Michalek signs extension - 3yrs $4m per

[danielpalfredsson]

Hurray for mediocrity !!! ****, we already signed Philips who's Big Rig no longer has gas in the tank, WHY NOT sign Milo to 3 years too ! BRILLIANT !!!

The general sentiment about Greening and Phillips contracts around these parts are so tiring.

1) Giving Phillips two years at 2M has off ice benefits. There is an issue with having 8 defenders dressed, but especially with the way things have gone with Alfie and Spezza, it's good PR to both a large amount of fans, and probably to players within and outside the organization to handle Phillips retirement in this manner. It's worth it.

2) If rumours are correct, Chicago among others have shown interest in Greening with his current contract. He isn't that bad as a bottom 6 guy. Ottawa isn't a cap team, so salary is what matters, Greening will only be making 2M next season. If Greening is considered overpaid during the last two years of his deal at 2.7 and 3.2 that is a casualty of Ottawa giving players like Karlsson, Turris, Smith, Weircioch, and Anderson longer term contracts in hopes that they'll progress and ultimately become bargains. It's worked out pretty well thus far.

3) We don't know the structure of Michaleks deal. In a non-cap team like Ottawa, this creates a HUGE amount of context. Either, Ottawa has room left in their salary budget this year with no conceivable way to use it and the contract is front loaded, making Michalek a bargain for the final two years when bigger contracts kick in. Or, the contract is back loaded, with the hope that they can trade Michalek and his modest 4M cap hit during the off season before his final year. If it is structured 3-3-6, Ottawa would then have gotten Michalek for 2x3M rather than 2x4M because salary matters to this team not cap. If Ottawa has salary room left, without a possible upgrade via trade to make, and it is structured the opposite way, it means Ottawa makes use of that salary, and then gets Michalek at a bargain price during the final two years of his deal when their younger players salaries go up.

4) Ottawa had to get to the cap floor. When Lehner signs, they are at the floor, or very close to it. "HEMSKY SIGNED AT 4M, MURRAY IS SO STUPAD". As if it's not uncommon for a free agent to ask the world to a team who they aren't that interested in staying with. Hemsky wasn't staying with Ottawa for 4M. He went to Dallas who acquired a center that he had immense chemistry with. There were better UFA targets than Michalek, but were they going to come to Ottawa? Probably not.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Murray says Michalek was offered more money and 2 years longer and turned it down to sign here.

Still doesn't make this contract look good from an Ottawa point of view.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

******** THIS **************

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

100 times this. Too long and to the wrong player

We offered Michalek more than Hemsky? What the ****...

It's probably more that Michalek didn't have many options and Ottawa is pretty low-pressure. Get your 40 points and go home in the spring.
This team...

 

[L'Aveuglette]

It's probably more that Michalek didn't have many options and Ottawa is pretty low-pressure. Get your 40 points and go home in the spring.
This team...

This to me is the most worrisome thing about this team; that it valued Michalek more than Hemsky.

 

[Step]

The general sentiment about Greening and Phillips contracts around these parts are so tiring.

1) Giving Phillips two years at 2M has off ice benefits. There is an issue with having 8 defenders dressed, but especially with the way things have gone with Alfie and Spezza, it's good PR to both a large amount of fans, and probably to players within and outside the organization to handle Phillips retirement in this manner. It's worth it.

2) If rumours are correct, Chicago among others have shown interest in Greening with his current contract. He isn't that bad as a bottom 6 guy. Ottawa isn't a cap team, so salary is what matters, Greening will only be making 2M next season. If Greening is considered overpaid during the last two years of his deal at 2.7 and 3.2 that is a casualty of Ottawa giving players like Karlsson, Turris, Smith, Weircioch, and Anderson longer term contracts in hopes that they'll progress and ultimately become bargains. It's worked out pretty well thus far.

