[Rumour] Rangers considering Richards buyout

[$ven27]

Originally Posted by Sakari

O'Reilly would have been great if we had actually got him. Without the waiver fiasco we'd all be happy with the move.

No way would I trade a Barkov/Drouin/MacKinnon pick for ROR. as good as he is he's a 2nd line center.

[Canada 02]

That summer Jarome was coming off a 43 goal season, and was 6th in league scoring. The Flames had 94 pts, 3 out of a playoff spot. Richards was 10th in league scoring.

It wasn't unreasonable to think at that time, Richards could help put them in a playoff position. I wanted Feaster to win that bidding war, and I don't think I was alone

[Da_Chief]

Scott Gomez - 7 years 7 per = 49 mill
Bobby Holik - 5 years 9 per = 45 mill
Micheal Rozsival - 4 years 5 per = 20 mill
Darius Kasparitus - 6 years 4 per = 25 mill (1 mill SB)
Chris Drury - 5 years 7 per = 25 mill
Wade Redden - 6 year 6.5 per = 39 mill
Ales Kotalik - 3 years 3 per = 9 mill
Brad Richards - 9 years 6.67 = 58.5 mill

Thats 270.5 mill, not a single player on this list lived up to their expectations. Holik, Redden, Drury bought out. Richards on the verge. Somehow fleeced Habs in the Gomez trade. Traded Rozsival for Wolski (crap). Kaspar retired. We took on Kotalik and cost us a 2nd.

If it wasn't for their scouts drafting Stepan, Del Zotto, Callahan, Lundy, Staal etc etc. these guys would be baaaad and he would've been canned long ago.

[bubbsy]

Flames must be happy Richards didn't come here.

likewise, richards must be thanking his lucky stars he didn't choose the flames.

[Five-hole]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Besides being a blowhard, my broader point is that the same people are now running the rebuild. What confidence do you have in a group of people that would have eviscerated the future prospects of this team to eek into 8th spot to build this team into a contender?

Feaster was making moves that he thought would fulfill the mandate from ownership to improve the team now. It's a bit of a leap to assume that if he had full control of the direction of the team he would have given the ROR offer sheet. You have to evaluate that move within the proper context, and that was make the best moves you can to improve the team today and push for a playoff spot.

You can't evaluate the move from the point of view of having traded our two highest-paid players and are gunning for a top-5 pick. This has been a change of circumstances and a change of managerial direction.

Complain all you want about the marching orders from upstairs (and there's plenty of reasons to do so), but the ROR offer sheet is not an indictment of Feaster's ability to oversee a rebuild. The two are almost completely unrelated and one is not evidence of an inability to do the other.

[bubbsy]

agreed. You can't use feaster's moves for immediate short term success over the past few seasons now that the direction appears to have changed.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I think this is Kypreos talking just to hear himself once again...absolutely no reason the Rangers would need to do this nevermind the amount of money it would cost them.

If someone was saying any other team was considering buying out a contract for $25,000,000 I would have no problem calling them an idiotic jackass. But this is the Rangers, a team that over the last couple of years has paid Wade Redden $20,000,000 to play in the AHL, Blues and Bruins. So I wouldn't discredit this information right away, and there is a huge difference between considering and doing it.

I do feel like the decision was already made when they sent Gaborik to the Jackets. There was little chance they were going into the 2014 season with Lundvqist, Nash, Richards and Gaborik when they still needed to sign Stepan and McDonagh. Now that Gaborik is gone, I'd be a bit surprised to see Richards bought out this summer, especially as there's not exactly a highly sought after free agent signing they would be missing out on.

However, another year like this and I could see them using their last compliance buyout on him in the 2014 summer. The team could be completely reshaped by then (only Richards, Nash, Staal and Dorsett having contracts extending beyond that currently) and 6.7M cap hit for a 50 point player is a huge handicap.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Besides being a blowhard, my broader point is that the same people are now running the rebuild. What confidence do you have in a group of people that would have eviscerated the future prospects of this team to eek into 8th spot to build this team into a contender?

I believe the goal for this organization was to attempt to win the Stanley Cup together with Iginla, during the course of the contract he is currently on. I believe that mandate came directly from ownership, and they tried valiantly to accomplish that goal right up to he end. Too many mistakes were made previously for them to succeed however, like horrible drafting/development nd some very bad trades.

I'm not saying its right that they attempted that right to the end, but I can understand it.

Now it's clear that the page has turned, they've torn things down substantially, and are clearly heading in a new direction. Time will tell if they have the right management group to successfully rebuild, or if this group will even be in place for much longer.

Re Richards - clearly a win now move, which fits the mandate from ownership. Didn't cost them any future assets, and would have made the Flames better during Iggys last years of his contract. Risky going past that, but a move that makes sense given the win with Iggy mandate.

Re O'Reilly - right at the end of Iggys contract, but would have improved our team immediately. How much? Probably not enough to win a Cup, but was a last gasp effort to improve a weak spot on the club in a attempt to win with Iginla, BUT at 22 would still be a solid piece moving forward as well. Of course, with our first being involved, it didn't come without risk.

In the end, nothing they've done achieved them their goal of winning with Jarome, so they traded him to probably the #1 cup contender, before he could walk for nothing.

It's over, the "attempt to win with Iggy" era is over. They failed, and the page has turned.

