News Article: Callahan leaves door open to return to Rangers / Richards Speaks Out

[Baby Punisher]

Richards is most likely going to be right behind Callahan out the door, so I don't think it really matters at this point.

They may very well be reunited in Tampa.

 

[clmetsfan]

What did Callahan do? Want job security so he would not have to deal with trade rumors for awhile? I have learned how bitter Ranger fans are, and Tampa fans who got screwed by MSL are loving Callahan now.

They throw these huge contracts with NTCs at UFAs from other teams, his best friend gets a NTC in his contract, and he wants the same, so it's all on him? This is just proof to how bitter and clueless the ranger fan base has become.

What did Callahan do? How about overvaluing himself to such a great extent that he rejected a deal which was a substantial overpayment? 6 years at $6 million per for a player who has already peaked, who only once cracked the 50-point mark, and has had a really hard time staying healthy isn't enough job security?

I love Cally, always will. But he forced the team's hand here. Giving him the contract that he wanted would have set the franchise back for a long time.

 

[haveandare]

What did Callahan do? Want job security so he would not have to deal with trade rumors for awhile? I have learned how bitter Ranger fans are, and Tampa fans who got screwed by MSL are loving Callahan now.

They throw these huge contracts with NTCs at UFAs from other teams, his best friend gets a NTC in his contract, and he wants the same, so it's all on him? This is just proof to how bitter and clueless the ranger fan base has become.

Demand to be wildly overpaid. How is that not completely obvious to anyone who has a sense of who is paid what and what teams have to do to fit under the cap? Having made mistakes in the past isn't a valid reason to keep making those mistakes in the future. That's no way to run anything.

Girardi got a NTC in his contract because he wasn't also asking for the moon. Girardi's contract is completely reasonable, and almost any team in the NHL would give it to him. Who's going to give Callahan what he was asking for? We'll see. I have a strong suspicion that it won't be a good team, and that no good team will even come close to offering him what he was asking for from the Rangers.

The fan base is bitter and clueless because they realize that Girardi's money is reasonable for his play and the money Callahan was asking for isn't? Yeah, sure. I'd argue that the Cally first fans are more bitter, as they somehow keep extolling the virtues and leadership of a guy who demanded a contract that was well above what his play demanded, and was then completely unwilling to budge into the territory of the reasonable in order to stay a lifetime member of the original 6 franchise that drafted him and ended up naming him captain. Do you really think that taking 6/6 with no NTC would ruin his job security? That's 6 years of work for 36 million dollars. Once he signs, he could break a leg, never play again, and get every single cent of that. That is better job security than almost anyone on earth has.

I loved the guy as a Ranger, and still love him as an NHL player, but 6/6 was an overpayment by itself, an NTC was just some extra sprinkles of insanity on top. In today's NHL, you really can't give out contracts like that if you want to be competitive. The Rangers met him more than halfway IMO.

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

As others have said, I think Richards should have kept his mouth firmly shut. The faster he's off the roster, the better as far as I'm concerned.

 

[KreiMeARiver*]

As others have said, I think Richards should have kept his mouth firmly shut. The faster he's off the roster, the better as far as I'm concerned.

I totally agree, at this point.

He's useless and he runs his mouth. Get rid of him asap

 

[mrhockey193195]

We all celebrate when Sather is able to sign our RFAs for great terms on team-friendly contracts, but you have to wonder if that is going to bite us in the ass down the line. I have a feeling that played a role in Cally's demands (as well as the fact that he will get 6.5+ mill on the open market), that he was involved in tough negotiations as an RFA and felt like he took a lower salary than he was worth last time.

I also find it amusing that as an RFA, players get paid based on what they've done, not what they are projected to do. When you are a UFA, you get paid based on what you are projected to do, not what you have done. Cally never got paid for being the 25+ goal scorer and 60 point getter that he was from 2010 to 2012. Many players like him will never get paid for how they perform in their best years.

 

[KreiMeARiver*]

We all celebrate when Sather is able to sign our RFAs for great terms on team-friendly contracts, but you have to wonder if that is going to bite us in the ass down the line. I have a feeling that played a role in Cally's demands (as well as the fact that he will get 6.5+ mill on the open market), that he was involved in tough negotiations as an RFA and felt like he took a lower salary than he was worth last time.

