Confirmed with Link: Nuke scored a MotherF****ing goal!!!

[Cousin Eddie]

Nuke for Come Back Player of the Year!!!

Nah bro. Bill Nylander is the comeback story of the century.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

How much is this monster going to cost us this summer?

 

[kchan9]

Nuke is a f**king machine! So happy for him!

 

[Cousin Eddie]

How much is this monster going to cost us this summer?

I’m assuming Nuke will want another short term deal to prove he can keep doing this but I would love to get him on one of those Nashville/Islanders long term, low aav specials.

6 years x 3.5M for example.

I don’t know Nuke, and stereotyping isn’t always nice but it is well known that Russians number one priority is getting the most money they possibly can. Here’s to hoping he’s different.

 

[henchman21]

I don’t know Nuke, and stereotyping isn’t always nice but it is well known that Russians number one priority is getting the most money they possibly can. Here’s to hoping he’s different.

Nuke fled to Russia when Dallas wouldn't give him the contract he wanted off his ELC... he's going to want to get paid.

 

[TanguaySauce]

I think he takes 3 x 3.5 which is more than fair.

 

[cgf]

He's definitely earned those second line minutes with Kadri, and he's done nothing but prove the coaches right to trust him there.

Crazy to think that the only two opinions anybody had around here when this was announced were "Meh" and "Fire Sakic".

TBF it would've even crazier if anyone expected this back then

 

[flyfysher]

TBF it would've even crazier if anyone expected this back then

Which is a lesson for all of us to be patient in evaluating a player before crapping on them.

 

[flyfysher]

I think he takes 3 x 3.5 which is more than fair.

If Nichushkin is succeeding on the second line then how do you justify paying him less than the sweetheart deal that Kadri signed or less than Burakovsky who has projected to be paid upwards of $5M? Obviously Nichushkin hasn't scored like Burakovsky but the real point is he may not really know himself what he should be asking for because even he doesn't know what his top end is. The guy is scoring more regularly. But in terms of effort, it would not surprise me if he fit in well in Landeskog's spot (if JB had to put him there). It's just crazy to think the guy we thought was headed back to Russia out of training camp has turned out to be such a pleasant surprise.

 

[cgf]

Nuke fled to Russia when Dallas wouldn't give him the contract he wanted off his ELC... he's going to want to get paid.

He was also a dumb kid who had gotten by on his natural gifts up to that point. If he was still that same douche he wouldn't be having the success he has been having this season or last season; where despite the utter lack of production he was contributing against the puck well...at least until the cold streak really got to him.

You don't remodel your game the way he has without having gained some humility/maturity. Not saying Nuke won't want to get paid what he's worth, just that the decisions he made before turning his career around aren't necessarily reflective of the decisions he's going to make moving forward.


OT - Nuke's first stretch with the stars wasn't just a monetary issue. Of course, if they had just dumped a truck of cash on him he would've stayed, but a big part of it was simply that he had failed to live up to expectations...despite Dallas having done everything to put him into a position to thrive that first season. As the stars began to realize that he was way too raw/not the winger-Malkin that they'd hoped, they scaled back the premium opportunities they had been giving him; which hampered his production & progress even more...which played a big part in the downward performance spiral which was such a big part of his ending up back in russia...after not getting the money he wanted to stay.

 

[Spender]

Nuke and Burra should be evidence that some just need to chill a bit.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'd really like for him to stick around. The Avs used to not have an answer for guys like Ryan O'Reilly. Now they do.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

He never showed this forechecking/puck hound/takeaway machine side in Dallas, did he?

We played them a fair bit and I never came away thinking he was this type of dog on a bone.

 

[S E P H]

Try to deke out Nuke = failure.

Complete animal.

He plays like Russian Bear.

 

[cgf]

Which is a lesson for all of us to be patient in evaluating a player before crapping on them.

Not to disagree with your point in general -- as I agree with it wholeheartedly -- it's still only been ~30 games that Nuke's been producing, so we still don't know what this lesson has to teach us. Most jokes were being made about his stone hands, not that he was Bura-esque against the puck; which is the part of the game that I do think he has gone a long way towards proving himself in...although even there I want to see whether/how his work-rate is affected by no longer "playing for his career."

Nuke had been doing a good job against the puck last season before his coldstreak got to him; so there wasn't much crapping on adding him to the 4th line mix from anyone who wasn't just b****ing to b****. We only really got snarky on here when it started to be suggested that Nuke had been brought in to deputize-for & put-pressure-on Mikko, should Rantanen have held out.

 

[cgf]

He never showed this forechecking/puck hound/takeaway machine side in Dallas, did he?

We played them a fair bit and I never came away thinking he was this type of dog on a bone.

