This might be a little premature but we have a couple of pending free agents on our current team.
Pos
Player
Status
Current Cap Hit
F
Simon Gagne
UFA
$5,250,000
D
Eric Brewer
UFA
$4,250,000
F
Steven Stamkos
RFA
$3,725,000
G
Dwayne Roloson
UFA; 35+
$2,500,000
G
Mike Smith
UFA
$2,200,000
D
Randy Jones
UFA
$1,000,000
D
Marc-Andre Bergeron
UFA
$1,000,000
D
Mike Lundin
RFA
$750,000
F
Teddy Purcell
RFA
$750,000
F
Sean Bergenheim
UFA
$700,000
F
Adam Hall
UFA
$600,000
D
Matt Smaby
RFA
$525,000
I personally wouldn't be surprised if most of them will get re-signed. Obviously, Stamkos will be first priority - hopefully followed by Brewer. I see Smith, Gagne if he isn't willing to take a pay cut and MAB as the obvious guys out and I don't know if Smaby has a future in this franchise. Most of us wouldn't mind another year of Roloson in net - best case scenario in a 1b or backup/mentor role.
Minor leaguers:
Pos
Player
Status
Current Cap Hit
F
Johan Harju
RFA
$900,000
F
Alex Berry
RFA
$850,000
G
Riku Helenius
RFA
$821,667
D
Kevin Quick
RFA
$650,000
D
Vladimir Mihalik
RFA
$600,000
D
Mathieu Roy
UFA
$600,000
F
Marc-Antoine Pouliot
RFA
$550,000
F
Paul Szczechura
RFA
$550,000
F
Blair Jones
RFA
$550,000
F
Chris Durno
UFA
$550,000
G
Cedrick Desjardins
RFA
$550,000
F
Stefano Giliati
RFA
$546,667
F
Levi Nelson
RFA
$538,333
F
Mitch Fritz
UFA
$525,000
D
Scott Jackson
RFA
$521,667
D
Mike Vernace
UFA
$500,000
F
Mike Angelidis
UFA
$500,000
Last edited by LightningStrikes: 04-18-2011 at 01:55 PM.
Reason: added minor leaguers
Pos Player Status Current Cap Hit
F Simon Gagne UFA $5,250,000 Resign for about 3m per
D Eric Brewer UFA $4,250,000 Resign definitely
F Steven Stamkos RFA $3,725,000 6-7m per
G Dwayne Roloson UFA; 35+ $2,500,000 Wouldn't mind one more year of Roli, he seems to take care of his body and I think he can handle it
G Mike Smith UFA $2,200,000 Despite improved performances, 2.2m is too much for a back up
D Randy Jones UFA $1,000,000 Probably let go
D Marc-Andre Bergeron UFA $1,000,000 I'll drive him wherever he wants to go
D Mike Lundin RFA $750,000 Re-sign multi year deal this time
F Teddy Purcell RFA $750,000 Same as Lundin
F Sean Bergenheim UFA $700,000 Similar contract? slight raise, definite resign
F Adam Hall UFA $600,000 Wouldn't mind resigning, could improve on him however.
D Matt Smaby RFA $525,000 One more year as he is RFA, maybe a two way deal though?
Wouldn't mind having Roli back, but could we really get him back for 2.5 or less? It seems like with each win in the playoffs his pay goes up. Smitty I would take back only as a backup and at the max for 1 million. Bergenheim and Brewer are no brainers to re-sign.
Also, what are peoples thoughts about resigning Des? I'm pretty sure he's a UFA too
I'm more interested in what SFY will do with minor league players under contract.
Harju, Berry, Helenius, Quick, Mihalik, Roy, Pouliot, Szczechura, B. Jones, Durno, Desjardins, Gilati, Nelson, Fritz, Jackson, Vernace, and Angelidis are all due for their various free agent statuses on July 1st.
keep who we can. Stamkos obviously is #1. Bringing back Brad Richards Should be the second most important thing we do, Followed by Signing Roli and or getting another quality goal tender.
Pos Player Status Current Cap Hit
F Simon Gagne UFA $5,250,000 Resign for about 3m per
D Eric Brewer UFA $4,250,000 Resign definitely
F Steven Stamkos RFA $3,725,000 6-7m per
G Dwayne Roloson UFA; 35+ $2,500,000 Wouldn't mind one more year of Roli, he seems to take care of his body and I think he can handle it
G Mike Smith UFA $2,200,000 Despite improved performances, 2.2m is too much for a back up
D Randy Jones UFA $1,000,000 Probably let go
D Marc-Andre Bergeron UFA $1,000,000 I'll drive him wherever he wants to go
D Mike Lundin RFA $750,000 Re-sign multi year deal this time
F Teddy Purcell RFA $750,000 Same as Lundin
F Sean Bergenheim UFA $700,000 Similar contract? slight raise, definite resign
F Adam Hall UFA $600,000 Wouldn't mind resigning, could improve on him however.
