Value of: What Every Team Should Offer Their Stud RFA

[Eric Robson]

1. Nylander 7 years at 6.5 million.
Has the talent and skill to put up 60-70 points every year along side Matthrews. Is getting better with the puck in his own zone too. Better to go long term when he is only going to get better.

2. Hanifin 6 years at 5.5 million
Similar deal to a Reilly or Dumba deal, Hanifin can prove to be one of the best young D man in the NHL this upcoming year. He will be vaulted into more ice time and power play time to make him worth the price. Could be seen as a steal of a deal by the end of contract if he continues to grow. Will not be as good as Dougie in his first couple of years sadly.

3. Reinhart 2 years at 3 million
If I was Buffalo's GM, I would probably go long term on this deal as well but it seems like they are hesitant with his progression. Which is dumb because the kid in every year has increased his point totals and is sound in his own zone. I can see them doing a bridge deal where Reinhart grows into a 2 way elite player who pots 60 points a season with ease.

4. Morrissey 4 years at 4 million
Morrissey is just another stud D man on the Jets back end. Following behind Big Buff and Trouba he can easily step into a bigger role given the need. The reason for the four years is you can really judge if he will turn into a top 2 guy or settle in nicely as a top four. From here he would be coming into his prime years and both the Jets and him could work on a contract extension.

5. Theodore 2 years at 2.75 million
Theodore is an interesting one, as last year he showed how good of a D man he can be last year on Knight's golden run. But almost everyone on that team over preformed. I think it would be good to play it safe on a small bridge deal to see if Theodore can grow more, which I think he will. Hopfully he does and when the two years are up it can be him and Miller teaching some of the younger prospects

6. Kase 4 years at 2.25 million
Kase is the biggest steal of his draft outside the top three rounds. He was a seventh round pick who seems to be having a better time than Ritchie in Mighty Ducks land. He is a player I can see playing a role like Brown for the Leafs. I guy who can play in every situation, from power play , PK and be an overall great guy. Trying to get him on a low price for the 4 years is the key, as players of his kind can go from really good one year to really bad the next.

7. Nurse 6 years at 4.75 million
Lock this guy up. Long term. Dont trade klefbom. These two can be the back bone of the D for the Oilers for years to come. He might not every be a top 2 guy, which i think the Oilers now see, but god he is going to be a solid top 4 for a long time. He deserves a good pay as well, but I dont know if I would go north of 5 million yet. He is a guy who wants to fix the problem too.

8. Wood. 1 year at 2.5 million
Wood is a weird case here, someone I wouldnt put more than one year one. Just like the Knights and Aves, the Devils had a year were everyone played a little bit better than they should have. Wood was exciting to watch but he was often found in the dog house at times and wouldnt get alot of playing time. But when he was on his game he was so much fun to watch, the guy can fly. Safe bet is a big one year deal and go from there.

9. Ritchie. 2 years at 2 million
Ritchie is still the big power forward that the Ducks drafted nearly 4 years ago but he hasnt progressed as offeseivly as they would have liked. And with guys like Pasta, Larkin, Point and others below him who are scoring at higher rates its a tough pill to swallow. That being said, I still think there is upside. With eprry falling off the earth this could be the best time for Ritchie to prove himself. A simple bridge deal is best

10. Schmaltz 2 years at 1.25 million
Schmaltz is a guy who is trying to crack and very good D core in St. Louis. Thankfully spots do seem to be opening up for him as Carl is slowly reaching the end of his life in the NHL. Schmaltz doesn't have a huge sample size but his numbers in the AHL are good enough to bet on a two yeas deal. At best, he grows and can be a stable top 6 guy for the Blues or at worst he can be a force in the AHL.

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[Maukkis]

4x4 for Morrissey would be an unbelievably stupid move for the Jets. That brings him straight to UFA.

 

[BleedBlue14]

I don’t necessarily think that Gunnarson is reaching the end of his career as much as that he has just gotten surpassed in STL by a player that plays a role that we cannot fulfill elsewhere on defense. Whereas Gunnarson is essentially expendable for us.

That being said, I don’t necessarily think Schmaltz should be considered a big RFA.

 

[AndreRoy]

I’d love to lock up Point long term but unfortunately it looks like we’re probably going to have to bridge him (as well as Serg the following season.) So ~$5M x 3 years before giving him the big bucks; Palat’s deal will be ending at that point so most of that money can go to Point.

 

[RSPens]

Any guesses as to what Guentzel is going to get... he is going to be an interesting one. His playoff performance puts him in the upper echelon of RFA's however his regular season has him considerably lower.

 

[Castle8130]

For Reinhart he should be more like 2 x 5 mil, 3 mil is kind of unfair.

 

[CraigsList]

If I were Buffalo, i would be locking up Reinhart to a 7/8 year deal. I think he’s gonna break out. They have the cap space to do it right now, so you might as well do it.

