Player Discussion: Ondrej Palat

[Obviously]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Zg6dRBAfo&feature=youtu.be Forgot about Drej

 

[2MinutesforGiraffing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Zg6dRBAfo&feature=youtu.be Forgot about Drej

 

[LightningStrikes]

 

[These Are The Days]

Way too high.

For THEM? They're gonna cost 7 million a year each when the qualify as free agents if they keep this up. Johnson by himself scored more SHG this year than the Lightning have in their past 3 or 4 seasons and Palat gets almost all of his points at even strength. And considering how we go through stretches where we use our PP like a crutch, it makes him even more valuable.

 

[Kramerica Industries]

Yes, but for current service time accruments (and, thus, how far away they are from UFA status) will keep their costs down going into 2014-15.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

For THEM? They're gonna cost 7 million a year each when the qualify as free agents if they keep this up. Johnson by himself scored more SHG this year than the Lightning have in their past 3 or 4 seasons and Palat gets almost all of his points at even strength. And considering how we go through stretches where we use our PP like a crutch, it makes him even more valuable.

I would love for them to be worth that kind of money. They're not now, and at this point, never will be.

 

[These Are The Days]

Yes, but for current service time accruments (and, thus, how far away they are from UFA status) will keep their costs down going into 2014-15.

While true, that needs to serve as added pressure to upper management about winning now while we have these kids. Sure every champion has its great one (like we have Stamkos) but it's the Johnsons and Palats that play around them that win titles.

I'm not sure where Johnson's ceiling is but if Palat gets any better and racks up more points then this kid is gonna get PAID when he's a UFA. The fact that we found him in the 7th round is one of those "Detroit draft miracles" and Johnson was a low-risk/high-reward UDFA signing.

How we would ever replace the two of them is beyond me. We've been drafting well the past few years but Palat is without a doubt our best find unless Drouin proves to be everything we know he can be.

I hope Cooper reunites Panik with Johnson and Palat. In the AHL they were like a minor league version of the legion of doom. And I hope he experiments with the kids and sometimes puts together like a Drouin-Stamkos-Kucherov line because Kuch shoots like he wants to score 100 goals, Drouin will be the best playmaker we've had since Brad Richards.

 

[These Are The Days]

I would love for them to be worth that kind of money. They're not now, and at this point, never will be.

Just simply keeping up with inflation and assuming they will get better and score more points because if they do, I assume their salaries will be in that neighborhood. If they have peaked now and this is the best we can get then you are absolutely right.

Edit: can you remember a better Lightning player at even strength than Palat at his age?

 

[MrClutch86]

Woah woah woah lets not get out of hand with this 7 million a year stuff. Way to soon. We would be extremely lucky if they were ever worth that.

 

[DFC]

Woah woah woah lets not get out of hand with this 7 million a year stuff. Way to soon. We would be extremely lucky if they were ever worth that.

In his defense, I think he was talking about their next contract, as in, 3 or so years from now. In Palat's case it's not all that unrealistic when you consider Callahan's going to get at least 6, and Palat is probably already better than Callahan. Of course, consistency has to be proven.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

If he stayed on the same trajectory, he still wouldn't get that money as a UFA. Ridiculous.

 

[MrClutch86]

In his defense, I think he was talking about their next contract, as in, 3 or so years from now. In Palat's case it's not all that unrealistic when you consider Callahan's going to get at least 6, and Palat is probably already better than Callahan. Of course, consistency has to be proven.

Oh yeah, but it's one season. Also he was quoting a post talking about their upcoming contracts..but talking about future contracts instead. It's just to far away.

Yes, but for current service time accruments (and, thus, how far away they are from UFA status) will keep their costs down going into 2014-15.

So basically this..relevancy.

 

[DFC]

If he stayed on the same trajectory, he still wouldn't get that money as a UFA. Ridiculous.

Are we talking about Palat? Because I don't see how it's ridiculous. If Callahan can make 6 million in 2014, it's not that big of a stretch to say Palat could be worth 7 by the time he's a UFA, given a rising salary cap. He's already arguably our best two-way player. If he keeps that up for 3-4 years (at a time when Dion Phaneuf will be halfway through a 7-per-year deal), 7 million isn't ridiculous at all. Elite players like Stamkos will be making significantly more by then.

Oh yeah, but it's one season.

Definitely. He doesn't get a huge contract like that unless he proves he can be consistent between now and then, for sure. That said, if he keeps up anything close to his play since the start of 2014 over the next few seasons, he's going to get paid.

 

[These Are The Days]

Yes I was speaking of when Palat would be a UFA several years from now and assumed he would be better like a 75 point player. By the time he qualifies as a UFA $7 mill may be the going rate for a guy like him.

 

[DFC]

Yes I was speaking of when Palat would be a UFA several years from now and assumed he would be better like a 75 point player. By the time he qualifies as a UFA $7 mill may be the going rate for a guy like him.

He probably won't even need to be a 75 point guy for that kind of money, given his two-way game. Given ample time with Stamkos though, which is a definitely possibility, 75 isn't out of the question.

 

[Alivesi]

How would you guys feel if we locked him long term now? 5 or 6 years @ 5.5m/yr

 

[AimForTopCheddar]

How would you guys feel if we locked him long term now? 5 or 6 years @ 5.5m/yr

Absolute steal for Palat, but it was just his first season so it would be a big risk to give him a long term contract. I think Palat and TJ will get the same bridge contracts. Something like 2-3M AAV @ 2/3 yrs.

 

[Alivesi]

Absolute steal for Palat, but it was just his first season so it would be a big risk to give him a long term contract. I think Palat and TJ will get the same bridge contracts. Something like 2-3M AAV @ 2/3 yrs.

Yeah I think that's the most realistic outcome. I wouldn't mind if we risked on Palat, he seems like the safest player to bet on, his defensive prowess is something I don't think you can easily regress on, where maybe Johnson's offense could seriously dip from injury, etc.

However I am fine with the bridge contract, as it'll allow capspace if we need to hold onto one of Malone/Brewer/Purcell's contracts and sign some UFA's while the cap goes up.

 

[These Are The Days]

How would you guys feel if we locked him long term now? 5 or 6 years @ 5.5m/yr

Too soon for that in my opinion. A 2 or 3 year "prove it to me" deal at a base around the neighborhood of $2.75 mill a season worth up to $3.5 million in incentives is a safe bet in my opinion. If I HAD TO choose between him and Johnson I would take Palat, who is by leaps and bounds is the most defensively responsible top 6 forward I've ever seen in a Lightning sweater at his age. +/- can be a misleading stat but the reason Palat's is proof of it. He's hardly on the ice for a goal against because when he's on the ice, he is fighting for it.

 

[MattM92]

That kind of contract is too much for a player that hasn't proven they can do it consistently yet. I love Palat and I have no doubt he'll be making that eventually, but that is not a sophomore contract.

 

[CupsOverCash]

He will get a prove it deal first. You don't just hand 5 mil contracts to guys after a solid rookie season.

 

[These Are The Days]

He will get a prove it deal first. You don't just hand 5 mil contracts to guys after a solid rookie season.

Heh, I bet someday it'll happen.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

How would you guys feel if we locked him long term now? 5 or 6 years @ 5.5m/yr

Too much.

 

[BergyMeister]

How would you guys feel if we locked him long term now? 5 or 6 years @ 5.5m/yr

Too much.

Agree, the B's did that with TS. That didn't work out all that well.

 

[dbieon12]

Give the kid 3 for 10m or 3 for 10.5m