Oilers Tender Offer to Penner

[Opie 308]

I would much rather pass on Neidermayer.

A. I do not want the wings helping the Duck in any way shape or form, and this would allow them to match Penner's offer sheet, and sign two of their RFA's next year.

B. I would much rather have the young guys get ice time and get acclimated to the NHL.

C. With Cheli, Rafalski, and Lids back there the need for Neidemayer is less than for other teams. Markov would be a cheaper better fit.

D. This would put the wings up against the cap like the Duck are, leaving no money for the top 6 forward this team needs.

E. Every time I hear or type his name I have Animal House flash backs.

Is that a pledge pin on your uniform!!!

I was looking up some Penner stats on the Umaine website and they said he is the first black bear to win the stanley cup.

Not that Umaine is Minnesota or BU but I would have guessed that another black bear would have won it!

Edited July 27, 2007 by Opie

[Henkka 0]

Nobody said anything about Selanne being interested, but the fact that Detroit is interested is half the battle. Tons of players over their careers have said its X team or bust, but have gone off to sign with another team.

The big thing that sets Detroit apart from the rest at this point is that Detroit doesnt have to move people around in order to sign Selanne - they have the cap space needed if Selanne is interested.

Its also very possible that the reason Selanne is taking so long to make a decision is not so much because hes deciding whether to retire or not, but deciding whether to retire, or play for another team. The fact that Burke signed Bertuzzi - a move that Selanne cant possibly like having been a member of the Avs during the Bert incident - may have changed Selanne's options.

I don't believe in that even though Selanne has started practising few weeks ago in Finland.

Homer - Datsyuk - Selanne

Cleary - Zetterberg - Sammy

Franzen - Filppula - Hudler/Kopecky/Grigorenko

Maltby - Draper - Drake

I think there still is an escape plan for Burke. He can match Penner and keep Niedermayer one year around, but will lose Selanne.

They have 48,25 on the cap right now with Niedermayer and matching Penner will put them up to 52,5 million.

Then they would trade Todd Marchant's 2,5 million somewhere for a pack of bucks and also trade Bryzgalov with his 1,2 millions somewhere. Then get Bobby Ryan up with his 850k salary and some 500k 2nd goalie.

After these savings their cap would be 50,2 million. Still quite little room, but under it.

And the team would be:

Kunitz - McDonald - Bertuzzi

Penner - Getzlaf - Perry

Moen - PÃ¥hlsson - Ryan

May - Niedermayer - Parros

Pronger - Schneider

Niedermayer - Beauchemin

Huskins - O'Donnell

(Hnidy)

Giguere

2nd goalie

They'd be short only on offence.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

They still can trade him away to get rid of his contract, if Scotty wants to continue his career.

Let's trade Nieds for Lillja!

Lidström - Niedermayer

Kronwall - Rafalski

Lebda - Chelios

I know you're kidding about the Lilja trade, but if Niedermayer is seriously considering retiring, I can't see him wanting to play anywhere else if traded. It's most likely the Ducks or nothing. And because of the cap position the Ducks put themselves in, it's looking more like he's retiring.

[Opie 308]

I don't believe in that even though Selanne has started practising few weeks ago in Finland.

Homer - Datsyuk - Selanne

Cleary - Zetterberg - Sammy

Franzen - Filppula - Hudler/Kopecky/Grigorenko

Maltby - Draper - Drake

I think there still is an escape plan for Burke. He can match Penner and keep Niedermayer one year around, but will lose Selanne.

They have 48,25 on the cap right now with Niedermayer and matching Penner will put them up to 52,5 million.

Then they would trade Todd Marchant's 2,5 million somewhere for a pack of bucks and also trade Bryzgalov with his 1,2 millions somewhere. Then get Bobby Ryan up with his 850k salary and some 500k 2nd goalie.

After these savings their cap would be 50,2 million. Still quite little room, but under it.

And the team would be:

Kunitz - McDonald - Bertuzzi

Penner - Getzlaf - Perry

Moen - PÃ¥hlsson - Ryan

May - Niedermayer - Parros

Pronger - Schneider

Niedermayer - Beauchemin

Huskins - O'Donnell

(Hnidy)

Giguere

2nd goalie

They'd be short only on offence.

