Best/Worst UFA deals

Islanders GM · Senior Member

RE: Best/Worst UFA deals

Sabres_Luke · Guru

Definately- Stillman wwas one of the most intriguing UFAs for teams who need to reach the league floor and still want a player with upside. Stillman is precisely that IMO.

Holmstrom is a great 1 year rating for a contender, I agree. I just think 1 year might have been the way to go.

HOTLANTA · Guru

best deals in ufa so far = 0
the market was insane i am SCARED SCARED about next year :)

Islanders GM · Senior Member

Sabres_Luke wrote:

Holmstrom is a great 1 year rating for a contender, I agree. I just think 1 year might have been the way to go.

Yeah, ideally... I think you're right.

And adding a second year on the Rob Blake signing would have been the way to go too. ;)

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 22:21, 2007-08-26

Islanders GM · Senior Member

HOTLANTA wrote:

best deals in ufa so far = 0
the market was insane i am SCARED SCARED about next year :)

Next year we'll have even more cap room to play with, yeah. That makes some signings this year look great.

No great deals in UFA?

Dallas' multi-year good deal on Michael Peca for $ 2.0 mill when he's an elite defensive forward now for top penalty killing AND will get quality ice time in the NHL motivated to re-rate upward as he's looking for a longterm big contract.

Buffalo's getting a 78 ov Rob Blake for a year at 5.4 mill is a good deal.

A 77 ov goaltender for 2.0 mill??????? Phoenix got a great deal on Ed Belfour, no doubt.

Dominik Hasek for 5 mill give how few starters there are is a good deal, Chris Osgood as a decent backup for 1.4 mill is a good deal.

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 22:19, 2007-08-26

Islanders GM · Senior Member

The best/worst signings today:

Best:

1st Scott Mellanby (ANAHEIM DUCKS)
1 year @ 1.875 million
937.5K SB

Not a big signing but one that adds some passing by a good puck controller with strength and enough skill in other ways to be a decent third liner and marginal second liner. Rucchin also signed on as a Duck and is comparable too. These two might play with Lombardi or Boyes on an offensive line. They certainly will be third line trade bait three months from now when the fines for trading them ends and a contender has 2 mill to spare.

2nd Nikolai Khabibulin (MONTREAL CANADIENS)
2 years @ 7.25 million
7.25 million SB

The last true starting goaltender whose stats could increase his worth the following season as his NHL team gets better. It's an average signing except for the fact that it's a commodity in demand.

Worst:

1st Vaclav Prospal (NYR)
5 years @ 4.5 million
11 million SB

Well, the Rangers' expensive 5-year deals for Hamrlik and Arnott are starting to look good compared to giving this veteran a long term deal at that salary level. Will the 73 ov improve as he passes the 35 year old mark? Or will he quickly become just a decent third liner who's overpaid? Joe is the gutsiest or craziest g.m. this UFA period, depending on your perspective.

2nd John Madden (TOR)
2 years @ 5 million
3 million SB

Players with his rating in all his rating categories could be had - and were - for half that salary level in free agency. He is a third liner now and likely the following season as well. This signing seems to be based on the cachet value of his name. At least it's only for two years. Imagine if the NYR had signed him: 5 years for sure.

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 20:50, 2007-08-27

San Jose · Senior Member

I love the fact that Khabby got 7+ million as a UFA....and when i was trying to give him away last season at 6M...nobody wanted him...haha

5 years for Prospal?!?!?!?!?

LAKings · Senior Member

Islanders GM wrote:

The best/worst signings today:

Best:

1st Scott Mellanby (ANAHEIM DUCKS)
1 year @ 1.875 million
937.5K SB

Not a big signing but one that adds some passing by a good puck controller with strength and enough skill in other ways to be a decent third liner and marginal second liner. Rucchin also signed on as a Duck and is comparable too. These two might play with Lombardi or Boyes on an offensive line. They certainly will be third line trade bait three months from now when the fines for trading them ends and a contender has 2 mill to spare.

2nd Nikolai Khabibulin (MONTREAL CANADIENS)
2 years @ 7.25 million
7.25 million SB

The last true starting goaltender whose stats could increase his worth the following season as his NHL team gets better. It's an average signing except for the fact that it's a commodity in demand.

Worst:

1st Vaclav Prospal (NYR)
5 years @ 4.5 million
11 million SB

Well, the Rangers' expensive 5-year deals for Hamrlik and Arnott are starting to look good compared to giving this veteran a long term deal at that salary level. Will the 73 ov improve as he passes the 35 year old mark? Or will he quickly become just a decent third liner who's overpaid? Joe is the gutsiest or craziest g.m. this UFA period, depending on your perspective.

