Confirmed with Link: Radim Vrbata, $1M/1Y + bonuses up to $3M

[The Feckless Puck]

Vrbata back to the Coyotes (1x1 with bonuses)

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[Mosby]

Figured it'd be $1M. That's a steal.

 

[Tad Mikowski]

While I'm not a fan of returning to the same well over and over, I don't think that applies to Vrbata. He had an off year last year sure, but the guy was a 30 goal scorer a year prior and at that salary and term, I'm pretty over the moon on this signing. Welcome back Vrby!

 

[The Feckless Puck]

 

[Mosby]

Playoff bonuses eh??

 

[Jakey53]

Figured it'd be $1M. That's a steal.

At $1mill it's takes the sting out of it for me. I thought it would be double that. rt called it.

 

[KG]

The country club is alive and well.

I've liked Vrbata and how's he's played for us in the past. Not a fan of how he treated Vancouver his last year there.

 

[Jakey53]

Oh my. Vermette just signs for 1.75, and we sign a guy that is over the hill that can make $3mill if bonuses are reached. I'm back on the fence again with this signing until I see what the bonuses are.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Oh my. Vermette just signs for 1.75, and we sign a guy that is over the hill that can make $3mill if bonuses are reached. I'm back on the fence again with this signing until I see what the bonuses are.

I'll take Vrby at 1yr/$1mil + bonuses any day over Vermette at 2 years/$3.75M + NTC. We have plenty of guys who can do what Vermette was doing, and they'll probably do it better. What we don't (or didn't, now) have is a solid veteran RW scorer. Duclair can't carry the load by himself.

 

[Mossy]

Love this. One of my all time favorite Yotes.

 

[SniperHF]

I'll take Vrby at 1yr/$1mil + bonuses any day over Vermette at 2 years/$3.75M + NTC. We have plenty of guys who can do what Vermette was doing, and they'll probably do it better. What we don't (or didn't, now) have is a solid veteran RW scorer. Duclair can't carry the load by himself.

I think for a 1:1 comparison you must include Vermette's buyout cost in Vrbata since one doesn't happen without the other.

Vrby ain't seeing all 2M of those bonuses either though I'd bet the playoff portion of the bonus is pretty small compared to goals/points/gp.

 

[PhoPhan]

This is a fine signing given the cost, but I hope he doesn't take too much powerplay time away from the emerging forwards on this team. Development should trump winning as a priority this season, and I want Domi, Duclair, Strome and whoever else makes the team to be getting the lion's share of powerplay time.

For Vrbata, 27 of his 64 goals the past three seasons have come on the powerplay, including 5 of last year's 13. I like the looks of this at even strength:

Domi-Hanzal-Duclair
McGinn-Strome-Doan
Rieder-Dvorak-Vrbata
Martinook-Richardson-White

I still think there's room for more depth here, especially as Rieder remains unsigned.

 

[ck26]

*sigh*

For a million bucks I guess whatever, but talk about dumpster diving ...

 

[rt]

Power play goals count the same as the other goals.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

If I read this right, if he makes it to 66 games this season, he'll play his 1000th game as a Coyote.

 

[Matzel]

Development should trump winning as a priority this season

Agreed. But what will DT have to say?!

 

[SniperHF]

Power play goals count the same as the other goals.

Wasn't the opposite your argument against Vermette?

 

[PhoPhan]

Power play goals count the same as the other goals.

They're also easier to score, as having an extra player or two on your team gives you more space and time to make decisions. But I suspect you know that.

 

[rt]

Wasn't the opposite your argument against Vermette?

No. It's not actually. The argument there was he can't produce outside of the power play. That's a problem. Especially because he wasn't going to be given any power-play minutes at all this season anyway. The right side is so weak, that the new addition of the old player, isn't really going to Impact anything. Duke will get his minutes. The captain and the old check will fight it out for their's

 

[Jakey53]

I'll take Vrby at 1yr/$1mil + bonuses any day over Vermette at 2 years/$3.75M + NTC. We have plenty of guys who can do what Vermette was doing, and they'll probably do it better. What we don't (or didn't, now) have is a solid veteran RW scorer. Duclair can't carry the load by himself.

We are so painfully weak on RW. I was hoping for a big upgrade not a one year stop gap. If Vrbata never was here before I would probably be ok with this, but bringing back players you had never seems to work.

 

[kihekah19*]

We are so painfully weak on RW. I was hoping for a big upgrade not a one year stop gap. If Vrbata never was here before I would probably be ok with this, but bringing back players you had never seems to work.

It certainly worked with Vrbata the last time.

 

[Jakey53]

It certainly worked with Vrbata the last time.

That it did, but I was hoping for a younger and bigger upgrade, or even a prospect grabbing a RW spot.

 

[HerrDonut]

I'm with Mossy. Vrbata was my favorite Yotes player a few years ago, I'll be happy to see him in our jerseys again.

 

[kihekah19*]

That it did, but I was hoping for a younger and bigger upgrade, or even a prospect grabbing a RW spot.

It would appear that you will have to wait until next year for that prospect.

Edit: You're not losing patience, are you?

 

[PhoPhan]

Vrbata has averaged .67 goals per 60 minutes of even strength over the last three seasons, good for 162nd in the league among forwards who played at least 1,000 minutes in that span. For some comparison (to help set expectations):

McGinn: .77 (96th)
Duclair: .71 (127th)
Doan: .69 (144th)
Hanzal: .68 (149th)
Vrbata: .67 (162nd)
Domi: .65 (175th)
White: .51 (271st)
Rieder: .51 (272nd)
Richardson: .51 (275th)
Vermette: .50 (278th)
Martinook: .40 (336th)

Usage and trend lines need to be considered here, but this is a helpful bit of context.