The cap is only 50.3 and they only have 6 days left to get rid of those guys. I don't see people clambering to get any of those guys. Marchant is overpaid and on his way out of the league, he is their Maltby. While he provides a skill set needed, he is not what he once was. Bryzgalov is the only one I see them being able to shop, and even then he will not garner a lot of attention. Then if Burke does find away to get rid of those guys he now has no cap room to sign any players all season, and he will have to bank on Neidermayer retiring next year to sign Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan.

Either way this is an unbelievably tough position he has been put in by Lowe and I love it!!!!!

And holy s*** if Giguere gets hurt or slumps like last year. They would probably try to get MacDonald from the B's (just kidding).

[SwedeLundin77 460]

D-E-S-P-E-R-A-T-E!

[Dabura 12,207]

What Lowe is doing may be driving the price up for Penner and Vanek this year, but the effect this will have on the next couple of offseasons is a Positive.

Teams will have to think twice before they can offer crazy salaries to guys like Hartnell, Bertuzzi (injury reasons), etc.

If you have a gifted young player or two on your roster that is an RFA you no longer can wait it out and short change that player or hope an arbitrator will give said player a bad number. Now the teams will have to secure their players within their org before going out and spending on a UFA, and if that RFA wants to wait it out that team will have to offer less to UFA's.

This will be a good thing trust me. It works in Football, although Football uses the Franchise Player tag so that a team can protect one player.

I like where your head's at, but personally, I don't think any GM will take this move as didactic. Lowe's an ass, Burke's an ass, Lowe's being an ass, Burke's being punished for being an ass -- it really doesn't offer any lessons people didn't already know.

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

I agree with you in principle but have to disagree in reality. The reality in question is the dumbass new state of salary affairs in our new "even playing field" CBA. Philly and the Rangers ruined the fun by paying UFA's twice what they were worth (at least- some got three times their value).

Under the current state of affairs Penner's worth, what, like 10 million as a UFA? So 4.5 seems fair as a RFA, as retarded as that sounds to our sensibilities.

I think what we will see in the next few off seasons is teams like New York and Philly paying for their recent overzealous FA signings.

Short term the prices for players is pretty damn high, but once these same teams need to start re-signing up and coming players and the cap has them screwed I think we'll start to see this even itself out. At that point, smart spending GM's (Holland ) will be sitting pretty.

That's why I see this off-season almost from the perspective of "short-term pain, long term gain."

And I commend Lowe for his aggressive moves. $4mil+ and all those picks is really expensive, but he's trying to make his team competitive and back in the playoffs while other teams, such as my poor, pathetic Coyotes just sit and writhe in basement of the league almost content to make no moves.

[edicius 3,269]

I hate Lowe...but hey, any move that can potentially screw Burke is a plus in my book. In this case, Lowe's the lesser of the two evils.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

And I commend Lowe for his aggressive moves. $4mil+ and all those picks is really expensive, but he's trying to make his team competitive and back in the playoffs while other teams, such as my poor, pathetic Coyotes just sit and writhe in basement of the league almost content to make no moves.

Hell yeah. And I can see why the fans of those other teams are pissed too. But in the end, I think everyone knows Lowe owes Oilers fans for the Smyth fiasco.

Let him tighten the screws on Burke. Maybe he'll get a decent player this offseason and not be remembered for a kneejerk aquisition of a subpar blueliner with a cannon of a shot.

Edited July 27, 2007 by Drake_Marcus

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

I used to be totally against tendering offer's to other team's RFA's , seeing that it was kinda like an unwritten rule that it wasn't done. but Hockey's the same as any other sport , it's also a buisness . All the GM's are out to try and strenghen their team's at all cost's and with the way the cap is now this is the future.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

Hell yeah. And I can see why the fans of those other teams are pissed too. But in the end, I think everyone knows Lowe owes Oilers fans for the Smyth fiasco.

