[News] Mark Giordano Extension Done! 6 years, $40.5 million ($6.75 million AAV)

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Originally Posted by dash_pinched

Pretty common theme in Edmonton - Next summer, next year etc.

They are approaching 'next decade' territory.

Always fun to make fun of Edmonton no matter what thread you're in. It's just too easy.

[GioforPM]

Those that are worried about Gio's injuries should remember how freaky this bicep injury was. Aside from that he was super-durable this year - remember his smack into the boards with his head, when he came back the next period? His other injuries were the broken ankle from a blocked shot (could happen to any player) and a torn hamstring in 2012. Only the one from longest ago could indicate a guy with a potential recurring problem. And I don't think its ever bothered him again.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Those that are worried about Gio's injuries should remember how freaky this bicep injury was. Aside from that he was super-durable this year - remember his smack into the boards with his head, when he came back the next period? His other injuries were the broken ankle from a blocked shot (could happen to any player) and a torn hamstring in 2012. Only the one from longest ago could indicate a guy with a potential recurring problem. And I don't think its ever bothered him again.

I love the optimism but you are essentially saying he has been super durable except for his injuries.

Let's hope it is bad luck and over with. I do agree that it does not seem there is one chronic injury that bothers him. But some guys just miss more games than others.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Those that are worried about Gio's injuries should remember how freaky this bicep injury was. Aside from that he was super-durable this year - remember his smack into the boards with his head, when he came back the next period? His other injuries were the broken ankle from a blocked shot (could happen to any player) and a torn hamstring in 2012. Only the one from longest ago could indicate a guy with a potential recurring problem. And I don't think its ever bothered him again.

Sure, it would be great if he never got injured the next 7 years but he is such an effective player I don't think it matters if he misses some games.

If he can give the Flames a few more 60 game seasons like last year I think they will be very happy. At the tail end he will be the fearless leader on the 3rd pair - probably. He can't be underestimated, maybe he pulls a Lidstrom and keep improving in his early mid 30s.

[JohnnyTitan]

For those of you worried about Gio's age at the end of the contract, I'd like to add that I'm 38 right now and I feel great!

In fact, I don't think my work has tailed off at all. (At a desk all day -> LOL)

[Locke]

Originally Posted by JohnnyTitan

For those of you worried about Gio's age at the end of the contract, I'd like to add that I'm 38 right now and I feel great!

In fact, I don't think my work has tailed off at all. (At a desk all day -> LOL)

Elite defencemen are great up into their early 40s, barring injury. Thats the real concern.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I love the optimism but you are essentially saying he has been super durable except for his injuries.

Let's hope it is bad luck and over with. I do agree that it does not seem there is one chronic injury that bothers him. But some guys just miss more games than others.

Yeah based on luck, does Crosby taking a slapshot to the melon or taking an inadvertent headshot mean he's imjury prone? It's a contact sport, injuries will happen to most.

[Huntingwhale]

"In my opinion, if he didn't unfortunately go down with an injury, he's sitting here with a Norris Trophy," Flames general manager Brad Treliving said Tuesday...

"He's doing really good," Treliving told the Flames website. "By the time he left here in the spring, he was not fully healthy, but he's been fully training for majority of the summer. He's skating and shooting. We were talking the other day and he said, 'I don't even think about the injury anymore.' He's in full mode of getting ready, so, that's Mark. He's eager to get back here and eager to get going for real."

"[Mark] obviously wanted to make sure that him and his family were looked after, but he really took a leadership role in looking after the Flames family," Treliving said. "… The object is to win. … You can't just have one player or two players. You need a whole team, and knowing what's in front of us, we've still got a young developing team, and at some point, everybody wants to be taken care of, and we've got to have the ability to do that, and Mark fully understood that."

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=7...id=DL|NHL|home

[Galakanokis]

Can't say I am thrilled with the 6 year deal but I am ok with it. Money is great but that was never really the concern it was the term. Preferred 4 or 5 but it is what it is. Next few years are now very important to the Flames.

[TX_Flame]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

HRR by definition, are not net of salaries, which I thought is what you were saying. My mistake.

Your conclusion though that it is a zero sum game is not accurate. Even without including expansion fees, the expansion to new markets should increase revenue at a faster rate than the dilutive effect of adding two new teams. For example, I think the Canadian TV contract allows for an escalator when a new Canadian market joins. As others have stated, it is tricky to estimate depending on the average contribution of existing teams vs. new teams but I suspect the new teams will be accretive. That is one of the reasons the league wanted to see the results of the season ticket drive in LV. They don't add to add a team that will be a drag on league results (although ponying up $500M would make that easier to swallow).

I do remember reading about the escalator clause in the Canadian TV contract, but that offsets the fact that there is an additional team to divvy it up with. Without it, per team HRR would actually go down. Also, IIRC NBC's (not as rich) contract doesn't doesn't have one. LV's season ticket drive took them several months to get to a level that qualifies them for revenue sharing payments. Hopefully they should have enough walk up business that they won't be receiving those payments, but they are a far cry from Winnipeg selling their building out for 5 yrs in a matter of minutes. Overall, maybe they bring HRR up more than the league average, but I doubt it would be enough to have a drastic effect on the cap. Another poster ran some interesting numbers on that. This is much more about $1B in expansion fees than it is about raising per team HRR.

