Confirmed Signing with Link: [CAR] Canes sign Jack LaFontaine to ELC (1 year, $910.909k, two-way)

[jetsforever]

I don't know much about LaFontaine, but the promise of getting a NHL payday and game or two is huge for a prospect like him. It could very well be the biggest payday he ever receives if he busts in the future.

Not saying he will bust, but goalies are unpredictable.

Yeah it's totally understandable for him to sign but it sucks for his former teammates

 

[LongWayDown37]

Any relation?

 

[SUX2BU]

Is he Finnish?

 

[Coaches Coroner]

Usually when minors go to college, they're geniuses that don't take goofy classes. It's also not fair to assume Jack is the type of creep that would do that.

lol I think he meant 'minor' as in "majoring and/or minoring" in a subject.

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Usually when minors go to college, they're geniuses that don't take goofy classes. It's also not fair to assume Jack is the type of creep that would do that.

 

[BWJM]

He'll start the 16th vs my Canucks and play lights out. It's usually how it goes.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Imagine if his first name really was Goalie, though.

 

[cwede]

It may be in the middle of the NCAA season, but I mean, c'mon, it's his sixth year of college ..

He started every game for the Gophers so far this season, and they will probably lose 3 guys to the Olympics. What a way to blow up a NCAA season.

It is so very odd to happen now. It seems like an opportunity for him, but man... I feel for the Gophers in all of this.

Sucks for Minnesota Gophers. Think colleges carry 3 G.

Yeah it's totally understandable for him to sign but it sucks for his former teammates

Man, Jack Lafontaine is a piece of shit.

it seems like karma, that the Gophers got stung by a 24-year-old player who they found themselves relying on

Gophers, with prior coach Lucia, were behind the cruel, self-serving effort of Big Ten to change NCAA eligibility rules,
to undermine the opportunities of less-elite schools, and players not immediately D1 ready, from achieving D1 NCAA hockey success.
At the time, many saw it as a defensive response, by established programs, to restrict competition, by outlier teams, like Union in 2014, which won title w no scholarships and only 1 drafted player

Q&A with Don Lucia
"The Big Ten, as a conference, is the entity that submitted legislation into the NCAA pipeline that would lower the age maximum for incoming college hockey freshmen. But Minnesota's Don Lucia was the one who first raised the idea within the Big Ten, ..."

 

[Discipline Daddy]

Dang. I really thought they weren't going to sign this guy. Great news for the Canes.

I think they called and honestly dangled the opportunity that he might be backup or even get some game time in the NHL this year. The Canes brass probably told him the extent of our injury situation. Maybe that was "you'll play in the NHL for a week" or maybe it was longer. I certainly think he'll play some AHL time though as this guy has no professional experience.

I bet the burning a year + some NHL time combination sold him, and the fact that he hasn't had as good a year statistically as last year all affected his thought process.

 

[bleedgreen]

Always good to have goalie depth. Maybe he helps the Canes now but he’s likely minor league depth.

 

[beowulf]

Weird especially since it will cost them more on the cap as a mid-season signing to a 1 year deal

How is the cap hit calculated for one year contracts signed after the start of the season?

If a player is signed to a one year contract after the start of the NHL season, that contract is subject to a unique cap hit calculation.

A notable aspect of the calculation is that the cap hit value is increased.

The cap hit is calculated as follows:
Cap hit = Signing bonus × total season days / season days remaining + base salary

edit: Assuming he has to be brought up to the NHL of course. Most likely need him for the AHL

 

[MrKabukiman]

Minnesota is 8th in the pairwise rankings, currently. Hes 12-8 on the season, but both of the other goalies on the roster have barely played (mop up duty). The other goalies are 0-0-0 on the season with 0 starts. This really leaves Minnesota in a lurch, I feel for the other guys on the team.

 

[Chrispy]

Dang. I really thought they weren't going to sign this guy. Great news for the Canes.

I think they called and honestly dangled the opportunity that he might be backup or even get some game time in the NHL this year. The Canes brass probably told him the extent of our injury situation. Maybe that was "you'll play in the NHL for a week" or maybe it was longer. I certainly think he'll play some AHL time though as this guy has no professional experience.

I bet the burning a year + some NHL time combination sold him, and the fact that he hasn't had as good a year statistically as last year all affected his thought process.