Let him tighten the screws on Burke. Maybe he'll get a decent player this offseason and not be remembered for a kneejerk aquisition of a subpar blueliner with a cannon of a shot.

Signing Souray was hardly a knee-jerk reaction. He didnt overpay for Souray, and the Oilers needed an offensive defenseman - why not get the best one out there? Not to mention, he had to find a way to replace the leadership Smith brought to the dressing room, and Souray is exactly that guy - a very underrated leader with a lot more character than any give him credit for. Not to mention, signing Souray hasnt screwed the Oil over in any way, and neither will Penner if he gets signed. They still have a good 5-6M if they get Penner, and the only guys that will really be getting a raise next year are Pitkanen and Stoll.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Agreed Burke would be stupid to turn down the draft picks AND pay Penner $4.3 M a year. He has great potential but at this point in his career, we isn't worth that kind of money. Plus that would give the Ducks Salary Cap problems. I say, let him go.

It is ironic that he essentially traded Schneider and Bert for Penner. I love it. Burke screwed himself.

No thanks. We don't need him and he is going to retire anyway

The best line-up in the west without Neidemayer, Selanne or Penner? You're kidding right? No way that Schneider and bad back Bert can replace those 3 guys, two of which are easily in the HOF.

Even without those 3, they still have McDonald, Perry, a healthy Marchant, a soon to be star in Getzlaf, Kunitz, the best shutdown checking line in the league, and a defense with the likes of Schneider, Pronger, Beauchemin. And I almost forgot to mention one of the best clutch goalies in the league. As for what Selanne said about Bertuzzi, don't forget that he didn't have many nice things to say about Chelios at the end of game 6 either.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

I think what we will see in the next few off seasons is teams like New York and Philly paying for their recent overzealous FA signings.

Short term the prices for players is pretty damn high, but once these same teams need to start re-signing up and coming players and the cap has them screwed I think we'll start to see this even itself out. At that point, smart spending GM's (Holland ) will be sitting pretty.

That's why I see this off-season almost from the perspective of "short-term pain, long term gain."

And I commend Lowe for his aggressive moves. $4mil+ and all those picks is really expensive, but he's trying to make his team competitive and back in the playoffs while other teams, such as my poor, pathetic Coyotes just sit and writhe in basement of the league almost content to make no moves.

Once again I have to voice my displeasure with this entire thing. Yesterday, Dustin Penner was a 2.5 million dollar player max! MAX!. Today, he's a 45 point player and he is going to make over 4.1 million. This directly affects every young RFA in the league. Those just under Penner will get more, those that should have gotten 4 million will now command 5 or 6. All this does is drive up the market for the entire league and now not only do we have overpaid UFA's, we now have overpaid RFA's.

If Edmonton gets Penner they get a player who has tremendous potential but also only scored 45 points last year and they have to pay him like he's a 60-65 point guy. They also have to give up 3 draft picks. Anaheim loses a pretty good young player, they do get some picks though. So they could overpay Penner and put themselves into serious cap trouble. But by overpaying Penner they've now set a basement price for Perry and Getzlaf instead of a ceiling. If Penner gets 4.1, does that make the much better and more versatile Getzlaf a 6 million dollar player? Maybe, but I'm betting Burke would love to have Getlzaf for 4 mil the next couple years versus what it'll end up being.

Not too mention the other downfall of this is that it makes loyalty to an organization mean even less.

I understand (to an extent) the idea of making your team better. However overpaying for players isn't exactly how i'd go about it. Think about the idea of building through the draft. That's going to be a lost art. How much stock can you put into the draft if you're young prospects can get snapped up by an RFA offer sheet after just a couple of seasons in your organization.

For those that think this is a great thing for hockey, i'd love to see your reaction if Z had gotten snapped up, or maybe Kindle or Howard in a few years. Personally, I could give a rat's ass about draft picks anymore. Hell, the guys you pick will likely get snapped up if they're any good or you'll have to match and overpay them and burden your payroll against the cap. I'm sorry, the idea of watching Kindl star for another team and trying to look on the bright side because we got some picks just makes me want to puke.

