[Signing] Oilers sign Klefbom to 7 year extension ($4.167 mil AAV)

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by VERVE

This contract is a little easier to swallow because it is not a huge jump for ex. to 4.5 million but starts at 3 million and goes up every 500k or similar.

It isn't the cash that matters, it's the cap hit. If Klefbom doesn't stick as a regular top-4 D, that hit is big enough to cause some serious trouble elsewhere in the lineup.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

It'd be nice if they get lucky and hit on an impact player deep in the draft, but as a manager you can't count on that happening. The Flames for instance hit on two 4th rounders recently, but probably went 10+ years before without finding anything significant that deep in the draft. Which is the same for most teams.

It was still our amateur scouts that found Giordano, whose draft year would have been 2002 or so.

So that's

#1D - 2002
#1D - 2008
#1W - 2011

That's not luck.

[YoungGuns]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

It isn't the cash that matters, it's the cap hit. If Klefbom doesn't stick as a regular top-4 D, that hit is big enough to cause some serious trouble elsewhere in the lineup.

Are you kidding! LOL

That is a bonus or even level.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

Are you kidding! LOL

That is a bonus or even level.

If you think a $4.16m cap hit for a third-pairing defenceman is a good deal, I'd like to sell you a bridge before you run out of money.

[cam_wmh]

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

Are you kidding! LOL

That is a bonus or even level.

Is this supposed to be coherent?

[dino7c]

always given never earned

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

It was still our amateur scouts that found Giordano, whose draft year would have been 2002 or so.

So that's

#1D - 2002
#1D - 2008
#1W - 2011

That's not luck.

How many first round busts did the Flames pick over that time period?

I think when you are working to predict the future, luck is going to play a big role no matter the task.

The case of Giordano also illustrates why the strategy of "Always having good players ready to step in on cheap ELC contracts" isn't really a viable one.

Giordano was in his 6th season with the Flames before he had what we would call an impact year. Brodie had one season in his ELC 2012/13 where he played a top four role, albeit on a poor team. Gaudreau is the best possible outcome for an ELC and the Flames will be paying him big bucks by the time they are ready to contend.

The fact is that the vast majority of players aren't impact contributors on their ELC's and you can't predict when those ones that are will come along.

I think it isn't prudent to bank on getting key contributions from ELCs as part of an effective strategy for a GM.

[Lil Pedro]

Can't believe they gave $4 million/per for the next seven years to a guy thats only played 77 NHL games, this is so Oilers its not even funny

[TBone290]

Can we just focus on the flames. I'm tired of seeing arguments with these fools. Same thing in the ENG thread

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by TBone290

Can we just focus on the flames. I'm tired of seeing arguments with these fools. Same thing in the ENG thread

Sent from my LG-D852 using Tapatalk

Give it three or four weeks. All the Oilers apologists will have limped back into their holes for another long winter by the end of October. Just like always.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

He would have to ask Gio where the best place is

That might be a wise idea actually, he came back from Russia and is currently one of the best defencemen in the league, taking some advice from him wouldnt exactly be foolhardy.

Originally Posted by YoungGuns

Are you kidding! LOL

That is a bonus or even level.

I think Jay's point is that every spot he drops down in the lineup increases the number of people who expect to be paid more than him, its called a salary structure, and if Ol' Pete needs a lesson my consulting hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-6, happy hour at the pub.

If Klefbom is a #5, then there are likely going to be 4 guys ahead of him expecting to be paid $4.16M+ regardless of their pedigree or accomplishments.

Assuming for the moment that those 4 guys are content to receive exactly what Klefbom gets then thats $16.64M locked up in your top 4 D plus Klefbom, so roughly $21M on 5 players.

Granted, thats a moving target, but what it does is set up road-blocks in the cap and salary structure. Road-blocks that may never have needed to be there.

[SuperMatt18]

Also I don't get why you take the risk now.

Guys who have proven much more just signed contracts at very similar rates.

Why not just wait until the end of the season and you likely are able to sign him to the exact same amount then?

Then at least you have more then 77 games to base the contract on.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I think it isn't prudent to bank on getting key contributions from ELCs as part of an effective strategy for a GM.

There is a double irony in this statement. First, because that is exactly what you Oiler fans and your GMs have done over the last half decade. It is what you are doing this season as well.

Second, because you simply aren't going to succeed without players outperforming contracts. ELCs are the easiest to outperform - especially when you are picking first overall nearly every year.

Which brings us back to everyone else's point. If Klefbom is not a legitimate top four D starting next year, he will be underperforming his contract.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

There is a double irony in this statement. First, because that is exactly what you Oiler fans and your GMs have done over the last half decade. It is what you are doing this season as well.

Second, because you simply aren't going to succeed without players outperforming contracts. ELCs are the easiest to outperform - especially when you are picking first overall nearly every year.

Which brings us back to everyone else's point. If Klefbom is not a legitimate top four D starting next year, he will be underperforming his contract.

^ This exactly

[Meers]

The guy had the worst goals against per 60 of any defenseman in the NHL last season. Worse even than Sbisa with the Canucks (who, as we all remember from the playoffs, is damned appalling).

I'm not sure why you give a 7 year deal for that sort of ineptitude?

Oh yeah. Oilers. I forgot.

[Jay Random]

To be fair, Klefbom had the worst GA/60 partly because he was playing hard minutes on a terrible team with terrible coaching and terrible goaltending. What's more troubling is that he was worse than his terrible teammates in that stat.

I suppose you give a 7-year deal for that because Klefbom knew that a long stint with the Oilers could ruin his career, and told his agent to hold them to ransom, Dr. Evil style: ‘I demand… one hundred billion dollars!’

As for the Oilers, they had to spend the money to make it look like they were trying to improve the defence, but they didn't have anyone sufficiently proven that was worth that kind of money. So they took a flyer and hoped the fans wouldn't know the difference. This was probably wasted effort, since everyone was distracted by Mc-I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Gretzky.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

...Mc-I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Gretzky.

I thanked your post for this alone. Best one I've seen yet, and they are all hilarious.

[Stay Golden]

Greaser fans are saying Klefbom is their next Coffey.
CMD is the next Gretzky.
That is so Oiler of them. Ridiculously stupid deal to sign this raw unproven D man to a 7 year deal.
This is such a typical laughable Oiler contract.
Compared to the Flames, Klefbom is a bubble D as a 7th. Can you imagine the Flames signing a bubble D to 7 years 4.6m per

[Enoch Root]

but, but... Schultz was the next Coffey. And RNH was the next Gretzky.

How many Coffeys and Gretzkys do they need?

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

but, but... Schultz was the next Coffey. And RNH was the next Gretzky.

How many Coffeys and Gretzkys do they need?

No, RNH is the next Datsyuk. I read it all the time so it's true. Remember when Datsyuk was brutal defensively? That is the stage RNH is in. What's that? Datsyuk was never brutal defensively?