wow.

What did you honestly think hed get on a bridge? $3MM? Probably would have got $4MM or more, then if he plays well youd have to resign him for $7 or $8MM.

There is almost no scenario where Skjei would be looking at an AAV or 7-8 M/year two years from now.

And why is the only thought "if he plays well"? What if he plays poorly or regresses and turns out to just be a 3rd pairing guy? Then he's 2-3M overpaid per year.

 

[nyr2k2]

I like the deal. Seems reasonable.

Matt Cane's contract predictions had a five-year deal coming it at $4.6M, but he has been typically $100k-$500k low on everything this year.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Its not that bad, but I wouldn't say its any better than an average deal for the team.

I don't think Skjei is going to fall off and not be worth anywhere close to what we are paying him, like what happens with some players. Thats the upside. I think its a slight overpay. I wouldn't have paid him more than 5, but we haven't negotiated very many good deals this summer.

 

[Thirty One]

They need to add dislike buttons to this site. Some of these comments wow.

What did you honestly think hed get on a bridge? $3MM? Probably would have got $4MM or more, then if he plays well youd have to resign him for $7 or $8MM.

I guess the difference is I just see Skjei becoming that caliber of player as very unlikely.

 

[Mac n Gs]

At worst, they’re locking up a top-4 defender for 6.6% of the cap on a long-term deal. Keeping your better players signed longer and cheaper is how smart teams do it.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

There is almost no scenario where Skjei would be looking at an AAV or 7-8 M/year two years from now.

And why is the only thought "if he plays well"? What if he plays poorly or regresses and turns out to just be a 3rd pairing guy? Then he's 2-3M overpaid per year.

I think people are just looking at what happened last season when the teams D was a dumpster fire and overall the team was bad for the entire season. Hes still developing. Hes overpaid now by may be $250-500K, but that's what happened when you buy out UFA years.

His % of the cap will decrease each year. By the end it will likely be just 5% of the cap.

 

[Thirty One]

I think people are just looking at what happened last season when the teams D was a dumpster fire and overall the team was bad for the entire season. Hes still developing. Hes overpaid now by may be $250-500K, but that's what happened when you buy out UFA years.

His % of the cap will decrease each year. By the end it will likely be just 5% of the cap.

Last year was half his NHL career!

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Slavin got $5.3M for 7.

Slavin also got a M-NTC for 4 years

 

[SA16]

I think the problem is people are only looking at the positive side. "If he gets better it will be great value" and completely ignoring the negative side "If he gets worse it will be bad value" I find it to be exceeding unlikely that he will improve to such a level that he would command a much larger contract two years from now.

Like I said before, I think it's a fine deal - it's certainly not egregious like the Tom Wilson deal - but I think it would have been better to delay the decision by two years.

Slavin (and McDonagh) are also a lot better so I don't really get the comparisons.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

This is about 500-750K more than he’s worth but it’s fine

Hopefully he doesn’t regress

Signing him up after a potential bridge would be a higher AAV though. I'm happy we are going the "Nashville route" so to speak

 

[Vitto79]

He’s young ,the D needs him . I like Skjei as a top 4 last big term

 

[Riche16]

No clauses attached right? Sorry just hearing about this.

 

[UAGoalieGuy]

I think the problem is people are only looking at the positive side. "If he gets better it will be great value" and completely ignoring the negative side "If he gets worse it will be bad value" I find it to be exceeding unlikely that he will improve to such a level that he would command a much larger contract two years from now.

Like I said before, I think it's a fine deal - it's certainly not egregious like the Tom Wilson deal - but I think it would have been better to delay the decision by two years.

Slavin (and McDonagh) are also a lot better so I don't really get the comparisons.

So you bridge him at $4MM for 2 years. Your paying $1.25 more to protect the teams cap situation in the future.

Think the team has a general idea as to what hes likely going to become, otherwise they would have bridged him a la Names.

 

[kovazub94]

First, McDonagh’s contract was a STEAL from the moment it was signed. Expecting the same type of return on every contract by NYR is kind of silly.

Second, re. bridge option. Let’s say this contract is broken into two (about risks later) where first is a bridge 3x$4.25 and the second is UFA 3x$6.25. Do we need this $1m cap savings now while the team is rebuilding and there’s plenty of cap space or in 3-6 years?

Third, about the risk. Even if Skjei remains what he’s now, a two-way 2nd pair LD, there could be teams out there offering more than that hypothetical $6.25, especially if cap will continue to rise as expected. But if Skjei will tap into his upside then the reward of the current contract structure would be even greater.

 

[Kupo]

This contract takes Skjei until he's 30.

If we bridged him, then his next contract is going to take him into his early 30's.

Gorton made the right move here. Good contract.

 

[Hire Sather]

There's our most significant move of the off-season so far.

These are the contracts you need to sign in the new NHL. Love it

 

[kovazub94]

There is almost no scenario where Skjei would be looking at an AAV or 7-8 M/year two years from now.

And why is the only thought "if he plays well"? What if he plays poorly or regresses and turns out to just be a 3rd pairing guy? Then he's 2-3M overpaid per year.

If you had to assign percentage likelihood that Skjei would regress, stay the same or improve what would it be? Would 20%-50%-30% be reasonable? So would you structure a contract based on 80% likelihood or 20%?

 

[Yuck]

Fair and reasonable deal for both sides

 

[Hire Sather]

There is almost no scenario where Skjei would be looking at an AAV or 7-8 M/year two years from now.

And why is the only thought "if he plays well"? What if he plays poorly or regresses and turns out to just be a 3rd pairing guy? Then he's 2-3M overpaid per year.

With this mindset you'll never lock any player on a favourable term.

 

[Machinehead]

Could have been worse

 

[Machinehead]

The way Rangers fans talk about Skjei continues to be puzzling.

Comparing him to prime McDonagh? Looking at 7/8 on his next contract?

 

[Thirty One]

With this mindset you'll never lock any player on a favourable term.

No, I'm very on team "lock them up early", but I see far more downside than upside with this contract.

 

[I Eat Crow]

The way Rangers fans talk about Skjei continues to be puzzling.

Comparing him to prime McDonagh? Looking at 7/8 on his next contract?

I understand both sides of the coin. He's going to be getting top 4, if not top pairing minutes in the next couple of years until a trade is made or a kid like Hajek wrestles the minutes away from him. Incidentally, I see Skjei and Hajek as similar players at the pro level.

It's a fair deal for Skjei. What if he puts up 8-10 goals and 40 assists next year? Easily attainable if he gets power play time and 20--25 minutes per night.

 

[Draft Guru]

The McDonagh deal was a steal the moment it was signed in July '13, and then was highway robbery one year into the deal when you had a 14 goal, 43 point #1 D-man who led your team to a finals appearance (with 17 points in 25 postseason games to boot) for $4.7m.

As others have said, this is a "fair" deal for both sides. Skjei may never be as good as McDonagh's peak but we should get solid value throughout the term of this contract. There's risk involved for sure, but these are the deals you make in today's NHL.