Confirmed with Link: Montreal Canadien Offer Sheet Sebastian Aho (5 Years @ $8.45M) III

[BargainBinSpecial]

we could offersheet Point or Marner, but now we're risking them being signed in 7 days

You can't offer sheet another player until the Aho situation is settled. So yes, Point and Marner might get signed before the 7 days. Other GMs may have instructed Waddell to take the full 7 days to make his decision so they don't have to deal with other hostile offers from MB.

 

[Hfbsux]

Holy cow, people are paniking and there's no reason to, like at all.

 

[Tabarouette]

You can't offer sheet another player until the Aho situation is settled.

yes that's my point

 

[Hfbsux]

if aho goes through we don't have the picks to send to the next offersheet tho right? what happens then? legit question

You really expect us to sign 2 RFA??

 

[hockeyfan2k18]

Yeah you're most likely right. If I'm a canes fan I'm still concerned even if they match tho, that contract takes him directly to UFA status, plus knowing that he willingly signed to join another team will throw a wrench in their relationship, not to talk about the rest of his teammates...

For sure. Deff a concern, but Canes should not have played so much hardball with him. I have critized Habs for doing it with their RFAs in the past and I'll do it with the Canes. Pay the man.

 

[CauZuki]

if aho goes through we don't have the picks to send to the next offersheet tho right? what happens then? legit question

We can't trade or move any picks that are reserved for OS compensation. This is why they can wait a week and it hurts us more than them.

 

[Tabarouette]

You really expect us to sign 2 RFA??

no, i'm saying I would try another one if Aho doesn't go through, but we can't do that for 7 days.

 

[Braun]

oh yeah I get that, but see above : you can't try another offersheet until this one is done because of the pick situation right? that's what i'm looking at here

if Aho gets matched i'd go straight to point, make the same move... but now we can't for 7 days

Yeah but if I’m Marner or Point right now I am in no hurry to sign. My agent would probably be making calls to other GM’s to discuss if we could do something similar. If anything, this slows the RFA process down

 

[Simarino]

The thing is, if the Canes match, and I think they will, where do we go from here? All the good free agents will be gone by then.

1- We still have 14.5M available
2- Wich player on the UFA Beside Panarin,Duchene or Gardiner really helping this team!? Gardiner is still there and we can sign him, the other 2 are gone but we never had a chance. Its a very good
thing that we didnt overpay for a middle six winger in his late 20s

3- The trade market is where MB needs to go to improve this team

 

[zx81]

I'm mire trying to rebut the notion that it's a slam dunk notion the Canes are matching and are going to hurt the Habs by waiting 7 days to finalize things. Like you said, if that's the case then waiting 7 days wont affect Bergevin's actions during those 7 days.

I don't tink it's that easy to match but they clearly have no choice. Letting him go for that compensation would just be suicidal.

My only hope is that a side deal is in the works but I doubt that.

 

[ForeverHabs97]

Every year people want Bergevin to do something "big." He fell into the offer sheet trap, which very rarely works. It sounds all glamorous and exciting, but in reality you'd probably end up paying more for an offer-sheet player than you would for a UFA... because you have to assume the team your poaching from will match almost ANY offer sheet. Bergevin got blinded by the excitement of offer sheets because he's dumb and childish and falls into those traps. Added to that, he wanted to show the fans that he's not scared of making a "big" signing. It's just that he didn't actually want to make a big signing.

He's probably terrified of making another mistake like Alzner and being a laughing stock for a couple of years.

This is a huge signing and Aho signed it... This is a bigger move than getting a 27 yr old Duchene at the same AAV. Aho is 21 and many would take him over Duchene based on skills. Saying this is a move because he's got no balls is pathetic, it's actually a ballsy move across the league that no one hasn't made since 2013. No doubt in my mind he wouldn't of had offered if he knew his offer would just very likely fail. This is a bold and very smart move at the same time cause he's betting that Canes are bluffing. A much smarter move and much bolder tactic then going after a big UFA name like Panarin hoping he choses you out of the 31 teams resulting in; blowing up your team salary structure.

Go outside and get some fresh air you're intoxicated with MB hate.

 

[Perrah]

These guys arent robots... He's eyeing property, imagining himself wearing the jersey he's a god damn 21 year old. What I can see though is them telling him right away "We will match in 7 days." not bah...lets go fishing and dick him and the habs around for a week.

