Speculation: Matt Moulson : 6mil on the open market??

[FeedingFrenzy]

Wondering what the word has been on getting MM a new deal in place? Didn't see any threads on him. Can he be had for under 6?? Does he get more than Tavares? Should he? Right place, right time..

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[InformTheMasses]

6MM per? If so, its been nice knowing you MM26

 

[Sparksrus3]

Mm26 is that you.

 

[blinkman360]

I wouldn't be surprised if some team offered him that much on the open market, especially if he's coming off of another 35 goal/70+ point season. I think the team would have to have a high-end playmaking center though. Moulson has yet to produce without one(not that he's had an opportunity), so bringing him in without having an elite skill guy to get him the puck would be risky. Like Parenteau, a team like Colorado could be a fit. Maybe Philly to play with Giroux(if they can afford that kind of contract).

Regardless, I expect the Isles to lock him up before he gets a chance to explore the UFA market. Maybe something around $5M for 4 or 5 years. I think he loves playing with Johnny and wants to stay, so I don't see him leaving unless the Isles decide to move on(which is unlikely, IMO). My guess is Moulson stays, and MacDonald walks.

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

6MM per? If so, its been nice knowing you MM26

I think he gets to $6 million easily. And we should give it to him. Scorers of Moulson's caliber in their prime almost never hit the open market, and the cap will be going up next year. That's simply what it costs to sign veteran talent; people need to get over their sticker shock.

 

[PWJunior]

I doubt the Isles would give MM26 more than they pay JT, he'll have to take less and probably less term if he wants to stay on the Isles. If he wants to chase the big bucks and security, then he'll get more on the open market.

He could command a Clarkson type of contract next year when it's all said and done. All it takes is for one GM to give it to him. It's Moulson's chance to set his family up for life. BTW, Tavares is the godfather to Moulson's daughter. It's really up to him in the final hour because he's in line to get paid. Love (of the Isles/teammates) or money, that's the $6M question.

 

[LeapOnOver]

I think he gets to $6 million easily. And we should give it to him. Scorers of Moulson's caliber in their prime almost never hit the open market, and the cap will be going up next year. That's simply what it costs to sign veteran talent; people need to get over their sticker shock.

Yeah, I tend to agree. If he nets another 30 this year I don't care who the hell he plays with that is quite an accomplishment in this decades NHL. If Isles don't want to pay up I would take a hike as well. Of course hopefully Moulson does take a small team discount since the Isles did give him his best chances and his buddy JT is here. We will see what happens.

IFM, cmon bud if he nets another 30 how do you lose that kind of production so easily?

 

[JKP]

$6M is crazy. The world's gone nuts.

 

[PK Cronin]

He can't make more than JT for an extended period of time, and there's a chance he might take less just to stick around if he isn't phased out by then.

 

[Jester9881]

I'd like to bring him back, but nowhere near for that much. I suspect LA will be players for his services.

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

$6M is crazy. The world's gone nuts.

Why? NHL teams clearly generate enough revenue to justify such a contract.

I don't buy into the idea that the Isles can't pay someone more than they're paying Tavares. Not only was Tavares' contract below market the day it was signed, it was also a RFA deal. Comparing that to deals given to UFAs is comparing apples and oranges.

 

[Benedict Kovalchuk]

I dunno about LA. I mean, yeah they are definitely weak on the LW, but why lock up Moulson for a while when Toffoli is knocking on the door?

 

[ScaredStreit]

$4million I think is fair for him-I'd go up to $5million short term (only because we have TONS of space available).

 

[InformTheMasses]

Yeah, I tend to agree. If he nets another 30 this year I don't care who the hell he plays with that is quite an accomplishment in this decades NHL. If Isles don't want to pay up I would take a hike as well. Of course hopefully Moulson does take a small team discount since the Isles did give him his best chances and his buddy JT is here. We will see what happens.

IFM, cmon bud if he nets another 30 how do you lose that kind of production so easily?

Because I am more forward thinking and I suspect Snow is too. I have a hard time paying big dollars to a one dimensional player whose production at age 30 is going to start heading south sooner rather than later. The islanders will need that money to lock up other important assets over the next 5 years plus.

I guess what I'm saying is.. I wasn't buying aapl at 750 a share.... I was selling.

 

[FeedingFrenzy]

Why? NHL teams clearly generate enough revenue to justify such a contract.

