Lecavalier, Letang, Tanguay Trade, Bolland, Coyotes, Messier, Kunitz
LECAVALIER
-Amazing to see Jeff Vinik swallow a 32.67 million dollar buyout in a lockout year where he team failed to make the playoffs. GM Steve Yzerman had to have looked at the potential cap savings on this deal, and his move here will inspire other GMs who haven't fully explored what they could do to also save. The Lightning shave 7.7 million dollars right off their payroll. Vinny handled the buyout with class and he will be missed as one of the true heart and soul members of the team alongside Martin St. Louis, two of the key players that led Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup back in 2004. A tough decision for Yzerman to make, but it allows the team to get both younger and cheaper at the same time.
-Lecavalier definitely makes the UFA market a more intriguing one. With his stream of paychecks, he could simply sit down and retire, but he's a competitive guy and he wants to win. He'll get plenty of interest from teams because he can still put up numbers (32 points in 39 games) despite failing to reach point per game status again, which he hasn't done since 2007-08. He's still a good player who brings size, leadership and an all-around game to your 2nd line. A 5 year deal with a 3M cap hit could make sense for teams, or a 3 year deal with a cap hit around 4.5-5M. I hope he finds a new team and does well.
-Well, shall we start the Vinny to Montreal rumors now? Would he fit in Montreal? He'd be a perfect 2nd line C in Montreal down the middle, paving the way for Alex Galchenyuk and mentoring him along the way. In fact, you could make a case for every NHL team in Canada to go after this guy. Lecavalier might be a No.1 C on the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Calgary Flames. Who signed Lecavalier's mega deal? Jay Feaster, of course. I don't think he'll sign in Canada though, because there is too much pressure in Canada for him to personally thrive. He'll sign with a contender in the USA.
-He might be good, but Lecavalier's deal is still an example of how stupid owners can be when the throw cash away into long term deals. The new CBA has allowed for marvelous buyouts that show everyone the length a team will go to improve themselves. 32.67 million for a guy to NOT play has never happened before. It's still nothing compared to the MLB, but it's still major money.
-Who else could see major buyouts headed their way? Rick DiPietro, who isn't close to Lecavalier's on a quality level, could be sent packing from the New York Islanders. Also, if you are Mike Gillis with the Vancouver Canucks, does this signal that maybe it's time to buyout Roberto Luongo instead of continuing to hope he'll get you assets? Gillis should be at least thinking about this route.
-Steven Stamkos has a paved road to the captaincy, you'd have to think.
FLAMES TRADE
-In short, Colorado wins the deal in my opinion. Alex Tanguay is a good fit in Colorado and his leadership will help the young Avs team. He'll likely line up on the left side of Nathan MacKinnon on the 3rd line, both as former members of the Halifax Mooseheads organization. When Tanguay was a younger player, he had a mentor on his line that was key for his game in Joe Sakic, and now Sakic is trying to replicate a similar type of thing here. With the potential retirement of Milan Hejduk looming, it makes sense to add some sort of leadership so that J-S Giguere isn't the only one talking in the room. Cory Sarich is also going to be a key leader, and a tough add to the blueline.
-If you're a Flames fan and you want to justify this trade, there are reasons to make this deal. Once Jarome Iginla left, Alex Tanguay no longer made sense because he was only there to set him up for goals. The LW side of Calgary features guys like Cammalleri, Glencross and Baertschi already, with Johnny Gaudreau eventually moving into the lineup at that spot as well. Tanguay could be seen as a soft, perimeter player who is overpaid, and Sarich could be seen as a slow, 34 year old D-man. The Flames get a bit younger in the deal, and grab two guys who are big, gritty and physical.
-David Jones is intriguing. He's not always physical when he needs to be, and has a reputation of being soft. He was a healthy scratch frequently at the end of the season and his 4M cap hit is pretty gross. Jones also carries an injury history that has limited him to only one season over 75 games. He does bring speed and goal scoring ability, and the Flames could really use a rebound of 20-25 goals from him. Ultimately though, even if he does score 20, he does remind me of David Moss/Niklas Hagman/Blake Comeau type players from the past that brought high grit and low skill who didn't quite pan out for the Flames. Shane O'Brien, on the other hand, is a bit of a pylon and he is undisciplined, which will be an issue.