I hate the RFA offer sheet. I think its the worst thing for hockey since Gary Bettman.

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

Once again I have to voice my displeasure with this entire thing. Yesterday, Dustin Penner was a 2.5 million dollar player max! MAX!. Today, he's a 45 point player and he is going to make over 4.1 million. This directly affects every young RFA in the league. Those just under Penner will get more, those that should have gotten 4 million will now command 5 or 6. All this does is drive up the market for the entire league and now not only do we have overpaid UFA's, we now have overpaid RFA's.

If Edmonton gets Penner they get a player who has tremendous potential but also only scored 45 points last year and they have to pay him like he's a 60-65 point guy. They also have to give up 3 draft picks. Anaheim loses a pretty good young player, they do get some picks though. So they could overpay Penner and put themselves into serious cap trouble. But by overpaying Penner they've now set a basement price for Perry and Getzlaf instead of a ceiling. If Penner gets 4.1, does that make the much better and more versatile Getzlaf a 6 million dollar player? Maybe, but I'm betting Burke would love to have Getlzaf for 4 mil the next couple years versus what it'll end up being.

Not too mention the other downfall of this is that it makes loyalty to an organization mean even less.

I understand (to an extent) the idea of making your team better. However overpaying for players isn't exactly how i'd go about it. Think about the idea of building through the draft. That's going to be a lost art. How much stock can you put into the draft if you're young prospects can get snapped up by an RFA offer sheet after just a couple of seasons in your organization.

For those that think this is a great thing for hockey, i'd love to see your reaction if Z had gotten snapped up, or maybe Kindle or Howard in a few years. Personally, I could give a rat's ass about draft picks anymore. Hell, the guys you pick will likely get snapped up if they're any good or you'll have to match and overpay them and burden your payroll against the cap. I'm sorry, the idea of watching Kindl star for another team and trying to look on the bright side because we got some picks just makes me want to puke.

I hate the RFA offer sheet. I think its the worst thing for hockey since Gary Bettman.

You make a strong point. I think I'm happy about this specific transaction because it is Burke and the Ducks put in a s***ty situation.

But regardless, frivilous overspending WILL catch up with GM's in the world of the Cap. Look at the NFL.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Signing Souray was hardly a knee-jerk reaction. He didnt overpay for Souray, and the Oilers needed an offensive defenseman - why not get the best one out there? Not to mention, he had to find a way to replace the leadership Smith brought to the dressing room, and Souray is exactly that guy - a very underrated leader with a lot more character than any give him credit for. Not to mention, signing Souray hasnt screwed the Oil over in any way, and neither will Penner if he gets signed. They still have a good 5-6M if they get Penner, and the only guys that will really be getting a raise next year are Pitkanen and Stoll.

If I were Lowe I wouldn't be worried about Cap space this season. I'd be thinking about all those draft picks I had acquired over the past couple seasons and how i'm going to retain any of them along with any soon to be RFA's. If another GM in the league has a bigger bullseye on his back I don't know who it is.

Bob Clarke worked his way right out of a job and personally, Lowe is probably going to do the same thing. I'm sure the Edmonton brass are all for him shooting out RFA offers because they can't get anybody to go to Edmonton. We'll see how that pans out in a couple years if they still stink and he starts losing some of his prime young talent because he can't afford to match.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Signing Souray was hardly a knee-jerk reaction. He didnt overpay for Souray, and the Oilers needed an offensive defenseman - why not get the best one out there? Not to mention, he had to find a way to replace the leadership Smith brought to the dressing room, and Souray is exactly that guy - a very underrated leader with a lot more character than any give him credit for. Not to mention, signing Souray hasnt screwed the Oil over in any way, and neither will Penner if he gets signed. They still have a good 5-6M if they get Penner, and the only guys that will really be getting a raise next year are Pitkanen and Stoll.

I really don't think they can afford to have a Defense-last Dman, especially as their "key player".

Souray is an ok addition to any club's power play. He's a piss poor 5-on-5 addition and not close to being worth what they paid for him.

[Opie 308]

If he can't match he gets draft choices.

