[Anduril]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

The issue wasn't signing Mason, it was signing him for 3 years. No onr has a problem eith Setoguchi's signing because it gave players opportunity. Coming into the season who was more likely to see NHL time, Josh Jooris or Sven Baertschi/Johnny Gaudreau? Reality is that with the setoguchi signing, our RW depth was something like

Jones
Colborne
Setoguchi
McGrattan

Our C depth was something like
Backlund
Monahan
Stajan
*

While our LW depth (based on the players' success the year before) was something like:
Hudler
Glencross
Byron
Bouma

So where we had a hole was some depth players. Yes, scoring was a concern but trying to put gauze on it was never going to be the solution for what's supposed to be a rebuild. Signings like Setoguchi where if they work out great and if they don't, well there's always next year and hopefully a prospect steps up.

Except that's exactly what you do during a rebuild. Sign some players to be the bandaid who eventually get phased out by the prospects pushing forward.

I suppose the cap floor comes into play, but it doesn't explain the terms remaining on Engelland Raymond etc. Even the Oilers' bad contract Nikitin is only a 2-year deal. Did we really need to convince Engelland to come here?

We were supposed to be bad even with Raymond, but Raymond/Engelland/Bollig weren't the reasons we were actually pretty good. Granlund, Jooris, and Ferland all stepped up early in the season and got us into a good position, when Raymond returned and struggled for the next two months.

And yet the team still played with Granlund and Jooris for majority with Raymond still here. Not particularly an issue with them. Ferland? He's an energetic guy to have on the ice but production wise, Raymond still chips in even if it seems in short and far spurts.

At that point Raymond didn't "become" a bad deal. He was a bad deal from the beginning because it assumed it would take three damn years for one of our prospects to become a 20 goal scorer, never mind one that brings other intangibles.

If Raymond brought some intangibles that can justify his cold streaks no one would be complaining. The problem is that he's just his tangibles while every other player we have is anything but that (or in the case of Johnny, his tangibles are very consistent).

Aside from Gaudreau and Sven who were still question marks, who else would step up to be a 20 goal scorer this year? And then the year after that? The 3rd year you've got a UFA you can move so that's not as big of a concern. Not to mention, those extra years can be considered a security for when other players like Glencross or Hudler potentially get moved. We're looking at almost the best case scenario right now with Bouma producing, Gaudreau exceeding and the rest of the continually stepping it up. Looking at it the other way, it wouldn't be out of the range of probability that we would have been at the bottom of the league, having already moved out Glencross, Hudler and Wideman for addition assets.
Raymond's main tangible was his speed. Unfortunately he's not brought it each and every game which reveals the lack of strengths to be used as an NHL player.

The point isn't to dwell on the past it's to look at next year. Based on the evidence right now, Raymond is taking up a roster spot and future cap space that could be a significant part of Gaudreau/Monahan/Giordano/Russell/Hudler's inevitible new deals. I think Treliving is even on the same page based on how long he kept Poirier up, how he called Baertschi up near the end, that he doesn't want a guy like Raymond to be a long term issue keeping prospects off the ice. You also see it with Wotherspoon where he's been called up multiple times and hasn't played.
Even if they're not ready, prospects don't get called up to sit in the press box like that while guys like Corey Potter play.

Cap space? Not an issue again. Roster spot? He's lining up with Stajan and Bollig on the 4th line. I don't think anybody likes the deal at this point but that's how the year has played out thus far. We can only hope that he bounces back with a better effort next year. The 3rd year does suck to have based on what we've seen so far.

Red Wings fans were right to complain about Dan Cleary's signing because it was just an attempt to delay the inevitible.

Inevitable what? Clearly was no longer much of an NHL player but for some reason kept getting a contract year after year after year. Not quite the same as Raymond who, while extremely disappointing, has done the bare minimum to qualify as a middle 6 guy.