Quote:
Originally Posted by saillias
Boomer downplayed this on the FAN this morning, says yeah they've reached out to Martin but they've also reached out to 20 other UFAs because that's what BT does, and don't get too excited.
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Yeah, with what we know so far/has been presented in this thread, it's pretty clear that speculation on our interest was tossed out (along with a list of other potential suitors) likely by an agent in an attempt to create leverage / inflate the perceived value and market for a guy who's current ask isn't realistic without a bit of a July 1 feeding frenzy.
I'd fully expect BT has reached out to basically any player currently/soon-to-be available, as well as a laundry list of guys we hadn't even considered because they appear too valuable to their clubs. I'm sure he fully understands that you don't approach these negotiations with blinders on and the entirety of your efforts focused on the one guy you absolutely have to have.. those contracts can get pretty nasty this time of year.
To me, his prominence in all areas of the market this offseason sets us up very nicely to score a potential home run once the smoke settles (and heavy contracts fall where they may), as having an open dialog with guys we see as a fit greatly increases the chance of negotiations resuming when they don't get their big paydays.. this time, on Brad's terms. Aside from that, having a solid list of options may allow us to artificially jack up prices of some very obvious targets that certain divisional rivals might be heavily involved in negotiations with by forcing a little urgency into the situation.
It's going to be pretty exciting to see what happens with the John&Sean Show.. the potential free cap after Raymond's buyout/a few possible AHL demotions further down the lineup combined with our new and massively improved goalie budget have me intrigued to say the least. The excited kid fan in me is already imagining management gearing up for legitimate and completely shock offer to someone we'd never thought would fit into our salary structure (heyyoooo Okposo!), with the announcement of our big RFA signings coming immediately after on prearranged sweetheart deals that simply hadn't finalized the AAV until the other final pieces of The Plan were in place and our new skilled, tenacious, Stanley Cup contending AND long-term cap compliant roster was assembled.
Or maybe we just get Martin at a price Treleving feels is fair, or walk away and move onto the next option.
I'm obviously a little excited for the future of this team.
