Devil of a Signing...

[shrader]

True, however, if they run into a road block trading players that they don't want (or Salvador or Zubs dont waive their no-trade clause) i think the guy they will try to deal is Jamie Langenbrunner. A great leader and a great fit for the Sabres IMO, who also has a no trade clause. However, he's a UFA after the season and even if they deal other pieces, they may have a tough time re-signing him so it'd be killing two birds with one stone if they can trade him now.

 

I think he'd be the easiest to move. It's pretty much the perfect contract with that one year left. They dump some money and the team that takes him doesn't really add that much to their payroll. The problem there though is that he seems to be the kind of guy that Lou always loves.

 

Anyway, if by some chance this deal does get accepted, I'd have to imagine that they'll be regretting the contract they gave Arnott. That addition really doesn't make too much sense to me right now.

[wonderbread]

Yes in a New York Minute. Of course Darcy wouldn't as he has his constraints in place.

 

 

As far as Kovy didn't his agent issue a 48 hour ultimatum last week? How do you say Douchebag in Russian?

[jpgr909]

This was clearly the DR's master plan all along. Stock up on mid-level players, wait for Kovalchuk to sign with NJ, then put a package together for Zajac. Pure genius! And we all doubted!

 

Back to the real world, yes, Zajac is worth taking a shot at, but he's not worth giving away the farm. Maybe a few milk-producing cows and even a blue-ribbon sow...maybe a hen or two. So if the price isn't ridiculous (and we had an aggressive GM), I'd say try to land him. As for Zubrus, I thought I heard earlier in the summer that NJ was trying to trade him, but they had no takers. If correct, it'll be all the more difficult to trade him now.

[wjag]

NY Post says if Devils keep Kovy, Zajac may be let go to fit under the cap: check it out.

 

He's 25, 6'2, 200", was NJ's #1 center last year, has played 4 full years in the NHL and has topped 20 goals and 60 pts for the last 2 years. He's under contract for the next 3 years at $3.9MM per year.

 

Would you trade Kassian and a #1 for Zajac? Maybe Pyzik & and #1?

I'd trade the whole AHL affiliate for him.

[bunomatic]

Don't forget, Darcy has forgotten how to work out a trade. Unless its a player to Vancouver for a 2nd round pick.

[Kristian]

Don't forget, Darcy has forgotten how to work out a trade. Unless its a player to Vancouver for a 2nd round pick.

 

Or a 2nd rounder for a rental who ends up a healthy scratch in the playoffs.

[Two or less]

Zajac would be a lot easier to move since teams would actually want him. I don't think it's too likely, but his value is through the roof right now and I wouldn't blame Lou if he wanted to cash out on that.

 

Allen Muir says no way Devils trade Zajac, but suggested they may package Rolston with a top notch prospect to move Rolston's deal. I wonder if that would be something Sabres would consider since they'd be adding a vet and a ok goal scorer at the same time. Too bad he has 2 years left though, which all but takes us out of that conversation.

 

It's pretty clear that the Devils will have to movesome salary if and when Ilya Kovalchuk's generation-spanning contract is approved by the league. Still, the published reports suggesting that promising young center Travis Zajac will headline the banished list are as goofy as the Shake Weight.

"If [Chicago GM Stan] Bowman managed to fix his [salary cap] problems without getting rid of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, why would Lou [Lamoriello] fumble away one of his best young players?" asked an NHL executive. "Zajac's a big part of their core. He's not going anywhere."

Zajac would be easy enough to move -- at just 25, he's playing first-line minutes and making under $4 million for the next two seasons, but he's far more valuable to the team than the cap space he's assuming. Look for the Devils to make a move involving Dainius Zubrus or Bryce Salvador to clear room. Another option? Finding someone to take Brian Rolston (NTC and all) and his $5 million off the books...although that would mean packaging him with a top prospect like Mattias Tedenby to make taking on his contract more appealing.

