Rumor: Canucks Interested in Nico Sturm (C, Clarkson)

[valkynax]

Looks like the Canucks might buy out Eriksson after July 1st.

I'm unfamiliar with the contractual details, what does buying out the contract do to help us outside of freeing up a slot?

 

[Canadian Canuck]

I'm unfamiliar with the contractual details, what does buying out the contract do to help us outside of freeing up a slot?

It saves us about 500k in cap space for 2 years, then saves us about 2.5 million in cap space for the final year. Not a ton, but also frees up a slot. We’re better off burying him in the minors like Gagner if he agrees to it. Or hopefully moving him to a team needing to reach the cap floor.

 

[Canadian Canuck]

I'm unfamiliar with the contractual details, what does buying out the contract do to help us outside of freeing up a slot?

And just to let you know, there’s a buyout calculator on capfriendly that shows it better than I can explain it!!

 

[valkynax]

It saves us about 500k in cap space for 2 years, then saves us about 2.5 million in cap space for the final year. Not a ton, but also frees up a slot. We’re better off burying him in the minors like Gagner if he agrees to it. Or hopefully moving him to a team needing to reach the cap floor.

All this does is showing how PUTRID this contract was and still is

 

[vanarchy]

It saves us about 500k in cap space for 2 years, then saves us about 2.5 million in cap space for the final year. Not a ton, but also frees up a slot. We’re better off burying him in the minors like Gagner if he agrees to it. Or hopefully moving him to a team needing to reach the cap floor.

All this does is showing how PUTRID this contract was and still is

It was obvious we overpaid but I could have never seen it playing out to this extent. What a disastrous signing...

 

[RandV]

It saves us about 500k in cap space for 2 years, then saves us about 2.5 million in cap space for the final year. Not a ton, but also frees up a slot. We’re better off burying him in the minors like Gagner if he agrees to it. Or hopefully moving him to a team needing to reach the cap floor.

Just wanted to point out that a lot of people still think about this but it hasn't really been a thing for a good 5 years or so. As of today this season the bottom for cap teams are projecting 4.4-10.9M above the cap, and these are all teams generally looking to move up in the standings (CAR, NJ, COL. NYI).

Maybe you have Ottawa fall into cap floor territory in the next year or two, but if they do there will be no shortage of contracts for them to take on meaning it will cost the team to dump the player.

 

[Lindgren]

It'll be a while yet before the news on Sturm comes in. Clarkson begins its ECAC quarterfinal series (vs Yale) today. Clarkson is the favourite to advance.

 

[belair]

If I'm Nico Sturm, a 6'3 faceoff ace checking line center looking for a spot on an NHL team right out of college, what is drawing me to a team that currently employs Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce?

That initial tweet seems a little far-fetched. 'We didn't sign this guy so we have enough contracts to sign this guy...'

Sounds made up.

 

[timw33]

I'm unfamiliar with the contractual details, what does buying out the contract do to help us outside of freeing up a slot?

Absolutely nothing.

No matter if we buy him out this year or next, we're stuck with a minimum $5.5MM cap hit for 2 more seasons before any meaningful relief.

 

[me2]

I'm unfamiliar with the contractual details, what does buying out the contract do to help us outside of freeing up a slot?

Nothing much. We save $444.5K per year for 2 years, but even an Eriksson level scrub costs $700k-$1m and a slot. So more than Eriksson, though you could use that slot on someone like Strum, of course you could sack Granlund or demote Eriksson or Schaller and get that cap space back and not use a contract slot on an AHL callup.

SEASON	BASE SALARY	INITIAL CAP HIT	ACTUAL COST	SAVINGS	FINAL CAP HIT
2019-20	$1,000,000	$6,000,000	$555,556	$444,444	$5,555,556
2020-21	$1,000,000	$6,000,000	$555,556	$444,444	$5,555,556
2021-22	$3,000,000	$6,000,000	$555,556	$2,444,444	$3,555,556
2022-23	$0	$0	$555,556	-$555,556	$555,556
2023-24	$0	$0	$555,556	-$555,556	$555,556
2024-25	$0	$0	$555,556	-$555,556	$555,556
TOTAL	$5,000,000	$18,000,000	$3,333,333	$1,666,667	$16,333,333

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Puck Ingrate]

If I'm Nico Sturm, a 6'3 faceoff ace checking line center looking for a spot on an NHL team right out of college, what is drawing me to a team that currently employs Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce?

... probably Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce? You can add Markus Granlund to that list.