3) We don't know the structure of Michaleks deal. In a non-cap team like Ottawa, this creates a HUGE amount of context. Either, Ottawa has room left in their salary budget this year with no conceivable way to use it and the contract is front loaded, making Michalek a bargain for the final two years when bigger contracts kick in. Or, the contract is back loaded, with the hope that they can trade Michalek and his modest 4M cap hit during the off season before his final year. If it is structured 3-3-6, Ottawa would then have gotten Michalek for 2x3M rather than 2x4M because salary matters to this team not cap. If Ottawa has salary room left, without a possible upgrade via trade to make, and it is structured the opposite way, it means Ottawa makes use of that salary, and then gets Michalek at a bargain price during the final two years of his deal when their younger players salaries go up.

4) Ottawa had to get to the cap floor. When Lehner signs, they are at the floor, or very close to it. "HEMSKY SIGNED AT 4M, MURRAY IS SO STUPAD". As if it's not uncommon for a free agent to ask the world to a team who they aren't that interested in staying with. Hemsky wasn't staying with Ottawa for 4M. He went to Dallas who acquired a center that he had immense chemistry with. There were better UFA targets than Michalek, but were they going to come to Ottawa? Probably not.

Great post.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Michalek couldn't hit 40 points playing beside Spezza the entire season as the primary shooter Spezza was looking to find every time he got the puck in the offensive zone.

I'd be willing to bet he won't hit 40 points playing on the 2nd line on the left side of a vastly less talented centerman.

Still doesn't make this contract look good from an Ottawa point of view.

Yup. Orpik re-signing in Pittsburgh for 5M a season for 3 years instead of in Washington for 5.5M x 5 years doesn't make it a good deal for Pittsburgh.

 

[Super Cake]

Still sort pissed off that he re-signed.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

At least he wants to be here.....

This is an important factor to me. I don't mind the signing.

 

[Derivation]

Love how people are upset a guy wants to play here. Talk about backwards logic. Hemsky's stats Post 09 are very weak for a top 6er, and the guy hasn't even ever reached 25 goals once. Milan may not be a game breaker but given the fact he kills penalties and goes to the net with authority makes his value worth keeping on this team.

 

[Whippet]

Nice to come home and see this **** *goes and gets whiskey*

 

[Ishdul]

Love how people are upset a guy wants to play here. Talk about backwards logic. Hemsky's stats Post 09 are very weak for a top 6er, and the guy hasn't even ever reached 25 goals once. Milan may not be a game breaker but given the fact he kills penalties and goes to the net with authority makes his value worth keeping on this team.

Milan wants to be here, under the assumption that we pay him a lot of money for very little production. He kills penalties, in the sense that we put him out there on the penalty kill, even those he doesn't do it at all well and we were putting Spezza out there to kill them frequently too. He goes to the net with authority, in the sense that he did that once 3 years ago and maybe he's done it since?

 

[Derivation]

Milan wants to be here, under the assumption that we pay him a lot of money for very little production. He kills penalties, in the sense that we put him out there on the penalty kill, even those he doesn't do it at all well and we were putting Spezza out there to kill them frequently too. He goes to the net with authority, in the sense that he did that once 3 years ago and maybe he's done it since?

Nice negativity. Your big argument is "he doesn't do them well" and what Spezza is good? Pretty sure Turris was far more productive at our 1st line PK C. And yeah, he went to the net hard this past year, 3 shy of a 20g season isn't too shabby. He got off to a slow start.

 

[Ishdul]

Nice negativity. Your big argument is "he doesn't do them well" and what Spezza is good? Pretty sure Turris was far more productive at our 1st line PK C. And yeah, he went to the net hard this past year, 3 shy of a 20g season isn't too shabby. He got off to a slow start.

At no point did I say anything remotely close to Spezza being good on the PK. The point is that Michalek has been pretty terrible defensively without getting much blame for it and that he provides nothing on the PK that any number of our guys. With him back I would heavily suggest that we do not have him on the PK, and if we kept Spezza I would heavily suggest to take him off too.

17 goals is absolutely shabby for a 1st line sniper over 82 games. He was 6th on our not particularly strong team in goals, 1 ahead of Zibanejad in 13 more games with much more favourable ice time. The year before he had 4 goals in 23 games, so I think there's a lot to worry about there.