He's passing up another NCAA tournament chance, but he is getting a chance at the Calder Cup at a minimum and possibly a chance to be on an expanded roster for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hard to argue with the opportunity.

But boy this goalie depth issue jumped up out of nowhere. Andersen played on the 7th and apparently was injured. Raanta was taken out of the Columbus game on the 1st, but the extent of the injury wasn't known.

The Wolves come out of a Covid shutdown (12/18 to 1/7) without Lyon as he moves up to Carolina's taxi squad, but also their next 2 goalies (Warm, Makiniemi) out? Nightmare scenario.

 

[BobColesNasalCavity]

Should’ve kept him in college and signed David Ayres if they needed a goalie so bad.

 

[cwede]

... I think they called and honestly dangled the opportunity that he might be backup or even get some game time in the NHL this year. The Canes brass probably told him the extent of our injury situation. Maybe that was "you'll play in the NHL for a week" or maybe it was longer... I bet the burning a year + some NHL time combination sold him, and the fact that he hasn't had as good a year statistically as last year all affected his thought process.

he is 24 and D+6,
signing was probably a pretty easy and quick decision

 

[Ban Hammered]

I get why Carolina offered and at his age, I get why he likely signed.
But to bail on your team, with a shot at a National Title, will never sit right with me. And I say that as a fan of a rival for the Gophers.
It's just wrong.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He was a captain too, by the way.

I'd be more pissed about this if he was actually good this year, but he wasn't.

 

[MikeFolignosHelmet]

A D1 student athlete signing a professional contract. Mission accomplished. Congrats.

 

[tapi]

Whenever you have a guy at 6 seasons post-draft without a game, they are either an outrageusly late bloomer or a total bust. Given that this guy could not break even 0.9% in the juniors, it does not look good, should he ever step on the ice for real.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

he is 24 and D+6,
signing was probably a pretty easy and quick decision

This is true, but Canes fans were saying that last offseason. He finally played up to his potential, and he didn't sign with us last year. We took that as an ominous sign.

Whenever you have a guy at 6 seasons post-draft without a game, they are either an outrageusly late bloomer or a total bust. Given that this guy could not break even 0.9% in the juniors, it does not look good, should he ever step on the ice for real.

Plenty of goalies are late bloomers. This guy never played in juniors, unless you count the BCHL and NAHL, but that was a long time ago. The guy won the award as the best goalie in college hockey last year. He's not an Askarov, but he is a decent prospect.

Could he fail at the NHL level? Of course he could. I think it's less than likely he ends up as a starting goaltender. Maybe 20% chance. But hey, it's another dart to throw. Canes fans are hoping one of LaFontaine, Eetu Makineimi, or Pyotr Kochetov will be our future in net, and until yesterday we had only signed 2 of them.

 

[57special]

He was a captain too, by the way.

I'd be more pissed about this if he was actually good this year, but he wasn't.

But he stilled play virtually all the important minutes for the team. I don't blame him, but I do think the Canes had other options at G that didn't involve taking a goalie mid season from a college team.

 

[YP44]

kudos to the two back to back van wilder posters.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

But he stilled play virtually all the important minutes for the team. I don't blame him, but I do think the Canes had other options at G that didn't involve taking a goalie mid season from a college team.

Hard to say. Canes have almost no cap space, have both AHL goalies injured, have their backup goalie (Raanta) injured, and Anderson, the starter was nursing something. Maybe they tried some other avenues and nothing was coming to fruition or teams knew they had them over a barrel and were trying to make it costly?

In the end, doesn't matter though.

 

[Hobnobs]

Sounds like he will see action with the Wolves or Canes shortly

Hope Waddell isnt going full thrashers gm and ruins another young goalie.

 

[Lempo]

But he stilled play virtually all the important minutes for the team. I don't blame him, but I do think the Canes had other options at G that didn't involve taking a goalie mid season from a college team.

Maybe it was also the primest opportunity for signing him? They tried make it happen last summer, but he didn't bite, and was well on his route to gollege-UFAdom this August.

"Hi, Jack... us again. We know you have plans to seek your fortunes through the farm system of the organization of your own choice, but we're currently like really short in the NHL goalie department. Tom can't afford to pay you more than the league minimum SEVEN HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS plus the normal 90k for signing, but it sure would be shame if we missed on the chase for the Cup in lieu of a healthy goalie to stand behind Jaccob and the guys. So, please, call us back."