Steve Zipay is saying that Staal's previously empty locker now has shoulder pads and a sweatsuit in it. The guy on twitter is probably taking that and saying that the deal is done... just so that he can say he was the first to say it.
I gotta think he's got a 6-8 year deal on the table now. 4 years is just too short when a 2 year deal keeps him as a RFA. He's got no arbitration rights so I'd offer him 3 deals and let him pick.
Option 1) 1 year at 2
Option 2) 2 years at 2 and 2.5
Option 3) 8 years at 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6
There's no way Staal would take #3. That only averages out to 4.375 per year. It will take more than that to get him to give up 4 UFA years.
I think a 6 year deal is more realistic, somewhere in the vicinity of 4.5 - 4.75 per year.
There's no way Staal would take #3. That only averages out to 4.375 per year. It will take more than that to get him to give up 4 UFA years.
I think a 6 year deal is more realistic, somewhere in the vicinity of 4.5 - 4.75 per year.
3, 3.75, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6 = 4.625 per year
I like that. Make space for him now by moving Redden to Hartford. It has to happen anyhow. In two years Drury's and possibly Rozsival are off the payroll and his salary starts rising above his cap hit in seasons 4, 5 and 6.
Our writer claimed to have a source, we didn't run with it. A highly reputable source claimed he was right so we published. Take it for what you will, it seems done in my book. Official announcement expected today or tomorrow.
Not a fan of people Eklund-ing especially on my site. If I thought it was false it would not be up. We have much better things to do than try to get cheap traffic with false rumors.
I tend to think that if it was absolutely done, it'd be announced by now, but I can certainly believe that things are very close and a lot of sources know that it's about to happen
My guess is something like 4.5-5 million over 6 years
I would hope it's for 6 years at the 4.5 million mark, but i have a feeling Sather has a number and won't budge. I see a deal for 4 to 4.3 average for 5 years, Sather not being able to buy another year off UFA cause he is stingy.
4.5 per would not be a very smart deal considering Staal was a RFA with no arbitration rights. I am a huge Staal fan but look around the league and see what elite "Defensive" D-Men are paid. Even when they hit UFA. The market is very different for elite offensive d-men compared to elite defensive d-men.
4.5 per would not be a very smart deal considering Staal was a RFA with no arbitration rights. I am a huge Staal fan but look around the league and see what elite "Defensive" D-Men are paid. Even when they hit UFA. The market is very different for elite offensive d-men compared to elite defensive d-men.
You are right, but you have to pay to get those years of unrestricted free agency. I just don't see Sather giving Staal 4.5 million a year, but he has to be paid more than Girardi, so i say 4 to 4.3 tops average over 5 years.
Also staal's offensive game was starting to come together at the end of the season, if he continues to improve that could be a very good deal come season 5 or 6 of the deal if it goes that long.
4.5 per would not be a very smart deal considering Staal was a RFA with no arbitration rights. I am a huge Staal fan but look around the league and see what elite "Defensive" D-Men are paid. Even when they hit UFA. The market is very different for elite offensive d-men compared to elite defensive d-men.
For a one or two year deal, yeah that'd be too much.
If you're going for a long term deal, though, you're not going to have the option of keeping the price super low and still getting 5+ years out of it.
You want to lock Staal up, you're going to have to at least pay him more than Girardi, even if he doesn't have the arbitration rights Girardi did
Our writer claimed to have a source, we didn't run with it. A highly reputable source claimed he was right so we published. Take it for what you will, it seems done in my book. Official announcement expected today or tomorrow.
Not a fan of people Eklund-ing especially on my site. If I thought it was false it would not be up. We have much better things to do than try to get cheap traffic with false rumors.
If we want to lock Staal up for any considerable length, we have to pay him. And believe me, it will be well worth it. Give him 4.75 for 6 years if he wants it.
You are right, but you have to pay to get those years of unrestricted free agency. I just don't see Sather giving Staal 4.5 million a year, but he has to be paid more than Girardi, so i say 4 to 4.3 tops average over 5 years.
Also staal's offensive game was starting to come together at the end of the season, if he continues to improve that could be a very good deal come season 5 or 6 of the deal if it goes that long.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Levitate
For a one or two year deal, yeah that'd be too much.
If you're going for a long term deal, though, you're not going to have the option of keeping the price super low and still getting 5+ years out of it.
You want to lock Staal up, you're going to have to at least pay him more than Girardi, even if he doesn't have the arbitration rights Girardi did
I agree philosophically with what both of you are saying. I think it is a smart move to pay a bit of a premium now to get Staal locked up long term. As Erixon said, buying UFA years is expensive. If Staals offensive game develops then 4.5mill will be a terrific bargain.
Girardi is a bit of a different animal because he was on his 3rd contract. He had signed his 2nd contract for 2 years 1.4 per. Staal is signing his 2nd right now and doesn't have arbitration rights. So it isn't an apples to apples comparison. However, he should still be paid more than Girardi because he is a superior player so that is all moot.
Look at the contract Volchenkov signed as a UFA this summer. 4.25 cap hit. Defensive D-Man. He was a UFA and only got 4.25 on the open market. I am fine with Staal getting 4.5 because in the end he is a lot more important to us than he would be to other teams. I just wouldn't view it as a terrific bargain.
My point was mainly that the Rangers seem to be taking a different direction than what they did with Girardi and skip that intermediate contract between the entry level and arbitration eligible. To do so, they're going to have to pay more than they normally would in a situation where a player doesn't have much leverage in negotiations.
Basically when you're talking about a long term contract, whether or not someone is arbitration eligible becomes irrelevant.
edit: I honestly think Staal is overall as good as Volchenkov now and could be better
My point was mainly that the Rangers seem to be taking a different direction than what they did with Girardi and skip that intermediate contract between the entry level and arbitration eligible. To do so, they're going to have to pay more than they normally would in a situation where a player doesn't have much leverage in negotiations.
Basically when you're talking about a long term contract, whether or not someone is arbitration eligible becomes irrelevant.
edit: I honestly think Staal is overall as good as Volchenkov now and could be better
I agree. If he's not better then he's not far off. He's also younger and at least has an offensive aspect to his game that is developing. Volchenkov is strictly a defensive d-man
Zipay says his (Staal's) previously empter locker now has a track suit and shoulder pads in it. I think it's a done deal, too. I'd like to hear the terms - hopefully it's for 6 years.
I agree philosophically with what both of you are saying. I think it is a smart move to pay a bit of a premium now to get Staal locked up long term. As Erixon said, buying UFA years is expensive. If Staals offensive game develops then 4.5mill will be a terrific bargain.
Girardi is a bit of a different animal because he was on his 3rd contract. He had signed his 2nd contract for 2 years 1.4 per. Staal is signing his 2nd right now and doesn't have arbitration rights. So it isn't an apples to apples comparison. However, he should still be paid more than Girardi because he is a superior player so that is all moot.
Look at the contract Volchenkov signed as a UFA this summer. 4.25 cap hit. Defensive D-Man. He was a UFA and only got 4.25 on the open market. I am fine with Staal getting 4.5 because in the end he is a lot more important to us than he would be to other teams. I just wouldn't view it as a terrific bargain.
and staal also had double the amount of points Volchenkov did...Staals offensive numbers are trending upwards, and he really does have a lot of untapped offensive potential...not 50 point potential, but 30-35 point potential for sure.
