[Signing] Blue Jackets sign Werenski to extension (6 yrs, $9.583 mil AAV)

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

That’s an opinion.

Mine is that this is encroaching on the worst contract in the NHL. If you were to list the best dmen, too 5, 10, hell… 20? Would this guy crack any of those lists? Because he’s being paid like it.

He is a top pairing defender though. It is pretty easy to argue that it is overpayment, but to be in the conversation for worst contract in the league, the player needs to be basically useless (like Skinner). That doesn't apply to Werenski at all.

[ricardodw]

Is Hughes really that good?

Makar 101 games 94 pts +29 53 non-pp pts
Hughes 129 games 97 pts -34 51 non-pp pts

Hughes is a lot closer to Tyson Barrie or Gustaffsson 2018-19 who put up 60 pts in 79 games and was only a -6

In Hughes favor was his playoff hero role in the bubble playoffs although Makar has done it 3 times to Hughes 1.

I really have a hard time getting my head around the leverage these 3 year players think they have. Where were Tkachuk and his class going to play for more than 3-4 M? They were not going to get an offer sheet because they are easily match up to the point where 4 first picks are too much of a deterrent to the offering team.

Their options are to sit out a year and/or play in Europe for less money and still be in the same contract situation when they come back.

What does Hughes do if the Canuck said 3.5 plus 4.5 for 8 mil over 2 years? Hold his breathe? retire from hockey?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Is Hughes really that good?

Makar 101 games 94 pts +29 53 non-pp pts
Hughes 129 games 97 pts -34 51 non-pp pts

Hughes is a lot closer to Tyson Barrie or Gustaffsson 2018-19 who put up 60 pts in 79 games and was only a -6

In Hughes favor was his playoff hero role in the bubble playoffs although Makar has done it 3 times to Hughes 1.

I really have a hard time getting my head around the leverage these 3 year players think they have. Where were Tkachuk and his class going to play for more than 3-4 M? They were not going to get an offer sheet because they are easily match up to the point where 4 first picks are too much of a deterrent to the offering team.

Their options are to sit out a year and/or play in Europe for less money and still be in the same contract situation when they come back.

What does Hughes do if the Canuck said 3.5 plus 4.5 for 8 mil over 2 years? Hold his breathe? retire from hockey?

He takes his one-year qualifying offer and then holds Benning upside down by his balls next year. Or sits out until he is traded.

If you simply screw over the player, you eliminate the long term relationship. And considering how attractive NJ looks to Hughes already, that probably isn't the greatest idea.

[looooob]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

Is Hughes really that good?

Makar 101 games 94 pts +29 53 non-pp pts
Hughes 129 games 97 pts -34 51 non-pp pts

Hughes is a lot closer to Tyson Barrie or Gustaffsson 2018-19 who put up 60 pts in 79 games and was only a -6

I truthfully don't have a good gauge on Hughes and where he will end up as a NHL dman- but given that he is a full year younger than Makar and accounting for the difference in quality of teams they play for, I'm not convinced that comparison above is so damning for Hughes (considering how good Makar is- and now rich)

[Enoch Root]

The general view is that Makar is a cut above, but that Hughes is in the conversation with Heiskanen (behind Makar).

I have always felt that Hughes is a little behind those guys, just due to the fact that he can be a tire fire defensively, and he is small, but on the offensive side, he is in the conversation with them.

And offense is the primary determinant for big money contracts.

[Moneyhands23]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

The general view is that Makar is a cut above, but that Hughes is in the conversation with Heiskanen (behind Makar).

I have always felt that Hughes is a little behind those guys, just due to the fact that he can be a tire fire defensively, and he is small, but on the offensive side, he is in the conversation with them.

And offense is the primary determinant for big money contracts.

I look forward to our new bruisers taking Hughes hard to the boards!!!!

Muuuuuhahaha

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Unbelievably bad negotiating by Jarmo here. I just don't understand how you can look at Brayden Point and Cale Makar and go, "yeah, our guy should get a better contract than those dudes, he's definitely worth it." He's clearly not.

I’m sure he knows he overpaid. But the alternative was likely Werenski walking, and the Jackets cementing their reputation as a destination that can’t keep star players.

In the emerging NHL, where star players are exercising more and more autonomy in where they play, some teams are going to have to overpay. Get used to it.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

He takes his one-year qualifying offer and then holds Benning upside down by his balls next year. Or sits out until he is traded.

If you simply screw over the player, you eliminate the long term relationship. And considering how attractive NJ looks to Hughes already, that probably isn't the greatest idea.

so he plays 1 year at 1 M and then next year the Canucks qualify him at 1.1 M.

Then he waits for someone to make him an offer sheet? Would the Flames offer him 10x4 and give up 2 firsts a 2nd and a 3rd (they don't have their 3rd so they would have to go back to Boston and get them to trade back their 2020 third). Not likely but even then Canucks match and have him for 5 years at 41M (8.2x5) Chances are he takes the 3.5 +4.5 one year the summer of 2022 ... ie no other options.

