I'd say he plays a similar game to Kronwall, has some offense, can move the puck and likes to throw his weight around... I'm not comparing him to Kronwall skill wise but I think he plays a similar style of game to him.
I've at times said "Kevin Bieksa". Trying to recall that the early days Bieksa was a lot more scrappy and abrasive than I find the current edition to be. Kasparaitis is the historical comparison. I don't see Emelin being as solid on his skates as Kasparaitis, and therefore not likely the same kind of open ice hitter, but similarly nasty/dirty basically.
All off the cuff from old WJC days and mostly hearsay and a few WC games since.
Markov, Subban, Wisniewski, Gorges, Emelin, Weber and Spacek (Gill/Hamrlik/UFA, if we can move Spacek), that D would look pretty good to me and should easily be possible.
In this D-Corps, you would have Subban, Emelin and Weber for a total of around 2.625M right (assuming Weber goes up to .875M, I doubt he raises to more than that for 1-2 years or so)? You can add Gorges at say 2.5M (likely somewhere between 2.25-2.75) and Spacek at 3.83M (ugh) which means you have 5/7D for around 9M.
This leaves us a LOT of room for signing Markov and Wiz if we want to. If we don't want Wiz and go for Hamrlik or Gill (likely for a lower salary), it means we could have around 40M next year to spend on forwards (ofc a lot of it is already taken). But if we actually do have that much money available from the defense, I hope that they actually go for it and sign us a really solid D with lots of offensive upside (Subban, Markov, Wiz, Emelin... that's a lot of guys that can put points on the board).
Next year we'll have some heavy increase in salaries to pay though with Subban and Price getting a major raise, and Emelin would too if he fills our expectations, and maybe even Eller too, with only Spacek and Moen coming off the books.
I wish that Gauthier follows the Holmgren philosophy here though : just get the best team you can and screw cap situation for following years, you can manage something later (ofc this does not mean sign stupid contracts, but get the best players you can for a fair deal and sort it out later). Gomez could always be sent in the minors or traded to a team that can't hit the cap floor (as if we didn't hear that one before...)!
He would immediately remove the need for Mara or Picard or Sopel or Picard or Gill or Picard right? I heard he sticks up for teammates but is he a good fighter at all? At best he's probably been bullying around a mostly panzy league. Still though with his surge in offense this year he could be a lot more than just a tough guy shutdown guy for us.. guy.
Our defence is such a jigsaw puzzle right now. My guess is that if Emelin and Markov are signed then Wiz is definitely gone.
I don't think Emelin is much of a fighter, but by all accounts he can be pretty dirty. If memory serves me correctly Svitov (former top 5 pick, big guy) fed him pretty good a few years back. Emelin seems like a more talented Kasparaitis.
Anyone have an idea of what the 1 year deal would be worth?
Well it would be an ELC one. Not sure how much it would be with Bonuses and such. Just gonna have to wait and see. I'd venture a guess around 2.5 million. It has to be somewhat enticing if you want him to leave russia.
Anyone have an idea of what the 1 year deal would be worth?
I think he is probably still eligible for the 2004 rookie max, which was $984,200. And then potential bonuses anywhere up to around $3M. (Per the Malkin and Ovechkin contracts, basically).
Realistically, I could see the full $984,200, plus the signing bonus value of $295,260 as a starting point. But I can't see a really big bonuses package on top of that.
So from what I gathered this guy should be a top 5 dman of all time and I should start fairly treating him as such when posting on the main board so everyone will love us Habs fans?
2-the chances that we can move Spacek, having the Coyotes stay in Phoenix might help us as you can add them to Florida as teams needing to spend to the rising cap floor and not being ideal destinations for UFA's. Maybe we throw in Pouliot with Spacek to get a mid round pick and clear room to sign Wisniewski for 4 years.
The Yotes are not struggling to reach the cap floor, they spent $53m (with bonuses) this year, they spent more than the Predators. If you haven't noticed yet, the NHL is committed to making hockey work in the dessert and isn't afraid to invest millions doing so. They will ice a competitive team again next year.
Keep dreaming that your going to get rid of Spacek to a team that needs to get to the floor.
Ironic that this happens now that the Habs have enough D depth that they don't desperately need him.
Still -- every indication is that he's a good one and anything that keeps us from seeing Mara or Sopel on the roster is a good thing.
Nah, this would be the perfect time to bring him in with only Subban and Spacek under contract so far for next season. Gives the habs some insurance before ufa season starts.
Perhaps he and Markov will be paired up on the defense? Emelin has the grit to go with Markov flash? Seems like it could work. Then PK could be put with Gorges. So realistically, any chance Wiz signs to be a 3rd pairing d? I'm thinking that if Emelin signs, Wiz is gone.
Basically a low risk - high reward type of move.
He's probably as mature physically as he needs to be to have a chance at success in the NHL for a Russian player.
If he signs, he just needs to adapt his skills, mental strength and awareness around the ice.