I also find it amusing that as an RFA, players get paid based on what they've done, not what they are projected to do. When you are a UFA, you get paid based on what you are projected to do, not what you have done. Cally never got paid for being the 25+ goal scorer and 60 point getter that he was from 2010 to 2012. Many players like him will never get paid for how they perform in their best years.

Dude he never scored 60...ever. The guy only scored 50 points ONE TIME (54). Look at his numbers... and then tell me that's a guy that deserves 6 million per, let alone 6.5.

get real

 

[mrhockey193195]

Dude he never scored 60...ever. The guy only scored 50 points ONE TIME (54). Look at his numbers... and then tell me that's a guy that deserves 6 million per, let alone 6.5.

get real

Given what the cap is projected to be, Ryan Callahan from 2010-2012 absolutely deserves 6 to 6.5mil a year. Of course, we can argue about whether or not he is the same player, or whether his body will hold up. My point was just that he never got paid for the prime of his career, so I don't blame the guy for holding out for his demands.

Similar to how Alfredsson got grossly underpaid in his last year of his contract, and when Ottawa refused to make it up to him with a larger dollar amount on this contract, he left. GMs can't have it both ways and expect their players to cooperate.

 

[Leonardo87]

We all celebrate when Sather is able to sign our RFAs for great terms on team-friendly contracts, but you have to wonder if that is going to bite us in the ass down the line. I have a feeling that played a role in Cally's demands (as well as the fact that he will get 6.5+ mill on the open market), that he was involved in tough negotiations as an RFA and felt like he took a lower salary than he was worth last time.

I also find it amusing that as an RFA, players get paid based on what they've done, not what they are projected to do. When you are a UFA, you get paid based on what you are projected to do, not what you have done. Cally never got paid for being the 25+ goal scorer and 60 point getter that he was from 2010 to 2012. Many players like him will never get paid for how they perform in their best years.

That is what made me upset over the whole Cally thing. He had 133 points in 181 games over the last 3 seasons, which is a .73 PPG average. Over the span he has missed an average of maybe 7 or 8 games. Do the math and he can still provide 50+ point seasons with no problem. You pay someone 5 Million dollars plus for that production, but with Cally, he is a two way shut down forward, plays on the PK one of the better in the league, so it just adds more to his value because of his defense ability like blocking shots, and his checking which has been a big difference maker in games. TSN has made his value around 5.5 to 5.7 Million, and if he keeps playing the way he is down the stretch, it will go up. So fans are going to be upset over playing him 300k more? Give me a break.

Also, Tampa is playing him the way he should be played unlike what AV was doing. He logged in over 23 Mins last night, is on their top PP unit and top PK unit, and has been one of their best players since he joined up with Tampa.

Dude he never scored 60...ever. The guy only scored 50 points ONE TIME (54). Look at his numbers... and then tell me that's a guy that deserves 6 million per, let alone 6.5.

get real

get real? Do me a favor? Look at his numbers, prior to this season, and get back to me. You also need to re-read what mr.hockey said. He got less over the span, he is due his money, and is still in his prime. As I said above the market value according to the pros and not us hockey fans is around 5.5 to 5.7 Million for him. So 6 Million is not far off base. With the cap going up, it makes more sense.

Sather gives outside UFAs what they want, and we are stuck with Richards for the next 6 years, and he is already a shell of himself. Cally left because he wanted a NTC, aka job security, the money was there. Our home grown players who have bled for this team, broke bones, put up the points, and put forth an effort every night deserve better than they are treated. Hank got his deal, Giradi got his deal, but then Cally gets the shaft.

Get Real!

 

[Leonardo87]

Also to add, Tampa Bay could re-sign Cally for 6 Million, and it would be like him making 6.6 Million here in NY.

Tampa is loving the guy now, had one of the 3 Stars of the game in 3 of the last 5 games, and has 5 points in those last 5 games.

 

[mrhockey193195]

My fear is what is going to happen to McD once his contract is up. We have him on an absolute steal of a contract, and he will probably want to be compensated for those "missed dollars" on his next contract. If our history is any indicator, those negotiations might not go so well.

 

[Leonardo87]

My fear is what is going to happen to McD once his contract is up. We have him on an absolute steal of a contract, and he will probably want to be compensated for those "missed dollars" on his next contract. If our history is any indicator, those negotiations might not go so well.

Yet, they locked in Giradi for 6 years at 5.5 million who has been ok this season, nothing great.