He was at the start of last season...but as things wore on, his coldstreak with the puck seemed to get to him; as his energy levels (& self-confidence) sank, the longer it grew. Don't remember when we played them but if most of our meetings that you are remembering occured after his coldstreak started, that would explain it.

 

[TanguaySauce]

If Nichushkin is succeeding on the second line then how do you justify paying him less than the sweetheart deal that Kadri signed or less than Burakovsky who has projected to be paid upwards of $5M? Obviously Nichushkin hasn't scored like Burakovsky but the real point is he may not really know himself what he should be asking for because even he doesn't know what his top end is. The guy is scoring more regularly. But in terms of effort, it would not surprise me if he fit in well in Landeskog's spot (if JB had to put him there). It's just crazy to think the guy we thought was headed back to Russia out of training camp has turned out to be such a pleasant surprise.

The Kadri one is pretty simple. We didn't offer that deal, Toronto did. So it shouldn't have much bearing on whatever deal offered to Val is. And if it does, I don't think that Val as a W, should be making close to what Kadri does as a C. Especially since he's a two-time 30 goal scorer and could still achieve that this season. While Val has improved by miles year over year, he still doesn't have the proven track record that warrants a deal that high.

As for Bura, he is someone who I would consider paying 4+ mil for as he's been pretty consistent throughout his career but was never given an opportunity to flourish inside the Washington top-6. I think that this breakout would've came sooner if he had been given the opportunity to produce more in Washington.

 

[flyfysher]

Not to disagree with your point in general -- as I agree with it wholeheartedly -- it's still only been ~30 games that Nuke's been producing, so we still don't know what this lesson has to teach us. Most jokes were being made about his stone hands, not that he was Bura-esque against the puck...which is the part of the game that I do think we can start to assess; although even there I want to see whether/how his work-rate is affected by no longer having his career on the line.

Nuke had been doing a good job against the puck last season before his coldstreak got to him; so there wasn't much crapping on adding him to the 4th line mix from anyone who wasn't just b****ing to b****. We only really got snarky on here when it started to be suggested that Nuke had been brought in to deputize-for & put-pressure-on Mikko, should Rantanen have held out.

I agree. My point is that when we start crapping on these players, they get a rep very quickly and then it's get rid of them. Jost is a perfect example. I could imagine a debate with JB about Jost's value to the team. My argument is that Jost is a bona fide NHL'er but there would be better 3C options than him. But Jost was crapped on so early and quickly and constantly that I could see it wearing on a player. Now these are pros so I get criticism is to be expected. But it can be unfair and more importantly, have a negative effect on the player's ability to produce. Especially since Burakovsky and Nichushkin were new to the club.

Hench brought up the point that the objection was to Burakovsky's streakiness and not the 2nd and 3rd picks in the deal that was objectionable. I disagree in part because Sharks fans used to talk about how Donskoi would also go cold but IIRC, fans weren't on him right away.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Hench brought up the point that the objection was to Burakovsky's streakiness and not the 2nd and 3rd picks in the deal that was objectionable. I disagree in part because Sharks fans used to talk about how Donskoi would also go cold but IIRC, fans weren't on him right away.

The difference between Donskoi and Bura is playstyle and expectations. Donksoi was brought in to be a middle six swiss army knife type and is extremely useful when he isn't scoring. Bura was brought in to be a 2nd line winger who when he isn't scoring may as well not play.

 

[Avs_19]

Unless he ends up with some crazy number (for him) like 45-50 points, I don't think something like 2 years, $2.5M/yr would be out of the question.

 

[Jayevs]

After 1 point in his first 16 games he’s scored 21 points in his last 31 games which would put him on pace for 55 points.

 

[cgf]

I agree. My point is that when we start crapping on these players, they get a rep very quickly and then it's get rid of them. Jost is a perfect example. I could imagine a debate with JB about Jost's value to the team. My argument is that Jost is a bona fide NHL'er but there would be better 3C options than him. But Jost was crapped on so early and quickly and constantly that I could see it wearing on a player. Now these are pros so I get criticism is to be expected. But it can be unfair and more importantly, have a negative effect on the player's ability to produce. Especially since Burakovsky and Nichushkin were new to the club.

Hench brought up the point that the objection was to Burakovsky's streakiness and not the 2nd and 3rd picks in the deal that was objectionable. I disagree in part because Sharks fans used to talk about how Donskoi would also go cold but IIRC, fans weren't on him right away.

That's not how I remember the Jost discussion prior to this season lol. This is the first season were it seems like most of the board has accepted that whether Jost is or isn't an NHLer, he's not a good fit with a team as fast as we are.


