Your definition of rebuild almost seems to be perpetual lottery picks until "content"-whenever that is. Gotta get outta the cellar sooner or later...preferably sooner.
It'll happen when the kids make it happen. They need to be hunting players that fit in age-wise with the current cluster, not guys who will be over the hill by the time Hall and co. put this franchise on their backs.
Reasons why Richards would sign with the Oilers:
- The fans want him.
- They are prepared to pay outrageous sums to get him.
Reasons why Richards won't sign here:
- Wants to be on a winner, Oilers are losers.
- Doesn't want to be in a media heavy town, Edmonton is media heavy.
- Management has utterly failed to sign high priced FA's before and have come right out and said 'Don't expect us to sign any high priced fa's.'
- Team is crying poor, 'losing money' and is having to ask for public money for a new arena, bad optics.
- Team has a horrible reputation around the league in the way the management and fans treat players that they get the least bit disgruntled with.
- Managements long term big money deals (Horcoff) and recent free agent signings (Khabby, fraser, Foster) have all stunk.
if the Oilers didn't have Gilbert, Khabibulin or Horcoff then maybe but there's no way the Oilers can afford him when they have to worry about contracts for Hall, Ebs and MPS down the road.
if the Oilers didn't have Gilbert, Khabibulin or Horcoff then maybe but there's no way the Oilers can afford him when they have to worry about contracts for Hall, Ebs and MPS down the road.
In reality, I think The contracts for Hall, Ebs and PRV will be as follows:
Hall - 6-6.5M for 5-8 years
Eberle - 4-5M for 4-7 years
PRV - 3-4.5M for 2-5 years
Which means we can spend as low as 13M or as high as 16M. We have right now 22M in cap space and let's say all 3 sign for the medium range. That's 14.5M. So we would have 7.5M to throw around elsewhere. Not to mention contracts coming off the books in 2 years time (Whitney who might re-sign, and Khabby) Which frees up 3.75M if we re-sign Whitney (about 4-5M for 4 years make it heavy in the first 2 years) So we could potentially have close to 18M in cap space AFTER we sign all the kids. And I would use about 5-8M to fill the roster out with vets or our rookies of today. That leaves 13M for a #1 Center (Let's assume we draft RNH and threw him into the minors for one year) for 2 years until RNH is off his ELC. We're laughing if we do what I just said, hypothetically speaking of course.
1 - everyone uses edmonton as a bargaining chip to up their value knowing full well that they will not sign in edmonton.
2 - Don't appear to be desperate. I've had enough people saying no, its time to stop asking. Pursue only those you feel add to this team and have a chance to play here. Richards is looking for a 5+ year contract for 8+ per year, may take 7ish on a contender and he will want to compete for the cup.
My prediction: Los Angeles
Cap hit: 7.5m
Length: 5 years
Reason: LA is looking to go from 6-8th place to 1-4th in the west. They have been wanting a top tier player for the past couple seasons. Richards is everything and more than they have been wanting. Schenn replaces Handzus )4.0 coming off the books this summer), trade Smyth at the draft and the cap is going up by 3 million.
The pro's of signing the guy (if it was an option) is that we could send RNH's down to juniors and let him grow up. Im looking forward to the days when Edmonton has the ability to draft a good young kid and let him mature and develop properly.
I wouldn't touch Richards unless it was a hell of a deal, which is highly unlikely. As others have said, let's not jump too soon here. We're not ready to contend and Richards won't put us there.
Stay the course..We still need the time and space to develop and evaluate all our recent picks, such as Petry, Pitlick, Hartikanen, Hamilton, VandeVelde, Lander, Marincin, Plante, Teubert, etc, as well as those upcoming this year which could be another great crop if we do this right. Sure, pick up an experienced vet or 2 to allow time to move players in and out, etc, but let's not swing for the fence...
Columbus because he obviously isn't opposed to it having agreed to waive his NTC to go there back when Dallas was looking at trading him, and that they've needed a #1C forever. An elite playmaker like Richards with a goalscorer of Nash's calibre would be a match made in heaven. They might not have a lot of money, but they've also got a number of contracts they could move fairly easily as guys like Huselius, Pahlsson, Umberger, etc only have 1 year left on their contracts (though I can't see them moving Umberger). Vermette and Brassard could have some value and may also become available saving the Jackets some more money. Either way, they've got options.
LA was apparently very interested in him at the deadline and could once again be in the market for his services. Kopitar/Richards/Schenn/Stoll is some center depth. They've got cap room, money, and hockey isn't the biggest show in tow. All 3 of those factors combine for a good landing spot for Richards.
If Nashville wasn't about to pony up so much for Weber this offseason, I'd say they'd be a good choice as well, but as it stands, I don't think they can afford him.
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If you are offended by this post, it's probably because you're ugly.
In reality, I think The contracts for Hall, Ebs and PRV will be as follows:
Hall - 6-6.5M for 5-8 years
Eberle - 4-5M for 4-7 years
PRV - 3-4.5M for 2-5 years
Those are all rather high, especially Hall's. Toews won a Conn Smythe and is making $6.3M over five years. Maybe Hall does that before the end of his ELC, but I highly doubt it.
I think we're more than likely looking at $4.5M per year for each of Hall and Eberle, and $3-4M for Paajarvi if he becomes a consistent 25 goal or 50-point player over the next two years. If not- and there are signs he'll be a later bloomer- he won't have much in the way of bargaining power.
