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All About Tim Connolly


IKnowPhysics

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Somebody was going to pay for him, and I'm glad it wasn't us. While most folks agreed that bringing back TC in a diminished role for a diminished price would have been acceptable, with so many teams needy at the center position and the bigger center UFA names off the market, it was very unlikely that TC wouldn't find greener pastures. And I'm ok with that. Good for him for landing on a team that would actually give him a raise.

 

While I would like to wish him well with some team not in the Northeast, I can't. Instead I will wish him luck and then hate on his lazy, streaky Leaf ass. And if he ends up being the one to make Phil Kessel a better player, I will hate on him even more.

 

I will also enjoy the first on-ice introductions between Tim Connolly and Robyn Regehr.

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The Leafs must be desperate ... 4.75M per season - how does he get a raise after his performance the last 2 years ?

 

What do you mean? That's just north of what Buffalo paid for Leino for SIX freaking years. If a guy with one decent stat line under his belt is worth almost $5 mil then certainly the best UFA center after Richards is worth more, especially if he's agreeing to a 2 year deal.

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What do you mean? That's just north of what Buffalo paid for Leino for SIX freaking years. If a guy with one decent stat line under his belt is worth almost $5 mil then certainly the best UFA center after Richards is worth more, especially if he's agreeing to a 2 year deal.

For a guy who is three years older, has only had a better season than the other (albeit untested) player in question twice and hasn't played a full NHL season since before the lockout?

 

If Tim Connolly had been signed here for those numbers, there would be riots of Vancouvish Proportions.

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What do you mean? That's just north of what Buffalo paid for Leino for SIX freaking years. If a guy with one decent stat line under his belt is worth almost $5 mil then certainly the best UFA center after Richards is worth more, especially if he's agreeing to a 2 year deal.

Think I would have signed Arnott for 2 years over TC, given his injury track record. I'll admit paying Leino 4.5M/6 yrs is a gamble, but I think his potential merits that cash.

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For a guy who is three years older, has only had a better season than the other (albeit untested) player in question twice and hasn't played a full NHL season since before the lockout?

 

If Tim Connolly had been signed here for those numbers, there would be riots of Vancouvish Proportions.

 

Not counting Leino's first year in Detroit (only played 13 games, so irrelevant really), his career stats are as follows:

2009-10: 55GP, 6 G, 5 A and a -8

2010-11: 81GP, 19G, 34A, and a +14

 

TC:

2007-08: 48GP, 7G, 33A, +4

2008-09: 48GP, 18G, 29A, +12

2009-10: 73GP, 17G, 48A, +10

2010:-11: 68GP, 13G, 29A, -10

 

While Connolly may only have eclipsed Leino's 53 points twice, he's come very close to doing it in years where he's missed half of the season. Tim Connolly is a productive, nearly a point per game player. Go ahead and call him "injury prone" because of his concussion issues. That's a real manly thing to do. Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros retired because of concussion problems. Marc Savard might not play again because of concussion problems. They are a BIG DEAL. He's not "injury prone" because he missed games with post concussion syndrome.

 

Let me put it this way-- remember how LIVID Sabres fans were when Connolly signed 2 years @ 4.5 mil based on him scoring 18G and 29A in the 48 games he played the second half of 2008-09? Because honestly that deal makes a whole lot more sense than the Leino deal at SIX years based off of 19G and 34 assists with a stacked Philly team.

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So, Deluca, is Burke still your model GM? :nana:

 

I LOVED the team Burke had in Anaheim (yeah, I know he inherited a bunch of it). And I really like the philosphy for team building that he spoke of so much when TO hired him (2 kill you with skill lines, 2 hard to play against lines, 2 skil defenders, and 4 hard to play against defenders). But I gotta say, I can't even remotely consider him as a decent GM anymore. Until now I kept thinking, "he's got a long way to come up, it'll take time". But I think the statute of limitations is over. Especially if he's willing to pay that much for the Tin Man.