This is one of those catch 22's.

In about 3 years this will be regular practice and it will even out the contracts. Be patient look at how the NFL has done it, and from what I can see the NHL salary cap structure is almost a spitting image of the NFL one.

If teams are trying to get back a Lowe by offering his young talents an over the top offer sheet then they are screwing themselves over as well.

Lowe may be an ass, but he is completely right to do this.

The cap will hit a ceiling soon, it can't keep jumping by 3 mil a season, the league can't afford it.

When that happens these over payments will stop. Even for the top guys.

Right now Holland is playing the game probably the best because he is not pissing people off, he is following the gentleman's rules. But Lowe is pissed, he supposedly had a player signed, then that guy pulls out of the contract. He is doing his best to get talent there. Would you rather he take his lumps and do nothing to help the team.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

If I were Lowe I wouldn't be worried about Cap space this season. I'd be thinking about all those draft picks I had acquired over the past couple seasons and how i'm going to retain any of them along with any soon to be RFA's. If another GM in the league has a bigger bullseye on his back I don't know who it is.

Bob Clarke worked his way right out of a job and personally, Lowe is probably going to do the same thing. I'm sure the Edmonton brass are all for him shooting out RFA offers because they can't get anybody to go to Edmonton. We'll see how that pans out in a couple years if they still stink and he starts losing some of his prime young talent because he can't afford to match.

The only people aiming at Lowe right now will be Regier and Burke. Half the league undoubtedly commends this move. In fact, when Lowe offered Vanek the offer sheet, another GM - cant remember which but I think it was colorado's - was talking about how a group of 6 or 8 teams had been talking about taking the offer sheet approach, but didnt have the balls to do it.

Not only that, but making offer sheets to RFAs can only happen if you sit on your hands waiting to sign your RFAs. I wouldnt be surprised to see Stoll signed mid-season by the Oil, and Pitkanen similarly, should he rebound from last year and prove to be worth the trade.

Then theres also the issue of actually being concerend about what youre wagering - Lowe has the space, he needs the players, hes bulking up his organization and, unlike most GMs around the league, he doesnt have a marquee player he needs to be worrying about locking up in the next few years. People are acting like Lowe is throwing around offer sheets because he feels like, but nobody is talking about how he can AFFORD to do it in more ways than one. At this point, there are very few GMs who can risk overpaying an RFA to an offer sheet - which is exactly what you have to do to in order to steal them away.

For example, maybe Burke wants his revenge and wants to make an offer sheet to Pitkanen, but can he afford to? Well, with Getzlaf on the fast track to becoming a top 10 center, and Perry up and coming as well, he has bigger fish to fry and will only screw himself over if he concerns himself with Lowe's RFAs.

People need to step outside of whether or not their organization would benefit from signing Penner to an offer sheet, and start thinking about whether or not the Oil would benefit now, or even in the next few years. Would this deal work for the Wings? no. The Sens? Nope. The Rags, Flyers, Avs, Flames...the list goes on. For Edmonton, this deal is low-risk, high reward. And Im sure thats all that Lowe cares about.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

The only people aiming at Lowe right now will be Regier and Burke. Half the league undoubtedly commends this move. In fact, when Lowe offered Vanek the offer sheet, another GM - cant remember which but I think it was colorado's - was talking about how a group of 6 or 8 teams had been talking about taking the offer sheet approach, but didnt have the balls to do it.

Not only that, but making offer sheets to RFAs can only happen if you sit on your hands waiting to sign your RFAs. I wouldnt be surprised to see Stoll signed mid-season by the Oil, and Pitkanen similarly, should he rebound from last year and prove to be worth the trade.

Then theres also the issue of actually being concerend about what youre wagering - Lowe has the space, he needs the players, hes bulking up his organization and, unlike most GMs around the league, he doesnt have a marquee player he needs to be worrying about locking up in the next few years. People are acting like Lowe is throwing around offer sheets because he feels like, but nobody is talking about how he can AFFORD to do it in more ways than one. At this point, there are very few GMs who can risk overpaying an RFA to an offer sheet - which is exactly what you have to do to in order to steal them away.

