Speculation: Mathew Barzal Contract Discussion

[MJF]

Always thought Barzy would give us fits when it came to contract discussion. He's gonna want a ton of money, no short of $10M per.

It's my recurring nightmare lately.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

Always thought Barzy would give us fits when it came to contract discussion. He's gonna want a ton of money, no short of $10M per.

Yes I know I will get shit for it, but I'd give Barzal 10M X 8 years today. Despite a sub-70 point sophomore season it is obvious he has the skillset to be an offensive force and one of the top players in the league. He has grown a lot as a player and could follow a similar path to MacKinnon where he takes a few years to really feel out the league and adjust his game to fully actualize his potential.

I genuinely believe we have a top-10 talent on our hands. I get there is a Salary cap and the business man squeezes these guys for every dollar he can save but I don't even think it's realistic to expect locking Barzal up long term on a single digit AAV. This is a franchise player and locking him up for his prime is the best move the Isles can make now. With the state of NHL contracts, even 10M a year could be a bargain on paper in 3-4 years when star talents are commanding 13-15 Mill a year (which is where we are heading)

 

[crasherino]

Yes I know I will get **** for it, but I'd give Barzal 10M X 8 years today. Despite a sub-70 point sophomore season it is obvious he has the skillset to be an offensive force and one of the top players in the league. He has grown a lot as a player and could follow a similar path to MacKinnon where he takes a few years to really feel out the league and adjust his game to fully actualize his potential.

I genuinely believe we have a top-10 talent on our hands. I get there is a Salary cap and the business man squeezes these guys for every dollar he can save but I don't even think it's realistic to expect locking Barzal up long term on a single digit AAV. This is a franchise player and locking him up for his prime is the best move the Isles can make now. With the state of NHL contracts, even 10M a year could be a bargain on paper in 3-4 years when star talents are commanding 13-15 Mill a year (which is where we are heading)

Get shit for it? I don't think Barzy's signing that deal at this point. The guy means more to the Islanders than any other player in the league, except for maybe McDavid (and even there they have Draisaitl). If things go south with him, its a BIG problem. He's the only thing we have that's close to elite.

 

[buud]

Barzal has a lot to learn, but he has learned a lot already. he will definitely improve with some more mass and experience.

given that, i feel his 200' game is elite, but we don't see it often, because of the style of play that he is being 'pushed' into. Trotz realizes that his strength is in his offence, and tries to fully utilize that. he'd rather have Barzy up high in our own end, because he is more valuable there, than battling physically in front of our own net. his offensive prowess keeps their defensemen on their heels, allowing for easier transition out of our end. Barzal has the elite anticipation, effort, and skills needed, to be really good in our own end, but isn't asked to do it. he has cleaned up his bad decisions greatly, IMO, and his strength is the only area that i could see significant improvement.

a 10 yr, $100 million contract?

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Yes I know I will get **** for it, but I'd give Barzal 10M X 8 years today. Despite a sub-70 point sophomore season it is obvious he has the skillset to be an offensive force and one of the top players in the league. He has grown a lot as a player and could follow a similar path to MacKinnon where he takes a few years to really feel out the league and adjust his game to fully actualize his potential.

I genuinely believe we have a top-10 talent on our hands. I get there is a Salary cap and the business man squeezes these guys for every dollar he can save but I don't even think it's realistic to expect locking Barzal up long term on a single digit AAV. This is a franchise player and locking him up for his prime is the best move the Isles can make now. With the state of NHL contracts, even 10M a year could be a bargain on paper in 3-4 years when star talents are commanding 13-15 Mill a year (which is where we are heading)

I don't see that as an issue at all. He's worth it. It's just a lot of cap room being taken for a team that not only has to pay guys like Pulock, Toews, Pelech, but has hefty/bad contracts like Ladd, Boychuk, Varly, etc. So it'll be annoying.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

I don't see that as an issue at all. He's worth it. It's just a lot of cap room being taken for a team that not only has to pay guys like Pulock, Toews, Pelech, but has hefty/bad contracts like Ladd, Boychuk, Varly, etc. So it'll be annoying.

The bad contracts are not Barzal problem or his agents problem, they are going to want market value for him. Just means that Lou will need to be a little more tight with the 3D contracts. They are all very good and we want to keep them all, the good thing is, neither has established themselves as a bonafide superstar yet so we should be able to keep the contracts in the 5-6 range.

Boychuk deal is not even bad, Varlamov's is but we will get cap relief in the crease when Greiss is replaced with Sorokin on an ELC. It would still be great if Lou could get rid of Ladd's cap hit, Hickey's too for that matter. You get rid of those guys and all of a sudden we are not so strapped.

 

[SI90]

Barzal has a lot to learn, but he has learned a lot already. he will definitely improve with some more mass and experience.

given that, i feel his 200' game is elite, but we don't see it often, because of the style of play that he is being 'pushed' into. Trotz realizes that his strength is in his offence, and tries to fully utilize that. he'd rather have Barzy up high in our own end, because he is more valuable there, than battling physically in front of our own net. his offensive prowess keeps their defensemen on their heels, allowing for easier transition out of our end. Barzal has the elite anticipation, effort, and skills needed, to be really good in our own end, but isn't asked to do it. he has cleaned up his bad decisions greatly, IMO, and his strength is the only area that i could see significant improvement.

a 10 yr, $100 million contract?

can’t go more than 8 years

 

[The Real JT]

I don't see that as an issue at all. He's worth it. It's just a lot of cap room being taken for a team that not only has to pay guys like Pulock, Toews, Pelech, but has hefty/bad contracts like Ladd, Boychuk, Varly, etc. So it'll be annoying.

