Official NHL 2006 Off-Season Thread - Page 11

SWB · #**101** 07-01-2006, 06:11 PM

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But that strategy is garbage. Edmonton and Carolina won with a solid 3 lines and solid 6 defenders - that just won't change.

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And like lots of other teams, Edmonton and Carolina paid a lot of money to their top 10 or 12 guys, and spread a little money around the rest. Those two teams just happened to get good performances out of the whole roster (which is not a shock, every team that goes deep in the playoffs needs to be firing on all cylinders), that certainly doesn't mean the payroll approach they used is "garbage". That's just the way almost all teams are approaching the salary cap, and it shouldn't be a shock to anybody that this is happening.

Heck, if you want to look at the Oilers, they signed Fernando Pisani for $2.5 million a year. This is a guy who's had exactly one good playoff run, otherwise he's been a 30-40 point winger in the regular season. Purely on the stats he's wildly overpaid, but because the Oilers are a bit thin on the wing they were wise to overpay and lock him in. That is the reality of the NHL under the salary cap, just looking at a player's salary without considering his particular situation simply doesn't work any more. Are Chara and Jovanoski worth more than Pronger? Probably not. Are they the best players on Boston and Phoenix respectively and thus able to command a premium? Probably, and that's what counts now.

T-God · #**102** 07-01-2006, 06:37 PM

Boston signed Chara. [censored].

bluef0x · #**103** 07-01-2006, 07:01 PM

Can someone please tell me why the Sharks signed Brown?

He was bought-out, been a shark before and not re-signed, and we don't need a center. Ughhhhhhhh

Triumph36 · #**104** 07-01-2006, 07:16 PM

He's not a center, he's a center/left wing, and you can always use a guy like Curtis Brown.

As for Chara, signed for waaaay too much - Ottawa retained the right defender for the right price.

Zurvan · #**105** 07-01-2006, 07:21 PM

I can't believe Chara got 7.5M. Boston is an absolute disaster.

As for the Leafs signings, I really like them. They didn't overpay Kubina a bit, as that is his market value. If you're going to sign a player as a UFA, you're gonna have to pay as much as everybody else is.

Gill is something that they've needed on their back end forever. They tried Belak last season, and he was an abysmal failure. Finally, the Leafs have a good top 4, and a solid 6 on the blue-line.

They now need 2 good scoring wingers, I think, and a number 2 centre. If Lindros will sign the same deal he did last year, I think they should bring him back.

Triumph36 · #**106** 07-01-2006, 07:26 PM

Zurvan I have to disagree - Pavel Kubina is not worth 4M a year, much less 5, and Hal Gill is a relic of the old NHL - he's a big pilon out there, and McCabe and Kubina aren't exactly speedsters either.

Pavel Kubina has the attributes of an excellent defender but just doesn't seem to bring it every night - plus his slapshot is Fredrik Modin in Toronto like.

Zurvan · #**107** 07-01-2006, 07:33 PM

What do you base Kubina's worth on? He would have gotten that money (or very close to it) elsewhere. If the Leafs want him, that's what they have to pay. As a contrast, Chara was only getting offered 7.5M by Boston. Nobody else was even close, meaning he's overpaid based on market value.

I think there is a place for a guy like Gill. He's not an offensive player, but he's a good physical presence. The Leafs are not a speed team. They're not going to attempt to be, and that's not how they play. They're big & physical, and control the boards.

The Leafs have drastically improved their D today. They won't win the Cup this year, but the 6 best defenceman in the league wouldn't win them the Cup. They need to hold the fort until they can develop a good young core.

pokerspite · #**108** 07-01-2006, 07:35 PM

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Eddie Belfour will find work. If his back problem is rectified I see him as a great bargain short term contract

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He might be a good fit in Detroit, partnering with Osgood. Plus, he has Michigan ties.

But my gut tells me the Wings will go after Gerber.

Triumph36 · #**109** 07-01-2006, 07:38 PM

It's hard to control the boards in the new NHL because McCabe can't use that can opener move in open ice.

What do I base Kubina's worth on? His actual value. Yes, on the open market *maybe* he is worth 5, but if the market were truly open, he wouldn't be. Having a 34 year old Pavel Kubina in 4 years won't look that good in Toronto either.

A lot of people speculated Chara would get paid that, myself included. I think it's way over what he's worth, but NHL GMs go crazy for a guy who can throw a hard bodycheck and has a hard slapshot - McCabe, Kubina, and Chara's contracts are proof of that.

EDIT - Senators sign Gerber, Blues sign McKee and re-sign Dallas Drake.

Zurvan · #**110** 07-01-2006, 07:43 PM

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What do I base Kubina's worth on? His actual value. Yes, on the open market *maybe* he is worth 5, but if the market were truly open, he wouldn't be.

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ummm... WTF are you talking about? If 100 people will pay $20,000 for a car, and you say it's worth $15,000, who's right? Any commodity - including an athlete - is worth what people will pay for it. Kubina would have gotten $5M from probably a half-dozen teams, if not more.

As for Belfour - a GM would have to have an aneurysm to sign that guy. His back problems were "fixed" before last season, and we all saw how that worked out. He is probably not willing to be a backup for a full season, and that's all he can play reliably.