Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Menace
I like Stajan to an extent, but paying your 4th line C $3.5 million is awful cap management, regardless if you can afford it or not.
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Right now the Stajan cap hit works out perfectly as it keeps us at the floor. I don't like the term but it's a better contract than the Mike Richards one, and the Mike Richards one was a big factor in the Kings picking up two cups in three years. Poor cap management? Only one ultimate goal and it's a championship and I think they'd take two cups and some last-minute "figuring out" and run with it.
Every team has some contracts that hurt when players see themselves pushed down the depth chart... The Blues have like a 6.5-7m cap hit for statsny, who has been passed by a rookie and sees himself as a 3rd line center. Next year they have to resign Tarasenko but if they win a cup this year, I think they're probably okay with moving someone out, maybe Bouwmeester. The Blackhawks have some wierd contracts themselves that they've had to figure out (Brandon Bollig, for one).
There's no such thing as perfect cap management, but the key is if a contract is movable. Stajan's plenty movable especially in a few years when we actually need the space. Engelland, Smid, Bollig or Raymond are collectively eating about 12m in cap hit together on thr other hand and individually we can hopefully move them. Smid might be put on LTIR or retire in which case Stajan's 3.5m cap hit isn't the biggest deal until the time comes when Bennett/Poirier need an extension. I think even stajan's expiring by then.
A bad 3rd/4th liner contract for above avg performance is better than a bad 1st liner contract like Phaneuf or Kessel.