If there were to be hard feelings over contracts and rotten long term relationship then this is Mangiapane's next to last season as a Flame. He files for arbitration on a 1 year deal and is a UFA. In his first RFA year they gave him a 2-way contract $714K with 70k in stockton. I guess that if the Flames are talking extension as they should be Mangiapane holds Treliving upside down by his balls

The guy that appears to want to get out of Calgary ASAP is Tkachuk who already beat the snot out of the Flames in his contract.

[Enoch Root]

I am not going to waste my time debating your ridiculous assumptions.

Hughes isn't going to sign for 2 x $4M. You are out to lunch.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

He takes his one-year qualifying offer and then holds Benning upside down by his balls next year. Or sits out until he is traded

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I am not going to waste my time debating your ridiculous assumptions.

Hughes isn't going to sign for 2 x $4M. You are out to lunch.

I don't think he is either, but it seems equally unlikely he would accept his qualifying offer under any circumstances... also, don't qualifying offers expire after a week or so? I thought they did.

[ricardodw]

We missed a year of hockey in 2004 and another half year in 2012 to provide the team player cost control for 7 years and the genius GMs are throwing that away.

Of course Benning is not going to play Hard ball with either Hughes or Pettersson mainly because he wants to stretch his own personal pay cheque for another year or 2 and wants to stay within the norms of the other NHL GMs

[Philly06Cup]

It's weird how NHL fans take the side of the owner in contract disputes.

In a free market, a young player would earn top dollar if they deserved it. Because of the CBA, elite young players get screwed over and get paid below market value.
In a free market, an employee gets to choose where to work, not the other way around.

Good on players who hold out for a fair contract for their skills. Good on them for wanting a fair wage.
Good on players who exercise their autonomy to relocate to a city/team that they want. Good on them for not being a pawn for the owners and wanting to be treated like human beings.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

It's weird how NHL fans take the side of the owner in contract disputes.

In a free market, a young player would earn top dollar if they deserved it. Because of the CBA, elite young players get screwed over and get paid below market value.
In a free market, an employee gets to choose where to work, not the other way around.

Good on players who hold out for a fair contract for their skills. Good on them for wanting a fair wage.
Good on players who exercise their autonomy to relocate to a city/team that they want. Good on them for not being a pawn for the owners and wanting to be treated like human beings.

It's not taking the owners side. It's taking your teams side. The players will come and go and for the most part the team will remain except Atlanta .

Fans just want the best for their team and that means players making less so more cap space is available for other moves. At the end of the day, owners are billionaires and players are millionaire and we're the suckers paying for it .

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

It's weird how NHL fans take the side of the owner in contract disputes.

In a free market, a young player would earn top dollar if they deserved it. Because of the CBA, elite young players get screwed over and get paid below market value.
In a free market, an employee gets to choose where to work, not the other way around.

The players themselves agreed to that CBA. They agreed not to have a free market within the NHL itself. Anyone who doesn't like that is still perfectly free to play in any other league on earth. There's your free market, and you know what? None of those other leagues can afford to pay NHL salaries.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

It's just such a ridiculous suggestion. No one is "taking the side of the owner". No one is going "Yeah, you get him John McConnell! Grind him down, keep more of your money in your pocket!" No one gives a crap what the billionaire owner or the millionaire player has in their bank account at the end of the day.

What we care about is wins. Does the contract advance the team's ability to win, or does it not? No one has anything negative to say about the Makar deal, or the Point deal, because it's clear that although those players got lots of money, those contracts were commensurate with the value the players provide to their team in terms of helping them win. Those contracts will help the team be successful.

I'm going to be interested in how you react to Rasmus Ristolainen's inevitable big payday from the Flyers by the way... I've never seen a player declare outright that he's going to go out and play like "a piece of ####" before, but you have to give him credit for honesty; that's my expectation as well.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I wonder if Kekalainen tried shopping him first. I would have shopped him around if I couldn't sign him for around 8 million - maybe I would have shopped him regardless, as Columbus is kind of rebuilding anyway, though Werenski is young enough I guess to see it through.


I would rather have traded him given all the circumstances, and I would be telling my coach "Make sure you position Laine to get 40 goals this year" while I was at it.

[Enoch Root]

Yeah, it has nothing to do with the owners whatsoever. The league will pay the players exactly what HRR dictates. If teams overspend, escrow will adjust it back down. If they underspend, escrow will bring it up to the proper level. No one can change that.

The only variables are 1) on a player level, the more one person gets, the less others get, and 2) on a team level, how efficiently can you manage the cap?

So when a player gets more money, they aren't 'sticking it to the man', they are 1) reducing the available pool for their team-mates, and 2) hurting their team's ability to sign more talent.

Pretty easy, therefore, for fans to root for the smallest contracts possible.

[powderjunkie]

IMO CBJ is well poised for a 2-3 year retool.

Laine(23)-Roslovic (24)-Bjorkstrand (26)

some young middle six F's with upside:
Bemstrom (22)
Texier (21)
Stenlund (24)
Chinakhov (20)
Foudy (21)
E Robinson (26)

and high-end C prospects:
Kent Johnson (18)
Cole Sillinger (18)

D is pretty solid...obviously lacking a right-side anchor.

Werenski (24) - ???
Gavrikov (25) - Boqvist (20)
Bean (23) - Peeke (23)
Carlsson (24)


Their biggest problem is their division. But PIT and WAS days are numbered.