[Signing] Wilds Re-sign Matt Boldy 7x7M$

[mll]

1 hour ago, eeeeergh said:

I think its kind of smart if you can line up your windows perfectly. 

 

Lets say Minnesota believes they already have their young core, and their contention window opens in the next 3 years, will contend for 2-3 years, then rebuild after. 

 

Scenario A - Boldy grows into and outperforms that contract - lets say provides 9m of value for 7m. That's 2 million in savings/outperformance that gives them an edge into their contention window. 

Scenario B- Boldy fails to live up to the 7m, and produces say, 4m worth of value. Minn can give up any of their picks + prospects for the next 3 years to get rid of the contract, which doesn't hurt them, because those picks + prospects likely wont be impact players during Minn's contention window. 

 

I think these are the kind of bets GMs are going to have to take in order to be competitive. TB and Vegas dominated the LTIR-manipulation era, but the NHL is closing that opportunity. Risky long term contracts for young players to grow into is likely the next opportunity.

 

The Wild are still building towards their contending window.  Guerin talks of how they need to continue to grow their prospect pool and is categorical that it's not the time for them to give up prospects or high draft picks.  They were bottom-5 when Fletcher got fired in 2018 and now 1st in several prospect rankings while having missed the playoffs only that first year under Fenton.    This TDL they did add (over 13M worth of contracts) but those additions cost them less than what they were able to get back by leveraging their cap space and trading Greenway.  

 

Boldy is the oldest player of their next wave and was picked the same year as Podkolzin - ie their prospects are still young.  Kaprizov and Ek were picked in 2015 - same year as Boeser.  Their window hasn't even opened up yet and most of their prospects have yet to make the NHL.  

 

Boldy is breaking out big time in Kaprizov's absence.  He's 21 - ie still eligible for a 1/3rd buyout for a few seasons but given how he's playing doubt it's going to be a consideration.

 

The Wild added for over 13M worth of contracts this TDL because they were able to avoid LTIR and that's with having nearly 13M worth in buyout dead cap.  A few years back Vegas deliberately went into the season below the cap to bank cap space so they could add at the TDL - per Granger they added for close to 15M worth (wouldn't have been possible in LTIR). The year they got caught in LTIR they missed the playoffs.  BriseBois got rid of Callahan's 5.8M LTIR contract to take back a 1.3M buried cap hit instead - there's more advantage to avoid LTIR than to be stuck in it even if they lost over 1.3M in cap space.   Teams in LTIR often lose so much cap space vs teams who can avoid it.  

 

[N4ZZY]

8 hours ago, mll said:

 

The Wild are still building towards their contending window.  Guerin talks of how they need to continue to grow their prospect pool and is categorical that it's not the time for them to give up prospects or high draft picks.  They were bottom-5 when Fletcher got fired in 2018 and now 1st in several prospect rankings while having missed the playoffs only that first year under Fenton.    This TDL they did add (over 13M worth of contracts) but those additions cost them less than what they were able to get back by leveraging their cap space and trading Greenway.  

 

Boldy is the oldest player of their next wave and was picked the same year as Podkolzin - ie their prospects are still young.  Kaprizov and Ek were picked in 2015 - same year as Boeser.  Their window hasn't even opened up yet and most of their prospects have yet to make the NHL.  

 

Boldy is breaking out big time in Kaprizov's absence.  He's 21 - ie still eligible for a 1/3rd buyout for a few seasons but given how he's playing doubt it's going to be a consideration.

 

The Wild added for over 13M worth of contracts this TDL because they were able to avoid LTIR and that's with having nearly 13M worth in buyout dead cap.  A few years back Vegas deliberately went into the season below the cap to bank cap space so they could add at the TDL - per Granger they added for close to 15M worth (wouldn't have been possible in LTIR). The year they got caught in LTIR they missed the playoffs.  BriseBois got rid of Callahan's 5.8M LTIR contract to take back a 1.3M buried cap hit instead - there's more advantage to avoid LTIR than to be stuck in it even if they lost over 1.3M in cap space.   Teams in LTIR often lose so much cap space vs teams who can avoid it.  

 

Minny is what Vancouver should be at. 

 

But they also didn't have Benning either. 

 

To be fair, Benning made some good moves, but his bad ones far outweigh the good moves he made. And those bad moves still haunt the franchise today. The OEL one is the worse of the bunch, and there were many as all of us here know. 

 

[spook007]

On 1/16/2023 at 6:20 PM, CanuckinEdm said:

We suck because our defense is terrible. plain and simple.

 

 

was... yep, but its improving.

[IBatch]

On 1/16/2023 at 11:10 AM, stawns said:

I think there will be some contentious meetings within the NHLPA, as young players get huge paydays for potential while players who have paid their dues get squeezed out of the league.  

 

As a fan, I hope they implement some kind of graduated salary ladder and keep the league more on the veteran side.  

For sure.   This is a big pet peeve of mine.    Second contract money should have limits, same with term.    A lot of teams have miscalculated on paying for potential, and like Burke said way back with Penner, the system won't function giving out third contract money, for second contracts.    The Sedins, ELC, bridge, one year, five then four ... that's a textbook way to pay these guys.   All that money has to come from someone else's paycheque with a hard cap. 

 

Doubt the NHLPA would agree to this, and GMs are their worst enemies, but would love to see RFA deals brought down one full year, same with UFA ones.   Still give the controlling team the extra year, that would actually give them even more percentage leverage 7 years as a UFA instead of 6.     Would love to see a cap on RFAs too.   One way to reward production is allow a bonus system, a float of sorts say 10% slush fund as part of each teams cap, that could be used to reward players reaching certain parameters.    Some deals are done like this but not big ones.    Just spitballing.    The other fair way to approach this, is players themselves don't make their full pay cheque if they don't make minimum requirements on any given year,  on a sliding scale, which would go a long way into helping teams deal with players like LE that rest on their laurels.    That cap then can be banked and used to make changes.   

 

The leagues overall product could be better if solid vets who still have game aren't pushed out in favour of AHL vets to balance the books, and ELC guys who really should just be developing.   Detroit was so good for so many years because they kept their young talent down until they were 20 or 21.    ANA did this too with Perry and Getzlaf.     Datsyuk, Zetterberg.    Now these guys are in the league earlier, and taking a chunk of the pie before putting much time in.   

 

NHL shouldn't be a socialist regime, but at the same time,  the "middle class" players keep taking a hit.    It's their salaries and term that get squeezed.   As we've found with Vegas and Seattle even, a group of them together makes a good to great team.    The best value deals are often found in the middle, guys like JT Miller, McAan, Dunn,  Tuch, Toffoli etc.    Then theirs guys like Schenn and Marroon, coveted vets been passed around the league like magic beans come playoff time making peanuts.