[Signing] Oilers re-sign RNH (8yrs, $5.125 mil AAV, full NMC)

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by PaperBagger'14

A NMC in Edmonton, wow. That's like an Eskimo asking for an AC unit.

You mean an Elk, right?

[InternationalVillager]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

LOL. They line up on the third line. They play PK and shutdown minutes which boosts ice time.

But let’s go with TOI as the indicator of top 6. Guess where Backlund ranks on the Flames?

OK Backlund plays top 6 minutes on the Flames and where are they? Yeah not even close to the playoffs. Just not good enough.

[agulati]

Originally Posted by stang

Won’t. Very likely he never plays again.

Damn. Never realized his injury was that serious. Hopefully he is able to recover fully enough to lead a healthy life at least.

[stang]

Originally Posted by agulati

Damn. Never realized his injury was that serious. Hopefully he is able to recover fully enough to lead a healthy life at least.

Sounds like it’s just like that. Good enough to live a normal life. Not looking good for intensity of nhl training.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

OK Backlund plays top 6 minutes on the Flames and where are they? Yeah not even close to the playoffs. Just not good enough.

That's a different discussion.

The Flames aren't a contender, so they would probably have a weaker top six than the top ten teams.

But once again that was handled on the rankings. He's 95th or something in production and 103rd in cap hit.

He's 66th in xGF% too by the way .... solid two way player.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Surprised he stayed with Edmonton, but I also don't see RNH being a player that does anything well in particular. His funny moniker - Ryan Nothing Happens - is fairly apt, and coined by an Oilers Fan if I am not mistaken. He is a good player, with above average skills, but fairly vanilla in most of his attributes. I don't see him aging well.


It is ridiculous to cite this contract as better than Backlund's. Backlund is a very good 2-way centre who produces at his contract level while playing very tough minutes. Also, look at his career so far - how many wingers has he elevated while here. A centre that can play defence, put up good points doing a pretty good job at neutralizing opposing top lines, while his wingers normally experience career years next to him, and faltering without him? Backlund remains this team's most underappreciated player.


I know I prefer him over Ryan Nothing Happens every day of the week, especially not having to worry about an 8 year term.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Stastny, Staal, Coyle, Foligno are all terrible contracts.

Pageau I understand because they don't have any other C's really breaking the bank.

Gourde is playing on a team that is $18M over the cap. They are also paying Tyler Johnson $5M to play 4th line C.

So out of the entire league - its 2-3 teams like us which makes us the exception not the norm.

Well, you simply said you don’t pay 3Cs that kind of money. So I listed several teams that do (and stuck with PO teams). Now you are moving the goalposts and saying its a bad idea - except I guess for teams that make it work.

Backlund is also on the downhill slope of the contract and was a 2C for the majority of it. Contract terms should be evaluated over the breadth of the term, not in an individual year. Gio’s contract over its term is fair if you look at its entirety.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Bingo

The Flames aren't a contending team. Likely won't be.

I'm fine with moving Backlund given his age, etc, but there really isn't any support for the notion that Backlund is over paid.

He is what he is ... 0.5 PPG, second tier shut down 2nd/3rd line center. That pretty much costs $5+M

Problem is Backlund isn't a shutdown center. He just isn't. He's a decent two way center, but outside of a career year, he's a poor shutdown guy. Is there a place for him? Sure, on a non-contending team that only cares about trying to maintain mediocrity, he's a mainstay. If the team wants to take a step forward you have to have better performers than Backlund in his role.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Problem is Backlund isn't a shutdown center. He just isn't. He's a decent two way center, but outside of a career year, he's a poor shutdown guy. Is there a place for him? Sure, on a non-contending team that only cares about trying to maintain mediocrity, he's a mainstay. If the team wants to take a step forward you have to have better performers than Backlund in his role.

Hasn’t Lindholm started to take over and improve on the Backlund role?