BTW, should we move this discussion to the expansion thread? Sorry for contributing to a derailment.

[dino7c]

there are risks with every contract I think this deal is more than fair...and if you look I was one of the guys who said "trade him if the ask is too high"

by the end of this deal top d-men will likely be making 12m anyway

[StrykerSteve]

This is a fantastic deal for the Flames. Sets them up incredibly well in the coming years.

[Frank MetaMusil]

Originally Posted by Galakanokis

Can't say I am thrilled with the 6 year deal but I am ok with it. Money is great but that was never really the concern it was the term. Preferred 4 or 5 but it is what it is. Next few years are now very important to the Flames.

The saving grace is the Flames now have Hamilton, even if Giordano can't play first pairing minutes into the second half of this contract term.

I wouldn't be looking to unload Wideman this season either if the Flames are planning on a playoff run. He was a major reason Calgary made the playoffs when Gio went down.

[Weitz]

They were talking with Friedman on 960 in regars to Gio's contract and whether its the internal "max".

Friedman speculated that Mony's next one may go higher. He may be the target of an offer sheet by someone like Colorado (rep'ed by the same firm as ROR I think he said). But it was of Friedmans opinion that it won't be a team max.

[StrykerSteve]

I'm willing to bet that Mark has set a precedent here that the young forwards will follow. Team-friendly contracts that will set them up nicely to become a championship group. I don't see someone like Monahan bucking that trend, at all.

[Galakanokis]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

The saving grace is the Flames now have Hamilton, even if Giordano can't play first pairing minutes into the second half of this contract term.

I wouldn't be looking to unload Wideman this season either if the Flames are planning on a playoff run. He was a major reason Calgary made the playoffs when Gio went down.

I fully expect Brodie and Hamilton to be one and two on this team as early as 2017. I think both are studs and will be top 10 D man in a couple years time. It is partially why I was concerned with the term on Giordano's contract. But that is a problem for 5 years from now. The next 5 years the D core looks fantastic.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Weitz

They were talking with Friedman on 960 in regars to Gio's contract and whether its the internal "max".

Friedman speculated that Mony's next one may go higher. He may be the target of an offer sheet by someone like Colorado (rep'ed by the same firm as ROR I think he said). But it was of Friedmans opinion that it won't be a team max.

I'd be more worried about a Bennett offer sheet than Monahan. The cap situation might be a little tighter when Bennett's new deal comes up.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Weitz

They were talking with Friedman on 960 in regars to Gio's contract and whether its the internal "max".

Friedman speculated that Mony's next one may go higher. He may be the target of an offer sheet by someone like Colorado (rep'ed by the same firm as ROR I think he said). But it was of Friedmans opinion that it won't be a team max.

A player has to reach RFA status before an offer sheet is possible. I would expect the Flames extend Monahan and Gaudreau before their contracts expire.

[Caged Great]

This is a great contract both in term and money.

For those that are worried about the length of the deal, it's really not a big deal. In the 4th - 5th - 6th years if he declines significantly and the Flames need to trade him to free up his cap hit, there will always be a team that is needing to reach the floor that could use him for leadership purposes. The return might not be awesome, but it would be possible. Instead we have him at least for the next 4 years while he is likely going to be a top tier D-man and come to that bridge when we get there.

His dollars also help to insure that the Flames will have the best opportunity to compete for the cup over the next 4-5 years as well. If the Flames can keep Hudler for 5.5-6.5 over the next few years as well, then that would be huge in the leadership department.

We will only need to cycle out a bunch of the higher dollar contracts that are currently on the team. Guys like Raymond, Smid (May become an IR case like Savard/Pronger), Engelland, Jones, Hiller, Ramo, Stajan, Bollig, Russell and Wideman could all be moved and their dollars re-allocated. That's 3, 3.5, 2.9, 4, 4.5, 3.8, 3.125, 1.25, 2.6, and 5.25 respectively that could be re-assigned. Only Russell, Jones and the two goalies are UFA, so that's 14.9 million that could be allowed to walk, which would cover the extensions of Gaudreau, Monahan, Gio, and Hudler with some $ left over (assuming that Gaudreau + Monahan get 4.5 million dollar raises each, and Hudler gets a 2 mil bump).

The good thing is that we have plenty of forwards, defensemen and goalies ready to make the jump. Ortio and Gillies could easily step in next year and be the goalie tandem, Morrison will likely be on the full time roster at some point this year, with Spoon being another candidate, never mind the whole group of potential forwards like Arnold Klimchuk Poirier etc.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Happy the captain has signed an extension. The term and AAV are very reasonable.

I'm not too worried about the last 2 years of the contract. Defense is all about positioning / experience and fitness, and I think Gio can easily remain effective.