D Matt Smaby RFA $525,000 One more year as he is RFA, maybe a two way deal though?
Pretty accurate to what I think they'd get. I do think Gagne would fit more in the 3.4-3.7 range, but whatever.
Hall's going to get a raise, even if only slightly, which means Bergenheim will be making more as well.
That's all the talking about contracts I want to do on here until the season's over.
Bring back Brewer, Hall, Roli, and Gagne. Anyone else, even though I like Serge, can be replaced in the FA market. Hall is a real good fit on our bottom line so I don't really want him replaced, Boucher seems to like him alot too.
Pos Player Status Current Cap Hit
F Simon Gagne UFA $5,250,000 Resign if between 3-4 mil
D Eric Brewer UFA $4,250,000 Resign, but hopefully less than 4 mil
F Steven Stamkos RFA $3,725,000 Re-sign, guessing 6.5-7.5 cap hit
G Dwayne Roloson UFA; 35+ $2,500,000 I'm not big on him returning, but it's not a big deal if he returns
G Mike Smith UFA $2,200,000 If he will take a big cut, him as a backup won't be the end of the world.
D Randy Jones UFA $1,000,000 See ya
D Marc-Andre Bergeron UFA $1,000,000 See Randy Jones
D Mike Lundin RFA $750,000 Re-sign, multiple years
F Teddy Purcell RFA $750,000 I wouldn't be opposed to dealing him, but he deserves a contract
F Sean Bergenheim UFA $700,000 Hopefully we keep him, but I think many teams will be in on him and I doubt we're willing to pay as much as some teams may offer
F Adam Hall UFA $600,000 I'd rather upgrade or replace with youth. See ya.
D Matt Smaby RFA $525,000 Not a terrible option for a 7th d-man or injury filler. I'd be fine if he came back on a 2 way deal, a 1 way I doubt will happen.
Pos Player Status Current Cap Hit
F Simon Gagne UFA $5,250,000 Re-sign for 2.5-3.5 M.
D Eric Brewer UFA $4,250,000 MUST re-sign
F Steven Stamkos RFA $3,725,000 Re-sign for whatever he wants
G Dwayne Roloson UFA; 35+ $2,500,000 If there's no upgrade in FA, re-sign for 2 M.
G Mike Smith UFA $2,200,000 Back-up if he takes less than 1.2 M, if not bye
D Randy Jones UFA $1,000,000 Bye bye
D Marc-Andre Bergeron UFA $1,000,000 GTFO
D Mike Lundin RFA $750,000 MUST re-sign
F Teddy Purcell RFA $750,000 Re-sign
F Sean Bergenheim UFA $700,000 Re-sign, he has been great
F Adam Hall UFA $600,000 Not re-sign, can get something better in FA me thinks
D Matt Smaby RFA $525,000 Dunno
Resign Brewer, Roloson (As a 1A goalie, let DJ or Tokarski come in next year as a back up, let Roloson mentor them. I think he would be happy to do so. Considering he still gets a chance at the cup and the starter position as the only stipulation would be to mentor the guy to replace him when he hangs it up.) Purcell, Stamkos, and Gagne if hes willing to take a pay cut. Lundin and pretty much everyone on the main roster besides MAB. Resign Jones but as a 7th D-man, nothing more.
Also make a pitch for Brad Richards, especially if Gagne doesn't resign. Let him come home.
With 1 or 2 potential minor league exceptions I think ALL the RFAs will be re-signed to reasonable deals for wherever they're at in the system. I don't think there will be any drama surrounding Stamkos', Lundin's , nor Purcell's re-signings. Reasonable raises for all three that fit in the teams overall salary structure.
Of the UFA's;
Gagne - I don't see taking as large a discount as some. I think he was an acceptable luxury that fell into Yzermans lap, and that his salary only having one year left was and is a good thing. Gagne's skills are still good enough that someone will pay him more than the Lightning should.
Brewer - Contractually, the same boat as Gagne. Stable defender who deserves what he makes or a little more. Think Yzerman will be reluctant to sign him for a very long term, but, I think he can and should be retained just the same.
Roloson & Smith - Only want/expect one back, hope its Roloson, think it'll be Smith.
Jones - He deserves to be brought back at comparable rate and role next year as this. I don't see him getting a huge raise here nor anywhere, but he's adequate as a depth defenseman.
MAB - gone, possibly from the league entirely.