 

[The Fuhr*]

Before Hemsky was added to the team, Michalek 63GP 27Pts

After Hemsky he had 12Pts in 19GP

 

[The Expert]

I still like Michalek.

 

[BK201]

I give him 45 points this season 21 goals 24 assists.

 

[HockeySens]

Nice negativity. Your big argument is "he doesn't do them well" and what Spezza is good? Pretty sure Turris was far more productive at our 1st line PK C. And yeah, he went to the net hard this past year, 3 shy of a 20g season isn't too shabby. He got off to a slow start.

Spezza is good at scoring. 2nd most points on the team when he was clearly not 100% at the beginning of the season. You would also know that Michalek started playing like himself when Hemsky and Spezza turned it on. Guess what? We dont have those two guys anymore.

Michalek needs someone to carry the play for him, he wont do it himself. We dont have that guy who can carry the play anymore, Michalek might even be more useless.

Market value, 4 million for Michalek is fair, but this is Ottawa. We need to use every single dollar wisely.

 

[God Says No]

I give him 45 points this season 21 goals 24 assists.

I don't see how he hits this without Spezza feeding him. This team will have a hard time scoring next season. I see some something in 30 to 40 range. Something like 15 g and 20 a.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Market value, 4 million for Michalek is fair, but this is Ottawa. We need to use every single dollar wisely.

This isn't a fair complaint. Ottawa uses their money very wisely. They have some very good contracts.

You can't make players materialize out of thin air. There seems to be an implication in some threads that Greening's 2 million dollars, and Michalek's 4 million dollars could have been used towards a star for 6 million. But that star has to want to come here first.

There is also a cap floor that Ottawa would have not met without retaining Michalek. This is of course pending any trades, but after Lehner is re-signed, Ottawa should be just about at the floor.

Lastly, Michalek is a moveable asset. I'm not suggesting he'll ever be traded, but letting him go for nothing when the team is well below the floor and doesn't appear to have other free agent options is silly. He doesn't have a NTC. He could be traded next off-season if a better option for that 4 million dollars worth of budget space comes up.

 

[fringie]

Good with the signing, if his knees can hold up, team doctors would know, he still can be a useful player, but boy, I thought he was almost done during first half of the season. Again, with Milan it is all about health.

 

[LynxBud]

I don't mind the signing. At least he wants to play here. Sadly that's something we can't take for granted anymore.
I've always liked Milo, too. Despite his struggles.

 

[Savannah Skunk]

I'm glad that in a day like this, at least ONE player wants to play for Ottawa, apparently at a discount. Hell, give him the C.

Seriously, he's a player that if healthy will be extremely valuable for us in all ends of the rink. Michalek is still a good player.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

I predicted that Michalek would perform better statistically and playing wise in a system that plays hard-nosed 200 foot hockey with a center who jams and creates room in the center of the ice.

Now that the Sens are that team, he could be pretty useful in 3rd line with guys like Pageau and Stone and help fill gap in top 6 role if need be.

Meh, maybe I'm just wishing more than hoping but I do think as much as Michalek impacted Spezza's negative play, Spezza also impacted Michalek's. He played pretty good in lock-out year, no?

Anyone..?

I give him 45 points this season 21 goals 24 assists.

That'd be terrific.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

It's easy to forget that Milan also won the Sens' skills competition speed skating. Probably safe to say his knees are fine for now.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

The fact he produced very well once Hemsky showed up should reassure people

He can still produce as a top 6 player but, unsurprisingly, he needs the proper support because he isn't a star player

I keep saying this but no one seems to echo my sentiments: whenever he wasn't playing with Spezza I found Michalek to be better. The two never seemed to be a natural fit and Milan has underrated vision which he seldom had the opportunity to showoff.

This is it: I was on the trade Michalek bandwagon ever since he got here (injury concerns and bad playoff history) and was constantly arguing that we should trade him while his value was high. Well things have changed and am now very happy he's back: he's clearly someone the coaching staff is happy with, reports have him as a guy who works hard and has the respect of his peers; considering how young the team having someone like him, someone who can show the kids what it takes to earn the respect of the coaching staff AND who can still produce is critical now that we having a confidence crisis about management's ability to support the roster