Letang wants to be a Leaf?

[Fanatic]

So, Letang wants $7.8 million for 8 years in the new CBA and Suter got $7.5 million in the old CBA before the CAP went down.

Yes, I think he is being unrealistic.

 

[Zee]

So, Letang wants $7.8 million for 8 years in the new CBA and Suter got $7.5 million in the old CBA before the CAP went down.

Yes, I think he is being unrealistic.

?The Bruins will spend to the cap,? owner Jeremy Jacobs said during a press conference at TD Garden. ?The Bruins are going to spend to the cap.?

The trick is for the Bruins to re-sign Nathan Horton (unrestricted) and Tuukka Rask (restricted) while remaining cap-compliant. Jacobs has given GM Peter Chiarelli the green light to use a long-term injury exception on Marc Savard if the Bruins aim to exceed the cap by his average annual value.

Jacobs considers 2013-14 a blip on the cap radar. Jacobs expects the 2014-15 cap to rise substantially based on projected NHL revenue.

If Jacobs thinks the cap is going to rise "substantially" then we're talking $70M most likely, so I guess they could afford to give Letang that much if he's right.

 

[Kin]

So, Letang wants $7.8 million for 8 years in the new CBA and Suter got $7.5 million in the old CBA before the CAP went down.

Or to look at it the way it's really played out, Suter got 7.5 on a 13 year deal with tons of money up front whereas Letang wants 7.8 over 8 years. The contract Letang is looking for, despite being more accomplished than Suter when he signed his deal, would be significantly less lucrative for him.

The idea that contracts for elite players would decrease in AAV without the massive front-loading and lengthy terms is simply not what we've seen. Corey Perry got as much as Sidney Crosby in AAV. Malkin got 800,000 more.

 

[Fanatic]

Nik, money and contract term etc. aside, would you rank Letang ahead of Suter? If so, would you maybe list your top 5 - 10 dmen, and again, leave contract and dollar value aside and look at just ability. I am curious for your thoughts.

 

[ZBBM]

Letang is one of my fave d-men but the question is whether his numbers on one of the best teams in the league would transfer to the Leafs.  He's asking elite dough and, with the Pens, he IS elite.  With us? ....

Anyway, I second the notion that, if you get him, you say vaya con dios to El Capitan.

 

[Kin]

Nik, money and contract term etc. aside, would you rank Letang ahead of Suter? If so, would you maybe list your top 5 - 10 dmen, and again, leave contract and dollar value aside and look at just ability. I am curious for your thoughts.

Probably not. Suter would have gotten my vote for the Norris if I had one.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

While I think his salary asking price isn't completely ridiculous in comparison to some others out there, I think it's completely ridiculous for the Leafs to trade for him.

I don't think Kulemin/Liles/1st round pick gets it done. Some similar young prospects will have to go back the other way(See Reilly or Gardiner) + some other assets.

So let's say we lose one of our top rated prospects + a mid tear player + a 1st round draft pick or two.

Now, that's just the original loss of talent/potential. The Leafs are also up against the cap and even if it does go up next year, the Kessels/Phaneufs of the world have contracts coming up. While Phaneuf may stay at status quo money wise, Kessel will be going up. Does having to sign another player before the end of the 13/14 season not put much more stress on the purse strings and almost guarantee that another asset(which could turn out to be a very valuable one) would have to walk away?

So the question is:

Are the Leafs willing to give up Gardiner/Kulemin/21st overall + One of the top players on the team for Letang?

I mean, don't get me wrong..Everyone would like him on the team, but I'm in the camp that the Leafs are better off hoping that one of Reilly/Gardiner turn into a Letang v2.0 then giving up a Kessel off the roster as there is noone to replace that player.

 

[Kin]

Now, that's just the original loss of talent/potential. The Leafs are also up against the cap and even if it does go up next year, the Kessels/Phaneufs of the world have contracts coming up. While Phaneuf may stay at status quo money wise, Kessel will be going up. Does having to sign another player before the end of the 13/14 season not put much more stress on the purse strings and almost guarantee that another asset(which could turn out to be a very valuable one) would have to walk away?

The Leafs are nowhere near to being up against the Cap. They're going to have 24 million or so in cap space this summer. All of their RFA's could get substantial raises and they'd still be very comfortable cap wise.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Now, that's just the original loss of talent/potential. The Leafs are also up against the cap and even if it does go up next year, the Kessels/Phaneufs of the world have contracts coming up. While Phaneuf may stay at status quo money wise, Kessel will be going up. Does having to sign another player before the end of the 13/14 season not put much more stress on the purse strings and almost guarantee that another asset(which could turn out to be a very valuable one) would have to walk away?

The Leafs are nowhere near to being up against the Cap. They're going to have 24 million or so in cap space this summer. All of their RFA's could get substantial raises and they'd still be very comfortable cap wise.

The Leafs have 24 million of so in Cap space this summer with the Komisarek buyout but then only have 10 players signed to contracts. They need to re-up 8 RFA's and if they don't re-up their UFA's, they need to replace them. With the addition of Letang, the Leafs lose another $3.5 million for next year and even more the year after.