Bergenheim - Should be brought back, especially if Gagne departs. Might be able to pursue better situation or dollar amount elsewhere. Won't shock me if he is or isn't on the team next year, but, I'd like to see him return.
Hall - Journeyman journeys on. He might be brought back, but is still very much on the fringe between Tampa and Norfolk. Think he moves on elsewhere and its probably best for both.
Beyond attending to the free agents above, I think any free agent spending will be put toward the defense and/or goaltending. Even if we lose Gagne and Bergenheim we still have enough quality forwards in the system currently that we shouldn't be looking to break the bank to replace them. Biggest needs are starting Goalie and 2 top 4 Defensemen (Brewer hopefully one).
Trade scenarios are tougher to forecast, but I think Yzerman will continue to make shrewd moves in this regard. I think there will be a trade or two this summer involving players on the team we might not want or expect to be dealt out. I have faith that they'll be done to make the team better overall and succeed at doing just that.
The draft and further evolutions of the farm system will also be a nice offseason barometer of the organizations progress.
I gotta tell ya, Im starting to think the Stamkos contract will be in the cap hit range of around 5M after the last few months hes had. 5M per for around 3-4 years is my guess.
As for the rest, Brewer definitely bring back. Resign Lundin, Purcell, Bergenheim if their salary demands arent ridiculous for what they provide.
Everybody else is probably peace out, except maybe Gagne and Roloson depending on which way they decide to spend their money in the offseason.
Brewer and Roloson sould be taken care of first as UFAs. Brewers been our best defensemen and Roloson has been awesome as our starter. With Ohlund and Kubina showing signs of regression this year, it's important Brewer is signed, and I now that we know what Roli can do, I don't want to take my chances signing someone else because he's the real deal.
I would also like to resign Bergenheim, Hall, and Jones. Shouldn't be a problem as they have played their roles well here and shouldn't be too expensive. They might just be role players, but I would like to keep the majority of the 2010-11 team together for next season and just upgrade from there. It's important to keep these guys together because of the chemistry and bonds with each other they share.
Smitty and MAB can walk. I'd like Tik and Desjardins to battle for #2/#3 on the depth chart and see if one can someday be Roli's successor. Smittys been fine as a backup, but we have to think about the future here.
RFAs- Lock up Lundin, Stammer, and Purcell. I'd like Smaby back too. Maybe I just have a hard time of letting him go, but I always wonder if he really has hit his peak or if he just needs more playing time/games to get going again. He would be defenseman #8 though. Maybe he's better off somewhere else.
As for Gagne, it's tough. If money is right, bring him back. Even if he isn't the scorer he use to be, he's still a darn good player and the added depth really makes a difference. Selfishly I do want Richie back. Other options are to save the dough and test Purcell as a top 6 and add a rookie like Ashton/Harju/Wright/B. Jones/Panik/Ritola....guess we'll have to see how this all plays out.
As for minor leaguers, I'd like to keep Jones, Harju, Desjardins, and Durno. I think they all have a good shot at making the team or being the callups. After them, let Norfolk sign who they want to stay competitive, although they could get help from new comers Landry, Panik(will be signed), Ashton, Johnson, Zahn(could get a contract) and even Hutchings, or if others are signed and added.
[Boni]: He told me that the ERC is his first port of call when he comes back in the DEL. But there are also clubs in the game that offer more money. Hamburg, for example. A return by him would be a dream.
In the storm, there are obviously a number of candidates. Andrew Joudrey (Hershey), Chris Durno and Paul Szczechura (both Norfolk) should at least be on your list. With Jared Ross (Chicago) and Jeremy Reich (Providence), plans are already well on.
Well the part with the names is from the interviewer/newspaper, Ingolstadt's GM Jim Boni didn't mention them. His answer was:
"These are all very interesting guys. If Ross would come, it would be a dream. We are on it and I hope it will work out. Reich would be good for the cabin. You'll be surprised."
Players up for new contracts Gagne, Purcell, Bergenheim, Hall, Brewer, Jones, Bergeron, Lundin and Smaby. Of those - Purcell, Bergenheim, Lundin and Brewer should be signed. Gagne with a pay cut of around 2.3M-3M, the rest can be replaced with upgrades.
Bring back Brewer, Hall, Roli, and Gagne. Anyone else, even though I like Serge, can be replaced in the FA market. Hall is a real good fit on our bottom line so I don't really want him replaced, Boucher seems to like him alot too.
As far as UFA's I mean.
You'd keep Hall over Bergenheim?
Call me crazy, but Hall is a guy I'd definitely like to see improved. He's a good soldier but, if possible, I'd like to see a bigger-bodied, stronger-skating option for his role.
Last edited by nhljohnson: 04-22-2011 at 09:20 AM.
