McKenzie: Is there any doubt Russell would at least get 5 yrs x $5.5 million as UFA?

[sureLoss]

http://www.tsn.ca/reading-the-trade-...eaves-1.436138

The Caroline, Alta., native wants to stay with the Flames; the Flames have, generally speaking, expressed a desire for him to stay.
But the two parties haven’t gotten down to the nitty gritty in contract negotiations. And while sentiments are one thing, trying to navigate what might be a noteworthy financial divide may be another.

Here’s the thing: Russell is currently a fantastic bargain with a cap hit of $2.6 million. More nights than not, he plays well over 20 minutes and, at age 28, with his mobility and puck-moving ability, he’s a heady if undersized blueliner who’s pretty much in his prime and arriving to free agency at a very good time for him. The next deal Russell signs will be the best deal he ever signs; he’s going to more than double his current salary.

You don’t have to look very hard to find the guys Russell would view as open-market comparables: Montreal’s Jeff Petry got five years at $5.5 million and so did Edmonton’s Andrej Sekera. Similarly under-sized blueliner Jared Spurgeon collected $5.2 million per year on a three-year term in Minnesota.

Were Russell to go to July 1, is there any doubt he’s going to get at least, emphasis on at least, a five-year offer for $5.5 million? And he may well be looking for more than that, both in term and dollars.

He goes on to say that the Flames did have discussions with other teams on moving out Wideman to help manage re-signing Russell, but with the suspension those trade talks have come to a halt. (Nothing was imminent or close before the suspension)

[jg13]

Let a team like Edmonton pay him 5.5M

Trade him for 2nd!

[dissentowner]

If Russell expects 5M per we need to trade him.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by jg13

Let a team like Edmonton pay him 5.5M

Trade him for 2nd!

Hell, if GM's think as highly of him as the media has lately I am looking for a late 1st if I am BT.

[Vinny01]

Perhaps being stuck with Wideman is a blessing because giving his contract to Russell is a horrible move.

[cofias]

PLEASE trade Russell. Having him on the books for five years north of 5M is the kind of nightmare I do not want to live.

[polak]

Wow if Russell has that sort of value in the league, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE trade him.

[Erick Estrada]

Ha ha ha ha ha. I can say with certainty that the team that signs him to that deal is going to be very, very disappointed by the return on their investment. Hartley's transition based break out system is ideal for Russell and he still struggles mightily at times. If he goes to a team that plays a regimented defensive system he's going to be a total flop.

He's not a full out offensive defenseman and not even remotely close to a shutdown guy. He's an undersized tweener that is serviceable.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I don't even mind Russell as much as some, but those numbers are a bit crazy. Especially when you already have Gio, Brodie and Hamilton with good sized contracts. I have no problem moving him out and either letting one of the young guys filling his spot next year or bringing in a cheaper replacement.

[GioforPM]

Who is Russell's agent and why are all these insiders taking him at his word?

[GranteedEV]

5.5 Million for the worst breakout pass this side of Cory Sarich on a 5`10, 175 lb guy.

*cringe*

You don’t have to look very hard to find the guys Russell would view as open-market comparables: Montreal’s Jeff Petry got five years at $5.5 million and so did Edmonton’s Andrej Sekera. Similarly under-sized blueliner Jared Spurgeon collected $5.2 million per year on a three-year term in Minnesota.

Except Jared Spurgeon and Jeff Petry make teams better in possession, not profoundly worse.

[saillias]

The next Andrew McDonald contract. The GM who signs him is the next fired GM.

[Dr. Doom]

We seriously need to trade this friggin guy
We need to pay out our core first and he's not our core

[sureLoss]

Also important to note McKenzie suggests Russell might take a hometown discount, but I doubt it would be enough for Flames fans to make his contract palatable.

[Gaudfather]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Who is Russell's agent and why are all these insiders taking him at his word?

Mackenzie acting as a mouthpiece for his agent. Some interesting connections in the hockey world.

[iLoveLamp]

He's got great puck movement in that he can move the puck blindly out of his zone for the other team to retrieve

[Parallex]

Dear Brad Treliving,

Please find the team that thinks Kris Russell is a 5.5M D-man and then trade him to that team for a return befitting a 5.5M D-man.

[Erick Estrada]

That's about Andre Sekera ballpark and it's only one year in in Edmonton and they aren't enamoured with the return as overpaying for guys like this is bad business.

[Flash Walken]

If Russell is looking at 5x5 in free agency, can we extrapolate from that what a perceived deadline asking price for him might be?

I can't come up with any comparables off the top of my head, but maybe the return for Brayden Coburn is a decent comparable?

Similar cap hit, a bit older a bit more physical but maybe a bit less offensive?

The difference of course was Coburn was under contract, but maybe that actually worked against his value.

Curious to see what the CP Hive mind can throw out there.

[Jacks]

I'd be surprised if he got that much as a UFA. Teams seem to be trending towards paying huge money for superstars, you can't do that and pay mid tier guys like Russell a big chunk of your cap space.