Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
How far can this team really step back as they are a bubble team currently outside of the playoffs? I certainly don't think they fall back to Buffalo, Arizona, Florida bad without him so I personally don't see much of a step backward. Is the team good enough with him as their 2nd line center? I would say no and apparently you do as well as you don't think they will make the playoffs so why would you want to pay him more money? He's not getting better and will likely decline in a year or two. Simply doesn't make a lot of sense to me and I'm just happy that draft pick was salvaged into a useful player for the past three seasons and if you can get another 1st round pick for him I say you take it and move on. Any team that signs him for a 6 x $6 is going to have pretty disappointed fans when they they see what that money is getting them for offensive production.
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I see him as being good enough to be our 2nd line centre for a year or two, until Jankowski or perhaps Bennett replace him, dropping him to our 3rd line centre. No one player can, or is expected, to carry a team to the playoffs.
He has improved almost continuously since drafting him in the first round. The risk that his production will drop off is there for all players at 29 or 30 years of age. He has always seemed to me to be the type to give his all every game, not only in point production, in which he was one of our most reliable last year, but especially in his defensive capability. I think losing his defensive skills alone would seriously diminish the team.
Many seem to assume it would take 6 x $6 to sign him. At present he is making about $3.6, and who is to say he wouldn't take 4 x $4. I definitely think he has earned a raise. What scares me is the GMs experience with Brouwer prevents him from giving him what he is worth.
Hopefully he is signed before the deadline, or the negotiation is close enough at that point to rule out trading him.