2017 Free agency thread.

Good for both sides there. Nice for Sabres fans to lock up their homegrown star for the 1st time in a while.

how much is Matthews gonna get next summer if he can match last season? 10 trillion+.

 

Talent and personality together made this contract an absolute necessity for Buffalo. He has the potential to become the most important player in city history. He will be very cheap - at $10MM per - if he hoists the SC once. I do not know if that will happen. But, I know that the Sabres chances of winning one without him are roughly 0%.

 

That's an expensive jack in the box, worth it, no choice, pegulas aren't cheap anyway.

 

Matthews will ask for McD numbers if his stats are within reach of his.

 

wow good times for Sabres fan to see their star signed for a nice long-term deal. good for them.

 

Jets sign Nikolaj Ehlers to seven-year, $42 million extension...

 

Tanner Glass has truculence... signs with Flames
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/flames-check-truculence-box-signing-172730924.html

 

Capitals sign Alex Chiasson for cheap...

A one-year, $600K deal for the veteran winger.

 

I think more or wouldn't be surprised if he gets more. He'll be a year further down the road. And what are your thoughts onNylander and Marners next deals?
Lots of hockey still to be played, teams should be able to key on them better this year or make life more difficult for them anyway.

 

I just have a hunch from what I've seen so far is that marner is worth a little more than nylander.

I'm pegging the salaries like this:

Matthews $12M/8 yrs

Marner $9M/8yrs

Nylander $8M/8 yrs

Of course my guesstimate can change by June/18, but this is where I would peg it now.

Matthews more than McD?

That's a hill I hope he could climb, that's setting the bar up there.

 

I'm not saying better than Mcdavid by any stretch,just possibly a higher contract based on timing of FA.

 

Winnik and the Wild...
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/m/03df...af5c01ff/ss_wild,-daniel-winnik-agree-to.html

 

I think at best, his money will match McDavid's, if there was no cap, I could see that being possible. Once you get in the 12 range, they'll always point to Connors deal, they have to keep the cap in check.

 

Blue Jackets bet big on Cam Atkinson ... reported seven year, $40.25 million deal.

 

It's not 2017, but I do not want to create a new one. What? And remove the esteemed Bob from the authorship?

It looks like the SJ Sharks are pressing hard to sign Evander Kane. I think they're a great fit for him on several levels, so I put this in the "rumors that are likely to prove true" category.

I'm hearing 7 years/$49MM. I think Kane would jump at 8 years if offered.

And here's the irony; there are some now crying that SJ overpaid to get Kane since Buffalo gets their 2019 first if he signs. They're idiots.

 

That’s gonna be fun for you Dan if you get that 2019 pick. Problem is SJ is such a roller coaster team and so hard to predict. Regardless, it’s just as much fun rooting for a specific team to lose as it is rooting for yours to win.

 

Leafs are fucked.

 

This Shark signing sounds very close.

There's another condition on top of the condition moving the 2019 second to a first. If that is a lottery pick then SJ has the right to defer it to an unprotected 2020 first.
The condition on the 2019 fourth is really a SJ option. They can elect to keep the pick and convert it to a 2020 third.

The first, regardless of year, is likely to in the 20's. They key is that Buffalo has their own first and two picks can give a team a lot of flexibility on draft day.

 

Sharks have been consistently in the 20s lately but I think the dam could break. Theyre so streaky, getting older and kind of in no man's land on the roster.
Have Burns anad Vlasic on the back end but not too much after them. The keys to that team are Pavelski and Couture, you need an injury or a really bad season from one of them. Problem is that 18/19 is a contract season for both. Having the SJ pick in 2020 actually might be more appealing.

 

The Sharks still have a lot of space after taking $7MM from the cap. I think they'll be serious players in the JT sweeps.
I also know that San Jose is a fun place to play and is a very appealing city.

I'm not sure about 2020, but I know 2019 is shaping up to be a very strong draft. (2018 may be the strongest draft class ever - for D - but is otherwise rather average.) My preference would be a '19 1st and a '20 3rd for Kane (don't forget Eichel & Rodrigues' linemate in that trade).

But in the end, I don't really care that strongly. Hopefully things will start to come together a bit now that Buffalo's only form of of luck is no longer just bad luck.

One of the keys to the team's turnaround could be Alex Nylander. He's developed slowly and some are writing the B word next to his name. I don't buy the bust yet, but this is a very big year for Will's bro. He has speed and the so-called high hockey IQ. He does not play a physical game - that has held him up in the AHL as have injuries. But if he comes along like his bro. did (slowly, but surely) then the team could be in pretty good shape.