-It's going to be a long year in Calgary. When your No.1 C is Matt Stajan, you almost have zero hope. It's too bad to see Alex Tanguay be traded for almost peanuts when his prime was over, eerily similar to both Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester before him. I'm assuming that if you are over 30 in Calgary, you are likely to be available in trade, and many are speculating that sniper Mike Cammalleri could be the next one to go. It's going to be a long road before the Flames step up to the podium to select Connor McDavid first overall.
-Hey Colorado, would you hire Peter Forsberg in some capacity? Complete the reunion?
LETANG
-Rejecting an 8 year deal with a 7M cap hit is ridiculous, especially when you get a chance to win a Stanley Cup every year with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Chris Kunitz. A guy who has career highs of 50 points and 10 goals is simply not worth 8M. Letang is not a truly two-way guy like Lidstrom, as he has defensive struggles, and his offensive puck-moving skills aren't as good as Erik Karlsson's. Letang became a pylon when the Boston/Pittsburgh series got physical. Greedy? Perhaps. I don't even know how the Penguins thought they would operate with Letang at 7M regardless. If Letang wanted to win, he'd take less. Who'd you rather have at 7.5M? Letang or Datsyuk? Datsyuk's newest extension was at 7.5M, and I'd take him over Letang in a heartbeat.
-Obviously the Penguins are going to have to explore a trade with Letang next. The Penguins could do a lot with the money (7 or 8M) they wouldn't be spending on Letang, such as re-signing Pascal Dupuis, re-shaping their blueline and adding some forward depth. David Clarkson would be a hell of a fit in Pittsburgh. The Pens should trade Kris Letang to a team near the cap floor or a team that's rebuilding, like the Flames (who need a No.1 D) or the Panthers (who are going to need an eventual replacement for Campbell) and grab some assets. We'll see if Letang puts up major points on one of those teams, or if he drops down to 30-35 points instead.
-If Pittsburgh wanted to keep Letang for another year to go for a cup, they could explore trading Paul Martin instead. Martin was better than Letang this season, showing good foot speed and more of an offensive game than we thought he had in him. Regardless of who they move, the Pens have a full cupboard to replace both of them down the road, with bright stars like Simon Despres, Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, and Scott Harrington.
-As for Letang to the Leafs: Doesn't make much sense. Toronto has young puckmovers like Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly coming onto their team, so they don't need Letang.
BOLLAND
-His presence on the trading block is only because the Blackhawks want to keep Bryan Bickell, and it's the right move to make, although the Stanley Cup winning goal scorer is a hard player to give up. Chicago has enough depth to get rid of him at the end of the day.
-When healthy, Bolland fits on any team. He is full of character, he can play an all-around game and he brings leadership to a team. He's an ideal 3rd line C, although his cap hit is too high at 3.375M. He would be a big addition in Alberta, either with the Flames (who have no C's to name) or with the Oilers. On Edmonton, he's exactly the type of grit they are looking to add to their bottom six and he'd replace Shawn Horcoff quite well. He'd also fit in Vancouver in Tortorella's system...but that would be straight up hilarious. Some team will overpay for him in a trade, but he'll be a good addition nonetheless.
COYOTES
-The NHL tried, but it's time to let them go. Quebec City is calling out for a team, and with a new arena coming soon to replace the Colisee, it seems like the revenue could fly in quickly. I also don't think Quebec City would mind having to play in the Western Conference for a few years. This whole situation is just another mark on Bettman's tenure as commissioner.
-Other places than Quebec City? Hamilton could potentially work as a stop-gap, but I'm sure the NHL would like to wait to expand into Ontario instead of moving a team there. Kansas City is in the mid-west, so I'm not sure if a team there would be smart right now. As for Seattle, the market is unproven and the Key Arena sucks, so I'm not a big fan of moving there. If Phoenix moves to Seattle and the NHL doesn't expand, look at the Florida Panthers as a possible team to move to Quebec City.
