Player Discussion Thomas Chabot (D) Extended 8 years 8M AAV

[Karl Prime]

It is a great day and a great signing no doubt, but isn't it kind of sad isn't it that we've gotten to the point where many people (including me) were unsure that the team's stud 22 year-old #1 D-man would be signed to a contract like 8x8? Granted, I think many of us thought signing bonuses would be a problem, so it's good that they weren't.

I still have major reservations that they will spend to the cap in a few years as Melnyk said, but hopefully next summer they'll be a little closer to that with Tkachuk.

 

[Yak]

I will eat some crow as EM & PD did not exactly install confidence in them doing right by this franchise but the signing of White and Chabot are signs that they are willing to follow through with their plans.I think.

This great for franchise period , regardless of EM drama and hopefully we will see more of these positive signs from this franchise.

Mostly am happy for the fans and the city! I do think we are in for some exciting hockey watching these kids grow.

 

[Tuna99]

As long as stone stays healthy he will he a force into his 30s.

Hes the kinda player who can lose a step and still be effective. I doubt he ages as poorly as players who rely on physical tools to excel.

I don’t see that. I think by years 4-8 of that contract he won’t be earning his money.

I love Stone, but the slow player who can still be elite doesn’t exist. He’s at his peak now and he’s fine, at 31 he’ll start to slow down - the hockey sense will still be elite but I think his production will start to drop consistently after 31

 

[SensHulk]

gotta think Dorion learned a valuable lesson from the Stone negotiations. That was the biggest f***-up IMO since it was a player they had control of. Twice they went wrong with Stone:

1) They didn't extend him after the 2017 season when he was eligible to sign an extension
2) They waited till a player of Stone's caliber and arb rights reached RFA status on July 1st, 2018....and then took him all the way to the doors of arbitration before agreeing to a 1 year deal

That one still stings the most...arrgh. Anyways I think Dorion wisely got ahead of the game this time around, hopefully this is the new norm moving forward and we can expect this type of proactiveness when it comes to Brady

 

[Chabottawa72]

oh man....this is the news we Sens fan deserve...I've watched him all through the QMJHL with the Sea Dogs and now we get another 8 years..I can finally buy into this rebuild now!

 

[Blotto71]

Not a penny in bonus money believe it or not.

Good deal. I agree that Chabot could out perform this contract quickly. That said, this is a low risk signing for Melnyk - if he decides to continue to torpedoe the Sens then this deal makes moving Chabot for a king's ransom very easy (which still would make it a good deal).

All-in-all, happy to see some commitment, but I will reserve any jubilation for the day that Melnyk actually pays out any of this deal.

 

[Masked]

I was worried that Brucie's rumours of negotiations in the Sun were put up in preparation of trading him next off-season when he would get paid. Glad to be wrong.

 

[Icelevel]

Ian is really playing the cheerleader role well lately.

Yes, today was a good day. But this is the bare minimum of what needs to be done to get this ****show back on track. Not diminishing the Chabot contract as it is very team friendly, but come on, this isn't going to change anyone's mind on ownership. For now it will just get people to listen.

Yeah hopefully this is just the first step (with white signing) to be followed by many many more good decisions required to get this thing back on track.
Otherwise we will look back on this Chabot signing as a waste.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Nobody is asking you to change your mind on ownership.

We're just asking that you believe in the rebuild and believe in Dorion's plan.

 

[topshelf15]

Great news,still think EM is a clown and wonder why Chabot signed for so long with him at the helm....But hard to not love our best defender being locked up for 9 seasons

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Really?

Blake Wheeler is 33 and just put up 91 points in 82 games. He didn't have his first 90 point season until he was 32.
Patrice Bergeron is 33 and just put up 79 points in 65 games.
Alexander Radulov, at 32, put up 72 points in 70 games.
Jonathan Toews, at 30, had 81 in 82.
Mark Giordano, at 34, put up 74 points in 78 games and won the Norris.

I would understand being concerned about 35, 36 and 37 year old players [mod].

I don't know why it should be one or the other anyway. It should have been both Stone and Chabot.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Since there's no bonus structure, little trade protection, and they have to hit the floor, this isn't really proof in itself Melnyk will spend. Its a start, but that issue can't just be put to bed.

I will however give Dorion full marks for getting that deal. He's the guy that deserves the kudos here imo.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Nobody is asking you to change your mind on ownership.

We're just asking that you believe in the rebuild and believe in Dorion's plan.

Let's not jump to thing-saying here. I believe that signing Chabot was a good move. I believe this move is a step in the right direction and one step back to respectability. I believe I can feel more comfortable being a fan of this team today than I did last week.

Jury's still out on belief in the rebuild (and whether it was even necessary) or Dorion's plan.

