#StastnyWatch - Summer of 2014 - Part I

[Bubba Thudd]

If Stastny is aware of the "structure" and is still talking then he must be ok with 6. So maybe it's a matter of settling all the other details.

Probably is affected by Kroenke. I imagine Staz will sign long term for 6M AAV, but it will be heavily front loaded. Will Josh open the wallet to pay more actual dollars than the cap hit (initially)?

 

[tigervixxxen]

I bet he would, Varly gets more dollars upfront.

 

[hockeyfish]

A lot of signs point towards Stastny signing... I'd almost be surprised if something didn't get done.

There are still issues though. Biggest is, what exactly is Stastny's long term role on this team? Is he ok with the notion that he will likely end up being bumped to the wing or a 3rd line center role? And the fact that, for the money, O'Reilly is simply a better long term fit on the team.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Hopefully Staz's role will be to skate the Cup around a few times. And hopefully that matters more to him than whether he is at C or W, on the 2nd or 3rd line...

 

[henchman21]

There are still issues though. Biggest is, what exactly is Stastny's long term role on this team? Is he ok with the notion that he will likely end up being bumped to the wing or a 3rd line center role? And the fact that, for the money, O'Reilly is simply a better long term fit on the team.

#2C would be his role for the near future. It is very possible MacKinnon stays on the wing for a while.

 

[nanzenkills]

There are still issues though. Biggest is, what exactly is Stastny's long term role on this team? Is he ok with the notion that he will likely end up being bumped to the wing or a 3rd line center role? And the fact that, for the money, O'Reilly is simply a better long term fit on the team.

I'm pretty sure that if Stastny signs long term, MacKinnon becomes a wing permanently. And I'm OK with that, MacKinnon is really effective there, and he'll switch things up with Stastny sometimes, like taking right-side draws in the offensive and, eventually, defensive zone as well as using the middle of the ice when he leads the rush.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/31533/rumblings-avs-want-to-keep-pair-suitors-chase-spezza-kesler-thornton

Stastny, 28, is coming off a five-year deal that paid him $6.6 million per season. One assumes the Avs would like to bring him back at less than that number. Tough call for Stastny, who would easily be the No. 1 targeted center on an otherwise lean UFA crop come July 1.

As soon as Wednesday, other teams are allowed as per the new CBA to reach out to Stastny's agent, Matt Keator.

"Paul has been open about the fact he wants to stay in Denver," Keator said Friday. "We will keep talking with Joe throughout the process and give them every chance to retain Paul. We will meet next week and see where things go."

The plan is for Keator and Sakic to speak in Las Vegas during the NHL awards.

"I'm going to touch base and see Matt next week," said Sakic. "But I also understand Paul has the right to listen to other teams. We hope we can keep Paul, but he's in that situation where it's his choice. I don't blame him if they choose to see what's out there."

"I think so," said Sakic, part of two Cup-winning sides in Denver as a player. "We've got great, young players. With Patty coaching, we have a great system. The fans have come back, it's a great city to live in, but at the end of the day you have to win. Winning gets players interested. All players want to win. If you can put a winning product on the ice, and you look at the players we have, I think this is a destination [free agents] will at least look at."

Which is precisely part of the front office's sales pitch on both Stastny and O'Reilly. This team is going places. Why would you want to leave now?

"Well, it is," agreed Sakic about the team's direction. "We'll have Ryan for at least two years but we hope it's longer-term. Paul has spent his whole career here, he loves the city. From my point of view, I'll respect whatever decision he makes, and hopefully it'll be [to stay] here. I was a UFA too, I know the situation and I respect the process. At the end of the day, it’s going to be Paul's situation and I hope he stays here. If not, I wish him the best. But we’d like both players to remain part of our core."

 

[henchman21]

Joe really gets it. He fully understands and respects players' decisions, but is capable of selling what is being built.

 

[ColoradoSportsFan]

There are still issues though. Biggest is, what exactly is Stastny's long term role on this team? Is he ok with the notion that he will likely end up being bumped to the wing or a 3rd line center role?

It depends on how long Stastn'y contract is for. If it's 6 years or longer, he may drop to the 3rd line in the last year or 2 of his deal. Otherwise, you can count on him being the #2 center with Mack on his wing for the next half decade.

Joe really gets it. He fully understands and respects players' decisions, but is capable of selling what is being built.

Agreed, lets just hope Paul is listening to him instead of his agent who is likely urging him to go UFA.

 

[henchman21]

Agreed, lets just hope Paul is listening to him instead of his agent who is likely urging him to go UFA.

I can tell you without a doubt Keator is not the type to push his players to do anything they don't want to do.

 

[ColoradoSportsFan]

I can tell you without a doubt Keator is not the type to push his players to do anything they don't want to do.

Good to know. Maybe Paulie can pass O'Reilly his card.

 

[Foppa2118]

I can tell you without a doubt Keator is not the type to push his players to do anything they don't want to do.

That's the impression I've always got too. Seems level headed and reasonable, and with his clients best interests only. Very little drama.

As opposed to Morris, and Mark Guy, and the Newport stooges who seem like the types to walk into the GM's office like they're friggin Neo. Seem very obnoxious and completely unreasonable to deal with, but usually get their way because they'll hold out to the last second with no regard of how it makes their client look.

 

[Freudian]

Refreshing with an agent that doesn't have an antagonistic mode set to default.