Also wasn’t the 3M line a top shutdown and possession line for 3 straight years? Was the career year in the 16/17 season where that line carried the Flames through the brutal starts from Monahan/Gaudreau?

[getbak]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Someone suggested it was a contract made to be bought out. Maybe so, but the term makes it a long haul if they do.

I don't think they were suggesting it would be bought out immediately after signing it. If it gets bought out, it will likely be the last one or two seasons. More likely, he gets traded in one of the final three years of the contract to a team that needs cap hit while saving money.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Problem is Backlund isn't a shutdown center. He just isn't. He's a decent two way center, but outside of a career year, he's a poor shutdown guy. Is there a place for him? Sure, on a non-contending team that only cares about trying to maintain mediocrity, he's a mainstay. If the team wants to take a step forward you have to have better performers than Backlund in his role.

“Outside of a career year”?

Backlund was significantly better than the Selke trophy winners at playing defense for a 4ish year stretch.

He almost certainly should have won the Selke at least one year.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Problem is Backlund isn't a shutdown center. He just isn't. He's a decent two way center, but outside of a career year, he's a poor shutdown guy. Is there a place for him? Sure, on a non-contending team that only cares about trying to maintain mediocrity, he's a mainstay. If the team wants to take a step forward you have to have better performers than Backlund in his role.

I literally called him a second tier shut down center in the post that you quoted.

And I literally said I was fine with moving him given his age and contract.

But the notion that he's overpaid is a pretty easy serve to return.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Someone suggested it was a contract made to be bought out. Maybe so, but the term makes it a long haul if they do.

I don't think the suggestion was made that it be bought out tomorrow.

[Infinit47]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

They save $6.83M on the cap after Neal and Kostkinen are bought out.

For sure. So let's say they replace Neal with a player making $800k. That leaves $6mil. assume they get a backup at $1mil per, we are down to $5mil. What Goalie are they going to get to replace Smith? He and Fleury had very similar years. Do they take Fleury from Vegas at $7mil? That puts them in a $2mil hole just to get even with last year.

This team is treading water at best unless they somehow have both Brogerg and Bouchard step in and be a top d pairing. Hard to imagine.

[Huntingwhale]

Not a bad contract at all TBH. A decent player who seems like one of the few who wants to actually stay, get his cash and coast along with McD doing the heavy lifting. Can't blame a player for cashing in like that with added security with the full NMC.

Oilers don't improve with this signing as he's part of whatever "culture" they have going on there so it'll just be the status quo. From a Flames' perspective I'm fine with this.

[Robbob]

Problem with buying out Neal and Koskinen is that it adds that 6.83M to the 2.25M with the Lucic retained and Sekera buyout. Having 9M in dead cap space for this and next season is not ideal when you consider McDavid's is probably near the end of the rope waiting for help. That is 11% of their cap.

[Fire]

I can't believe he didn't want a fresh start somewhere else. I guess he loves his horses too much...

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by wired

8 more years of getting paid. He has his spot, and is probably comfortable on the team.
I would love a job where I was paid that much for that long to play a game.

In a situation where he will, for at least the next five years, never be higher than 5th on the list of things the fans bitch about and turn on.

$5M AAV and max term. In a city with a massive inferiority complex about players leaving, signing their other former 1OA pick to a retirement contract at for less than Mikael Backlund is gonna win hearts and minds.

[stang]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Problem with buying out Neal and Koskinen is that it adds that 6.83M to the 2.25M with the Lucic retained and Sekera buyout. Having 9M in dead cap space for this and next season is not ideal when you consider McDavid's is probably near the end of the rope waiting for help. That is 11% of their cap.

The 6.83 is how much cap space they save not how much it costs them.

The cost would be 1.5 for koskinen
1.9 for Neal.

3.4 total.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by stang

The 6.83 is how much cap space they save not how much it costs them.

The cost would be 1.5 for koskinen
1.9 for Neal.

3.4 total.

makes more sense. Thought that that was a little high when I was typing it. So 7% of their cap. I guess still better then having Neal around.