Friedman: Players teams are watching to see if they get qualified: Kase, Bear, Gurianov, Kapanen, Strome, Wood, Zacha

[HugeInTheShire]

Devils will certainly qualify both Wood and Zacha, makes zero sense for them not to

 

[Djp]

The problem with QO is arbitration. Arbitration is the wild card.

in arbitrationtherr can be two problem points

1. he is awarded more than you can afford. If you have 2 arbitrations you have a second buy out window.

2.the individual award might not be a problem on its own, but it can set a benchmark that future young players will want to get above. You sign your bottom 6/ bottom pair to $3M thrn others will say i dhoukd get more than $3M which skew your salary structure.

If you have limited cap space like say Pittsburgh. It’s better to not QO Kapanen but still sign him at a low amount.

i believe not QO use makes them a UFA but the team still control is rights till UFA day. They can negotiate a deal below what arbitration can get.

 

[StreetHawk]

The problem with QO is arbitration. Arbitration is the wild card.

in arbitrationtherr can be two problem points

1. he is awarded more than you can afford. If you have 2 arbitrations you have a second buy out window.

2.the individual award might not be a problem on its own, but it can set a benchmark that future young players will want to get above. You sign your bottom 6/ bottom pair to $3M thrn others will say i dhoukd get more than $3M which skew your salary structure.

If you have limited cap space like say Pittsburgh. It’s better to not QO Kapanen but still sign him at a low amount.

i believe not QO use makes them a UFA but the team still control is rights till UFA day. They can negotiate a deal below what arbitration can get.

QO a team can only walk away from it it’s over $4.5 mill. So if someone got exactly $4.5 mill then you have to accept that deal. No walking away. And if that’s too high relative to what that player would get on the open market you are left holding onto him.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

What about Kubalik? If I remember correctly, there was some discussion about that the Blackhawks not necessarily give a qualifying offer for him.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Devils will qualify Wood, as they should.

and while I truly wish the best for Zacha and hope he finds another gear, I would prefer his attempt to do so happen elsewhere. Bet the Devils will qualify him anyway, though.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

If they hit the market I'd be in on Wood, Zacha and Kubalik

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Double post

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

the classic "all the tools, no toolbox" player

great shot, never uses it. Good size, never uses it. Plays lazy way too much.

Seems like an issue of improper coaching and motivation. Could very well be another Sam Bennett case. I feel like 5 playoff games in 6 season and nearly 400 NHL games may be a cause. I would be open to giving him a shot in Calgary if they move on from Monahan. He may flourish under Sutter and playing with guys like Toffoli, Dube, Mangiapane, or reuniting with Coleman (though I dont think Backlund and Coleman should be separated again).

 

[AfroThunder396]

Don't the Devils have like...plenty of cap space though? Is there someone other than Bratt that they have to get signed? I don't see them letting either of those guys just "walk" for nothing. Worst case, they're stuck with them for a year at an arbitration award number that makes them hard to move.

Hughes's extension 8M extension kicks in this summer and most think Bratt will get in the 6-7M AAV range when his contract drops (supposedly any day now).

Next year Graves and Severson are UFA, and Siegenthaler, Sharangovich, and Smith are all RFA. And most expect Fitzgerald to go after a goalie and likely overpay for one. So depending on who they sign that cap space can vanish real quick.

The problem is that NJ has too many redundant guys. Andreas Johnsson, Tomas Tatar, Pavel Zacha, Janne Kuokkanen, Jesper Boqvist. Having one or two of these guys as depth forwards is totally fine, having your entire bottom-6 be made up of guys like this is a problem. I don't agree that Wood should be lumped in here, he brings a different element to the team and has really matured the last 2 years.

But Zacha is lost, disinterested, lazy, and apparently disgruntled. In juniors he was physically assertive, shot the puck often and was suspended a few times for borderline hits. Now he's a soft perimeter player that doesn't shoot, doesn't forecheck, doesn't play defense, sucks at center, and always looks to make the fancy play.

If no one want him through trade I can definitely see him being qualified. Even Fitzgerald's comments about him at the end of the season were weird, something along the lines of "yeah he's a good player but we need to examine our long-term outlook of the franchise and see where he fits in."

I would expect NJ to move off Zacha this summer and possibly dump another guy like Johnsson to anyone that will take him (ARI has been rumored to be interested). This gives room for prospects like Foote and Zetterlund to make the roster and bring new elements to the team.

 

[Arthuros]

It'd help if Friedman put the QO numbers in there...

 

[Sweetpotato]

I'd take a run at Kapanen, Wood and Zacha if I was Holland. We'll see should be an interesting summer.

 

[Unspecified]

Gurianov had the worst season to shit the bed with his play being in an arbitration year. He is not going to get what he thinks he is worth and rightfully so.

 

[Dr Pepper]

I'd be shocked if Dallas let Guri go......need to see how he performs under a different coach, maybe he can find that top-six calibre skill again.

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Don't the Devils have like...plenty of cap space though? Is there someone other than Bratt that they have to get signed? I don't see them letting either of those guys just "walk" for nothing. Worst case, they're stuck with them for a year at an arbitration award number that makes them hard to move.