I don't buy into the idea that the Isles can't pay someone more than they're paying Tavares. Not only was Tavares' contract below market the day it was signed, it was also a RFA deal. Comparing that to deals given to UFAs is comparing apples and oranges.

I would pay him 5yrs/30mil and not think twice about it..

 

[Sparksrus3]

I dunno about LA. I mean, yeah they are definitely weak on the LW, but why lock up Moulson for a while when Toffoli is knocking on the door?

Because quick is his brother in law. I like the goals .you can't teach goal scoring. I always compared him to mark Parrish but Parrish never played with JT. I want him to stay of course but on the flip side he is only gonna get s l o w e r as he gets older. You can't teach slow. How about 3 for 13 mill to stay

 

[FeedingFrenzy]

$4million I think is fair for him-I'd go up to $5million short term (only because we have TONS of space available).

I am sure MMs agent is aware of his market value.. 4 to 5mil is an insult..

If MM gives a HTD then just maybe something at 5.8mil per..

 

[ScaredStreit]

Because I am more forward thinking and I suspect Snow is too. I have a hard time paying big dollars to a one dimensional player whose production at age 30 is going to start heading south sooner rather than later. The islanders will need that money to lock up other important assets over the next 5 years plus.

I guess what I'm saying is.. I wasn't buying aapl at 750 a share.... I was selling.

I think you make some good points...but I don't think MM gets a 5-6 $6million/year deal. Maybe 2-3 years. And we've locked up many of assets at the moment.

We have so much cap space....and what's the point in cap space if it's never used? I'd accept $15mil/3 year deal right now. It's an increase of less than $2million-and honestly wouldn't really effect our cap space.

 

[Isles Junkie]

Isles are in a tough spot. on the 1 hand, they should not pay him 6 million a year. on the other hand, they will most likely be in the playoff race & they can't trade him. Isles will most likely lose Moulson while getting nothing in return. That's why I wanted to cash in on him this summer.

 

[CREW99AW]

Wondering what the word has been on getting MM a new deal in place? Didn't see any threads on him. Can he be had for under 6?? Does he get more than Tavares? Should he? Right place, right time..

There was a comment from Snow in an article several weeks ago. He indicated he hoped to sign both MM and MacDonald.

Will he?
I have my doubts. Snow also wanted to keep PAP and Streit. At the end of the day, he has s team salary structure and won't break it.

I cannot see Snow paying MM what JT makes or more.

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Isles are in a tough spot. on the 1 hand, they should not pay him 6 million a year. on the other hand, they will most likely be in the playoff race & they can't trade him. Isles will most likely lose Moulson while getting nothing in return. That's why I wanted to cash in on him this summer.

I hate this idea that players are "assets." It makes them sound interchangeable. If we want to foster an identity and for our young players to be loyal to the team when they hit free agency, that means taking care of our own. When it's time for Tavares to negotiate his next contract here, I want him to think of the Isles as a team that's finally willing to go all in to win, not one that flips pending free agents at the deadline or in their walk year because we wanted to cash in on our asset. We have more than enough cap room to "overpay" on a few UFA deals.

 

[Bexlyspeed]

sooner or later they are going to have to pay up, and there are plenty of teams that will.
i think Moulson could easily get 6 million. but i also think that if the isles make him a fair deal he would sign here for cheaper, but you never know.

also there is going to come a time when garth is going to have to show the players here that the isles are serious about winning and bring in a goalie and a defencemen that will get this team to the next level.
maybe one of our young d can fill the void, but we need a goalie for certain

 

[PWJunior]

I hate this idea that players are "assets." It makes them sound interchangeable. If we want to foster an identity and for our young players to be loyal to the team when they hit free agency, that means taking care of our own. When it's time for Tavares to negotiate his next contract here, I want him to think of the Isles as a team that's finally willing to go all in to win, not one that flips pending free agents at the deadline or in their walk year because we wanted to cash in on our asset. We have more than enough cap room to "overpay" on a few UFA deals.

Why does Snow have to overpay? He has shown a history of not doing so. He usually buys low on potential production from young players rather than paying for past performance in UFA's. Moulson is what he is, he's probably not likely to improve as he heads north of 30. While the chemistry in the locker room is big, the players all know that there is a business component to the NHL. Snow is building a long term contender and the salary cap is a big consideration so I don't agree about 'going all in' and start overpaying. It's not usually about the money, it's all about term with UFA's.