 

Link- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/allan_muir/08/31/niemi.news.notes/index.html

[nfreeman]

Puck Daddy has the deets on the contract:

 

2010-11: $6 million

2011-12: $6 million

2012-13: $11 million

2013-14: $11.3 million

2014-15: $11.3 million

2015-16: $11.6 million

2016-17: $11.8 million

2017-18: $10 million

2018-19: $7 million

2020-21: $4 million

2021-22: $1 million

2022-23: $1 million

2023-24: $1 million

2024-25: $3 million

2025-26: $4 million

 

So: it's really $90MM for 10 years, which should be a $9MM cap hit, but they're trying to finagle it into a $6.67MM cap hit by stretching it into $100MM for 15 years.

 

Not quite $95MM for 10 years that got finagled into $102MM for 17 years, but only an incremental improvement. I say bounce this one too.

 

Also on the change in the deal: Kovy gave up $500K per year in real cash and the Devils gave up a $667K per year cap hit. I found that interesting.

[Two or less]

James Mirtle comparing the new with the old-

 

http://twitpic.com/2k4r9n

[shrader]

Allen Muir says no way Devils trade Zajac, but suggested they may package Rolston with a top notch prospect to move Rolston's deal. I wonder if that would be something Sabres would consider since they'd be adding a vet and a ok goal scorer at the same time. Too bad he has 2 years left though, which all but takes us out of that conversation.

 

And it's two years of an over 35 contract. No one is going anywhere near that one.

 

 

Puck Daddy has the deets on the contract:

 

2010-11: $6 million

2011-12: $6 million

2012-13: $11 million

2013-14: $11.3 million

2014-15: $11.3 million

2015-16: $11.6 million

2016-17: $11.8 million

2017-18: $10 million

2018-19: $7 million

2020-21: $4 million

2021-22: $1 million

2022-23: $1 million

2023-24: $1 million

2024-25: $3 million

2025-26: $4 million

 

So: it's really $90MM for 10 years, which should be a $9MM cap hit, but they're trying to finagle it into a $6.67MM cap hit by stretching it into $100MM for 15 years.

 

Not quite $95MM for 10 years that got finagled into $102MM for 17 years, but only an incremental improvement. I say bounce this one too.

 

Also on the change in the deal: Kovy gave up $500K per year in real cash and the Devils gave up a $667K per year cap hit. I found that interesting.

 

I like how the basically just merged years 16 and 17 into years 14 and 15. Stick to your guns NHL.

[nobody]

Allen Muir says no way Devils trade Zajac, but suggested they may package Rolston with a top notch prospect to move Rolston's deal. I wonder if that would be something Sabres would consider since they'd be adding a vet and a ok goal scorer at the same time. Too bad he has 2 years left though, which all but takes us out of that conversation.

 

 

 

Link- http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/allan_muir/08/31/niemi.news.notes/index.html

 

 

We know the Sabres won't be involved with this trade but looking at NJs prospects I'd rather see the Sabres go for Jacob Josefson rather then Mattias Tedenby.

[nobody]

I like how the basically just merged years 16 and 17 into years 14 and 15. Stick to your guns NHL.

 

 

The buyout plan with that contract probably hasn't changed a bit. You also know that the veteran minimum will be more then $1 million in 2021. The league should be able to adjust the cap figure based on that each year.

[wjag]

Puck Daddy has the deets on the contract:

 

2010-11: $6 million

2011-12: $6 million

2012-13: $11 million

2013-14: $11.3 million

2014-15: $11.3 million

2015-16: $11.6 million

2016-17: $11.8 million

2017-18: $10 million

2018-19: $7 million

2020-21: $4 million

2021-22: $1 million

2022-23: $1 million

2023-24: $1 million

2024-25: $3 million

2025-26: $4 million

 

 

Man in 2025-2026 I'm gonna be old.. But I bet I won't think sixties is old then :-)

[spndnchz]

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to extend the deadline for Kovy approval until Friday at 5pm.

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=536740

[Two or less]

The NHL and NHLPA have agreed to extend the deadline for Kovy approval until Friday at 5pm.

 

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=536740

 

According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, the league will approve the Kovy deal as long as the players union agrees on a few conditions.... http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/nhl_gives_players_assn_ultimatum_UEbYgwfB6I4E4y7xGbE1OP

[spndnchz]

According to Larry Brooks of the NY Post, the league will approve the Kovy deal as long as the players union agrees on a few conditions.... http://www.nypost.co...B6I4E4y7xGbE1OP

 

And a follow up to this... http://www.nypost.co...MKN88KdA5LaSpDN

 

Conditions:

1. That the cap hit on future multi-year contracts will not count any season that ends with the player over 40 years of age. The cap hit would be based on the average salary of the seasons in the contract up to age 40.