For example, maybe Burke wants his revenge and wants to make an offer sheet to Pitkanen, but can he afford to? Well, with Getzlaf on the fast track to becoming a top 10 center, and Perry up and coming as well, he has bigger fish to fry and will only screw himself over if he concerns himself with Lowe's RFAs.

People need to step outside of whether or not their organization would benefit from signing Penner to an offer sheet, and start thinking about whether or not the Oil would benefit now, or even in the next few years. Would this deal work for the Wings? no. The Sens? Nope. The Rags, Flyers, Avs, Flames...the list goes on. For Edmonton, this deal is low-risk, high reward. And Im sure thats all that Lowe cares about.

You make some very valid points in regards to this being a good move specifically because Edmonton CAN afford to do it.

However, part of me is torn between the need to improve your team and the cost of which to do it. Sure, Penner can help them probably (if he doesn't pull a Lupul). But they're way overpaying for him. And if they get him they lost three draft picks. Of course IMO draft picks aren't gonna mean spit in a couple of years if this keeps up.

So maybe Penner helps them out, but subtract the picks and factor in the overpayment and I don't think i'm going to nominate Lowe for GM of the year. Overpaying simply because you can afford to doesn't mean you're a genius.

As for Perry and Getzlaf, who is to say they won't be next. Sure would be a shame to see the Ducks lose them. As it would be a shame to see us lose Kindl, Howard, etc...

One thing is certain, there will always be a team like Edmonton with plenty of dough to spend and there will always be a team like Anaheim or Detroit with great young RFA's that are ripe for the plucking. For some reason I don't see the emergence of the RFA offer sheet as anything that could be beneficial to the Red Wings in the near future.

Lowe's doing whatever it takes to field a good team, that's his job. I just disagree with how he's going about it. Will Burke or Regier go after his guys out of spite? I doubt it, these guys are professionals. But what is happening here is just a slippery slope we're headed down. Nobody's players will be safe anymore. It will be unlikely you'll see franchise players (guys who stick around for 10-15 years). Salaries are getting jacked up too high, too fast and way too soon after the cap was supposed to curb spending. It didn't do a damn thing about the UFA problem and now we're lumping the RFA problem on top of it.

Maybe Opie is right and it'll all work out in the end. I think it blows and will ruin what little loyalty is left in hockey. The Wings haven't even been involved in any of this so there's no bias on my part. I truly think it is going to be bad for the sport. Only time will tell.

[Opie 308]

If a GM wants his RFA's to be safe he must act early that is what this is creating. RFA's are still safe, right up until July 1.

As for loyalty it will determine early who is and who is not loyal, both team and player.

If player A for team X is offered a contract and says he wants to wait or to go to arbitration then team X knows where his head is at. And if team X doesn't offer player A a contract before July 1 he knows how they feel about him. Especially if they have already offered player B a contract. And then if team Y offers him a sweet then Player A knows that team Y is really interested in him and his team is not. Or his team will match there offer and he knows then that he is a priority.

The first 3-5 years of the cap will be tricky for a lot of teams and GM's, and even after that some GM's will never get it.

Salaries that were given out this year have almost all of them been grossly overpaid, Rafalski, IMO, was a steal. Other than that a lot of players (Penner included) are being overpaid. Watch how kenny handles Zetterberg next year when he can actually start talking to him. I guarentee that contract is done in minimal time.

Datsyuk was signed before he became a free agent, why. Because if he became a FA you can bet he would have gatten a lot of attention. So Kenny stepped up and showed the dedicationt he team has to him. Dats and Z will be wings until they retire. Unless Holland or Stevie Y are not the GM.

I don't mind stealng bread from the mouths of decedance,

But I can't feed on the powerless when my cups already over filled.

I know the quote is a little out of place, but follow the logic.

People will be willing to take from the teams that are always at the top Detroit for example. But I bet for the next couple of years teams like Florida, Atlanta their RFA's will be safe unless they are an unreal talent (but that person should be locked up before anyone has a chance) however their UFA's will remain fair game.

