2017 Free agency thread.

Skinner will be expensive, but on a team full of young talent, you'd wager there's plenty of ELC's and RFA leveraged contracts to keep the other cap numbers low, and still have a talented roster. Plus, for as prime a goal scorer he's been, at his age, that's not a bad contract. Having a premium goal scorer paired with the young talent on the team is a good plan.

 

Kevin Hayes was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers by the Winnipeg Jets on Monday for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Hayes, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team July 1, was traded to the Jets by the New York Rangers on Feb. 25 for a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, forward Brendan Lemieux and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft.

The 27-year-old center had 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 20 games for Winnipeg and 55 points (19 goals, 36 assists) in 71 regular-season games. He had three points (two goals, one assist) in six Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Jets, who lost to the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference First Round.

"By gaining the rights to Kevin at this time, it provides us with an opportunity to negotiate with him prior to July 1 when he is due to become an unrestricted free agent," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said.

 

Polak signs one-year contract with Stars
Defenseman gets $1.75 million, could have been unrestricted free agent July 1

Roman Polak signed a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

The 33-year-old defenseman could have been an unrestricted free agent July 1. He had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 77 games during his first season with the Stars after signing a one-year, $1.3 million contract July 1, 2018.

Polak had one assist in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Stars advance to the Western Conference Second Round, which they lost in seven games to the St. Louis Blues.

"Roman personifies what it means to be a professional and his mentorship to our younger players proved to be invaluable to our organization," Stars general manager Jim Nill said. "His team-first attitude and physical style of play is endearing to both his teammates and the coaching staff, and we're thrilled to have him back."

Selected by St. Louis in the sixth round (No. 180) of the 2004 NHL Draft, Polak has 136 points (26 goals, 110 assists) in 765 regular-season games with the Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Blues. He has four assists in 71 playoff games and helped the Sharks reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, a six-game loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Stars also signed forward Mattias Janmark to a one-year, $2.3 million contract on Thursday. Janmark, who could have been a restricted free agent July 1, had 25 points (six goals, 19 assists) in 81 regular-season games with the Stars last season and three points (one goal, two assists) in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.

 

Jeff Skinner will get $9MM AAV for 8 years.

 

The Sabres had to sign him, there was no other way around it. You just have to cross your fingers and hope he continues to get over 30 goals a year for most of the deal. The last 24 games he only scored three goals, two on the last game of the season. Also his defensive game isn't that strong, so if his goal production dips, it'll be hard to utilize him on the pk or a solid checker.

Nylander set the precedent, if 22 goals is worth $6.9M, then 40 is worth $9M, and you have to pay for goalscoring. The thing that bothers me about these signings is that the owners will start crying as things begin get out of hand again. The fans will have to eventually suffer through another lockout.

Wash, rinse and repeat, now what does Laine and Marner ask? If there was no lockouts and no salary cap it wouldn't bother me, Pegulas money, who cares.

 

All criticism of the Skinner contract has to be accepted as reasonable - even objective.

But, I'm happy as a pig in shit. There simply was no alternative for Buffalo. Lose him and there's a gapping hole in an already incomplete* lineup. (* I'm being charitable when I describe the Sabres roster as incomplete. I know. But, today is a happy day.)

Skinner is in the top 5 for even strength goal scoring since he joined the league. Fifth! He is streaky, he is a sniper, he had injuries early in his career. But he's also really really good at hockey. Oh, and Jack is happy today too.

I do believe that as fans we're a little overwrought about the huge contracts. The really big contracts rarely become albatrosses. It's the big ones for good players that more often become the ones teams and fans regret. Chicago does not regret having Toews & Kane (of course some serious bling can assuage any hurt). But Buffalo regretted Moulsson and still regrets Okposo.

Jeff Skinner is a Buffalo Sabre for a long time! Oh frabujous day, calooh caloy!

 

Great player, inconsistent though. money makes sense for today and as pointed out, Buffalo had to keep him. just hitting his prime also.

peaked at his stats and was shocked at how healthy hes been over the past 6 seasons. i think of him as injury prone, concussion city, maybe thats behind him.
i like his game a lot, such a great skater. not just fast and quick but so agile on his edges. his game should take some of the worry about the length of that deal away. he should still be able to fly at the back end of this deal.

 

... such a great skater. ..[/QUOTE]
This is, IMO, the key to why Buffalo took the inherent risk associated with paying a player in his 34th year. Skinner is fast, but his game does not rely that to get this deal. It is his skating that distinguishes his game. He was a figure skater in his youth, and many youngsters might become better hockey players if they model themselves this way. Great skating is not a trait that will go into steep decline with age. It makes the 8 years less risky than many.

I hear he has a full NMC for the full term. Not loving that; I just do not like losing future leverage with any player. I suspect that this clause is what pushed back the completion of negotiations. Term - 8 years - was the only leverage Buffalo had, and it was obvious (imperative) that they had to sign him. The dollars are largely set by the market. It was going to be around $9MM +/- $500K no matter what. In fact, Skinner probably left a lot of money on the table by not waiting until July 1. Then again, Skinner stated loudly that he loves being a Sabre and wanted to be in Buffalo.

The reality is that we are looking at contracts the wrong way when we compare AAV rather than %/salary cap. Skinner's AAV of 10.8% is not close to the 16th highest in the NHL, looking at $9MM only skewers reality.

 

The Sabres will have a top scorer locked and ready to go once their young guns start filling in the roster and coming into their own. Skinner is still in his prime at 27, and for $9 mil with his scoring ability, I don't think the team lost at all. It's a fair deal that everyone should be happy with.

 

Rebuilding Kings buy out Dion Phaneuf

The Los Angeles Kings bought out the final two years of defenceman Dion Phaneuf’s contract.

 

MacDonald of the Flyers is getting the axe also...

 

Brutal acquisition and then signing by Philly. The 2 draft picks traded for McDonald were used on ultra G prospect Ilya Sorokin and the other was later flipped to Boston and used to get Brandon Carlo.

 

They free up $3.8M, almost enough to cover Niskanen, (not including the 30% for the guuder). He had a $5M AAV and was often injured.

 

Hagelin signs four-year contract with Capitals
Forward gets $2.75 million annually, could have become unrestricted free agent July 1

 

Big news!

Sharks sign EK for 8 years just over $88M.

$11M AAV.

 

And EK said...

 

Wow. All players are smiling today - EK's deal with SJ is really rich! 8 years, $11,500,000 AAV