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Not counting Leino's first year in Detroit (only played 13 games, so irrelevant really), his career stats are as follows:

2009-10: 55GP, 6 G, 5 A and a -8

2010-11: 81GP, 19G, 34A, and a +14

 

TC:

2007-08: 48GP, 7G, 33A, +4

2008-09: 48GP, 18G, 29A, +12

2009-10: 73GP, 17G, 48A, +10

2010:-11: 68GP, 13G, 29A, -10

 

While Connolly may only have eclipsed Leino's 53 points twice, he's come very close to doing it in years where he's missed half of the season. Tim Connolly is a productive, nearly a point per game player. Go ahead and call him "injury prone" because of his concussion issues. That's a real manly thing to do. Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros retired because of concussion problems. Marc Savard might not play again because of concussion problems. They are a BIG DEAL. He's not "injury prone" because he missed games with post concussion syndrome.

 

Let me put it this way-- remember how LIVID Sabres fans were when Connolly signed 2 years @ 4.5 mil based on him scoring 18G and 29A in the 48 games he played the second half of 2008-09? Because honestly that deal makes a whole lot more sense than the Leino deal at SIX years based off of 19G and 34 assists with a stacked Philly team.

 

About the only counter I will come up with for you position re: Leino's contract is that the cap is way bigger now than it was then. I think it makes sense to compare what % of the cap ceiling Leino's and Connolly's contract is/was. ( I don't have the ambition to do it myself or I would :blush: )

 

You do make an interesting point about what is likely a substantial overpayment for Leino. Just be careful how strongly and frequently you comment on it around here. You know, it's kinda frowned upon as counterproductive. :ph34r:

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Not counting Leino's first year in Detroit (only played 13 games, so irrelevant really), his career stats are as follows:

2009-10: 55GP, 6 G, 5 A and a -8

2010-11: 81GP, 19G, 34A, and a +14

 

TC:

2007-08: 48GP, 7G, 33A, +4

2008-09: 48GP, 18G, 29A, +12

2009-10: 73GP, 17G, 48A, +10

2010:-11: 68GP, 13G, 29A, -10

 

While Connolly may only have eclipsed Leino's 53 points twice, he's come very close to doing it in years where he's missed half of the season. Tim Connolly is a productive, nearly a point per game player. Go ahead and call him "injury prone" because of his concussion issues. That's a real manly thing to do. Paul Kariya and Eric Lindros retired because of concussion problems. Marc Savard might not play again because of concussion problems. They are a BIG DEAL. He's not "injury prone" because he missed games with post concussion syndrome.

Let me put it this way-- remember how LIVID Sabres fans were when Connolly signed 2 years @ 4.5 mil based on him scoring 18G and 29A in the 48 games he played the second half of 2008-09? Because honestly that deal makes a whole lot more sense than the Leino deal at SIX years based off of 19G and 34 assists with a stacked Philly team.

 

 

Not just the concussions: Face, sternum, groin, tailbone, hip, hip flexor, foot........

 

The concussions are not part of being injury prone, but unfortunately they decrease his longevity. And as cruel as it is, that makes him a huge risk for a professional club. I for one am tired of the head injury problem in the NHL and empathize with TC, Savard, Drury, Kariya, Lindros, Lafontaine etc. However I'm going to think twice about dishing out terms to a risky player if I'm a GM. Just the ugly side of business.

 

And your numbers do pose the question regarding the terms we just gave Leino. But the fact of the matter is, he's produced a hell of a lot more than TC when it mattered, i.e. in the SCP.

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It comes down to the ###### old argument: contracts paying for achievement vs contracts paying for expectation. Neither Connolly or Leino has laid great groundwork for paying based on achievement. So that means we paid both on expectation.

 

remember how LIVID Sabres fans were when Connolly signed 2 years @ 4.5 mil based on him scoring 18G and 29A in the 48 games he played the second half of 2008-09?

 

We were livid because we knew exactly what Connolly was from watching him: he was streaky, lazy, and hurt. And the front office paid him on the expectation that he wouldn't be streaky, lazy, and hurt. And guess what? He was streaky, lazy, and hurt. Connolly failed to meet expectations (understatement).

 

Now the front office is paying Leino based on the expectation of being able to produce as a top-six center. No body knows if Leino will meet expectations, but the pro scouts believe he has the ability, so we put him in. Any inflation of salary and terms are a product of doing business on the free agent market, not a testament to Leino's achievements.

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