 

[AslanRH]

I'm pretty sure that if Stastny signs long term, MacKinnon becomes a wing permanently. And I'm OK with that, MacKinnon is really effective there, and he'll switch things up with Stastny sometimes, like taking right-side draws in the offensive and, eventually, defensive zone as well as using the middle of the ice when he leads the rush.

I'm on this team although there is the Sequin argument from Boston to Dallas.

I still think MacK could excell at RW just as ROR did well on LW. Both may be better at Center, but neither were ineffective on the wing

 

[Avs For Life]

I refuse to give it clicks but Kiszla in his infinite wisdom wrote a piece saying we should let Stastny walk. How does he have a job. Great idea Kisz, lets let an asset go for NOTHING.

 

[RockLobster]

I refuse to give it clicks but Kiszla in his infinite wisdom wrote a piece saying we should let Stastny walk. How does he have a job. Great idea Kisz, lets let an asset go for NOTHING.

Teams do it every year when it comes to UFA...

Now that being said, absolutely Kiszla is a frigging moron, but the Post seems to think that he's of the "Shock Jock/Shock Journalist" Variety rather than the "People are legitimately upset at the dumbass things he says" variety.

 

[Avs For Life]

Teams do it every year when it comes to UFA...

Now that being said, absolutely Kiszla is a frigging moron, but the Post seems to think that he's of the "Shock Jock/Shock Journalist" Variety rather than the "People are legitimately upset at the dumbass things he says" variety.

No doubt it happens every year but the Avs have to be very careful with asset management at this point. We are coming off/at the end of a rebuild, you cant just let guys go for nothing. You would be better off signing him for a lot and trading him than letting him go.

 

[tigervixxxen]

His point is they could use the savings for other things. They already have the money for other things. : and to go after Moulson. Yeah, he'll be cheap.

They will never do that to him, sign and trade so just forget that. Yes it would hurt to let him go but all he would have brought back was a 2nd/3rd draft pick at the deadline. One could argue he should have been traded for more years ago, that's where asset management is a legitimate argument. At this point it's irrelevant.

 

[ColoradoSportsFan]

I read the article. Kiszla is a moron.

 

[Avs For Life]

His point is they could use the savings for other things. They already have the money for other things. : and to go after Moulson. Yeah, he'll be cheap.

They will never do that to him, sign and trade so just forget that. Yes it would hurt to let him go but all he would have brought back was a 2nd/3rd draft pick at the deadline. One could argue he should have been traded for more years ago, that's where asset management is a legitimate argument. At this point it's irrelevant.

Again though, if you want to save money, sign him and trade him. OR sign him and trade ROR.

You are right, Moulson probably gets 6mil at least which we could use for Staz. The FA dman market is nothing special. No point in overpaying one of them. Id rather overpay Staz than overpay for Niskanin who had one good season.

 

[Avsboy]

Good quote from Keator:

"Paul has been open about the fact he wants to stay in Denver," Keator told ESPN.com on Friday. "We will keep talking with Joe throughout the process and give them every chance to retain Paul. We will meet next week and see where things go."

 

[Lonewolfe2015]

"We'll have Ryan for at least two years but we hope it's longer-term."

From the above link posted, it applies to ROR and not Stastny, but I think this is bigger news than what was surrounding it.

The management group expects to have ROR for at least two years. In their mind, he's an Av and will continue to be an Av. Seems quite revealing about their intentions honestly.

 

[avs1dacup]

From the above link posted, it applies to ROR and not Stastny, but I think this is bigger news than what was surrounding it.

The management group expects to have ROR for at least two years. In their mind, he's an Av and will continue to be an Av. Seems quite revealing about their intentions honestly.

They want to keep both. That shouldn't be news. In the presser yesterday, Sakic called both Stastny and O'Money core players. They intend to build around Duchene, MacKinnon, Landeskog, O'Reilly, Stastny, EJ, and Varly.

 

[Frenchy]

Good quote from Keator:

"Paul has been open about the fact he wants to stay in Denver," Keator told ESPN.com on Friday. "We will keep talking with Joe throughout the process and give them every chance to retain Paul. We will meet next week and see where things go."

wow , talk about something positive to build on. After reading this quote i'm really exited to see how things will turn on the next few days .

 

[Freudian]

From the above link posted, it applies to ROR and not Stastny, but I think this is bigger news than what was surrounding it.

The management group expects to have ROR for at least two years. In their mind, he's an Av and will continue to be an Av. Seems quite revealing about their intentions honestly.

They can't very well say that if it goes to arbitration, they'll trade him first chance they get. I don't think O'Reilly will play a single game as an Avalanche player if it goes to arbitration. O'Reilly doesn't seem to handle losing well and he seems to react emotionally rather than rationally. He'll lose the arbitration case. He doesn't have a single comparable that he can use to motivate a salary over $6M while Avs have tonnes they can use to motivate him making less than $6M.

The relationship between Avs and O'Reilly will be dead the second arbitration starts. Perhaps earlier, depending on how the negotiations go.

My hope if things completely break down is Avs approaching O'Reilly before arbitration and ask what teams he would be willing to be traded to with a seven year $6.5M/year contract. Then they shop him around and try to trade him. O'Reilly on a seven year contract has a higher trade value than on a two year arbitration ruling. Saves everyone the headache of going through an arbitration.