Buds Board Keepers League

it’s not like Provorov has been as good as the hype associated with his name, so far

If you're running a NHL team, what makes the most sense?

Sign a young player to a healthy long-term deal with their prime playing years ahead of them?

Or pay a veteran player as an unrestricted free agent where you're more or less paying the player for what they've done in the league rather than paying them for what they'll actually do for the life of their new contract?


I think we're seeing more and more players making immediate impacts while on their entry level contracts and they desire a large raise and a longer term in their next contract. Bridge deals probably don't seem as appealing as before. With players entering the league at 18, 19 or 20...their best earning years seem be their early to mid-20s rather than their late-20s and early-30s when their most productive years may be behind them. With each offseason, there's a lack of depth in the UFA crop as teams are trying to buy up as many of the UFA-eligible years when they sign their young players to long-term deals.

I think the instances of a John Tavares-quality UFA will be more rare. I think any player of quality going to the UFA market will be the "odd man out" with their respective team such a Joe Pavelski or a Jake Gardiner. Players who are essentially priced out of their current team and have to look elsewhere. Teams can only sign so many long-term deals and there's only so much money to go around. It's difficult to ask a team for a second long-term deal as you approach or are past the age of 30 when they have to secure their best young players.

I would invest in young talent, on a long-term deal.

I wouldn't overpay in the UFA market.

Honk Honk

yea, until every other dog "young talent" in the neighbourhood are paid this way and see that 50 percent of them bust/doesn't fully pan out and have to introduce a possible new type of buyout clause to circumvent keeping them around.

the pk subban era bridge deal days IMO had the best balance of recognizing young talent/paying deserved UFAs

kimmer wroteCOLONyea, until every other dog "young talent" in the neighbourhood are paid this way and see that 50 percent of them bust/doesn't fully pan out and have to introduce a possible new type of buyout clause to circumvent keeping them around.

the pk subban era bridge deal days IMO had the best balance of recognizing young talent/paying deserved UFAs

Paying the deserved UFA big money for their declining years has never made much sense. Let the players hit free agency more often - or at least give them the option too. It would sure make the off-season more entertaining.

Maybe these pitiful small market franchises like Florida and co would finally crumble and we can get some better teams into the NHL that can afford to pay and ice a team. OR maybe because salaries for the top players go up, the middle players more often go to the smaller market teams and they become decent because they have depth vs the top heavy big market teams. Could be an interesting dynamic shift!

Da_Hawks wroteCOLON

kimmer wroteCOLONyea, until every other dog "young talent" in the neighbourhood are paid this way and see that 50 percent of them bust/doesn't fully pan out and have to introduce a possible new type of buyout clause to circumvent keeping them around.

the pk subban era bridge deal days IMO had the best balance of recognizing young talent/paying deserved UFAs

Paying the deserved UFA big money for their declining years has never made much sense. Let the players hit free agency more often - or at least give them the option too. It would sure make the off-season more entertaining.

Maybe these pitiful small market franchises like Florida and co would finally crumble and we can get some better teams into the NHL that can afford to pay and ice a team. OR maybe because salaries for the top players go up, the middle players more often go to the smaller market teams and they become decent because they have depth vs the top heavy big market teams. Could be an interesting dynamic shift!

Some of these small market teams are at the cap limit (florida/tampa). If a guy like marner gets paid more, it doesn't actually cost them more money. It just leaves less of the pie for lesser players.

In fact, this may actually help a team like Florida as if RFA's are taking up all the cap room on nhl teams moving forward, ufa's may scramble to a place like Florida or tampa due to tax incentives.

Marner being greedy just costs his teammates money, not the leafs money.

Tampa may be small market, but they've mostly been a big market spending team and very competitive (unlike Florida, Carolina -ish, etc.).

I'm going to laugh if Marner signs right on time, and the Leafs have just been trolling the Toronto fans and media because, well, we are gullible suckers.

Marner resigns 6 years 10.8

10.893

Wew

So high for Marner, saving grace is I prefer it over 3 X 9.5 that I heard floating around.

I wonder if Rantanen and Point get 10+ now?

I don't think you pay Point over what Vasilevskiy and Kucherov is getting ($9.5 million). I guess it depends if you want to stay relative to the value to the team or do you look at the Marner deal and stack it up against him.

Rantanen's contract will be interesting. MacKinnon still has 4 years left on a criminally cheap deal. I wondered if the Avs hoped to get Rantanen on a 4-year term around the same AAV as MacKinnon and then in 4 years, they could pay MacKinnon and Rantanen together a la Kane and Toews in Chicago.

"Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said Friday a decision on the team's captaincy is "coming up" and will "end the speculation."

Babcock said his ideal captain will handle the role similar to that of Kawhi Leonard's leadership of the Toronto Raptors last season.


"They do it right every day," Babcock said. "There was a guy who played for the Raptors last year, I don't know if you remember his name. He came into town and he changed things overnight with an unbelievable demeanour, with a stick-to-itiveness like I haven't seen, with a competitive edge, not bothered by much, left all his talking to his play, and they were able to win the championship. And I thought he made the team better around him.

"To me, that's leadership, that's what they do, they bring it every single day.""

https://www.tsn.ca/babcock-toronto-mapl ... -1.1365059

anyone want to guess who has this characteristic? I think JT ALWAYS makes his wingers better.. moulson.. Okposo... they get their paid and well... or maybe buffalo sucks lol

it's going to be matthews, no question

Hearing Laine to Bern :/ #realinsider

thom54 wroteCOLONit's going to be matthews, no question

For me it's JT or Morgan Rielly.

Jared Spurgeon

7 years x 7.575m AAV

#bbklColorado

Seems rather high Given it kicks In right before his 31st birthday.

Matthew wroteCOLONJared Spurgeon

7 years x 7.575m AAV

#bbklColorado

Seems rather high Given it kicks In right before his 31st birthday.

I'll take it.