-If Jobing.com Arena wasn't in Glendale, an hour away from the heart of Phoenix, would that team survive? I guess we'll never know.
MESSIER
-I'm not going to rag on him like many others are right now, but it's pretty clear to me that he left the Rangers because he didn't get the coaching job. If he ever wants to be a head coach in the NHL, he's going to have go grab some experience in the AHL or in junior. Patrick Roy was just recently hired after paying his dues in Quebec. Once he's done helping with the community ice center he's working on, I could see him surfacing in the front office of the Oilers, if he gives up on coaching. A good point on why Messier shouldn't have been hired is looking at how Wayne Gretzky turned out in Phoenix: Not good.
KUNITZ
-Great deal after a career year. Kunitz is a physical scorer who always plays hard and can play a two-way game, and he'll be crucial for Pittsburgh before he ages out of the league. Good for him.
LUONGO
-I won't go into great detail on this one, but Gillis should be fired for how he has handled this situation. Either trade him to Florida for nothing, buy him out (although it's tough to do when you also want to buy out Ballard and Booth) or trade Schneider for a boatload of assets and ride Luongo as the No.1 goalie. Keep stalling Gillis, and maybe Brian Burke takes your job back.
MONTREAL
-I wonder what the Habs do at the draft. You'd think that Brian Gionta, David Desharnais, Raphael Diaz and some of their picks might be open for business. No one has really talked about them when it comes to trades, but I'm sure they'll look to improve.
TORONTO
-Bernier and Reimer? I was critical of that deal at first, but hey, the Leafs may have two actual goalies for the first time in forever.
MONTADOR AND OLESZ
-Chicago is going to clear out quite a bit of cap space by just buying out these two. Incredible. Florida definitely got a steal of a deal when they dealt Olesz to Chicago for Campbell. I think both of these guys will re-surface somewhere on cheap deals. It's hard to believe Olesz was a 3M player.
Thanks for reading!
RIP Don Baizley
-Amazing to see Jeff Vinik swallow a 32.67 million dollar buyout in a lockout year where he team failed to make the playoffs. GM Steve Yzerman had to have looked at the potential cap savings on this deal, and his move here will inspire other GMs who haven't fully explored what they could do to also save. The Lightning shave 7.7 million dollars right off their payroll. Vinny handled the buyout with class and he will be missed as one of the true heart and soul members of the team alongside Martin St. Louis, two of the key players that led Tampa Bay to a Stanley Cup back in 2004. A tough decision for Yzerman to make, but it allows the team to get both younger and cheaper at the same time.
-Lecavalier definitely makes the UFA market a more intriguing one. With his stream of paychecks, he could simply sit down and retire, but he's a competitive guy and he wants to win. He'll get plenty of interest from teams because he can still put up numbers (32 points in 39 games) despite failing to reach point per game status again, which he hasn't done since 2007-08. He's still a good player who brings size, leadership and an all-around game to your 2nd line. A 5 year deal with a 3M cap hit could make sense for teams, or a 3 year deal with a cap hit around 4.5-5M. I hope he finds a new team and does well.
-Well, shall we start the Vinny to Montreal rumors now? Would he fit in Montreal? He'd be a perfect 2nd line C in Montreal down the middle, paving the way for Alex Galchenyuk and mentoring him along the way. In fact, you could make a case for every NHL team in Canada to go after this guy. Lecavalier might be a No.1 C on the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Calgary Flames. Who signed Lecavalier's mega deal? Jay Feaster, of course. I don't think he'll sign in Canada though, because there is too much pressure in Canada for him to personally thrive. He'll sign with a contender in the USA.
-He might be good, but Lecavalier's deal is still an example of how stupid owners can be when the throw cash away into long term deals. The new CBA has allowed for marvelous buyouts that show everyone the length a team will go to improve themselves. 32.67 million for a guy to NOT play has never happened before. It's still nothing compared to the MLB, but it's still major money.