 

[CraigsList]

As for the Hanifin deal, signing him at 6 years would be awful because we wouldn’t be buying any UFA years from him. I think it’s a 2-3 year deal or 7 years. No in between garbage.

 

[major major]

I’d love to lock up Point long term but unfortunately it looks like we’re probably going to have to bridge him (as well as Serg the following season.) So ~$5M x 3 years before giving him the big bucks; Palat’s deal will be ending at that point so most of that money can go to Point.

I think he's got to really love playing in Tampa to accept that kind of deal. If I were in his shoes I'd say anything less than $6m per means 1 year deals.

 

[rent free]

As for the Hanifin deal, signing him at 6 years would be awful because we wouldn’t be buying any UFA years from him. I think it’s a 2-3 year deal or 7 years. No in between garbage.

two ufa years would be bought from hanafin if he signed a 6 year deal

 

[CraigsList]

two ufa years would be bought from hanafin if he signed a 6 year deal

I reread my message. I was thinking 4 or 5 years when i wrote it. Regardless, if we want a 6 year deal with him, why not max it out with 7?

 

[rent free]

I reread my message. I was thinking 4 or 5 years when i wrote it. Regardless, if we want a 6 year deal with him, why not max it out with 7?

i was thinking of going all in at 8.

a 6 year deal will make his aav lower than a 7 year deal

 

[CraigsList]

i was thinking of going all in at 8.

a 6 year deal will make his aav lower than a 7 year deal

Can’t go all in at 8, we didn’t have Hanifin before the TDL. Our all in number is 7.

 

[rent free]

Can’t go all in at 8, we didn’t have Hanifin before the TDL. Our all in number is 7.

good to know

 

[AndreRoy]

I think he's got to really love playing in Tampa to accept that kind of deal. If I were in his shoes I'd say anything less than $6m per means 1 year deals.

He’s a team-first kind of guy and given that all of the team’s other top players have taken bridge deals I think he’s likely to follow suit. The guy I’d be more concerned about potentially refusing a bridge deal would be Sergachev given that he didn’t come up through the organization the way our other stars did and therefore might not feel the same sense of loyalty. But hopefully he’ll follow his countryman Kucherov’s example.

For the record I still wish we’d locked up Kucherov before his breakout season rather than bridge him so we could sign Killorn to that longterm deal - I knew at that time that both would be a huge mistake. But now thanks to those and some of Yzerman’s other questionable moves we’re in a spot where we have to bridge young players to keep the roster mostly intact. But worst case scenario if we can’t bridge Point and Sergachev and can’t trade somebody like Killorn then we’ll lose Gourde - which would certainly suck, but we were a top team before him and we’d still be a top team without him. If it comes down to it we’ll pay Point, Serg, and Vasy whatever it takes to keep them and replace our complementary players as needed.

 

[780il]

I want to go for the rumored 8 year 5 million dollar deal Nurse wanted long term. Nurse, Klef, Larsson would all have term and be solid on the back end. They all want to be in Edmonton and be part of the solution. Add in Bear and Bouchard and the D doesn't look bad at all. I think Nurse has a lot more to give than what he showed last year. An 8x5 would mean that when he hits max potential we have a steal of a contract and he's locked up until he's 31.

 

[absolute garbage]

Guesses for what the new contracts will look:

Nylander 6 x 6
Reinhart 5.25 x 6
Kase 2.85 x 2
Wood 2.2 x 3
Ritchie 1.95 x 2

Morissey 5.65 x 7
Hanifin 5.15 x 6
Nurse 4 x 2
Theodore 3.35 x 2

 

[major major]

He’s a team-first kind of guy and given that all of the team’s other top players have taken bridge deals I think he’s likely to follow suit. The guy I’d be more concerned about potentially refusing a bridge deal would be Sergachev given that he didn’t come up through the organization the way our other stars did and therefore might not feel the same sense of loyalty. But hopefully he’ll follow his countryman Kucherov’s example.

For the record I still wish we’d locked up Kucherov before his breakout season rather than bridge him so we could sign Killorn to that longterm deal - I knew at that time that both would be a huge mistake. But now thanks to those and some of Yzerman’s other questionable moves we’re in a spot where we have to bridge young players to keep the roster mostly intact. But worst case scenario if we can’t bridge Point and Sergachev and can’t trade somebody like Killorn then we’ll lose Gourde - which would certainly suck, but we were a top team before him and we’d still be a top team without him. If it comes down to it we’ll pay Point, Serg, and Vasy whatever it takes to keep them and replace our complementary players as needed.

It's not like Tampa only has a three year window. These stars are young.

Move Killorn or Johnson and lock up Point at $6m or so long term.

