[Signing] Kessel to sign contract extension with Leafs ($8Mil AAV, 8 years)

[sureLoss]

Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 1h Getting a sense Phil Kessel's contract extension in TOR could get done as early as Tues. Leafs and Kessel's agents working towards that.


Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 1h
But no one has confirmed it's done yet. So we'll see. If it's done, I would expect it'll be $8M per year, give or take $500K, for 7 or 8 yrs


Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 1h
TOR knew Kessel's statistical history/productivity would mean he'd be looking for as much as $8.5M AAV or Claude Giroux $8.275M territory.


Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 59m
TOR first wanted to determine, $ aside, how eager Kessel was to be a Leaf. If he did, sense was $ would sort itself out quickly. Stay tuned.


Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 44m
Bottom line is IF TOR wants to re-sign Kessel, Leafs know price of poker is somewhere between $7.5M and $8.5M/year. Or he goes UFA.

[jg13]

lol at that price tag.

[McG]

I'm thinking buyout in 5 years.

[sureLoss]

The AAV might seem high, but with the new CBA that caps contract length and limits how contracts can be front loaded, the AAV of high end players are going to rise compared to those signed with the last CBA.

[transplant99]

This is going to be the price for premium point producers moving forward.

Teams just have to decide if its worth it to them to commit for the term that all of them will be seeking.

[PeteMoss]

The Leafs are going to look back at this off-season in horror in about 2-3 years.

[Enoch Root]

I know that's what he'll get and what the market dictates for his production, but there is no way I would have Kessel as my $8m+ guy.

[Oling_Roachinen]

First glance seems high, then you remember it's a team that gave Clarkson a close to 40M contract until he's 36.

Semin earned a 7M contract last year, hard to justify Kessel getting anything less. At the same time I think he's a step below Getzlaf, Perry and Giroux at the point where they earned north of 8M+ a year for 8 years. So I'd say anything below 7M cap hit is a steal, anything higher than 8M is overpayment.

[savemedrzaius]

Worth every penny. As a Leafs fan he has improved every season, and last season he really seemed to mature, especially in the playoffs. 8 million a year seems fair to me.

[jeffman]

They're gonna regret that

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

Worth every penny. As a Leafs fan he has improved every season, and last season he really seemed to mature, especially in the playoffs. 8 million a year seems fair to me.

Absurd.

[kyuss275]

He will probably sign for just less than $8 million. For CP posters that think that's absurd, you better hope he signs with the leafs. I have no doubt Burke will offer him $8.5 million.

[SofaProfessor]

This deal is crazy but it's what the market has set for someone of his point production. If Toronto doesn't do it then someone else does when he hits free agency down the road.

[dammage79]

Ridiculous. Rate of inflation or not, there's no way in my opinion he should be paid up there with Crosby, malkin, getzlaf,perry or ovechkin. Am I missing anyone here?

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

He will probably sign for just less than $8 million. For CP posters that think that's absurd, you better hope he signs with the leafs. I have no doubt Burke will offer him $8.5 million.

Exactly. Toronto gets stuck with this balderdash. Good stuff.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Ridiculous. Rate of inflation or not, there's no way in my opinion he should be paid up there with Crosby, malkin, getzlaf,perry or ovechkin. Am I missing anyone here?

But the reason he is getting that money is because of inflation. Are all teams not allowed to pay more than Crosby makes until his contract is up in 12 years? Hell Malkin will be making $9.5 million starting next season.


If Sven becomes 90% of the player that Kessel is by the time he is 27 he will be getting way more than $8 million per.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Absurd.

I don't think so. You can't compare his contracts signed pre-CBA or RFA, in that sense there's only really Giroux, Perry and Getzlaf. Perry and Getzlaf will be getting 8M+ a year until they are over 35. Giroux, while I believe having a higher upside, has half the goals Kessel has. Kessel over the last 2 seasons has been top 5 for goals and points, so he should be expecting to bank in once he becomes UFA. It's also easy to forget that he's yet to reach his 26th birthday, 8 years will encompass his entire prime years unlike Perry and Getzlaf.

Like I said, I think 7-8M is fair, over 8M might be a bit of overpayment but that happens. Don't know if I would want him as the superstar for my team, but don't know if we should be expecting him to sign for less than what Semin is making.

[savemedrzaius]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Absurd.

Look at the numbers. Is it really absurd?

http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/seaso...ers-stats.html

[Red John]

Kessel is an elite point producer but he's not the kind of guy you build a franchise around. He's not a leader and frankly possesses little to no intangibles - if he's not scoring for you he's pretty useless. Even as a scorer - he's more of a perimeter guy. He won't be a Mr. Do-it-all kind of guy in the playoffs that most Cup winners have.

He'll get his $8 million/year from someone, but whatever team has Phil Kessel as their franchise forward won't be winning the Cup anytime soon.

Hopefully Toronto is dumb enough to give it to him.

[WilderPegasus]

I hope Toronto shells out similar money for Dion as well. Good for them to spend big money on guys lacking character.