If you're a talented young center with potential, that's not exactly a depth chart full of superstars to beat out. Schaller and Gaunce are irrelevant, Sutter can't stay healthy, Beagle hasn't been great, and Gaudette's far from a lock at this point. You'd be hard-pressed to find an NHL team with worse bottom-six depth.

 

[me2]

... probably Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce?

If you're a talented young center with potential, that's not exactly a depth chart full of superstars to beat out. Schaller and Gaunce are irrelevant, Sutter can't stay healthy, Beagle hasn't exactly been great, and Gaudette's far from a lock at this point.

You'd be hard-pressed to find an NHL team with worse bottom-six depth.

but if you are a marginal player that projects as a 4th liner, wouldn't you want to go straight to a team that has a huge hole?

 

[belair]

... probably Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce?

If you're a talented young center with potential, that's not exactly a depth chart full of superstars to beat out.

I'm not a talented young center. I'm an undrafted soon-to-be 24 year old center with no professional experience. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm technically NHL ready.

Competition for these guys isn't attractive.

 

[Puck Ingrate]

I'm not a talented young center. I'm an undrafted soon-to-be 24 year old center with no professional experience. The only thing I have going for me is that I'm technically NHL ready.

Competition for these guys isn't attractive.

but if you are a marginal player that projects as a 4th liner, wouldn't you want to go straight to a team that has a huge hole?

There are very few teams with worse / more uncertain bottom-six forward depth than the Canucks. If you look around the rest of the league, only Arizona, Ottawa, Detroit, New Jersey and Edmonton are real competitors for that crown.

If I'm Nico Sturm, I look at the Canucks and see a forward group that has five to six locks at best (one of whom's now out for the season), a whole bunch of other question marks and no surefire talent coming from the farm team. To me, it's not surprising that he'd consider signing here.

 

[LetsGoTech]

Around 1:50 here you'll see what he's done a lot this year, he does it once again to create a goal at 2:09 now the team they are playing is awful but I'm just giving you a taste offensively, he's limited but he knows his strengths and is intelligent with how he uses those to hide his weaknesses. He keeps so many plays alive and when he's not creating transition opportunities he values possession, there is upside offensively, I'd say above average hands, way below average shot but he's not afraid to create plays as he needs to for his current team, he possesses great balance and his first step is impressive which help him dominate the college game. Physically there's always to room to improve but he's dominating other young men in a very heavy league, he has a great work ethic in the weight room. His progression has been rapid, from Austin in the NAHL for a year to one year in Tri-City of the USHL then coming in as a freshman in a secondary role then took a huge offensive jump as a sophomore and has rolled that over, he works tremendously hard and is a great person which NHL organizations will love too during their interviews.

Where he prides himself is his 200 foot game and that's why he's getting so many looks. I wish there were actual highlights where they show him on the backcheck or causing turnovers on the forecheck, at the college level he owns all 3 zones. Last season I think he led the NCAAs in face-off percentage and was impressive in that regard this season as well, he's one of the best penalty killers in college hockey. Always on the correct side of the opposing skater and has great hockey IQ to read the play a step ahead, there's going to be an adjustment to the pace of play at the NHL level and thinking the game that fast but I think that will come to him pretty quickly and hopefully his offensive game continues to grow. I'll toss in a few other highlights of him that can paint .1% of the picture for you.

4:15 about
1:45-2:15
58-1:12
2019 NCAA Hockey Quinnipiac @ Clarkson 2 1 2019 - 1:11:45

 

[F A N]

There are very few teams with worse / more uncertain bottom-six forward depth than the Canucks. If you look around the rest of the league, only Arizona, Ottawa, Detroit, New Jersey and Edmonton are real competitors for that crown.

If I'm Nico Sturm, I look at the Canucks and see a forward group that has five to six locks at best (one of whom's now out for the season), a whole bunch of other question marks and no surefire talent coming from the farm team. To me, it's not surprising that he'd consider signing here.

Yep. And if I'm Nico Sturm I'll tell every team that is after me that I can play wing and see which one is ready to slot me into the lineup.

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

Around 1:50 here you'll see what he's done a lot this year, he does it once again to create a goal at 2:09 now the team they are playing is awful but I'm just giving you a taste offensively, he's limited but he knows his strengths and is intelligent with how he uses those to hide his weaknesses. He keeps so many plays alive and when he's not creating transition opportunities he values possession, there is upside offensively, I'd say above average hands, way below average shot but he's not afraid to create plays as he needs to for his current team, he possesses great balance and his first step is impressive which help him dominate the college game. Physically there's always to room to improve but he's dominating other young men in a very heavy league, he has a great work ethic in the weight room. His progression has been rapid, from Austin in the NAHL for a year to one year in Tri-City of the USHL then coming in as a freshman in a secondary role then took a huge offensive jump as a sophomore and has rolled that over, he works tremendously hard and is a great person which NHL organizations will love too during their interviews.