Its not always about the cap space. You shouldn't just sign and trade for players because you can afford them (Montreal last summer is a prime example). It's more about fit and team direction. If New Jersey say wants to make a big splash in the next 2 years they shouldn't spend cap on slightly over paid guys just for the sake of it

 

[cheesymc]

I hope the Ducks go after Wood, Kapenen, or Gurianov if they don't get qualified. They would be a huge upgrade over guys like Milano (even if I love his hair).

 

[Jared Dunn]

Sort of thought Toronto might be able to get Kase on a rather cheap 3-4 year deal, with his concussion history I figured security might be top of mind

 

[SEALBound]

Honestly, there are some great names in there for GMs just to do a swap with.

Like Kapanen for Gurianov would be good for all parties concerned. Same maybe with Strome and Zacha.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Miles Wood to Montreal please and thanks

 

[Volica]

Seems like an issue of improper coaching and motivation. Could very well be another Sam Bennett case. I feel like 5 playoff games in 6 season and nearly 400 NHL games may be a cause. I would be open to giving him a shot in Calgary if they move on from Monahan. He may flourish under Sutter and playing with guys like Toffoli, Dube, Mangiapane, or reuniting with Coleman (though I dont think Backlund and Coleman should be separated again).

Calgary sort of has our Zacha clone in Ruzicka.
Only way Zacha makes sense in Calgary is if there is some major, major, major shuffling.

 

[Taylorst]

Most of these players had high expectations and never seemed to exceed or come close to being rewarded with that kind of salary especially with most teams already at the cap ceiling...

 

[Ledge And Dairy]

Calgary sort of has our Zacha clone in Ruzicka.
Only way Zacha makes sense in Calgary is if there is some major, major, major shuffling.

Ruzicka likely peaks as a 3rd liner. Zacha certainly has a higher ceiling. The goal for either next year or or the year after should be to go into the playoffs with Backlund as the clear 3C in a shutdown role. To me Ruzicka is more like a Jake Evans on Montreal

 

[Djp]

QO a team can only walk away from it it’s over $4.5 mill. So if someone got exactly $4.5 mill then you have to accept that deal. No walking away. And if that’s too high relative to what that player would get on the open market you are left holding onto him.

teams can walk away from low arbitration awards. There are differences if team files vs player files.

 

[spockBokk]

I’d be pretty surprised if the Pens just walk away from Kapanen after what they gave up for him. Looking at it from a Canes’ fan perspective, I wouldn’t be surprised if CAR does some due diligence around that situation. They’ve been interested in Kapanen before and I imagine Brind’Amour would love him.

Regarding Bear, I don’t see the Canes letting him go for nothing by not qualifying him. I think they try to get him signed to a cheap deal for a few years based on his struggles this season or they trade his rights. I don’t think it gets to the point where they either qualify him or not.

 

[biturbo19]

Hughes's extension 8M extension kicks in this summer and most think Bratt will get in the 6-7M AAV range when his contract drops (supposedly any day now).

Next year Graves and Severson are UFA, and Siegenthaler, Sharangovich, and Smith are all RFA. And most expect Fitzgerald to go after a goalie and likely overpay for one. So depending on who they sign that cap space can vanish real quick.

The problem is that NJ has too many redundant guys. Andreas Johnsson, Tomas Tatar, Pavel Zacha, Janne Kuokkanen, Jesper Boqvist. Having one or two of these guys as depth forwards is totally fine, having your entire bottom-6 be made up of guys like this is a problem. I don't agree that Wood should be lumped in here, he brings a different element to the team and has really matured the last 2 years.

But Zacha is lost, disinterested, lazy, and apparently disgruntled. In juniors he was physically assertive, shot the puck often and was suspended a few times for borderline hits. Now he's a soft perimeter player that doesn't shoot, doesn't forecheck, doesn't play defense, sucks at center, and always looks to make the fancy play.

If no one want him through trade I can definitely see him being qualified. Even Fitzgerald's comments about him at the end of the season were weird, something along the lines of "yeah he's a good player but we need to examine our long-term outlook of the franchise and see where he fits in."

I would expect NJ to move off Zacha this summer and possibly dump another guy like Johnsson to anyone that will take him (ARI has been rumored to be interested). This gives room for prospects like Foote and Zetterlund to make the roster and bring new elements to the team.

That's fair i guess. If they really just want to clear space for prospects to push in. That's also dangerous though. Just penciling young guys in, sort of "gifting" them roster spots, rather than making them force somebody out.

And it still seems unlikely to me, that they wouldn't be able to find a market to just move someone like Zacha, even if for pennies. On pedigree alone, there would surely be teams worth trying for another "Sam Bennet redemption arc". The tools are obviously all there, if you can get the motivation and fit right. I know cap space is tight around the league, but not every team is going to land their "top UFA targets" for that last wedge of cap space. And there are too many teams looking for a big, skilled forward like that, to not find someone willing to try to get him on track.

Its not always about the cap space. You shouldn't just sign and trade for players because you can afford them (Montreal last summer is a prime example). It's more about fit and team direction. If New Jersey say wants to make a big splash in the next 2 years they shouldn't spend cap on slightly over paid guys just for the sake of it

If the Devils want to go out and make another big splash in UFA this year, sure...maybe it makes sense to just clear the decks of redundant players to make room. If they're confident they're going to land that target. But otherwise, if it's next year they're eying...it's not like you can "roll over" or "bank" that extra cap space this year to use for the next summer. So next summer should be pretty irrelevant to these sort of "arbitration fears".

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

Gurianov and Wood would be interesting to me as an Avs fan.