-Who else could see major buyouts headed their way? Rick DiPietro, who isn't close to Lecavalier's on a quality level, could be sent packing from the New York Islanders. Also, if you are Mike Gillis with the Vancouver Canucks, does this signal that maybe it's time to buyout Roberto Luongo instead of continuing to hope he'll get you assets? Gillis should be at least thinking about this route.
-Steven Stamkos has a paved road to the captaincy, you'd have to think.
FLAMES TRADE
-In short, Colorado wins the deal in my opinion. Alex Tanguay is a good fit in Colorado and his leadership will help the young Avs team. He'll likely line up on the left side of Nathan MacKinnon on the 3rd line, both as former members of the Halifax Mooseheads organization. When Tanguay was a younger player, he had a mentor on his line that was key for his game in Joe Sakic, and now Sakic is trying to replicate a similar type of thing here. With the potential retirement of Milan Hejduk looming, it makes sense to add some sort of leadership so that J-S Giguere isn't the only one talking in the room. Cory Sarich is also going to be a key leader, and a tough add to the blueline.
-If you're a Flames fan and you want to justify this trade, there are reasons to make this deal. Once Jarome Iginla left, Alex Tanguay no longer made sense because he was only there to set him up for goals. The LW side of Calgary features guys like Cammalleri, Glencross and Baertschi already, with Johnny Gaudreau eventually moving into the lineup at that spot as well. Tanguay could be seen as a soft, perimeter player who is overpaid, and Sarich could be seen as a slow, 34 year old D-man. The Flames get a bit younger in the deal, and grab two guys who are big, gritty and physical.
-David Jones is intriguing. He's not always physical when he needs to be, and has a reputation of being soft. He was a healthy scratch frequently at the end of the season and his 4M cap hit is pretty gross. Jones also carries an injury history that has limited him to only one season over 75 games. He does bring speed and goal scoring ability, and the Flames could really use a rebound of 20-25 goals from him. Ultimately though, even if he does score 20, he does remind me of David Moss/Niklas Hagman/Blake Comeau type players from the past that brought high grit and low skill who didn't quite pan out for the Flames. Shane O'Brien, on the other hand, is a bit of a pylon and he is undisciplined, which will be an issue.
-It's going to be a long year in Calgary. When your No.1 C is Matt Stajan, you almost have zero hope. It's too bad to see Alex Tanguay be traded for almost peanuts when his prime was over, eerily similar to both Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester before him. I'm assuming that if you are over 30 in Calgary, you are likely to be available in trade, and many are speculating that sniper Mike Cammalleri could be the next one to go. It's going to be a long road before the Flames step up to the podium to select Connor McDavid first overall.
-Hey Colorado, would you hire Peter Forsberg in some capacity? Complete the reunion?
LETANG
-Rejecting an 8 year deal with a 7M cap hit is ridiculous, especially when you get a chance to win a Stanley Cup every year with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Chris Kunitz. A guy who has career highs of 50 points and 10 goals is simply not worth 8M. Letang is not a truly two-way guy like Lidstrom, as he has defensive struggles, and his offensive puck-moving skills aren't as good as Erik Karlsson's. Letang became a pylon when the Boston/Pittsburgh series got physical. Greedy? Perhaps. I don't even know how the Penguins thought they would operate with Letang at 7M regardless. If Letang wanted to win, he'd take less. Who'd you rather have at 7.5M? Letang or Datsyuk? Datsyuk's newest extension was at 7.5M, and I'd take him over Letang in a heartbeat.
-Obviously the Penguins are going to have to explore a trade with Letang next. The Penguins could do a lot with the money (7 or 8M) they wouldn't be spending on Letang, such as re-signing Pascal Dupuis, re-shaping their blueline and adding some forward depth. David Clarkson would be a hell of a fit in Pittsburgh. The Pens should trade Kris Letang to a team near the cap floor or a team that's rebuilding, like the Flames (who need a No.1 D) or the Panthers (who are going to need an eventual replacement for Campbell) and grab some assets. We'll see if Letang puts up major points on one of those teams, or if he drops down to 30-35 points instead.