 

[tardigrade81]

oh man....this is the news we Sens fan deserve...I've watched him all through the QMJHL with the Sea Dogs and now we get another 8 years..I can finally buy into this rebuild now!

I was skeptical with the rebuild but this is a great move for the team and organization. Maybe they know what they are doing after all.

 

[Peptic Balcers]

Since there's no bonus structure, little trade protection, and they have to hit the floor, this isn't really proof in itself Melnyk will spend. Its a start, but that issue can't just be put to bed.

I will however give Dorion full marks for getting that deal. He's the guy that deserves the kudos here imo.

To be fair the RFAs year’s aren’t eligible for NMC

 

[Back in Black]

Finally, a great signing!

Oh, and I'm in the group of "make him Captain" already!

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

To be fair the RFAs year’s aren’t eligible for NMC

Certainly. I don't mean to paint it in a negative light either. Was more just putting my thought out there that this really doesn't commit Melnyk to anything other than having to continue to hit the cap floor and this 8 mil per will be included in wherever that ends up. Or, since it's a very tradable contract without much protection (yes, admittedly from rfa rules), they could also just move it out down the line.

If I knew a no bonus contract was on the table for them, I would never have been worried about this getting done whatsoever, it was never the AAV that was the concern imo, it was that trend of massive cash up front. I think Melnyk is just fine signing up for money long term if it's just a bog standard aav contract.

 

[swiftwin]

Let's not jump to thing-saying here. I believe that signing Chabot was a good move. I believe this move is a step in the right direction and one step back to respectability. I believe I can feel more comfortable being a fan of this team today than I did last week.

Jury's still out on belief in the rebuild (and whether it was even necessary) or Dorion's plan.

In a bubble, or in a world where money is not an object, I don't think it was necessary either. In a world where there are severe financial constraints, yes I do believe it was necessary.

Considering the team's finances, Dorion's plan, and moves have been outstanding. People keep looking at Dorion's cost cutting moves as ways to save money for Melnyk. When it reality, these cost cutting moves are made to improve the ability of the team to spend up to the cap in a few years. If we spend well below the cap this year and the next couple years we can accumulate the money required to then blow our budget up to the cap in the following years. The only problem with this plan was always trust. How can we possibly trust that they will follow through with spending the money on the kids when the time is right? Well, these two signings have been a huge step in the right direction to prove that the plan is real.

 

[Chabottawa72]

I was skeptical with the rebuild but this is a great move for the team and organization. Maybe they know what they are doing after all.

I hope so....this is a step in the right direction for sure!!

 

[coladin]

Back on topic, Chabot signing has to bode well for establishing credibility in the organization . We need more of this

 

[Blotto71]

Back on topic, Chabot signing has to bode well for establishing credibility in the organization . We need more of this

I agree, we do need more of this. I'm less inclined to suggest that this signing alone (or even this one and White's) does much to establish the organization's credibility - I didn't lose faith in the organization over one or two bad/questionable decisions, and I won't be sucked back in due to one or two good ones (though neither hurt, happy both deals got done).

Jury's still out as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

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[Nac Mac Feegle]

In a bubble, or in a world where money is not an object, I don't think it was necessary either. In a world where there are severe financial constraints, yes I do believe it was necessary.

Considering the team's finances, Dorion's plan, and moves have been outstanding. People keep looking at Dorion's cost cutting moves as ways to save money for Melnyk. When it reality, these cost cutting moves are made to improve the ability of the team to spend up to the cap in a few years. If we spend well below the cap this year and the next couple years we can accumulate the money required to then blow our budget up to the cap in the following years. The only problem with this plan was always trust. How can we possibly trust that they will follow through with spending the money on the kids when the time is right? Well, these two signings have been a huge step in the right direction to prove that the plan is real.

Melynk never promised to spend to the cap. He said NEAR the cap, which means anything and nothing.

And Dorion is no genius. He was a big factor in the team getting into this mess.

And NOTHING that has been done so far proves the plan exists at all.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Melynk never promised to spend to the cap. He said NEAR the cap, which means anything and nothing.

And Dorion is no genius. He was a big factor in the team getting into this mess.

And NOTHING that has been done so far proves the plan exists at all.

My thoughts as well. We're still very much in the "they need to prove to us" phase of all this imo.

 

[JackieDaytona]

Melynk never promised to spend to the cap. He said NEAR the cap, which means anything and nothing.

And Dorion is no genius. He was a big factor in the team getting into this mess.

And NOTHING that has been done so far proves the plan exists at all.

Yep, these are all valid points. But credit where credit is due: it's a good signing and a good sign for the team's future.

Continued skepticism is warranted in my view, given the shit-show clown ride we've been watching for the past few years. But at least we're seeing steps in the right direction, which has not been the case for some time.

Hard to be unhappy about this, even if it's not completely swaying people in terms of regaining full confidence in the management.