2nd John Madden (TOR)
2 years @ 5 million
3 million SB

Players with his rating in all his rating categories could be had - and were - for half that salary level in free agency. He is a third liner now and likely the following season as well. This signing seems to be based on the cachet value of his name. At least it's only for two years. Imagine if the NYR had signed him: 5 years for sure.

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 20:50, 2007-08-27

These last 2 are the exact reason why I'm trying to move Jovo or Timonen for a forward. I was going to bid on them again last night as I have been for the entire UFA but i sat there and tried to figure out the best way to keep the average salary down and realized they were both going to be skyhigh.. decided that was enough on those ones.

OilersBrent · Senior Member

BryceBruins wrote:

gotta agree with Luke, I thought Holmstroms is insane, and whiel Stillman is overpriced, it's less risk and potentially more reward

In my opinion he was the best LW available on the market. I badly needed to fill my 2nd line LW spot and I had a ton of cap space to do it. If I didn't sign him, it would have been near impossible to fill that spot without trading away other key components of my team. Even if i overpaid slighly, I now have two very strong scoring lines, which is how I like to build my teams. PLus, I add some grit which was needed after losing Arnott and Walker.

-- Edited by OilersBrent at 11:31, 2007-08-28

-- Edited by OilersBrent at 11:32, 2007-08-28

Islanders GM · Senior Member

best signing today:

Anson Carter (NJ)
3 years @ 2 million
3 million SB

This is the minimum that I expected him to sign for. He's 32 years old and could re-rate upward in the right environment. He's a third line offensive support player now. Comparably rated players went in the 2-3 mill range this UFA period and yet Anson has better potential than them (and the cost/benefit re-rate is much better than Stillman: Carter is half the price but not half the value to re-rate, each being the same ratingswise now). Ther eis some more risk though given he hasn't signed with a team yet so his role isn't known. Ideally he'll play on a team not deep in scoring. laraque also heads to New Jersey though only for a year, an effective addition of size and hitting to a back line. The Devils should be quite satisfied to add these roster players this season at a relatively cheap salary given the UFA situation.

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 21:00, 2007-08-28

Sabres · Guru

Im just asking, but you think Carter has more potential than Stillman? Just a question, I found what you said confusing and I really wasn't sure which it was.

Islanders GM · Senior Member

Sabres wrote:

Im just asking, but you think Carter has more potential than Stillman? Just a question, I found what you said confusing and I really wasn't sure which it was.

i clarified it for you

Sabres · Guru

thanks.

Islanders GM · Senior Member

Hamrlik, Arnott, Prospal were not so good deals because they were high salaries for 5 years when they're unlikely to keep up their performance.

The signings are doubly bad if the g.m. expected to trade them right after signing them as appears to be the case.

At least we know why the g.m. wanted so much cash before: to pay for the 4 mill fine per player traded so soon after UFA signed.

Panthers · Senior Member

Islanders GM wrote:

best signing today:

Anson Carter (NJ)
3 years @ 2 million
3 million SB

This is the minimum that I expected him to sign for. He's 32 years old and could re-rate upward in the right environment. He's a third line offensive support player now. Comparably rated players went in the 2-3 mill range this UFA period and yet Anson has better potential than them (and the cost/benefit re-rate is much better than Stillman: Carter is half the price but not half the value to re-rate, each being the same ratingswise now). Ther eis some more risk though given he hasn't signed with a team yet so his role isn't known. Ideally he'll play on a team not deep in scoring. laraque also heads to New Jersey though only for a year, an effective addition of size and hitting to a back line. The Devils should be quite satisfied to add these roster players this season at a relatively cheap salary given the UFA situation.

-- Edited by Islanders GM at 21:00, 2007-08-28

I bid on Carter, and would have beaten this if he had signed by now, but the fact that no NHL team looks ready to take a chance on him worried me. If he doesn't sign, or signs in Europe this season, you just paid $5M for a guy that doesn't play good d and can't score. Decent risk to take though since he could always sign and pot 30.

However, as to him being a better cost-benefit than Stillman, consider that before this season Stillman had 4 straight 20+ goal 50+ point seasons, whereas Carter has only done that in consecutive years once in his career. Also, Stillman is signed for next year on a team with lots of good offensive players for support, whereas who knows what kind of a situation Carter will end up in.