Now, it's all doable, and I never said it wasn't. I just don't think it's worth tying yourself up on so few contracts. Buying out a Grabovski or another large contract would certainly make it more doable.

 

[Deebo]

The cap will go up next season, that is pretty much a certainty.The Tucker and Armstrong buyouts come off the cap as well as the retained amounts on Scrivens and Frattin.

The 64.3M cap is artificially low for one season, its really too bad that some teams are going to have to lose players they otherwise wouldn't have because the cap is low for one season.

 

[Kin]

The Leafs have 24 million of so in Cap space this summer with the Komisarek buyout but then only have 10 players signed to contracts. They need to re-up 8 RFA's and if they don't re-up their UFA's, they need to replace them. With the addition of Letang, the Leafs lose another $3.5 million for next year and even more the year after.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. They have 11 under contract and 7 RFA's(Komorov, remember, is already gone) and in large part their RFA's are going to get pretty small contracts(fringe NHL'ers like Fraser and McLaren, AHLers like Colborne).

Anyways, the wisdom of adding Letang is a perfectly valid question, I just don't think it has a lot to do with the Leafs' cap situation.

 

[Peter D.]

While I agree Letang's demands are too high, is it all that unreasonable to expect him to ask and get $7M or a bit more?

We need not look further than Phanuef.  He's at $6.5M for one more year and there are many who believe he receives no less than that and quite possibly may get $7M.

While Letang has some deficiencies on the defensive side of things, I'd rather give him that type of contract over Phaneuf.

Why Letang would want to leave Pittsburgh is beyond me however.  He has it set there playing with two of the best players for at least the next 8 years. 

I do believe he eventually re-signs with Pittsburgh closer to Pittsburgh's offer than his own.

 

[lamajama]

Is anybody else getting the yips that Nonis has entered the JFJ zone
and is nervous when talking to other adults about trades????

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

Is anybody else getting the yips that Nonis has entered the JFJ zone
and is nervous when talking to other adults about trades????

What do you mean?

I think Nonis just keeps his cards closer to say, Burke, who will show you his cards flat out.

 

[iwas11in67]

If i were Nonis i would offer the Kulemin+Liles and the 21st pick package. If Pitt takes it then fine if not then we go with our own kids. It will be interesting if any other team pony's up a better package than that.

 

[bustaheims]

Is anybody else getting the yips that Nonis has entered the JFJ zone
and is nervous when talking to other adults about trades????

No. He had a pretty solid track record as GM in Vancouver and hasn't done anything here that would suggest he's not capable of holding his own in any trade discussions.

 

[Zee]

Is anybody else getting the yips that Nonis has entered the JFJ zone
and is nervous when talking to other adults about trades????

It's not like Nonis has never been a GM before the Leafs job or made any trades in the past.  He's fine and like another poster mentioned is just quiet in the press as opposed to Burke who liked to make huge pronouncements about what he *could* do but never actually ended up doing.

 

[Kaberle15]

Did I missed something ? Why is Komarov gone ?

 

[louisstamos]

Did I missed something ? Why is Komarov gone ?

Gone back to Russia and KHL.  Personal/Family reasons.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

The Leafs have 24 million of so in Cap space this summer with the Komisarek buyout but then only have 10 players signed to contracts. They need to re-up 8 RFA's and if they don't re-up their UFA's, they need to replace them. With the addition of Letang, the Leafs lose another $3.5 million for next year and even more the year after.

That's a bit of an exaggeration. They have 11 under contract and 7 RFA's(Komorov, remember, is already gone) and in large part their RFA's are going to get pretty small contracts(fringe NHL'ers like Fraser and McLaren, AHLers like Colborne).

Anyways, the wisdom of adding Letang is a perfectly valid question, I just don't think it has a lot to do with the Leafs' cap situation.

Yes, Komarov's already gone but that doesn't mean there isn't a hole to be filled there. I mean the NHL carries a what....22 man roster? The Leafs need to re-up or sign half a team for 24 million. Yes the McClaren's/Colbourne's and Fraser's will get relatively small raises but the Kadri's, Bernier's, Gunnarson's, and Franson's will all get good to substantial raises.

Franson made 1.2 last year. With his very good season and playoffs, you'd have to think he's getting atleast 2 - 2.5 million a year..

Gunnarson's cap hit was 1.325 last year. He'd also likely be moving up to the 2.5 million range. There's 5 million gone from the 24 million that's available.

Then, the following year, Jake Gardiner's RFA, James Reimer is RFA, Dion Phaneuf is UFA, Phil Kessel is UFA, Kulemin is UFA and McClement are UFA......Add Letang to the mix and that's a boatload of money to spend on a few players.

The cap may not have everything to do with trading for Letang or not, but it is certainly considered. At least, I'd hope it would be.

My point is that once you combine the ridiculous amount of assets you'd have to give up for Letang and then where it pushes your cap situation the move doesn't make sense...IMHO.