[Signing] Tampa signs Vasilevskiy to extension starting in 2020 (8 yrs, $9.5 mil AAV)

[sureLoss]

Dan Milstein-Hockey @HockeyAgent1
Gold Star Hockey client Andrei Vasilevskiy has signed an 8-year extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would like to thank great fans, ownership and management for making Tampa such a great place play and live for him and his family. #WeAreGoldStar!

Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC
This will be a $9.5M AAV, with almost $45M in bonuses

[GordonBlue]

wow. higher than I would have imagined. guess that's the new normal for a star goaltender.

[Northendzone]

wonder how things are going between the bolts and their other young star

[Resolute 14]

$42 million on six players in 2020-21, plus whatever Brayden Point will get. That's going to be one top-heavy team.

[Rubicant]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

$42 million on six players in 2020-21, plus whatever Brayden Point will get. That's going to be one top-heavy team.

Good.

[The Hendog]

Yikes

Great goalie but that seems like a big commitment for someone who has only been a starter for 3 season and in those 3 seasons has only averaged 56 games.

Fresh for those "long" playoff runs I suppose...

[The Cobra]

He wasn't even a RFA yet.

But I'd rather commit 8 years to a 25 year old goalie than signing Bobo like Florida did.

They are certainly getting him for his prime years.

If the Bolts waited, they would always need to sign him to an 8 year contract, and the AAV would only increase as the years went by.

This way, they start years 8 years sooner and get him for more prime years guaranteed.

If he was a RFA next year, the number wouldn't be less, based on what other RFA"s are asking for. And perhaps he might have only wanted to sign for the years to take him to UFA.

Looks like a great signing, notwithstanding the large commitment.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by The Hendog

Yikes

Great goalie but that seems like a big commitment for someone who has only been a starter for 3 season and in those 3 seasons has only averaged 56 games.

Fresh for those "long" playoff runs I suppose...

This is the new normal for NHL starting goalies: Fewer regular season games in hopes that they will be in better condition for a long playoff run.


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[Oling_Roachinen]

I would have waited. Another good season likely doesn't increase his total amount much. Maybe he gets up to 10M annually for 8 years. But a subpar season or injury could really bring down his cap, or more importantly make Tampa question if they want to commit to him for another 8 years at nearly 10M, not to mention more certainty about the lockout. I guess I just don't see the reward for Tampa offering the contract now instead of waiting.

[Geeoff]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

I would have waited. Another good season likely doesn't increase his total amount much. Maybe he gets up to 10M annually for 8 years. But a subpar season or injury could really bring down his cap, or more importantly make Tampa question if they want to commit to him for another 8 years at nearly 10M, not to mention more certainty about the lockout. I guess I just don't see the reward for Tampa offering the contract now instead of waiting.

Well one advantage is that they have it done early and now can plan around it.

[agulati]

Pretty long term rich contract. For people saying that it is better than Bobrovsky, Bobrovsky is a more proven commodity.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by agulati

Pretty long term rich contract. For people saying that it is better than Bobrovsky, Bobrovsky is a more proven commodity.

Apples to Oranges. Bobrovski is 30 years old and is a $10AAV until he's 38. He's a great goalie now, but that is an insane contract to have on your books, especially when you're a budget team with an internal cap.

Vasilesky is a top level goalie on a Stanley Cup contender being paid less than Bob through the prime of his career.

[Itse]

Have any of these long, expensive goalie contracts really worked out well for the team?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Itse

Have any of these long, expensive goalie contracts really worked out well for the team?

I dunno - Price's previous 6 year, $6.5M contract was fairly long and expensive when it was signed. And he was the reason they had any success at all. But that's a hard comparison to The last couple long ones.

Quick, for 7 years at $7M in 2013? He won one more cup but then the team went into the dumper. Was one cup worth it?

[Erick Estrada]

Much prefer this to the Bobrovsky contract. Should be their unquestioned starter for the entire contract and last season was just the tip of the iceberg as he's improved incrementally every season since becoming a pro and hasn't hit his prime yet.

[agulati]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Apples to Oranges. Bobrovski is 30 years old and is a $10AAV until he's 38. He's a great goalie now, but that is an insane contract to have on your books, especially when you're a budget team with an internal cap.

Vasilesky is a top level goalie on a Stanley Cup contender being paid less than Bob through the prime of his career.

Vasilevksiy played behind one of the best teams to be assembled in a cap era. Domingue had excellent numbers in a backup role as well behind that team. Bobrosvky has been plying his trade in locales like Philadelphia and Columbus. Goalies tend to have longer shelf lives, in any case.

Edit: I'm not saying Vasilevskiy is not a top 5 goalie in the league, but for a team that is built the way the lightning are, paying 9.5 million for a starting goalie in a cap world seems excessive.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I dunno - Price's previous 6 year, $6.5M contract was fairly long and expensive when it was signed. And he was the reason they had any success at all. But that's a hard comparison to The last couple long ones.

Quick, for 7 years at $7M in 2013? He won one more cup but then the team went into the dumper. Was one cup worth it?

Considering teams win a cup on average once per 30/31 years, yes. Anything that wins you a cup is worth it.

Plus I don't recall Quick becoming a problem either, although that might just be my memory.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by agulati

Vasilevksiy played behind one of the best teams to be assembled in a cap era. Domingue had excellent numbers in a backup role as well behind that team. Bobrosvky has been plying his trade in locales like Philadelphia and Columbus. Goalies tend to have longer shelf lives, in any case.

Edit: I'm not saying Vasilevskiy is not a top 5 goalie in the league, but for a team that is built the way the lightning are, paying 9.5 million for a starting goalie in a cap world seems excessive.

Well when it comes to goaltending if you have a top 5 goalie you probably want to hold on to him as long as possible because the alternative can be what you have seen in Alberta for most of this decade with the Flames and Oilers taking flyers on european goaltenders and recycling declining veteran goaltenders. I much preferred previous decade with Kipper when goaltending was never a question mark going into the season.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Itse

Considering teams win a cup on average once per 30/31 years, yes. Anything that wins you a cup is worth it.

Plus I don't recall Quick becoming a problem either, although that might just be my memory.

He was absolutely not a problem, until last year.

[SeanCharles]

I dont know if I'd rather have Vasileviskiy at $9.5m or Jankowski and Rittch at a much lower cap hit.

We could have drafted him in 2012 with our original pick but I just dont like the idea of paying a goalie that much.