2014 Free Agent Frenzy Thread: FA News, FA Rumors and FA Speculation

[dammage79]

Whats wrong with seconds, thirds and fourths? They should be lessening the pick price.

[Bingo]

I disagree ... I think cap space is an important asset that has to be valued as such. Glad the Sabres and Flames see it the same and have held the line.

Really can create value if you have an owner with deep pockets and cap flexibility. Huge advantage for the Flames both now, and in future years.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Whats wrong with seconds, thirds and fourths? They should be lessening the pick price.

Pretty sure we would be retaining salary if Cammi was overpaid (let's use 7-8m as a ballpark).. a 3rd/4th round pick is definitely not worth 1-3m in real dollars.

[mrdonkey]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Whats wrong with seconds, thirds and fourths? They should be lessening the pick price.

Why? Why should we be doing favors for other teams?

Ask for the moon here, because there's nothing to lose. Either the contenders pay up or they don't. If they don't, then they don't get to sign the big, sexy free agents they want. And the only place for those free agents to go are to lesser teams.

I'm sick and tired of being blacklisted by every NTC and free agent in the league so that they can saunter off to big markets with seemingly endless amounts of cap space...until now. Maybe if we stop giving outs to these big markets unless they pay something substantial it will create a more even playing field.

[formulate]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Whats wrong with seconds, thirds and fourths? They should be lessening the pick price.

Agreed, personally any asset would be nice, but there could be a mandate coming down from ownership. I know Burke has mentioned a willingness to spend to the cap, but when it comes down to is, would they spend millions just for a 3rd rounder?

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I disagree ... I think cap space is an important asset that has to be valued as such. Glad the Sabres and Flames see it the same and have held the line.

Really can create value if you have an owner with deep pockets and cap flexibility. Huge advantage for the Flames both now, and in future years.

I see your point, but in the end and since the draft, I don't think the rest of the league sees it that way. I mean you can sit on your cap space all you want and not capitalize on other teams need to clear cap, but 1st's in next years draft are like Platinum. They're far too valuable to relinquish to cover up mistakes.

Like Treliving said, Second rounders closer to the draft are real currency, teams love them.

[EldrickOnIce]

I am a big fan of extortion

[Tron_fdc]

Yep. There's no reason whatsoever to start signing guys to "overpayment" deals, even just to reach the floor. That does a few things:

- hamstrings your ability to sign RFA guys down the road, because you have a boat anchor contract (see: Edmonton Oilers)
- Drives up salaries in your organization to play there (see: Edmonton Oilers)
- Reduces your profitability in the short term (See: Edmonton Oilers)

So yeah, pretty much everything the Oilers have done is exactly opposite of what we should do.

I'd rather pay a cap penalty for not hitting the floor than overpaying someone "just because"

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Brian Lawton @brianlawton9
has been nothing short of extortion. Looks like normal buyers may sit this 1 out today. #notrealistic to give away 1st rd picks 4 cap space

... Okey, Lawton. He kind of seems to be forgetting that it's not just cap space it's also real actual dollars and it's not realistic for teams to spend multiple millions of dollars and help out the competition for much less. I mean most of the draft picks he's talking about are going to be in the 20ish+ area so it's not like you're getting a surefire blue-chip future star.

[Bingo]

assets have value ...

its the time honored thing. Set your house price too high and you don't sell it. Put it too low and it goes, and then the neighbor sells his place for 100K more.

instinct, and a read on the market

or as someone suggested ownership mandate of 1st rounder or nothing.

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I disagree ... I think cap space is an important asset that has to be valued as such. Glad the Sabres and Flames see it the same and have held the line.

Really can create value if you have an owner with deep pockets and cap flexibility. Huge advantage for the Flames both now, and in future years.

Absolutely.

I like we set the price high at the draft. By holding the line eventually a team will agree, or anopponent will be sitting on bad contracts or using non compliance buyouts, both of which make our cap space more valuable

[Read Only]

Originally Posted by Parallex

... Okey, Lawton. He kind of seems to be forgetting that it's not just cap space it's also real actual dollars and it's not realistic for teams to spend multiple millions of dollars and help out the competition for much less. I mean most of the draft picks he's talking about are going to be in the 20ish+ area so it's not like you're getting a surefire blue-chip future star.

