He's an average 4th, not a good 3rd. Look at the #3 and 4 centers of the Western Conference playoff teams last year and tell me if Belanger measures up, especially after last year. We need a Bolland-like player on the 3rd line to contend.
VAN - Lapierre/Malhotra
STL - Sobotka/Nichol
PHX - Gordon/Langkow/Chipchura
NSH - Gaustad/Spaling
DET - Filppula/Abdelkader/Emmerton
CHI - Kruger/Bollig/Morrison
SJS - Handzus/Dejardins/Moore
LAK - Stoll/Fraser
Belanger is probably among the lower half of those #3s, but I'd put him up against every single one of the #4s. I'd also love a Bolland player for the 3rd line, just as I'm sure the Blackhawks would, but he was their #2C once they smartened up and put Kane back at RW.
__________________
If you are offended by this post, it's probably because you're ugly.
Smid is not worth $5M IMO. He's a solid, stay-at-home guy, but if we pay that much for him I will cringe.
Fistric @ 2.75 seems like a slight overpay.
Hartikainen is no where near 2.75 IMO.
Slight overpay? Fistric's current $1.45M is close to an overpay as it is. Doubling that would be crazy. Especially when we could probably keep Peckham for about $1M.
Agreed on Smid and Hartikainen. Stay-at-home defensemen rarely make $4M, let alone 5. Regehr got that back when he was widely considered one of (if not THE) top DFD in the league, and Smid isn't that. Hartikainen shouldn't be getting a 340% raise. What would he bring to a negotiation that would justify giving him that kind of money?
Sam Gagner - 3.75 to 4.5 m a year, and the price is going up every day.
Ryan Jones - 1.25 to 1.75 m, depends how he recovers from the eye injury
Magnus Paajarvi - 1 million, he's a non-productive 4th liner, he shouldn't be getting paid much
Teemu Hartikainen - 1 million, similar to Paajarvi
Darcy Hordichuk - gone
Lennart Petrell - 750k to 1 million, decent PK specialist and bottom sixer
Anton Lander - 1 to 1.25 m
Ryan Whitney - traded at deadline if they can find a taker
Ladislav Smid - 4 - 5 m, someone will fork over the cash
Andy Sutton - career is done
Mark Fistric - 1.5 to 2.5 m, the injury hurt his value a bit, but big, tough, hitting defensemen are always in demand
Theo Peckham - gone
Nikolai Khabibulin - He'll probably retire
Sam Gagner - 3.25 to 4.0m/year - 3 year deal
Ryan Jones - I'd resign, $1.5-2.5 million, 2 years
Magnus Paajarvi - re-sign at minimum raise level
Teemu Hartikainen - matching deal with Magnus
Lennart Petrell - 1 year, $1m
Anton Lander - Same as Paajarvi and Hartikainen
Ryan Whitney - If he improves down the stretch, 1 year deal, $2m
Ladislav Smid - 5 year deal at $4-5 million per year
Mark Fistric - $1.5 - 1.75m, 2 years
These are who I'd resign.
Buy out Horcoff, and take a strong run at Getzlaf (doubt he'd sign here though, I think he'll end up in PHI)
Sam Gagner - 3.25 to 4.0m/year - 3 year deal
Ryan Jones - I'd resign, $1.5-2.5 million, 2 years
Magnus Paajarvi - re-sign at minimum raise level
Teemu Hartikainen - matching deal with Magnus
Lennart Petrell - 1 year, $1m
Anton Lander - Same as Paajarvi and Hartikainen
Ryan Whitney - If he improves down the stretch, 1 year deal, $2m
Ladislav Smid - 5 year deal at $4-5 million per year
Mark Fistric - $1.5 - 1.75m, 2 years
These are who I'd resign.
Buy out Horcoff, and take a strong run at Getzlaf (doubt he'd sign here though, I think he'll end up in PHI)
Agree with everything except I let Whitney walk.
I'd offer getzlaf around the same deal Hall & Eberle got 6-7 years 6M-6.5M per.
If he takes it you move Gagner. If he doesn't then commit to Gagner. 4m Per for 5 years. 3 year deal doesn't make sense just makes him a UFA faster.
• The final day of the regular season is April 27 with the Stanley Cup playoffs beginning April 30.
• Free agency will open for business on July 5. That date is set only for this season. It will return to July in 2014.
• The 9-game limit for underage junior players that exists in an 82-game format, is now only 6 games. Any player in that category who plays more than six games this season burns a year of their entry level deal.
• The 2013 NHL Draft Lottery will be held April 29. Remember, this year all non-playoff teams will vie for No. 1 overall.