As for our salary situation going forward, while you can't disregard entirely the future impact of contracts, we have precisely two players signed for the 2014-15 season. If Tambellini acts prudently, there's no reason why he can't successfully build a roster to fit at least one high-end UFA.
Hall: $4.5M (see above)
Eberle: $4.5M (see above)
Paajarvi: $3.5M (see above)
Gagner: $3.5M on a four-year deal, unless he crests 60 points.
RNH: ELC until at least 2013-14. Hard to project after that.
Horcoff: $5.5M until 2014-15.
That's $25.5-$26M there, and contains five of our future top six forwards. You then make adjustments depending on the UFA signed; if it's a C, you move Gagner for a RW. If it's RW, you move Gagner in a package for a bigger center.
The cap by this point could be $65M, $70M, maybe $75M. Even if it were to fall to around $60M we'd still be in a position to field a competitive roster.
None of you need to worry about Tambellini giving Richards or any lesser UFA's the time of day anyway. Based on his comments in the Journal this morning he's perfectly fine icing a 30th place team for the next five years.
None of you need to worry about Tambellini giving Richards or any lesser UFA's the time of day anyway. Based on his comments in the Journal this morning he's perfectly fine icing a 30th place team for the next five years.
Is there a link to that statement MV? If he said that, even the current team would lobby for his neck in a noose.
Apparently you didn't read my posts or you would've already had your answer.
I think "aiming" for high picks year in year out [and being "ok" with it] makes the team psychology messed down the road. At what point does this BS stop?
I think "aiming" for high picks year in year out [and being "ok" with it] makes the team psychology messed down the road. At what point does this BS stop?
If past examples are anything to go by it stops here:
I'm no fan of losing forever, but come on: there's no evidence that losing does any kind of permanent damage to the psyche of the team.
Seriously, it stops when the team has enough talent that it can't help but not lose. Barring busts or utterly incompetent management (and that's the big question mark for the Oilers), that is.
Is there a link to that statement MV? If he said that, even the current team would lobby for his neck in a noose.
Some exaggeration on my part, but not much.
Quote:
It is sort of sad how NHL general managers think these days.
Because the collective bargaining agreement has placed more emphasis on drafting and developing players, GMs are now willing to build their teams by essentially being terrible. Forget about trying to compete for a playoff spot. Stink it up for a few years and you could straight to competing for the Stanley Cup.
That is the blueprint that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks followed and look where it led them.
Quote:
"Each team is unique, but look at all the teams that have won since the lockout," Tambellini said Thursday at the NHL scouting combine.
"The core is mostly developed from your draft picks and how you develop them. And you have to do a great job at that.
"Chicago paid a price and Pittsburgh paid a price and Los Angeles is an up-and-coming team that paid the price. It's pretty straightforward. Unless you have those people on your depth chart that you acquire from the draft, how else are you going to get those people?"
Quote:
"These are the few years where our organization needs elite players," Tambellini said. "The last year or so, we've been replenishing the depth chart with high-end skill and character, and this is what we need to do. At the end of the day, we need to acquire another round of high-end skill."
Scouts say two players -Swedish defenceman Adam Larsson and Kitchener Rangers forward Gabriel Landeskog -are NHL-ready. They also say that Red Deer Rebels centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who needs another year to bulk up, is the prospect with the most potential.
Waiting should not be a problem for the Oilers.
"Regardless of who we select, I don't feel that they have to be in the lineup next year," Tambellini said. "If he plays, great. But it's not a necessity.
"Last year was Year 1 and you know we've got time to go," Tambellini said. "We're not going to deviate from our plan."
You know, it's funny. In Winnipeg they're talking about not wanting to take fan interest for granted and they want to put a decent team out on the ice while putting emphasis on the draft, whereas here, we're being played as saps. "Look at what Chicago and Pittsburgh did." Yes, Mr. Tambellini, things certainly worked out for those two teams.
How do you have a job, again?
Last edited by Moonlapse Vertigo: 06-04-2011 at 12:34 AM.
I think "aiming" for high picks year in year out [and being "ok" with it] makes the team psychology messed down the road. At what point does this BS stop?
Since you didn't bother to look up my post in the previous page or two, I guess I'll tell you in this post to save you the time from clicking the page 4 icon
We draft 1st this year, and next year top 5 (hopefully top 3). By that time we will see what we have in our 2nd tier of prospects and we can start making trades and pursuing free agent signings to improve the team. So the answer? 1 more year of suck.
__________________ Treat Others As You Would Like To Be Treated
You know, it's funny. In Winnipeg they're talking about not wanting to take fan interest for granted and they want to put a decent team out on the ice while putting emphasis on the draft, whereas here, we're being played as saps. "Look at what Chicago and Pittsburgh did." Yes, Mr. Tambellini, things certainly worked out for those two teams.
How do you have a job, again?
What would be your approach? Would you be fine adding veteran role players to hope for a #20-#22 overall finish? Do you expect to catch the big fish that has eluded the Oilers minus the trade that brought Pronger here? As far as I'm concerned Tambellini is doing the right thing for the most part, he is giving us players like Hall and potentially RNH that you simply don't get in trades and if you do it's because they want to leave a locale like Edmonton, not go to it. That said you think that he is doing a terrible job so what is your solution?