Imagine if they had Traitor's $11M x 7 yr contract on the books in addition to the upcoming Barzal contract, the other upcoming RFAs and the dead weight contracts.

If you had to choose Tavares at $11M x 7 vs Barzal at $11M x 8 it's an easy choice. They really couldn't have afforded both without gutting the team. Let's also not forget that the Isles reportedly offered him more than the Laffs.

Pajama Boy did them a favor.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Imagine if they had Traitor's $11M x 7 yr contract on the books in addition to the upcoming Barzal contract, the other upcoming RFAs and the dead weight contracts.

If you had to choose Tavares at $11M x 7 vs Barzal at $11M x 8 it's an easy choice. They really couldn't have afforded both without gutting the team. Let's also not forget that the Isles reportedly offered him more than the Laffs.

Pajama Boy did them a favor.

10m > 11m

 

[Quickdraw2828]

What if he wants an Austin Matthews type contract? We're in no position to say no.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

What if he wants an Austin Matthews type contract? We're in no position to say no.

Then you turn around and say we can give you the AAV but need you to commit to max term. 5 years goes by quick, I Want Barzy locked up through 30 years of age.

 

[Quickdraw2828]

Then you turn around and say we can give you the AAV but need you to commit to max term. 5 years goes by quick, I Want Barzy locked up through 30 years of age.

What if he says take it or leave it? We had to give into Lee, we sure have to give into this guy.

 

[PK Cronin]

What if he wants an Austin Matthews type contract? We're in no position to say no.

Sure we are. Do you want to make a few million more per year on a team that's going nowhere or do you want to be a winner? Lamoriello can then give Barzal Tavares' phone number so he can call him up and ask how things are going up there with the greatest show on ice.

 

[PK Cronin]

What if he says take it or leave it? We had to give into Lee, we sure have to give into this guy.

No we don't, he's an RFA with no arbitration eligibility. He has little leverage unless he wants to sit out a year.

 

[Quickdraw2828]

No we don't, he's an RFA with no arbitration eligibility. He has little leverage unless he wants to sit out a year.

well that makes me feel better

 

[crasherino]

Imagine if they had Traitor's $11M x 7 yr contract on the books in addition to the upcoming Barzal contract, the other upcoming RFAs and the dead weight contracts.

If you had to choose Tavares at $11M x 7 vs Barzal at $11M x 8 it's an easy choice. They really couldn't have afforded both without gutting the team. Let's also not forget that the Isles reportedly offered him more than the Laffs.

Pajama Boy did them a favor.

We could have, it would just mean that we probably wouldn't have Nelson and/or Eberle on the team.

We went after Panarin knowing full well that Barzy would require a big contract coming up.

 

[The Real JT]

We could have, it would just mean that we probably wouldn't have Nelson and/or Eberle on the team.

We went after Panarin knowing full well that Barzy would require a big contract coming up.

Prior to last summer I would have said Panarin would be slightly preferable to Tavares.

Now there's no debate.

More importantly, Bread has made the teammates around him better.

 

[crasherino]

Prior to last summer I would have said Panarin would be slightly preferable to Tavares.

Now there's no debate.

More importantly, Bread has made the teammates around him better.

I probably agree with you there but the story isn't fully written and both guys have only played a fraction of their contracts.

The Islanders with either of those guys are SC contenders. Of course we have no sense of the trajectory the team would have taken if we had Tavares last year but I suspect Trotz (who everyone attributes our success to) would have found a way to somehow work Tavares successfully into the lineup.

 

[The Real JT]

I probably agree with you there but the story isn't fully written and both guys have only played a fraction of their contracts.

The Islanders with either of those guys are SC contenders. Of course we have no sense of the trajectory the team would have taken if we had Tavares last year but I suspect Trotz (who everyone attributes our success to) would have found a way to somehow work Tavares successfully into the lineup.

It hurts to agree with you on that one.

The scars run deep regarding the way Tavares left.

 

[JeffNYI]

I think it'll go the Tkachuk route.. 3 years.. Prob $8M per..

 

[bigtim1988]

PULOCK WITH THE SNIPE!!! LOVE IT!!

 

[PWJunior]

PULOCK WITH THE SNIPE!!! LOVE IT!!

Wrong thread, but I dig it brotha!

 

[bigtim1988]

Wrong thread, but I dig it brotha!

i always do that!

 

[Skip To My Lou]

Didn't know where to put this but, one of the guys from Islanders Anxiety ran into Barzal's best friend in Montreal when the Isles played the Habs. So he's recapping his conversation with him going into detail on how Barzal really loves it here and loves Trotz. Says he thinks the Coliseum is his favorite place and talks about how he felt after the Tavares decision.

Really good listen overall, but that was pretty cool that Barzy is really happy here.

Islanders Anxiety - Episode 106 - The Dynasty Teams Know

 

[periferal]

Said it before and I'll say it again...

Barzal is getting a MINIMUM of 9M/year and most likely 10M.

Anyone disagree with me and I'll bet anyone $100 that his AAV is at least 9M on his next deal assuming the length of the deal is 6+ years.

His rookie year he had Tavares shielding him and he was a PPG player. Since then he's basically a 0.83 PPG player which is a level below the elite crop of NHL players (McDavid, Ovechkin, MacKinnon, Kane, Barkov, etc), but keep in mind that Barzal has taken over Tavares spot of...No 1st line wingers to play with. I mean Trotz had him playing with Ross frickin' Johnston last night. Meanwhile think of all the players I just listed above and who their linemates are. It's not even close.

Barzal is awesome across the board. Give him 10M/year and then focusing on getting Ladd's salary off the books and giving it to a 1st line winger and watch that 10M become a bargain in 3 years.