All those factors (property, imagining wearing the jersey) are Habs things, and frankly Carolina wouldnt be too concerned with that.
Aho forced the issue with an offer sheet, Id assume he would know the ramifications of signing it in the time frame, possible 7 days of limbo. If not that is on the agent much more than anyone else but I agree they probably tell him what their plans are.

 

[habdynasty]

You would have to be a real Aho not to match that offer.

 

[le_sean]

There’s so little to worry about, we are going to invade your board to convince you there is no chance

 

[Tabarouette]

Yeah but if I’m Marner or Point right now I am in no hurry to sign. My agent would probably be making calls to other GM’s to discuss if we could do something similar. If anything, this slows the RFA process down

yeah alright sure, that's possibly correct i'll accept that

 

[Jack Bauer]

You can't offer sheet another player until the Aho situation is settled. So yes, Point and Marner might get signed before the 7 days. Other GMs may have instructed Waddell to take the full 7 days to make his decision so they don't have to deal with other hostile offers from MB.

Is this true?

Last week it was announced that the max compensation was 4 1sts over a 5 year period. If that's true Montreal could offer sheet Marner or Point for that amount.

Is there a rule against 2 offer sheets at once or people drawing a conclusion that a frozen 1st due to Aho means no other moves?

 

[Hfbsux]

no, i'm saying I would try another one if Aho doesn't go through, but we can't do that for 7 days.

Why not? The RFA saw the 5yr deal aho got. Their teams probably won't be for that term. If not, they just have to wait for an OS. If anything, it gives RFA players flexibility. I dont see all of them signing under a week.

 

[HockeyDBspecialist]

This site is a little too trigger happy with their warnings. It’s sad.

ya, mostly in other teams forum

 

[JianYang]

The thing is, if the Canes match, and I think they will, where do we go from here? All the good free agents will be gone by then.

I think this was happening regardless. He probably offered big contracts to certain guys, and when he realized nothing was working, they sent out an offer sheet.

The offer sheet came out in mid afternoon, so I think the timing of it shows that it was a plan B after striking out on the UFA market.

This leaves the trade market as the only option, and he has to do something because all he has done this summer so far is sell.

 

[Lshap]

I don't think UFA signings and offer sheets are even remotely comparable, personally.

if you follow the thread of the post you are quoting, my comments were in reply to the idea that offer sheets are taboo & that their impact on the overall market for RFA's being affected as a result is what GM's would take issue with.

earlier posters also commented on the "gentleman's agreement" btw GM's not to offer sheet (which Bob Mac cited as why he was certain there wouldn't be any) and that MB's offer sheet somehow "changes the game"...

Looks like the RFA market had already shifted, even before yesterday's OS. All the bridges and short-terms that defined most RFA contracts have disappeared. Matthews gets $11M, Nylander sits out, and suddenly every top RFA is emboldened with a similar sense of entitlement. RFAs are negotiating under the same terms as UFAs, which is throwing a major wrench into cap structures and long-term planning. Plus, the cap didn't go up much.

The game had already changed, which is why everybody was talking about offer sheets the last few weeks. They were the next logical move in a poker game that's become much more high-stakes in the past year. Are GMs pissed? Definitely. But this OS is probably just another nail.

in any case, the extent to which there are any repercussions, visible or behind the scenes, is not something that will be objectively quantifiable. The case that the structure of the offer sheet is a strong move because it directly targets the owner is, imo, far overstated and, if accurate, certainly could create ill will that has wider ranging impacts.

Fair enough. Even if Carolina knew it was coming (which they reportedly did) and even if they knew it was inevitable, you're probably right that Waddell isn't happy being the lab rat. It's a new level of aggressiveness which everybody expected but nobody wanted to deal with.

Absolutely agree that it adds entertainment... though sadly, i get the distinct impression that this, rather than any actual concrete plan to improve our situation, was a big motivator for our inept GM. I'd rather he be focused on cultivating excellence for our organization, than playing silly PR stunt games, which this move reeks of imo. I would love to be proven wrong by the Canes not matching, but the odds of that seem, at this point, slim to none.

I'd be shocked if we ended up with Aho, but even if the gamble fails, I don't see much downside for the Habs. Bergevin flexed the org's financial muscles and reminded other GMs that Montreal has a weapon most other teams don't. Being in a position of financial strength can only help future negotiations with GMs and player agents, whether the message is, "See how much we can pay up front", or, "Don't piss us off".

EDIT: Just read the update that Canes have matched.