-If Pittsburgh wanted to keep Letang for another year to go for a cup, they could explore trading Paul Martin instead. Martin was better than Letang this season, showing good foot speed and more of an offensive game than we thought he had in him. Regardless of who they move, the Pens have a full cupboard to replace both of them down the road, with bright stars like Simon Despres, Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, and Scott Harrington.
-As for Letang to the Leafs: Doesn't make much sense. Toronto has young puckmovers like Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly coming onto their team, so they don't need Letang.
BOLLAND
-His presence on the trading block is only because the Blackhawks want to keep Bryan Bickell, and it's the right move to make, although the Stanley Cup winning goal scorer is a hard player to give up. Chicago has enough depth to get rid of him at the end of the day.
-When healthy, Bolland fits on any team. He is full of character, he can play an all-around game and he brings leadership to a team. He's an ideal 3rd line C, although his cap hit is too high at 3.375M. He would be a big addition in Alberta, either with the Flames (who have no C's to name) or with the Oilers. On Edmonton, he's exactly the type of grit they are looking to add to their bottom six and he'd replace Shawn Horcoff quite well. He'd also fit in Vancouver in Tortorella's system...but that would be straight up hilarious. Some team will overpay for him in a trade, but he'll be a good addition nonetheless.
COYOTES
-The NHL tried, but it's time to let them go. Quebec City is calling out for a team, and with a new arena coming soon to replace the Colisee, it seems like the revenue could fly in quickly. I also don't think Quebec City would mind having to play in the Western Conference for a few years. This whole situation is just another mark on Bettman's tenure as commissioner.
-Other places than Quebec City? Hamilton could potentially work as a stop-gap, but I'm sure the NHL would like to wait to expand into Ontario instead of moving a team there. Kansas City is in the mid-west, so I'm not sure if a team there would be smart right now. As for Seattle, the market is unproven and the Key Arena sucks, so I'm not a big fan of moving there. If Phoenix moves to Seattle and the NHL doesn't expand, look at the Florida Panthers as a possible team to move to Quebec City.
-If Jobing.com Arena wasn't in Glendale, an hour away from the heart of Phoenix, would that team survive? I guess we'll never know.
MESSIER
-I'm not going to rag on him like many others are right now, but it's pretty clear to me that he left the Rangers because he didn't get the coaching job. If he ever wants to be a head coach in the NHL, he's going to have go grab some experience in the AHL or in junior. Patrick Roy was just recently hired after paying his dues in Quebec. Once he's done helping with the community ice center he's working on, I could see him surfacing in the front office of the Oilers, if he gives up on coaching. A good point on why Messier shouldn't have been hired is looking at how Wayne Gretzky turned out in Phoenix: Not good.
KUNITZ
-Great deal after a career year. Kunitz is a physical scorer who always plays hard and can play a two-way game, and he'll be crucial for Pittsburgh before he ages out of the league. Good for him.
LUONGO
-I won't go into great detail on this one, but Gillis should be fired for how he has handled this situation. Either trade him to Florida for nothing, buy him out (although it's tough to do when you also want to buy out Ballard and Booth) or trade Schneider for a boatload of assets and ride Luongo as the No.1 goalie. Keep stalling Gillis, and maybe Brian Burke takes your job back.
MONTREAL
-I wonder what the Habs do at the draft. You'd think that Brian Gionta, David Desharnais, Raphael Diaz and some of their picks might be open for business. No one has really talked about them when it comes to trades, but I'm sure they'll look to improve.
TORONTO
-Bernier and Reimer? I was critical of that deal at first, but hey, the Leafs may have two actual goalies for the first time in forever.
MONTADOR AND OLESZ
-Chicago is going to clear out quite a bit of cap space by just buying out these two. Incredible. Florida definitely got a steal of a deal when they dealt Olesz to Chicago for Campbell. I think both of these guys will re-surface somewhere on cheap deals. It's hard to believe Olesz was a 3M player.
Thanks for reading!
RIP Don Baizley