Non-Minnesota NHL News XIV - Seattle Expansion(?)

[TaLoN]

Tavares had no reason, no obligation, no good reason why he had to stay with the NYI.

The fact is he played 9 seasons with the Islanders and they could not surround him with a competent team. It was flub after flub.

JT had no obligation to sign with them and had every right to wait until he was hitting FA, as every professional sports player has, and EVERY team knows this. It’s a game. A game that the NYI organization played poorly.

JT should have been locked up or traded in February if NYI truly wanted to get something in return.

His contract, like all contact, don’t say “player must make sure to get traded if they are unsure of their want to resign with team in their contract year so that said team gets assets”. No, his contract was to play hockey.

Pro sports is a cut throat business and it’s a business indeed.

The NYI FAILED to sign JT. Period. I don’t blame JT one ounce. Would you REALLY trust a player that needs to keep his PR good in January when he said his priority is to stay and Islander? And did he say I’m staying an Islander no matter what- I won’t even consider other teams? No. He didn’t.

I see a lot of Islander fans and other fans putting some sort of blame on JT. He is the last person to blame. It wasn’t his job to sign himself. It was the NYI.

I believe when he made the statement, he was being honest about wanting to stay, but wanted to look at his options too ala Stamkos.

The Island offered more, but was it a significant amount per year more? Not really... just a little per, with an extra year.

Toronto offers a forward lineup that JT has never experienced on the Island, and it's home to boot.

Like I said, I doubt here considered Toronto's willingness to make such an offer when he looked at their lineup, but wanted to see his options.

 

[thestonedkoala]

I believe when he made the statement, he was being honest about wanting to stay, but wanted to look at his options too ala Stamkos.

The Island offered more, but was it a significant amount per year more? Not really... just a little per, with an extra year.

Toronto offers a forward lineup that JT has never experienced on the Island, and it's home to boot.

Like I said, I doubt here considered Toronto's willingness to make such an offer when he looked at their lineup, but wanted to see his options.

This is like Parise/Suter signing all over again.

 

[SupremeNachos]

And this is why Nashville hates Suter.

They would still get hated on if they were honest about wanting to leave. You will always lose fans in these scenarios regardless of what they say.

 

[Wabit]

This is like Parise/Suter signing all over again.

Not at all. Parise/Suter came to a garbage team and it pushed up the team's timeline. JT goes to a team that just came out of a rebuild, still has a stacked farm system, and is ready to contend.

 

[TaLoN]

Not at all. Parise/Suter came to a garbage team and it pushed up the team's timeline. JT goes to a team that just came out of a rebuild, still has a stacked farm system, and is ready to contend.

I think the post you quoted was just referencing fan reaction from the teams the players all left via free agency.

New Jersey, Nashville and Islanders fans all feeling they got played by players that desperately wanted out, when there likely wasn't anything desperate about it, they all just wanted to see their options and weigh out which was what they felt, the best fit.

 

[Wabit]

I think the post you quoted was just referencing fan reaction from the teams the players all left via free agency.

New Jersey, Nashville and Islanders fans all feeling they got played by players that desperately wanted out, when there likely wasn't anything desperate about it, they all just wanted to see their options and weigh out which was what they felt, the best fit.

Oh. my bad. The fanbase that should have taken it the hardest was NJD. Lose in the Cup Finals, and less than a week later lose the teams "C" to UFA. Double slap in the face there.

 

[Engebretson]

ROR to the Blues...

Not entirely impressed with the return for Buffalo either

 

[thestonedkoala]

Not at all. Parise/Suter came to a garbage team and it pushed up the team's timeline. JT goes to a team that just came out of a rebuild, still has a stacked farm system, and is ready to contend.

A garbage team? They had a lot of good young players, Koivu just came off a good season. Remember, one of the reasons why Parise/Suter came here was due to the farm system.

 

[Wabit]

A garbage team? They had a lot of good young players, Koivu just came off a good season. Remember, one of the reasons why Parise/Suter came here was due to the farm system.

Houston was a decent team, yes. MN wasn't, no Playoffs for the prior 4 seasons (didn't even reach 90p), 3rd worst in goal differential -49 (and the goalies were good), 7th worst record in the league (3p ahead of ahead of 3rd worst).

Koivu was injured for a chunk (~30 games) of the 11-12 season. Brodziak was 1C and Cullen the 2C during that time.

 

[StealthClobber]

Houston was decent-ish around that time. Fresh off the Calder Cup loss in 2011 we got killed by the OKC Barons (Edmonton's farm team) in 2012, and then lost in the first round again to Grand Rapids (DET), who I believe won the cup that year. Quite a few of the players on those teams were the kids that eventually came up here and helped us to our next 6 playoff appearances, but we haven't accomplished much in them.

We all know how Iowa ended up doing in the following years.

 

[Uberdachen]

A garbage team? They had a lot of good young players, Koivu just came off a good season. Remember, one of the reasons why Parise/Suter came here was due to the farm system.

Minnesota Wild Stats | 2011-2012 Even if I get crazy loose with defining "good young players", I can't find a lot of them.

 

[Wild11MN]

Minnesota Wild Stats | 2011-2012 Even if I get crazy loose with defining "good young players", I can't find a lot of them.

Prospects. Granlund and co., when he specifically was one of the top prospects in the world.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

ROR to the Blues...