Hopefully without that mantra hanging over them, better decisions are made, and less risk is taken, moving forward.

[CaptainCrunch]

At the time that the Flames were pursuing Richards he was probably in the top of the rankings in terms of centers and coming off of a 77 point season with the Stars.

No one could have predicted that he would bust this hard, but part of that is Torts system in New York as well.

The Flames desperately wanted a top center and Richards was looking like that top center last summer.

To drive Feaster into the mat for trying to bring him here based on Monday morning quarterbacking is a bit dishonest.

And if anyone was predicted this big of a bust in term of Richards there's no reason why you shouldn't be working in the NHL instead of drive through at a Telus store.

[lazypucker]

If Richards are willing to sign a $2-3 mil per year contract after being bought out, essentially any team can afford to sign him. Again we are back to the question of why would he choose to sign with Calgary?

[Tinordi]

Alot of people were predicting that Richards would bust early in the term of his contract.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Flashpoint

Lets say we had successfully signed Richards. And lets say Colorado had elected not to match our offer sheet (and the waiver thing didn't apply). And both players performed the same for us that they did for their current teams.

We would have spent 11.6 million dollars (Capgeek) for 10 goals.

Leaving us only 22 goals behind the opposition in differential!

YAY!

These numbers are way off...you gotta prorate

by this logic we paid Iggy 7 million for 9 goals

(not saying any of these guys are good deals)

[dino7c]

and keep dreaming...IF he gets bought out he is making 5 plus somewhere else

[doctajones428]

For all we know Richards could have had incredible chemistry with Iginla/Tanguay. I don't know why people claim Feaster dodged a bullet when we don't even know what the results would of been

[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Alot of people were predicting that Richards would bust early in the term of his contract.

Seriously, this is your response to the detailed rebuttal of your previous points?

But, but, but.... a lot of people said...

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by doctajones428

For all we know Richards could have had incredible chemistry with Iginla/Tanguay. I don't know why people claim Feaster dodged a bullet when we don't even know what the results would of been

Pretty sure he would have been better than Stajan in that role

[Tinordi]

Originally Posted by Beatle17

Seriously, this is your response to the detailed rebuttal of your previous points?

But, but, but.... a lot of people said...

That was my rebuttal to Captain who said nobody could have predicted that and that going after Richards was the right move.

Read the forum back at that time, many of people were saying it was a fool's errand and wouldn't be a good move. Turned out those people were right.

[Jake]

Richards only makes $1 million/season in the last 3 years of the contract, starting in 2017/18. If there will be a buyout, I think it would probably come then.

There were a lot of people that questioned giving a 31 year old a 9 year, $60 million contract at the time. I honestly don't even remember my opinion at the time, but I don't think it is unreasonable to criticize Feaster even in hindsight in this case.

Looking at that contract, why is it that the Devil's were penalized for cap circumvention with the Kovalchuk contract, yet the Richards contract was OK? Richards made $24 million in salary and bonuses in the first year of the contract, almost half the value of the 9 year, $60 million contract... in the first year alone!

[BurningSteel]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I always appreciated Feaster's attempts to get the Flames that #1C they needed to pair with Iggy but we sure are lucky that both failed.

It doesnt matter that they didnt get him they almost did and then we would have been in this terrible situation. First ROR and then this, Fire Feaster!!!!!

[Tinordi]

I believe the goal for this organization was to attempt to win the Stanley Cup together with Iginla, during the course of the contract he is currently on. I believe that mandate came directly from ownership, and they tried valiantly to accomplish that goal right up to he end. Too many mistakes were made previously for them to succeed however, like horrible drafting/development nd some very bad trades.

Yes I believe those mistakes were the result of the mandate. Instead of setting up the franchise with nice future assets Phaneuf was dealt to help win now and fulfilling that ridiculous mandate.

Now it's clear that the page has turned, they've torn things down substantially, and are clearly heading in a new direction. Time will tell if they have the right management group to successfully rebuild, or if this group will even be in place for much longer.

Is it clear the page has turned? You have Feaster saying the goal next year is the playoffs. That goes over like a Korean rocket and then he's saying that wasn't what he meant. I mean I can only go by the actions of this organization, they sold off when it was so abundantly clear that they couldn't made the playoffs and that Iginla clearly told them he wasn't going to be back under any circumstances. They basically had their hand forced to rebuild. Weeks earlier they were offering up top five picks for ROR. So yes, it's a very legitimate question as to how bought in this group of hockey "minds" is to the rebuild.

Re Richards - clearly a win now move, which fits the mandate from ownership. Didn't cost them any future assets, and would have made the Flames better during Iggys last years of his contract. Risky going past that, but a move that makes sense given the win with Iggy mandate.

Yes a move that makes sense to eek into the playoffs and go one and done. Ultimately, we sold off assets to get out of "cap jail" to make a run at Richards so it was hardly no harm no foul.

In the end, nothing they've done achieved them their goal of winning with Jarome, so they traded him to probably the #1 cup contender, before he could walk for nothing.

It's over, the "attempt to win with Iggy" era is over. They failed, and the page has turned.

Hopefully without that mantra hanging over them, better decisions are made, and less risk is taken, moving forward.

Key word here is failure. The organizational strategy of this organization has been a failure. Is somebody accountable for that?