Daisy Jane
everything is gonna be okay!
- Jul 2, 2009
- 70,276
- 9,314
As of July 2nd 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs highest paid player is:
Nathan Horton. Let's just take that in.
In this summer of 'change' and the building (I refuse to use the words now rebuild (because we never started building in the first place) or hybrid rebuilding (because that's just something to make people's jimmie's rustled), of a new Toronto Maple Leafs, a new financial dichotomy is going to be created, and I think Pirdham + Shanahan really have to be careful here.
Dave Nonis and Claude Loiselle, pretty much buggered up the cap. I think we can all agree with it, because it wasn't just the cap/contract of Kessel. (market value for the talent), or Phaneuf (arguably somewhat overpaid - but overpaid with his previous contract). But it was everyone else after him. that had everything out of sorts.
What the Leafs - have to do now. is identify who the future core is. And as I've been stating, it doesn't automatically mean whomever is under 25 here is part of it. We have to expect some turnaround from those sub-25, some of the prospects filtered out of here. (Chicago had a massive turnaround between 2003 and 2007, and again from 2007 to 2010. Tampa only has 2 people on the roster from when Stamkos was drafted).
This impacts the future contracts of Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Bernier and Morgan Rielly.
KADRI
Do you bridge Nazem Kadri: who in 2 years, will still be a RFA (as he will not have accumulated 7 NHL seasons, burned a year early of UFA, or will be 27 by the end of a 2 year contract).
My arguments have been consistent. I would personally bridge Kadri one more time. In the beginning stages of a building project, I do not think Kadri needs to have a lot of term, nor a lot of money. He has hit 50 points in his career, but as people have stated as of yet - Kadri is not athletic enough to be a number 1 centre as he is weak in acceleration, skating and his shot. This is not to diminish his potential, or his statistical numbers (which we know the Leafs will be taking into account with all players).
Ideally, you would want Kadri affordable enough that if he needs to be traded, his contract is easy enough to move. If he exceeds expectations, you can pay again before he is a UFA (and with the Leafs situation, I do not think they'd care if anyone actually missed camp). if there is another Kadri/Grabvoski situation - (someone supplements Kadri on the 2nd/1st line) that Kadri's cash dollars and out put match wherever he is.
As Lupul (5.25) and Bozak (4.2) are being shipped out eventually, his only cost comparative on the team would be James Van Reimsdyk at (4.25). Any agent would argue he is better serving than Leo Komarov at 2.95. Kadri currently earns 2.9 at the end of this season, and is required to have a 10% league mandated raise.
BERNIER
The goalie market is a weird place, and there tends to be musical chairs throughout the league every few years. Regardless if you believe that Bernier is the goalie of the future or not, the question needs to be asked: does it behoove the Leafs to lock in a goalie for X amount of Years, as we have seen a lot of goalies of freakisly good/bad/in between years before the merry-go-round starts all over again.
This will also have to come with regards of: how good are our goalie prospects now - and who will we be able to get later).
Bernier currently earns 2.9 million dollars, but he will be a UFA by the end of the contract. I am not certain how I would structure this contract to be, but again, I think the Leafs would be better not to commit too much term or money to a goaltending position. How may UFA years do you buy (3?) and see how he benefits from a Babcock system?
RIELLY
Rielly's ELC contract ends next year,which will put him in a situation of do we Bridge him, or do we give him a long contract? Rielly will be a UFA at the age of 26, I do believe (if I read that wrong, I apologise). I would argue as of Today - Rielly is the Leafs best defensive prospect and whom the team wants to build around Period. So his contract I believe will impact how the rest of the prospect class slides around him.
Rielly's contract, I think are impacted by three people:
Dion Phaneuf (who could be traded by the end of the year),
Jake Gardiner (currently earning 4.05 for another 4 years) and
Nazem Kadri (though forwards/defensemen aren't paid on the same scale, I do think they will run parallel to each other in regards of being potential building blocks).
With a lot of lesser/tradeable talent making less than 3 million dollars, this summer will set the standard for the youngins on the Leafs.
How would you price and slot these players? Do you consider the future potent of the 2014/2015 draft class? Do we try to have everyone making sub 4.5 so the dollars/term is tradeable?
I just find this interesting because i think once you identify who your core players are - you want to ensure that they are your highest paid (and there is no doubt or question) and everyone else slides behind them, which will also set us nicely for things like RFAs that we may be able to steal (ie a Saad situation), or a UFA situation (ie: avoiding a Clarkson situation).