 

[Maukkis]

Guesses for what the new contracts will look:

Nylander 6 x 6
Reinhart 5.25 x 6
Kase 2.85 x 2
Wood 2.2 x 3
Ritchie 1.95 x 2

Morissey 5.65 x 7
Hanifin 5.15 x 6
Nurse 4 x 2
Theodore 3.35 x 2

These look really good. If this shows how knowledgeable you are in general, keep voicing your opinion all you want.

The two significant changes I would make are adding a little salary to Nylander's new deal (after the Larkin deal, it is hard to see Nylander taking less for longer term) and maybe adding some term to Kase's deal. After all, Anaheim has signed some great long-term deals recently, and Kase would be a great one to add to the list. He is super underrated for the impact he brings on the ice.

Bridging Nurse makes sense, if there is an addition the Oilers want to make before this year. Theodore is rather unproven, so a bridge is a sensible option there too. Morrissey and Hanifin's deals look accurate. Wood might have to take the Grabner route of being useful but not worth breaking the bank for during his RFA years, and Ritchie's bridge would be in line with the likes of Bennett and Bartschi (high draft picks with promise but questionable results at the time). Reinhart might not be at 5.25 level just yet, but he has the potential (and some results too).

 

[AndreRoy]

It's not like Tampa only has a three year window. These stars are young.

Move Killorn or Johnson and lock up Point at $6m or so long term.

The problem is that Yzerman in his infinite wisdom has given Killorn, Johnson, Palat, and McDonagh full NTCs so we may not have that option if none of them wants to go elsewhere. Killorn loses his full NTC in 2020 when Serg and Vasy get their new deals so we can probably move him at that time, but we’ll need to extend Point and decide what to do with Gourde the year before, so we could get into hot water if we give Point a big deal and resign Gourde with a full NTC and then it turns out we can’t move Killorn. We could let Gourde walk which would keep us out of trouble with Serg and Vasy the following year, but it’d be a shame to lose him if we don’t have to.

So as much as I’d rather lock up our young talent before they wind up costing us even more money down the road (see: Kucherov, Nikita) the safer move at this point might be to bridge Point if possible, both to buy some time with the cap and to set a continued example for Sergachev to hopefully follow (if we break tradition and give Point a big contract we can’t expect Serg to settle for less assuming he breaks out the way we expect him to.) Then between the expansion draft and contracts and/or full NTCs ending for complementary players like Killorn, Johnson, and Palat we should be able to afford to give Point and Serg Kucherov-like deals in a few years. It’s not how I would have done it but it seems to be what Yzerman is aiming for and at this point I’m not sure he can change direction unless one or more of those guys with full NTCs is willing to go along.

 

[absolute garbage]

These look really good. If this shows how knowledgeable you are in general, keep voicing your opinion all you want.

The two significant changes I would make are adding a little salary to Nylander's new deal (after the Larkin deal, it is hard to see Nylander taking less for longer term) and maybe adding some term to Kase's deal. After all, Anaheim has signed some great long-term deals recently, and Kase would be a great one to add to the list. He is super underrated for the impact he brings on the ice.

Bridging Nurse makes sense, if there is an addition the Oilers want to make before this year. Theodore is rather unproven, so a bridge is a sensible option there too. Morrissey and Hanifin's deals look accurate. Wood might have to take the Grabner route of being useful but not worth breaking the bank for during his RFA years, and Ritchie's bridge would be in line with the likes of Bennett and Bartschi (high draft picks with promise but questionable results at the time). Reinhart might not be at 5.25 level just yet, but he has the potential (and some results too).

To me Nylander just gets the Ehlers deal (6 years would also buy one fewer UFA year so the money definitely wouldn't go higher than Ehlers in my mind). They are so close play-wise. I'd say Larkin being at 6.1 only reinforces that, considering the situations of these players/teams (Ehlers and Nylander are part of good teams, also wingers, Larkin not so much so he gets a bit more).

Re: Kase, agree, it would be great for Anaheim, which is why I'm guessing that Kase and his agent will listen The Who and "Won't get fooled again", and go for a shorter term deal! But yeah, if I was Anaheim, I'd push for a longer term too (that would probably be something like 3.5 x 5).

 

[Lays]

4x4 for Morrissey would be an unbelievably stupid move for the Jets. That brings him straight to UFA.

4x4 for Morrissey is a stupid move for both sides. Why should Morrissey take less money and term than Skjei?

 

[Falco Lombardi]

If offer sheets were a thing, Josh Morrissey would be a perfect candidate.

 

[tsujimoto74]

If I were Buffalo, i would be locking up Reinhart to a 7/8 year deal. I think he’s gonna break out. They have the cap space to do it right now, so you might as well do it.

I'd love a 7-8 year deal. His progression so far looks pretty similar to Scheiffele's, and he turned into a pretty all right player on a pretty sweet contract. The trend lately seems to be for RFAs not to want to give up those extra couple UFA years, though. I'm guessing he and the Sabres end up agreeing to a 6 year deal.

 

[LongWayDown37]

In what world does Reinhart accept anything close to $3M at any term?!