Happy Free Agency Day!

[Kin]

From what we've heard, TOR was in on three guys: Bozak, Clarkson, Scuderi. I'm sure that I'll be told I can't possibly know that because the reporters I've read weren't at MLSE headquarters. Well, whatever.

It looks to me like they had targeted three particular players. I don't really like that approach unless you're going after someone really special. In general, I'd have preferred the team identify roster spots -- not particular players -- and find the best deals available.

The names I threw out were "a cheap 20-goal scorer that can move up and down the line-up," "a depth forward that can take draws," and "a minute-eating top-4 defenseman." Maybe there were options available other the names I threw out; I'm no pro scout.

And I think that sort of highlights the problem with the way you're judging how the team did. A team that does employ pro scouts, many of them, isn't going to be playing pin the tail on the UFA. They're going to have people who can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of available players and, well before the day to sign players, are going to be able to go over every name and debate their strengths and weaknesses. If Ference or Scuderi get signed, they're going to know the other defensemen available and whether or not they possess the attributes the team wants.

It's pretty clear that, today, the Leafs saw three significant positions of need to be filled:

1) A physical winger who can score
2) A top 6 forward
3) A stay-at-home defenseman

However, in addition to identifying those three positions of need, the Leafs are also going to be able to look over the players available and decide which ones give the team a level of play over and above their internal options that are worth paying for. Then, because of the interview window, the Leafs are probably going to have a pretty good idea of who is going to be receptive to their offers. It's not a video game where they just get to pick and choose off of an a la carte menu of the guys whose contracts have expired. So how did they do on that front:

1) I don't love the Clarkson signing but I don't like any of the signings of the physical wingers today. I might prefer Horton but it's pretty clear Horton wasn't interested in any city that had more than three intersections.
2) I think that Bozak's contract, of the top 6 centers who signed today, is probably the best value.
3) Apparently they were right in on Scuderi and he just chose to go with Pittsburgh. Them's the breaks. That said, I wouldn't have been wild about giving a 34 year old defenseman a four year contract and that applies to Ference as well.

So did the Leafs do great today? No. They didn't. But they were never going to. The quality of players just weren't available for the team to make significant improvements and the reality of free agency is, well, it's free. The Leafs can make all of the offers they want but ultimately they can only sign the players who want to come here.

Should, absent those deals being available to them, the Leafs simply have shrugged their shoulders and gone into next year with a lousy team? Maybe. But it doesn't seem like that's the reigning criticism of them. It's not "building through free agency sucks" it's "how come the Leafs didn't sign the guys I wanted at the price I wanted them for" and, quite frankly, that's not a valid complaint.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Sounds like a 'stay-at-home' type d-man??

Sure, except he was almost at a PPG in the AHL.

Of course.  If you mean his last AHL season -- 36 gms played/34 pts.

Overall, he is what he is.  A 'stay-at home' type. 

 

[hockeyfan1]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
Ottawa.... Im coming in hot

 

[Zee]

Funny how after Clarkson  and Ryan hit our division the Habs felt they needed a goon so grabbed Parros. That team is gonna get manhandled by the bigger east teams.

 

[Redleaf]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
Ottawa.... Im coming in hot

He would have been a better acquisition than Clarkson, and younger.

 

[Stebro]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
Ottawa.... Im coming in hot

He would have been a better acquisition than Clarkson, and younger.

Only problem with him is that we would have had to give up other resources than cash.

 

[Andy007]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
Ottawa.... Im coming in hot

He would have been a better acquisition than Clarkson, and younger.

Yea, and Toronto would have given up something along the lines of Kadri and a 1st. Personally I'd rather hang on to those assets and add Clarkson.

 

[maplesyrup]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
Ottawa.... Im coming in hot

He would have been a better acquisition than Clarkson, and younger.

Yea, and Toronto would have given up something along the lines of Kadri and a 1st. Personally I'd rather hang on to those assets and add Clarkson.

Plus they are only guaranteed 2 years of Ryan.