VAN - Lapierre/Malhotra
STL - Sobotka/Nichol
PHX - Gordon/Langkow/Chipchura
NSH - Gaustad/Spaling
DET - Filppula/Abdelkader/Emmerton
CHI - Kruger/Bollig/Morrison
SJS - Handzus/Dejardins/Moore
LAK - Stoll/Fraser
Belanger is probably among the lower half of those #3s, but I'd put him up against every single one of the #4s. I'd also love a Bolland player for the 3rd line, just as I'm sure the Blackhawks would, but he was their #2C once they smartened up and put Kane back at RW.
In that list I'd say that the only #3's I'd rank clearly ahead of Belanger are Filppula and Stoll.
Sobotka and Kruger are both young. Neither has really established themselves yet. Handzus and Gaustad are not really any better than Belanger, and Gaustad's contract is awful.
I agree with this but I'd give Gagner less $ (10 games doesn't have me convinced yet) and Smid more $.
Gagner is a tricky one because in two more seasons he's a UFA. So I'd give him a contract like 4-6 years @ $4M which is still a tradable contract if need be. Smid easily gets $4M and I'd be fine with 4-6 years again.
You cant give gagner less, as a matter of fact 3yrs10mm is not enough to even qualify him. He is making 3.2mm this season, +10% to qualify him means at least 3.52per. 10mm is not enough and I doubt he signs a 3 year contract with nothing better than a qualifying contract...
Sam Gagner-RFA - Re-sign $4M x 3yrs
Ryan Jones-UFA - Re-sign $1.75 x 2yrs
Magnus Paajarvi-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 1yr
Teemu Hartikainen-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 2yrs
Darcy Hordichuk-UFA - Walk
Lennart Petrell-UFA - Re-sign $1.2M x 2yrs
Anton Lander-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 1yr
Ryan Whitney-UFA - Re-sign $2.5M x 1yr
Ladislav Smid-UFA - Re-sign $3.5M x 4yrs
Andy Sutton-UFA - Walk
Mark Fistric-UFA - Re-sign $1.5M x 2yrs
Theo Peckham-RFA - Walk
Nikolai Khabibulin-UFA - Walk
Sam Gagner - 4 years, 16 million
Ryan Jones - 2 years, 4.5 million
Magnus Paajarvi - 1 year, 1.7 million
Teemu Hartikainen - 2 years, 3 million
Darcy Hordichuk - goodbye
Lennart Petrell - goodbye
Anton Lander - 2 years, 1.8 million
Ryan Whitney - goodbye
Ladislav Smid - 5 years, 20 million
Andy Sutton - goodbye
Mark Fistric - 2 years, 3.5 million
Theo Peckham - goodbye
Nikolai Khabibulin - goodbye
Sam Gagner-RFA - Re-sign $4M x 3yrs
Ryan Jones-UFA - Re-sign $1.75 x 2yrs
Magnus Paajarvi-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 1yr
Teemu Hartikainen-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 2yrs
Darcy Hordichuk-UFA - Walk
Lennart Petrell-UFA - Re-sign $1.2M x 2yrs
Anton Lander-RFA - Re-sign $1M x 1yr
Ryan Whitney-UFA - Re-sign $2.5M x 1yr
Ladislav Smid-UFA - Re-sign $3.5M x 4yrs
Andy Sutton-UFA - Walk
Mark Fistric-UFA - Re-sign $1.5M x 2yrs
Theo Peckham-RFA - Walk
Nikolai Khabibulin-UFA - Walk
I don't care if Whitney would play for free, he isn't a serviceable NHL player anymore. He has to go.
The problem is that we are going to have to replace him with some other scrub or a kid thats not ready. Lets just say that after seeing the garbage that we've had as our lower-paring dmen in recent years, I'm wondering if it would be better to have the devil we know.
Sam Gagner - 4 years, 16 million
Ryan Jones - 2 years, 4.5 million
Magnus Paajarvi - 1 year, 1.7 million
Teemu Hartikainen - 2 years, 3 million
Darcy Hordichuk - Offer 1-year 1-way at 550k (league minimum next year) to stay
Lennart Petrell - goodbye
Anton Lander - 2 years, 1.8 million
Ryan Whitney - goodbye
Ladislav Smid - 5 years, 20 million
Andy Sutton - goodbye
Mark Fistric - 2 years, 3.5 million
Theo Peckham - 2 years, 800k
Nikolai Khabibulin - goodbye
Why are people leaving Petrell off their lists? He's exactly what you want from a 4th line player. He hits and plays well defensively. Great penalty killer and shot blocking specialist. The Oilers should not be letting him go.
Jones and Petrell have been good soldiers for us during these trying times but honestly it's probably time to start exploring some different avenues. It's insanity to keep reassembling 30th and 29th place teams and expect different results.