 

2. That the cap hit on future contracts longer than five years would be calculated by granting additional weight -- perhaps the average -- to the five consecutive years with the largest average salary.

 

 

[spndnchz]

Word from TSN is that the Kovy deal is going to go through as written.

 

Both sides have agreed to put an amendment or two in the CBA that will stop future Kovy, Savard, Luongo type deals.

[wjag]

Word from TSN is that the Kovy deal is going to go through as written.

 

Both sides have agreed to put an amendment or two in the CBA that will stop future Kovy, Savard, Luongo type deals.

 

I hate this logic. 'We all recognize it's bad, but we'll let it go through as long as you promise not to do it again'.

[shrader]

I hate this logic. 'We all recognize it's bad, but we'll let it go through as long as you promise not to do it again'.

 

It is kind of cheap that it's a 15 year deal they're letting through this one last time. I could understand it if it was a 5 year deal. But really, this is the only way things like this get done. They need to make some sort of compromise in order to correct the CBA.

[spndnchz]

The 2 amendments from TSN:

 

The amendments address two specific rules which only apply to long-term contracts (contracts defined as five years or longer).

 

First: For long-term contracts extending beyond the age of 40, the contract's average annual value for the years up to and including 40, are calculated by dividing total value in those years by the number of years up to and including 40. Then for the years covering ages 41 and beyond, the cap charge in each year is equal to the value of the contract in that year.

 

For example, when a 35-year old player agrees to a seven-year deal that expires when he's 42, the NHL would now take the first five years of the contract to age 40 and average them out. The total becomes the dollars divided by five years. That player's average annual salary would then become the cap hit.

 

His cap hit in the final two years of his deal would be the actual value of the contract in those seasons, therefore a cap hit of $525,000 for years six and seven of the deal.

 

Secondly, for long-term contracts that include years in which the player is 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40; the amount used for purposes of calculating his average annual value is a minimum of $1 million in each of those years (even if his actual compensation is less during those seasons).

 

As an example, a player signs the exact same seven-year deal discussed above, however the deal is signed at the age of 32 and is set to expire when the player reaches 39 years old. For that contract, the two seasons at $525,000 would remain, however they would be treated as years at $1 million for the purpose of calculating the appropriate cap charge.

[carpandean]

Secondly, for long-term contracts that include years in which the player is 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40; the amount used for purposes of calculating his average annual value is a minimum of $1 million in each of those years (even if his actual compensation is less during those seasons).

Assuming that they didn't tie it to the cap (like the walkaway minimum for RFA arbitration awards is), will they be allowed to increase that value every so often? I mean, it's OK (still not great) when the league minimum is $500k, but what about five years from now when it's $800k?

[Taro T]

Assuming that they didn't tie it to the cap (like the walkaway minimum for RFA arbitration awards is), will they be allowed to increase that value every so often? I mean, it's OK (still not great) when the league minimum is $500k, but what about five years from now when it's $800k?

I'd expect they'll be operating under a new CBA 5 years from now.

[deluca67]

CBA aside, this off-season the Devils moved to elite team status with Washington and Pittsburgh. If Marty stays healthy they maybe the best team in the East this year.

[carpandean]

CBA aside, this off-season the Devils moved to elite team status with Washington and Pittsburgh. If the Marty stays healthy they maybe the best team in the East this year.

I will give it to Lou Lamoriello; he may be a genius. He was on the record as hating when teams play games with the loopholes of the CBA, so he signs the biggest, most ridiculous contract, which forces the NHL to finally take a stand and gets the last/biggest "cheating" contract in the process. To quote the Guinness commercials, "Brilliant!"

[darksabre]

I will give it to Lou Lamoriello; he may be a genius. He was on the record as hating when teams play games with the loopholes of the CBA, so he signs the biggest, most ridiculous contract, which forces the NHL to finally take a stand and gets the last/biggest "cheating" contract in the process. To quote the Guinness commercials, "Brilliant!"

 

Well he didn't sign Matt Ellis so he can suck it!