Nathan Horton. Let's just take that in.
In this summer of 'change' and the building (I refuse to use the words now rebuild (because we never started building in the first place) or hybrid rebuilding (because that's just something to make people's jimmie's rustled), of a new Toronto Maple Leafs, a new financial dichotomy is going to be created, and I think Pirdham + Shanahan really have to be careful here.
Dave Nonis and Claude Loiselle, pretty much buggered up the cap. I think we can all agree with it, because it wasn't just the cap/contract of Kessel. (market value for the talent), or Phaneuf (arguably somewhat overpaid - but overpaid with his previous contract). But it was everyone else after him. that had everything out of sorts.
What the Leafs - have to do now. is identify who the future core is. And as I've been stating, it doesn't automatically mean whomever is under 25 here is part of it. We have to expect some turnaround from those sub-25, some of the prospects filtered out of here. (Chicago had a massive turnaround between 2003 and 2007, and again from 2007 to 2010. Tampa only has 2 people on the roster from when Stamkos was drafted).
This impacts the future contracts of Nazem Kadri, Jonathan Bernier and Morgan Rielly.
KADRI
Do you bridge Nazem Kadri: who in 2 years, will still be a RFA (as he will not have accumulated 7 NHL seasons, burned a year early of UFA, or will be 27 by the end of a 2 year contract).
My arguments have been consistent. I would personally bridge Kadri one more time. In the beginning stages of a building project, I do not think Kadri needs to have a lot of term, nor a lot of money. He has hit 50 points in his career, but as people have stated as of yet - Kadri is not athletic enough to be a number 1 centre as he is weak in acceleration, skating and his shot. This is not to diminish his potential, or his statistical numbers (which we know the Leafs will be taking into account with all players).
Ideally, you would want Kadri affordable enough that if he needs to be traded, his contract is easy enough to move. If he exceeds expectations, you can pay again before he is a UFA (and with the Leafs situation, I do not think they'd care if anyone actually missed camp). if there is another Kadri/Grabvoski situation - (someone supplements Kadri on the 2nd/1st line) that Kadri's cash dollars and out put match wherever he is.
As Lupul (5.25) and Bozak (4.2) are being shipped out eventually, his only cost comparative on the team would be James Van Reimsdyk at (4.25). Any agent would argue he is better serving than Leo Komarov at 2.95. Kadri currently earns 2.9 at the end of this season, and is required to have a 10% league mandated raise.
BERNIER
The goalie market is a weird place, and there tends to be musical chairs throughout the league every few years. Regardless if you believe that Bernier is the goalie of the future or not, the question needs to be asked: does it behoove the Leafs to lock in a goalie for X amount of Years, as we have seen a lot of goalies of freakisly good/bad/in between years before the merry-go-round starts all over again.
This will also have to come with regards of: how good are our goalie prospects now - and who will we be able to get later).
Bernier currently earns 2.9 million dollars, but he will be a UFA by the end of the contract. I am not certain how I would structure this contract to be, but again, I think the Leafs would be better not to commit too much term or money to a goaltending position. How may UFA years do you buy (3?) and see how he benefits from a Babcock system?
RIELLY
Rielly's ELC contract ends next year,which will put him in a situation of do we Bridge him, or do we give him a long contract? Rielly will be a UFA at the age of 26, I do believe (if I read that wrong, I apologise). I would argue as of Today - Rielly is the Leafs best defensive prospect and whom the team wants to build around Period. So his contract I believe will impact how the rest of the prospect class slides around him.
Rielly's contract, I think are impacted by three people:
Dion Phaneuf (who could be traded by the end of the year),
Jake Gardiner (currently earning 4.05 for another 4 years) and
Nazem Kadri (though forwards/defensemen aren't paid on the same scale, I do think they will run parallel to each other in regards of being potential building blocks).
With a lot of lesser/tradeable talent making less than 3 million dollars, this summer will set the standard for the youngins on the Leafs.
How would you price and slot these players? Do you consider the future potent of the 2014/2015 draft class? Do we try to have everyone making sub 4.5 so the dollars/term is tradeable?
I just find this interesting because i think once you identify who your core players are - you want to ensure that they are your highest paid (and there is no doubt or question) and everyone else slides behind them, which will also set us nicely for things like RFAs that we may be able to steal (ie a Saad situation), or a UFA situation (ie: avoiding a Clarkson situation).