 

[princedpw]

Bruins sign Iginla and still have to sign Rask......Are they going to have to deal someone of significance?

Are they close to the cap? I thought the Seguin deal gave them ample room.

The Seguin trade freed up $4.75M, which is now more than spent (sort of - a good chunk of Iginla's salary is in bonuses, but very easily achievable bonuses). They sort of have some bonus cushion room right now (since Iginla will likely hit a good chunk of his, it's sort of phantom space unless the Bruins are willing to carry it over to next season), but not enough to fit in what Rask's extension is rumoured to be. They have to move about $2M to fit Rask in if they are willing to carry a bonus overage next season, and close to $7M if they aren't.

Is this bonus plus carry over thing some kind of new contract format that is allowed under the new CBA?  Can you sign anybody to a bonus-laden contract?  How much can be carried over?  How does this work?

 

[bustaheims]

Is this bonus plus carry over thing some kind of new contract format that is allowed under the new CBA?  Can you sign anybody to a bonus-laden contract?  How much can be carried over?  How does this work?

It's the same as it was in the last CBA. You can exceed the cap by 7.5% in performance bonuses, but, that amount, if those bonuses are achieved, has to carried over to next season. Only players on ELCs, 35+ year old players on 1 year contracts and players coming back from injuries that cost them 100+ games in the previous 2 seasons are eligible for performance bonuses. Iginla is a 35+ year old player on a 1 year contract.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Bruins sign Iginla and still have to sign Rask......Are they going to have to deal someone of significance?

Are they close to the cap? I thought the Seguin deal gave them ample room.

The Seguin trade freed up $4.75M, which is now more than spent (sort of - a good chunk of Iginla's salary is in bonuses, but very easily achievable bonuses). They sort of have some bonus cushion room right now (since Iginla will likely hit a good chunk of his, it's sort of phantom space unless the Bruins are willing to carry it over to next season), but not enough to fit in what Rask's extension is rumoured to be. They have to move about $2M to fit Rask in if they are willing to carry a bonus overage next season, and close to $7M if they aren't.

Your post seems most on topic with what I came in here to post, but I think the Bruins got worse with their moves yesterday.  For me, Horton > Iginla and Seguin > Eriksson.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Bruins sign Iginla and still have to sign Rask......Are they going to have to deal someone of significance?

Are they close to the cap? I thought the Seguin deal gave them ample room.

The Seguin trade freed up $4.75M, which is now more than spent (sort of - a good chunk of Iginla's salary is in bonuses, but very easily achievable bonuses). They sort of have some bonus cushion room right now (since Iginla will likely hit a good chunk of his, it's sort of phantom space unless the Bruins are willing to carry it over to next season), but not enough to fit in what Rask's extension is rumoured to be. They have to move about $2M to fit Rask in if they are willing to carry a bonus overage next season, and close to $7M if they aren't.

Your post seems most on topic with what I came in here to post, but I think the Bruins got worse with their moves yesterday.  For me, Horton > Iginla and Seguin > Eriksson.

They also let Ference walk and lost a decent depth player in Peverley in the Seguin trade. They're going to have to rely on young guys like Hamilton and Spooner to step up.

 

[princedpw]

Is this bonus plus carry over thing some kind of new contract format that is allowed under the new CBA?  Can you sign anybody to a bonus-laden contract?  How much can be carried over?  How does this work?

It's the same as it was in the last CBA. You can exceed the cap by 7.5% in performance bonuses, but, that amount, if those bonuses are achieved, has to carried over to next season. Only players on ELCs, 35+ year old players on 1 year contracts and players coming back from injuries that cost them 100+ games in the previous 2 seasons are eligible for performance bonuses. Iginla is a 35+ year old player on a 1 year contract.

I see, so the bruins are basically intentionally forfeiting cap from next year (when they expect it to be much higher) to squeeze Jarome in this year.

 

[bustaheims]

I see, so the bruins are basically intentionally forfeiting cap from next year (when they expect it to be much higher) to squeeze Jarome in this year.