Not entirely impressed with the return for Buffalo either

Getting a 1st and 2nd is always good. Thompson is an ok prospect overall, but he's a right-hander with a hammer shot, so should help the power play. Sobotka looked awesome before he left the NHL so could be a case of coaching fit - a rebound season from him means Buffalo killed it. Berglund is one of those wishy-washy guys, sometimes looks legit, usually not, but a team could do worse for a third-line d-zone center with size and skill.

 

[57special]

Tavares had to have been unimpressed with the ownership in NYI, where they are an afterthought in the NYC area. Moving to a new arena that is a joke, then finding out they going to move again, then having your GM fired and finding out his replacement is a hard assed dinosaur... it was all to much for him, especially in contrast to playing for the most popular team in the best hockey market in the world
Just glad he didn’t come to STL.

 

[Wabit]

Getting a 1st and 2nd is always good. Thompson is an ok prospect overall, but he's a right-hander with a hammer shot, so should help the power play. Sobotka looked awesome before he left the NHL so could be a case of coaching fit - a rebound season from him means Buffalo killed it. Berglund is one of those wishy-washy guys, sometimes looks legit, usually not, but a team could do worse for a third-line d-zone center with size and skill.

Too bad he'll be playing the all purpose 2C role (RORs spot) in Buffalo.

Sobotka looked slow or disinterested whenever I watched him play last year.

It'll be another tank year for Buffalo. They've already wasted 3 years of Risto, Reinhart. and Eichel. Add another one to that and a wasted ELC year of Mittlestadt, Thompson and Dahlin.

 

[Uberdachen]

Prospects. Granlund and co., when he specifically was one of the top prospects in the world.

Whoops, I forgot to adjust the team's standing by factoring in all the guys that didn't play on it. And Granlund was still a 1C-to-be, so that's really going to jump them up.

 

[Engebretson]

Getting a 1st and 2nd is always good. Thompson is an ok prospect overall, but he's a right-hander with a hammer shot, so should help the power play. Sobotka looked awesome before he left the NHL so could be a case of coaching fit - a rebound season from him means Buffalo killed it. Berglund is one of those wishy-washy guys, sometimes looks legit, usually not, but a team could do worse for a third-line d-zone center with size and skill.

It'll likely be a mid to late 1st next year, a mid-late 2nd rounder 3 years from now.

Thompson could be good, but he's about the only real attractive piece.

Sobotka's career high in points is 33 (before he left for the KHL) and Berglund's career high in points since the lockout is 34. Don't get me wrong, they're not scrubs, but Sobotka's on the wrong side of 30 (Berglund is 30) and overpaid (Berglund has a cap hit of $3.85 mil/year for the next 4 years while Sobotka has 2 years left with a cap hit of $3.5 ml/year). Dumping these guys is probably a win by itself for St. Louis.

Like I said, not a real impressive return for a guy like ROR. Was really hoping the Sabres would Fletcher the Blues on this one.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Yes please, lets get some drama going.

 

[Wabit]

Yes please, lets get some drama going.

Unless it's Nylander for $7.5m+ x 7 NYI will have to wait until next offseason. They only have their 1st this year.

 

[Goose312]

Yes please, lets get some drama going.

Could go for Marner next season. Offer him just enough to stay out of 4x firsts compensation so they can't keep Marner and Matthews. Toronto probably can't sign them both early either because they will be up against the cap and need to know where it's going. If they did it this year it would be purely out of spite to make Toronto worse next year.

Really though, Friedman is about to get that guy's house because nothing will happen.

 

[AKL]

Unless it's Nylander for $7.5m+ x 7 NYI will have to wait until next offseason. They only have their 1st this year.

Nylander is the last of the three I would offer sheet if I were going to. He's the worst of the three, and he's the only one I wouldn't be comfortable overpaying on a 7 year contract.

I'd give Marner 7x11 and Matthews 7x14 before I gave Nylander 7x8.

 

[AKL]

Could go for Marner next season. Offer him just enough to stay out of 4x firsts compensation so they can't keep Marner and Matthews. Toronto probably can't sign them both early either because they will be up against the cap and need to know where it's going. If they did it this year it would be purely out of spite to make Toronto worse next year.

Really though, Friedman is about to get that guy's house because nothing will happen.

For this year, 4 1sts is like 10.1M. Toronto probably wouldn't match Nylander at 7x10, but NYI would be fools to pay him that.

 

[Goose312]

For this year, 4 1sts is like 10.1M. Toronto probably wouldn't match Nylander at 7x10, but NYI would be fools to pay him that.

They couldn't do it this year because they lack the picks. They could do it next year for Marner and in theory Matthews. TOR probably won't be able to afford paying all of those guys anyway so a OS that's just that bit more than they can pay might actually work, though it also depends on the player signing.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Marner would be the guy to offer sheet.

 

[Wabit]

For this year, 4 1sts is like 10.1M. Toronto probably wouldn't match Nylander at 7x10, but NYI would be fools to pay him that.

For 6 and 7 year offer sheets it's the total contract divided by 5 years. So a $7.25m x 7 deal would be the 4 1sts. A $7.24m x 7 would be the 2 1st + 2nd + 3rd.

Offer Sheet Calculator - CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps if you want to play around with different numbers for players.