News Article: McGuire: "Habs are in trouble"

[Runner77]

The Kings traded for two such contracts, both signed by Philly, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards had 11 and 12 year contracts, resp. Their other key players like Doughty, Kopitar, etc were on their first deals out of ELC. Quick has a 10-year deal signed in 2012, it's not as egregious as Keith, Hossa etc, his highest yearly salary is 7M, the cap hit is a little under 6 due to some 2-3M years at the end.

Thanks for that. So the fact that the Kings, Pens and Hawks were so successful is due in large part to this built-in flaw? And those other GMs who did not have the same advantage, namely a vast majority of them, just let this go by. Unreal.

 

[missthenet]

Why do people keep lumping Shaw in with a bright future? Hahah he's a 30 point guy at max he will never be better than that.

and Pacioretty is missing

 

[scrubadam]

The thing is, no team has won any cups, nevermind multiple cups, without the benefit of the cap circumventing contracts done away with in the last CBA. Pens wouldn't be able to put together their superstar group of forwards without Crosby's artificially low cap hit, and the Blackhawks wouldn't have been able to keep both Toews and Kane if not for the hilarious Hossa and keith contracts.

You wouldn't see guys like Price and McDavid signing for these huge cap hits if teams could still hand out 12-13 year deals.

Thats exactly it. All those contracts will be flushed. Also I doubt we see guys like Kane/Towes take 5/6 mill or whatever they made during those cup runs. McDavid just got 12.5. MAtthews is getting 10+ probably.

Hockey is the ultimate team game. A team that can spend 5 Mill no a 3rd liner or 3rd D is going to have an advantage.

 

[WG]

Thanks for that. So the fact that the Kings, Pens and Hawks were so successful is due in large part to this built-in flaw? And those other GMs who did not have the same advantage, namely a vast majority of them, just let this go by. Unreal.

Bergy did have one promising young player who needed a contract, and in theory could have signed him to a contract like Quick received. The new CBA was not in effect and there was a window where teams got their last cracks at the cap circumventing contracts.

Alas, Bergy didn't know what kind of player this was, and his coach felt that the young player needed to be a better person. Subban was asking for 5-6 years at 5-6M, I wonder if he would have taken a 10/$55 contract or something with lots of term. Such a deal would be right up there as one of the bets contracts in the league.

 

[scrubadam]

Bergy did have one promising young player who needed a contract, and in theory could have signed him to a contract like Quick received. The new CBA was not in effect and there was a window where teams got their last cracks at the cap circumventing contracts.

Alas, Bergy didn't know what kind of player this was, and his coach felt that the young player needed to be a better person. Subban was asking for 5-6 years at 5-6M, I wonder if he would have taken a 10/$55 contract or something with lots of term. Such a deal would be right up there as one of the bets contracts in the league.

Probably talking more like 12 years.

Subban was 24?? at that time. If it was going to be a backdiving retirement contract it would of had to take him to 38+.

All though I think some of the GM's started to display some chivalry around that time. You had Burke straight up say he wasn't going to do those cheating contracts. I bet MB was like Burke in his way of thinking.

 

[WG]

Thats exactly it. All those contracts will be flushed. Also I doubt we see guys like Kane/Towes take 5/6 mill or whatever they made during those cup runs. McDavid just got 12.5. MAtthews is getting 10+ probably.

Hockey is the ultimate team game. A team that can spend 5 Mill no a 3rd liner or 3rd D is going to have an advantage.

Bergy's specialty. He's found a design flaw in the cap system. Maybe he's playing chess where everyone else is playing checkers after all.

I kid, I kid. As always, you need superstar players to win. Can't think of the last cup winner, maybe Carolina, that didn't have HOF talent on the roster. If you can afford a 5M 3rd liner and you are a Cup team, it means you have an elite guy elsewhere making far less than he's worth. More likely, you 5M third liner prevents you from adding the elite guy at elite guy money.

Otherwise, as thus current UFA season has shown us, teams are getting wiser about fungible players, if needed a team could have built a credible 3rd line with about $4M total. That saves money to pay the top players. Habs problem with regard to cap has always been too much money tied up in mediocre players like Gorges, Gionta (at the end), Emelin, Plek, Shawzie, etc.

 

[Rapala]

It's really turning into a nice group....

25 & under

Drouin 22-----------$5.5M AAV
Galchenyuk 23------$4.9M AAV
Shaw 25------------$3.9M AAV
Gallagher 25--------$3.75M AAV
Danault 24----------$.913M AAV
Lehkonen 22--------$.840M AAV

Total-----------------$19.8M

This isn't horrible but we are still missing 2 Power Forwards who can drive possession and keep play in the proper zone. I see no change from the one and done we've become accustomed to and I don't see our D holding the blue in the Ozone. We were very close to improving our forward group but messed the bed IMO.

I don't see any relief from the D...
Do You?

 

[scrubadam]

Bergy's specialty. He's found a design flaw in the cap system. Maybe he's playing chess where everyone else is playing checkers after all.

I kid, I kid. As always, you need superstar players to win. Can't think of the last cup winner, maybe Carolina, that didn't have HOF talent on the roster. If you can afford a 5M 3rd liner and you are a Cup team, it means you have an elite guy elsewhere making far less than he's worth. More likely, you 5M third liner prevents you from adding the elite guy at elite guy money.

Otherwise, as thus current UFA season has shown us, teams are getting wiser about fungible players, if needed a team could have built a credible 3rd line with about $4M total. That saves money to pay the top players. Habs problem with regard to cap has always been too much money tied up in mediocre players like Gorges, Gionta (at the end), Emelin, Plek, Shawzie, etc.

I think teams were being wiser because a lot of them know they have their own young players that are going to want big salaries soon. I expect the next few UFA periods to be pretty mild too. GM's would rather spend $$$ on a 23/24 year old than a 33/34 year old.

 

[OldCraig71]

and Pacioretty is missing

A reoccurring theme.

 

[Ginu]

I've noticed the same thing. Too many people are looking at what we don't have and not looking at what we have. Add the future to our young core.

Young core: Galchenyuk, Drouin, Gallagher, Lehkonen, Lehkonen

Older Core: Price, Patch, Weber. Weber is 32 this year and is the oldest part of our core. Not worried about him till he reaches his mid 30's and then we have to re evaluate.

Future Prospects: Hudon, McCarron, DLR, Scherbak, Lernout, Juulsen, Mete, Addison, Bitten, Poehliing, Ikonen, Brook, Walford, Fleury. That's 14 potential NHL'ers making our team in the next 5 years and this does not include any surprises.

Were not doomed like some think we are.

Not many, if any forwards, are A level prospects.

 

[pepperMonkey]

Not many, if any forwards, are A level prospects.

Depends on what you consider A level prospects I suppose. If you are talking prospects that could be potential elite or super starts...well, I guess none. Ikonen seems to be closest to being that but way too early for that and most likely not anyhow. Juulsen and Poehliing seems to be solid good prospects that would most likely play in the NHL so...C level for the three? Low end B level?