People keep throwing out a 3-year deal, why would Moulson take that? This is his chance to get that big time deal that would set his family up. The extra security of a long term 5-6 year deal is not a small factor. Looking at the market, he should easily get at least 4 years and more likely 5-6. I think a 5x$6M is the range that a player with his resume would fetch on the open market.

He's an important player for this year and so I don't think he's going anywhere. He'll play out the season and hopefully help the team continue to develop. When it comes to contract talk, I think he'll price himself off the team and then he'll be traded for a 4th round pick. We've seen it happen with Snow. There's a reason why the Isles have built up their prospect depth, so Snow doesn't have to overpay for diminishing players. Unless Moulson agrees to the deal Snow wants, he's as good as gone IMO.

 

[blinkman360]

Why does Snow have to overpay? He has shown a history of not doing so. He usually buys low on potential production from young players rather than paying for past performance in UFA's. Moulson is what he is, he's probably not likely to improve as he heads north of 30. While the chemistry in the locker room is big, the players all know that there is a business component to the NHL. Snow is building a long term contender and the salary cap is a big consideration so I don't agree about 'going all in' and start overpaying. It's not usually about the money, it's all about term with UFA's.

People keep throwing out a 3-year deal, why would Moulson take that? This is his chance to get that big time deal that would set his family up. The extra security of a long term 5-6 year deal is not a small factor. Looking at the market, he should easily get at least 4 years and more likely 5-6. I think a 5x$6M is the range that a player with his resume would fetch on the open market.

He's an important player for this year and so I don't think he's going anywhere. He'll play out the season and hopefully help the team continue to develop. When it comes to contract talk, I think he'll price himself off the team and then he'll be traded for a 4th round pick. We've seen it happen with Snow. There's a reason why the Isles have built up their prospect depth, so Snow doesn't have to overpay for diminishing players. Unless Moulson agrees to the deal Snow wants, he's as good as gone IMO.

Sorry PW I just don't see this being the case. Moulson is in a different boat when it comes to Streit and Parenteau. Streit was aging, rapidly declining, and had ridiculous contract demands. Gving in would have essentially been giving a #6/PP specialist 5+M over 4/5 years. Parenteau was a good player, but I really believe that Strome was the reason why Garth let him walk. I think he would have liked to bring him back for one or two years(enough time to let Strome finish his development), but obviously Parenteau didn't want to do that. Not to mention the possibility of the Isles thinking maybe PAP just wasn't as good as his contract demands. At the time it was reasonable to assume that finding a 60 point RW for Tavares wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world, nor the most expensive(which they kind of proved with Boyes, who paced 60 points exactly).

Moulson, OTOH, is currently much more important to this team than either of the previous two guys. He's a consistent 30 goal guy, which is pretty rare in today's game. He's currently playing in his prime years, which is pretty important for a team trying to win now. He fills a position that isn't exactly a strength: Anders Lee would most likely be our only backup plan if he walks(outside of bringing in a UFA or trade, which could cost us more money than Moulson in the long run). After Lee, it's a whole lot of average. Who knows if Lee will end up being a top-six player. Even if he does become one, I don't see anyone being happy with him in a top-six role from day one, especially when a lot of people didn't even want Strome in a top-six role in his rookie year.

Lastly, and most importantly, Moulson's relationship with Tavares. I think you need to do whatever you can to keep your franchise player happy and loyal. The fact that Johnny will become a UFA when he's 28 or 29 scares me. Keep Matty around as long as JT wants him around, and hopefully Tavares will continue to show loyalty to our organization.

I believe Moulson would sign a 5 year/$25M contract when it's all said and done. I just don't see the downside in a deal like that. Even if you have to let A-Mac walk to make it happen, no one sees MacDonald sticking on our top-pairing going forward anyway, and we are already overflowing with defensive depth as is... I can't imagine how much depth we'll have this time next year(CdH, Mayfield, Pokka, Pedan, Pulock, Russo, Pelech... all could make serious bids next TC).

 

[Skip To My Lou]

He's a consistent 30 goal scorer. With the contracts players are given these days, a contract of $6MM for a scorer of his caliber is not absurd. I would assume though, he might give the Isles a hometown discount though.