Unless they trade away a bunch of salary between now and the end of the season, yes.

 

[cw]

In a previous post, I expressed interest in Boyd Gordon. I realized Edmonton signed him but din't know it was for $3 mil x 3 yrs. Ditto for Stalberg in Nashville ($3 mil x 4 yrs). Nashville also signed Hendricks, Caps 4th liner, for $1.85, 4 yrs.

Don't mind those players but don't care for those contracts. As usual, GMs were a little nuts yesterday.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

In a previous post, I expressed interest in Boyd Gordon. I realized Edmonton signed him but din't know it was for $3 mil x 3 yrs. Ditto for Stalberg in Nashville ($3 mil x 4 yrs). Nashville also signed Hendricks, Caps 4th liner, for $1.85, 4 yrs.

Don't mind those players but don't care for those contracts. As usual, GMs were a little nuts yesterday.

That was the biggest surprise for me yesterday. I really thought that a lot of the players would get squeezed, not just the lower end of the talent board, but the higher end guys also. I didn't think the higher end guys were going to lose too much, but I wouldn't have guessed that most players would get this kind of money with the cap going down.

I guess there will be a lot of guys without jobs come the fall, almost like what happened after the first lockout.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

McArthur, Gordon, Scuderi/Ference... players that actually address team needs and come as better price performers than the big-ticket bauble and Stajan v.2.0 we went after today.

They tried to get Scuderi and he didn't come, win some lose some. Gordon got a high cap hit IMO and MacArthur was not liked by Carlyle and we've seen how much pull he has with management.

Ouch. That is quite a bit of money...

From what we've heard, TOR was in on three guys: Bozak, Clarkson, Scuderi. I'm sure that I'll be told I can't possibly know that because the reporters I've read weren't at MLSE headquarters. Well, whatever.

It looks to me like they had targeted three particular players. I don't really like that approach unless you're going after someone really special. In general, I'd have preferred the team identify roster spots -- not particular players -- and find the best deals available.

The names I threw out were "a cheap 20-goal scorer that can move up and down the line-up," "a depth forward that can take draws," and "a minute-eating top-4 defenseman." Maybe there were options available other the names I threw out; I'm no pro scout.

But what happened today was this: Clarkson's an upgrade on MacArthur, but so much more expensive that we can't afford to replace/ upgrade Frattin (who gets promoted that can play up and down the top-9 wings?), can't bring in another depth forward, can't upgrade defense. And that leaves aside whatever that contract becomes in three years. But for the present moment, it looks like we can sign the RFAs or move one of them with (I'd guess) Kuli to bring in some of that, maybe the Dman, and that's about it.

There are things I think teams have done well with on the UFA market. In  the UFA marketplace, signing top-six or top-pairing talent isn't often done as well as signing the sort of depth players I'd like to have seen brought in.

But Frattin had a SH% of 16.7.

He was due to have a much more average season this year so it's better we moved him. I'm sure his production can be replaced.

Small sample size of 25 games.  Another way to look at it is he has scored 15 goals in 82 games with the Leafs with a normal SH%.  Even that isn't a large enough size, but it at least comes close to comparing it with a real, full season.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

theScore ‏@theScore  28s 
Columbus Blue Jackets sign Nathan Horton to a 7-year contract

I'm just going to throw this out there. Does anybody think that with a young family, Nathan got a little spooked with all the chaos of the bombings that happened there and wanted a low key place because of that?

It was just a thought that crossed my mind.

 

[lamajama]

I never thought of that and you might be right in that it was a consideration but I think it probably didn't play that large of a role. It sounds like he wanted to play for a non-hockey market so he could disappear. With his issues of shoulder problems and concussions it's a heck of a gamble.

IIRC Phil had a shoulder issue too when traded to TO and it appears it hasn't been an ongoing problem AFAIK  but I also recall reading that Horton has had recurring shoulder issues. If so, this is kind of like a retirement contract......

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

moar trades and signings pls