Where he prides himself is his 200 foot game and that's why he's getting so many looks. I wish there were actual highlights where they show him on the backcheck or causing turnovers on the forecheck, at the college level he owns all 3 zones. Last season I think he led the NCAAs in face-off percentage and was impressive in that regard this season as well, he's one of the best penalty killers in college hockey. Always on the correct side of the opposing skater and has great hockey IQ to read the play a step ahead, there's going to be an adjustment to the pace of play at the NHL level and thinking the game that fast but I think that will come to him pretty quickly and hopefully his offensive game continues to grow. I'll toss in a few other highlights of him that can paint .1% of the picture for you.

4:15 about
1:45-2:15
58-1:12
2019 NCAA Hockey Quinnipiac @ Clarkson 2 1 2019 - 1:11:45

Good stuff. Thanks.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

It costs a contract spot, it isn’t feee

Contracts are only $450 in the Auction House

 

[Addison Rae]

Contracts are only $450 in the Auction House

We gotta rematch after Elias f***ed you

 

[Bitz and Bites]

... probably Jay Beagle, Brandon Sutter, Tim Schaller, Adam Gaudette and Brendan Gaunce? You can add Markus Granlund to that list.

If you're a talented young center with potential, that's not exactly a depth chart full of superstars to beat out. Schaller and Gaunce are irrelevant, Sutter can't stay healthy, Beagle hasn't been great, and Gaudette's far from a lock at this point. You'd be hard-pressed to find an NHL team with worse bottom-six depth.

You could probably make the same statement in regards to our top 6 depth as well.We have one elite player (EP40),a high end center (Bo) and one high end winger (BB).
This means that middling guys who would be bottom sixers on most other teams (Leivo,Pearson,Roussel) are needed to fill in the vacant spots in the top 6 which leaves room in the bottom 6 for a young and cheap guy to earn a spot.

Next season,I could see Gaudette becoming a top 6 fixture on the wing or Sutter being traded and Gaudette taking his spot and Schaller,Granlund,and Gaunce as 13/14 forwards or AHL depth.That really only leaves Beagle as his competition for the 4C spot and given that Beagle is older and getting more injury prone,there's likely a spot to be had even if Sturm has to start off playing wing and platoon at C as needed.

 

[RandV]

There are very few teams with worse / more uncertain bottom-six forward depth than the Canucks. If you look around the rest of the league, only Arizona, Ottawa, Detroit, New Jersey and Edmonton are real competitors for that crown.

If I'm Nico Sturm, I look at the Canucks and see a forward group that has five to six locks at best (one of whom's now out for the season), a whole bunch of other question marks and no surefire talent coming from the farm team. To me, it's not surprising that he'd consider signing here.

It's not just about the quality of the players though you also have to look at the contract status. Jay Beagle may not be a very good player, but if the GM gave him a 4 year $12M contract and you're on a 2-way ELC, you have to be more than marginally better than Beagle. And on the Canucks pretty much the entire bottom 6 plus press box players is made up of Jay Beagle's.

I don't know much about the guy but you usually can't expect too much of these types of signings and I'd have to think he has a lot of confidence in himself and/or just really likes the city if he signs with Vancouver.

 

[Lindgren]

Nico Sturm's Clarkson beat Yale on the weekend to advance to the ECAC final tournament (at least I think that's how it works). Clarkson will play again this Friday.

So, the wait continues.

 

[Lindgren]

And ... Clarkson beat Rathbone's Harvard last night, so it's onward for Sturm (who I think was voted best defensive forward in the ECAC, or something like that).

Sturm had two assists in Clarkson's 5-2 victory.

I'm thinking that not offering Brassard a contract (despite his obvious limitations) and the delay in getting Lockwood signed means that the Canucks are still hoping to ink another free agent, whether Sturm or someone else.

Clarkson plays Cornell tonight.

 

[Peter Griffin]

It saves us about 500k in cap space for 2 years, then saves us about 2.5 million in cap space for the final year. Not a ton, but also frees up a slot. We’re better off burying him in the minors like Gagner if he agrees to it. Or hopefully moving him to a team needing to reach the cap floor.

Why worry about whether or not Loui will agree to it? If he doesn't and refuses to report, terminate his contract.

 

[Lindgren]

Clarkson beat Cornell. They, and Sturm, move on again.