The big thing that makes people more tolerant of Donskoi's streakiness than they are of Bura's is that Bura can't contribute anything other than his streaky offense. Whereas even when Donskoi is cold, he makes a positive impact for his team away from the puck. That and the disparate expectations of the roles that they were 'brought in to fill'.


...and the issue with the picks wasn't the picks themselves. It was that we were cheaping out on a riskier half-measure instead of paying up for a more certain solution; at a point where our team needed to take another step forward this season to maintain the momentum from our positive progress last season & had the ammo to afford it.

My gripe wasn't ever that it couldn't work out or the price we paid was obscene; it was that we had taken a gamble when we could've comfortably afforded to pay more for a surer-thing. And if you happen to think that (arguably) the biggest variable to our window's length will be when we open it -- as I lean towards -- then adding unnecessary gambles in important positions prior to this season in which we could open our window for realsies, isn't a "good call" even if it pays off.

 

[henchman21]

I agree. My point is that when we start crapping on these players, they get a rep very quickly and then it's get rid of them. Jost is a perfect example. I could imagine a debate with JB about Jost's value to the team. My argument is that Jost is a bona fide NHL'er but there would be better 3C options than him. But Jost was crapped on so early and quickly and constantly that I could see it wearing on a player. Now these are pros so I get criticism is to be expected. But it can be unfair and more importantly, have a negative effect on the player's ability to produce. Especially since Burakovsky and Nichushkin were new to the club.

Hench brought up the point that the objection was to Burakovsky's streakiness and not the 2nd and 3rd picks in the deal that was objectionable. I disagree in part because Sharks fans used to talk about how Donskoi would also go cold but IIRC, fans weren't on him right away.

There is just different expectations of players. Dong is a 3rd line sort of guy and a good one. You live with offensive cold spells on a 3rd line guy because you don't rely on them to produce offense. It is good and they need some, but anything above 30 points is gravy for a 3rd liner. If Dong just provides good effort, defense, and pushing possession... you are getting your money's worth from a 3rd liner. Burkie was brought into solve 2nd line scoring woes. It is a different level of expectations placed on a player and is a different role. Burkie needs to produce at a solid level and be relied upon to score to earn his spot. With his defensive ability, he's boom or bust as he isn't the type to do well in a bottom 6 role. So it was risky that his offense would be at a high enough level to justify. Over 50 games into the season Burkie is still streaky, but the lows haven't been as bad as years prior and the highs are very high. He's done all that could be asked for and some. Even if he regresses next year, Burkie's season has proven he was worth the price given up. The next contract is scary as the numbers will present a strong case, but the inconsistency and history in Washington present a lot of risk.

On Nuke's contract... the going rate for 3rd line wingers is stuck a bit in the mid to high 3s, some might creep into the 4s. IMO re-signing him for 3 or 4 seasons should net him somewhere between Compher and Dong.

 

[flyfysher]

That's not how I remember the Jost discussion prior to this season lol. This is the first season were it seems like most of the board has accepted that whether Jost is or isn't an NHLer, he's not a good fit with a team as fast as we are.


The big thing that makes people more tolerant of Donskoi's streakiness than they are of Bura's is that Bura can't contribute anything other than his streaky offense. Whereas even when Donskoi is cold, he makes a positive impact for his team away from the puck. That and the disparate expectations of the roles that they were 'brought in to fill'.


...and the issue with the picks wasn't the picks themselves. It was that we were cheaping out on a riskier half-measure instead of paying up for a more certain solution; at a point where our team needed to take another step forward this season to maintain the momentum from our positive progress last season & had the ammo to afford it.

My gripe wasn't ever that it couldn't work out or the price we paid was obscene; it was that we had taken a gamble when we could've comfortably afforded to pay more for a surer-thing. And if you happen to think that (arguably) the biggest variable to our window's length will be when we open it -- as I lean towards -- then adding unnecessary gambles in important positions prior to this season in which we could open our window for realsies, isn't a "good call" even if it pays off.

You're not a Burakovsky fan and you have legitimate concerns. I actually wasn't referencing you or Henchman for that matter but I seem to recall some people were up in arms about the picks and his streakiness.

I would disagree with you that Burakovsky cannot contribute anything other than his streaky offense. To be sure, Burakovsky has had his share of defensive brain fart moments but they tend to stick to him worse than say the defensive brain fart moves that I have seen Landeskog make this year.

 

[flyfysher]

The difference between Donskoi and Bura is playstyle and expectations. Donksoi was brought in to be a middle six swiss army knife type and is extremely useful when he isn't scoring. Bura was brought in to be a 2nd line winger who when he isn't scoring may as well not play.

I will respectfully disagree with this point. People were penciling in Burakovsky as a 2W or 3W. He's played up and down the lines just like Donskoi.