The line numbers don't mean anything ... Gordon would probably get more ice time with PK duties. Gordon would just be a better fit with McLeod and Kobasew instead of with McGinn and Jones.
That line-up would never get under the cap for 2014/2015, even if the Avs magically spent all the way up to the cap. I'm sure they'll spend more, but they won't go bonkers until they have a competitive core signed for many years. I don't see the Avs keeping Duchene, Stastny and O'Reilly in any combination of line-ups long-term, you just can't have 18 million tied to 3 centres and have decent wingers for all of them.
The Avs need to load up on their top 2 lines and play them to death, none of this spreading the offense over 3 lines, its not working, need quality, not quantity.
2014-15
FORWARDS
Jamie McGinn ($3.000m) / Matt Duchene ($6.000m) / P-A Parenteau ($4.000m)
Thomas Vanek ($7.143m) / Paul Stastny ($5.500m) / Tomas Vincour ($0.800m) <--- This could be someone else, but we'll need at least one cheap young forward in the top 9 getting experience anyways. Could be Vincour, Hishon, Heard, Sgarbossa, or another reasonable UFA role player type like Gordon. (He plays RW as well as C) It would probably be between whoever wasn't used in trade for Vanek though. I have a feeling that Vincour's tool kit will allow for him to have the best chance at this spot though. Power forward/Good size/Good shot/Goes to the dirty areas, he'll have a chance at least to be a McGinn type secondary winger.
Gabriel Landeskog ($4.000m) / Ryan O'Reilly ($5.500m) / Steve Downie ($3.000m)
Cody McLeod ($1.150m) / Brad Malone ($0.850m) / Patrick Bordeleau ($1.000m)
Mark Olver ($0.600m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Tyson Barrie ($2.500m) / Erik Johnson ($3.750m)
Rob Scuderi ($3.500m) / Seth Jones ($3.750m)
Jan Hejda ($3.250m) / Stefan Elliott ($1.500m)
Duncan Siemens ($1.388m) /
GOALTENDERS
Semyon Varlamov ($4.000m)
Calvin Pickard ($0.870m)
OTHER
Buyout: Greg Zanon ($0.000m)
Buyout: David Jones ($0.000m)
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CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $67,051,190; BONUSES: $2,585,000
CAP SPACE (22-man roster): $5,533,810 (About 3M without bonuses)
Some things have to fall into place obviously, like Stastny taking a paycut and O'Reilly signing a longer term deal around 5M. I think we have a good chance of getting Duchene at somewhere around 6M as well.
Now this is with,
- Jones & Zannon bought out
- Vanek brought in for assets like #32, 2014 1st, Sgarbossa, basically futures. Which should work basing it on deals in the past for forwards who have one year left coming off of rebuilding teams. As long as we can extend him at an AAV similar to his current 7M we're fine, and that's reasonable IMO.
- Wilson, O'Brien, and Hunwick traded or let go by the 2014 off-season. They have enough value to be moved, and we can't be paying 6/7 defenders 2+ million anymore. It's just dumb...
- Mitchell moved out at the trade deadline or let go, hes a waste of salary considering Malone and other guys we have who can center the 4th line just as well for cheaper.
If they at least extend our core guys like Duchene, O'Reilly, Stastny, and Landeskog to deals similar to these. It's completely possible... I gave Downie and McGinn both 3M a piece, that could be more or less depending on next season, but it's a realistic number for them IMO.
I also gave Varly 4M, because even if he improves next season they are going to want to see it again before handing him 4-5M long term. I also retired Jiggy after next season because I think Calvin will be pushing for a backup role by then and there is a good chance Jiggy retires at 37 years old.
Last, unless Landeskog holds out like O'Reilly did. He'll probably see something closer to a 4M bridge deal rather than 5 or 6M long term. So we'll have a couple years to deal with the remainder of what's needed to keep him.
Barrie got something comparable to MDZ & Subban's deals, which is very realistic.
Hejda could also be traded to clear up a couple million with another 6/7 guy brought in, especially if Siemens is ready for a bottom pairing role in the 2014-15 season. So like I said, some things need to be shored up, but it's completely possible if we can get some cost certainty this off-season, and the right moves are made.
People just spitball this idea that we will have cap issues if we bring in any significant salary, and that we can't afford to keep all three centers without actually looking at the numbers. These are not even remotely unrealistic contracts either. There is going to come a time where the team is going to need to manage salary closer to the cap, all the good teams have to do it at some point.
This is a playoff worth roster for next season IMO, and the potential to be competitive in the playoffs once our core matures completely.