 

[Killem Dafoe]

My fear is what is going to happen to McD once his contract is up. We have him on an absolute steal of a contract, and he will probably want to be compensated for those "missed dollars" on his next contract. If our history is any indicator, those negotiations might not go so well.

I'm not worried about that. McDonagh could have gotten more on this contract. He wants to stay here, and chances are his next contract will be well worth whatever he's asking.

 

[mrhockey193195]

I'm not worried about that. McDonagh could have gotten more on this contract. He wants to stay here, and chances are his next contract will be well worth whatever he's asking.

Perhaps. I really hope so.

My love for Cally aside, I am genuinely concerned about the idea of paying RFAs based on what they've done and trying to pay impending UFAs based on what they are projected to do. Just seems like a great way of pissing off your players.

 

[TeamStewie]

The Rangers pretty much have opened their wallet for Lundqvist every time he's come up for contract. McDonagh, they were smart enough to lock up long term and the same for Staal. They get it done for the most important players and that's good enough for me. I love Callahan but players like him are a lot easier to come by than AS caliber goalies and dmen so that's where your priorities should lie.

 

[mti79]

Danny got paid because he is our #1 RD and he's been a warrior for us since he got here. Cally, while he has given his heart and soul to the Rangers, is a 2/3rd liner right now and has been injured often. Yes, that's due to his style of play. But that only demonstrates that there is a greater chance of him being plagued with injuries in the coming years. We saw what happened with Drury and how fast it happened.

I was fine with paying Girardi and I'm glad we didn't pay Cally what he wanted. Take the money and reinvest in the future of the team next year.

 

[Inferno]

Richards sooo needs to go. and its not because of his mouth, it's because of his play. he's sucked for a WHILE now. he makes his linemates worse.

 

[Leonardo87]

Richards sooo needs to go. and its not because of his mouth, it's because of his play. he's sucked for a WHILE now. he makes his linemates worse.

Cally not getting his deal, is almost a sure thing they will buy out Richards, since it is still a worse contract than Cally's 3 years later into it. Sather would be an Effing Hypocrite now.

Just to give you an example of Richards play, he was the only forward to not have a point, well neither did Carcillo or Boyle. lol.

St louis who has been snake-bitten since in NY managed a secondary assist on the 2nd Brassard goal.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I still think it was another ridiculous trade, but I do have a feeling when St Louis gets one he's going to go on a six goals in five games kinda streak. The guy does work hard out there...perhaps Nash can learn a lesson from him.

 

[Leonardo87]

I posted this in the other thread...


Lets look at Cally this season... Had off season shoulder surgery, missed pre-season, and did not have a proper training camp. Had two more injuries to deal with on top of that. He gets back from his second injury only to be taken off the PP for around 20 games, who prior to being injured was the Rangers top PP goal scorer over the last 3 seasons.

Add the trade bait rumors, where he was on the top of the list, and the contract talks, and so physically and mentally he was worn down this season.

He has 29 points in 50 games (Not counting the Nashville game where he played only one or two shifts) So in reality he has around the same PPG average as Brassard, Nash, and Kreider, and a much better one than Hagelin and Pouliot.

As per the Tampa thing, when you don't have trade rumors in your head, you can play with a clear head and focus on the ice. Also AV did not utilize him very effectively in offensive situations. I hope it continues his success, and I'm sure a lot of people want to see him succeed, but not at the Rangers expense. He has deserved a second chance to be on a team with fans that support him. Tampa fans have welcomed him with open arms. If he re-signs with Tampa he won't be captain but he'll wear an "A" no doubt.

 

[highandwide]

late to the party but LOL @ richards coming out to the media with those comments.

 

[Leonardo87]

late to the party but LOL @ richards coming out to the media with those comments.

2 points in the last 8 games, really showing his leadership, eh?

 

[Brooklyn Ranger]

2 points in the last 8 games, really showing his leadership, eh?

But, according to Richards, there's more to leadership than leading on the ice! He must be providing excellent support in the locker room since the Rangers have been playing sooo well since Callahan was traded.

 

[Cassano]

2 points in the last 8 games, really showing his leadership, eh?

Let's look at Callahans playoff stats.

 

[nyrleetch]

Let's look at Callahans playoff stats.

I believe he was around .41 PPG last time I checked. Sean Avery career playoff average was .53 PPG.