Well there were reports of Ward bringing with him the 7th and Ribeiro the 12th which sounds like extortion and a ridiculous price to pay so he doesn't seem that off base with his comments if that is what teams expect to get to take on a bad contract.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Tron_fdc

Yep. There's no reason whatsoever to start signing guys to "overpayment" deals, even just to reach the floor. That does a few things:

- hamstrings your ability to sign RFA guys down the road, because you have a boat anchor contract (see: Edmonton Oilers)
- Drives up salaries in your organization to play there (see: Edmonton Oilers)
- Reduces your profitability in the short term (See: Edmonton Oilers)

So yeah, pretty much everything the Oilers have done is exactly opposite of what we should do.

I'd rather pay a cap penalty for not hitting the floor than overpaying someone "just because"

The cap penalty is likely very substantial. Think multiple picks including first rounders.

It hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure Bettman would make out sting a lot to prevent others from doing it

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Read Only

Well there were reports of Ward bringing with him the 7th and Ribeiro the 12th which sounds like extortion and a ridiculous price to pay so he doesn't seem that off base with his comments if that is what teams expect to get to take on a bad contract.

Yet the Coyotes agreed.

Hold the line gentlemen

[evman150]

Originally Posted by Bingo

or as someone suggested ownership mandate of 1st rounder or nothing.

This is very likely the case.

Why would ownership pay $10MM++ for a 3rd rounder? You'd have to be off your rocker to think they would do that.

I really like the way the Flames (and I suppose the Sabres as well) are handling this. **** the big teams - we're in charge. Don't like the price of getting bailed out? Then have fun in the salary cap meat grinder.

[browna]

Just random thoughts here, but I think the Flames really need (to overpay?) that one player that others in the league are somewhat surprised to see as coming to Calgary, and realizing the Flames are back on the way up and committed to being something to be reckoned with in the next couple years, and the city and organization again considered a destination for UFA's.

When Amonte and McCarty signed the same day 9 years ago, it signaled, for the first time in a while, that the Flames were once again a destination around the league. Of course the Cup run had helped but those were two free agents the Flames in prior years would've had no chance at. From that point on Sutter was signing a top free agent almost every year.

Now, the Flames haven't had the success they do prior to that year, and Hartley may be a deterrent to some, but if the Flames can make a signing for a strong character guy with skill, well respected around the league, it may have cause for other players to take more notice of the Flames. Who that player is I don't know of, but to get the wheels turning forward with the Flames reputation, damaged under the former GM, that would be an ideal scenario to start the real offseason with.

[daveinspruce]

With Calgary being sooo below the cap is there anyway we could sign Stasney and Vanek? I really think Vanek would be good on our team.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by Read Only

Well there were reports of Ward bringing with him the 7th and Ribeiro the 12th which sounds like extortion and a ridiculous price to pay so he doesn't seem that off base with his comments if that is what teams expect to get to take on a bad contract.

The 7th pick for Ward would have cost over $12 million. That's a lot of money for a prospect that might never be a full time nhl player. Don't know what riberios contract was but I'm guessing over $10 million.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by browna

Just random thoughts here, but I think the Flames really need (to overpay?) that one player that others in the league are somewhat surprised to see as coming to Calgary, and realizing the Flames are back on the way up and committed to being something to be reckoned with in the next couple years, and the city and organization again considered a destination for UFA's.

When Amonte and McCarty signed the same day 9 years ago, it signaled, for the first time in a while, that the Flames were once again a destination around the league. Of course the Cup run had helped but those were two free agents the Flames in prior years would've had no chance at. From that point on Sutter was signing a top free agent almost every year.

Now, the Flames haven't had the success they do prior to that year, and Hartley may be a deterrent to some, but if the Flames can make a signing for a strong character guy with skill, well respected around the league, it may have cause for other players to take more notice of the Flames. Who that player is I don't know of, but to get the wheels turning forward with the Flames reputation, damaged under the former GM, that would be an ideal scenario to start the real offseason with.

Yes. But not this year.

Next year.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

The 7th pick for Ward would have cost over $12 million. That's a lot of money for a prospect that might never be a full time nhl player. Don't know what riberios contract was but I'm guessing over $10 million.

Of course it's a lot, but it's the one thing that is in large supply around here.
Top Prospects way more valuable, imo