I think if you average his production out of the two years since signing his last contract and factor in his work ethic and commitment to defense, I think 3-3.5 mil a year is the right amount for Kuli.
He would have wanted more but the down season will probably take off about 1mil per season due to the uncertainty. He won't be signing more than 2 years though. Not until he can prove consistency.
For a number one center.I like Kulemin but after last year he is lucky he plays hockey.In the real world he would have been fired.Kadri plus Kulemin would fetch?
Dallas might start to ship out more vets like Ribeiro, so maybe Morrow or Ott are on the way out
Nieuwendyk was in the Toronto organization when Kulemin started showing some promise, so maybe even with his 7 goal season, Nieuwendyk still knows his potential more than most GMs, so maybe we can move Kulemin for one of those vets, and there is our truculence, and added leadership
Kulemin will most likely be a 3rd liner this year anyway (JVR, Lupul), Ott had more points than Kulemin last year, Morrow had two less points with 13 less games played, so why not replace him with the much needed aggressive play Burke wants, and we can put Kadri there on the 3rd line, if we need some flare during parts of the season
Guessing he wants another 1 year deal while the Leafs want to give him a multi-year deal.
I'd more worried about the KHL threat though. I've no doubt he would fetch a pretty penny playing in the motherland.
I would think it would be the other way around. leafs want 1 year, obviously Kulemin would want more job stability than that.
I don't consider him a KHL threat, he's been plying his trade here in NA ~4 years now, married with children, by all accounts loves it in Toronto. It would have to be a mighty hefty offer.
I think he gets a 2 year $5.5 mil., cap hit of 2.75 . Coming off a career low, and as a RFA, he doesn't hold many cards here.
Wouldn't mind seeing him traded tbh, JVR fills his role perfectly, but if he is willing to sign something like a 2 year 6 mil contract, I'm on board. Last season was such a wash, and it should affect his pay grade. Though I doubt that will be the case, agents always play hard ball.
I'd go $12 million for 4 years.
IMO points should be secondary importance for Kulemin. He is best 2 way player on Leafs, and would be highly sought after.
He should be told he is getting paid for his hard work, not his points. Give the kid some confindence, and he may bounce back to a 45-50 points guy. To me Kulemin is worth more then his points production, and Leafs should be rewarding that.
If he gets 40 points he's worth all of this contract proposal.
If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. As quoted in Listening and Speaking : A Guide to Effective Oral Communication (1954) by Ralph G. Nichols and Thomas R. Lewis, p. 74
Well, he cannot get less than what he made last season so, 1 year 2.8. By the way, the way Kulemin played last year, he is NOT a 2 way forward, he is a defensive forward.