Edited July 27, 2007 by Opie

[WhiteLightning91 105]

If a GM wants his RFA's to be safe he must act early that is what this is creating. RFA's are still safe, right up until July 1.

As for loyalty it will determine early who is and who is not loyal, both team and player.

If player A for team X is offered a contract and says he wants to wait or to go to arbitration then team X knows where his head is at. And if team X doesn't offer player A a contract before July 1 he knows how they feel about him. Especially if they have already offered player B a contract. And then if team Y offers him a sweet then Player A knows that team Y is really interested in him and his team is not. Or his team will match there offer and he knows then that he is a priority.

The first 3-5 years of the cap will be tricky for a lot of teams and GM's, and even after that some GM's will never get it.

Salaries that were given out this year have almost all of them been grossly overpaid, Rafalski, IMO, was a steal. Other than that a lot of players (Penner included) are being overpaid. Watch how kenny handles Zetterberg next year when he can actually start talking to him. I guarentee that contract is done in minimal time.

Datsyuk was signed before he became a free agent, why. Because if he became a FA you can bet he would have gatten a lot of attention. So Kenny stepped up and showed the dedicationt he team has to him. Dats and Z will be wings until they retire. Unless Holland or Stevie Y are not the GM.

I don't mind stealng bread from the mouths of decedance,

But I can't feed on the powerless when my cups already over filled.

I know the quote is a little out of place, but follow the logic.

People will be willing to take from the teams that are always at the top Detroit for example. But I bet for the next couple of years teams like Florida, Atlanta their RFA's will be safe unless they are an unreal talent (but that person should be locked up before anyone has a chance) however their UFA's will remain fair game.

Temple of The Dog Ruled!!!

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

If a GM wants his RFA's to be safe he must act early that is what this is creating. RFA's are still safe, right up until July 1.

As for loyalty it will determine early who is and who is not loyal, both team and player.

If player A for team X is offered a contract and says he wants to wait or to go to arbitration then team X knows where his head is at. And if team X doesn't offer player A a contract before July 1 he knows how they feel about him. Especially if they have already offered player B a contract. And then if team Y offers him a sweet then Player A knows that team Y is really interested in him and his team is not. Or his team will match there offer and he knows then that he is a priority.

The first 3-5 years of the cap will be tricky for a lot of teams and GM's, and even after that some GM's will never get it.

Salaries that were given out this year have almost all of them been grossly overpaid, Rafalski, IMO, was a steal. Other than that a lot of players (Penner included) are being overpaid. Watch how kenny handles Zetterberg next year when he can actually start talking to him. I guarentee that contract is done in minimal time.

Datsyuk was signed before he became a free agent, why. Because if he became a FA you can bet he would have gatten a lot of attention. So Kenny stepped up and showed the dedicationt he team has to him. Dats and Z will be wings until they retire. Unless Holland or Stevie Y are not the GM.

I don't mind stealng bread from the mouths of decedance,

But I can't feed on the powerless when my cups already over filled.

I know the quote is a little out of place, but follow the logic.

People will be willing to take from the teams that are always at the top Detroit for example. But I bet for the next couple of years teams like Florida, Atlanta their RFA's will be safe unless they are an unreal talent (but that person should be locked up before anyone has a chance) however their UFA's will remain fair game.

As you state, one of my major dislikes about the RFA offer sheet is that because of our success we'll likely always be a target. Having a good team usually means having spent a fair amount of bank. I don't see us ever sitting in the oodles of cash, no talent pool like Edmonton. I see other teams salivating over our RFA's and us not really doing so. Maybe its Kenny's philsophy not to break the unwritten rule. Maybe he'll continue to do the right thing and sign our guys prior to any chance of them being plucked. That's all well and dandy and hopefully it stays that way but it doesn't change the fact that at this time the Wings don't seem to be a team that would benefit from the RFA craze. More than likely we'd be a team to suffer the loss of players before we would be the team sending out offer sheets.

[North Guy 0]

If a GM wants his RFA's to be safe he must act early that is what this is creating. RFA's are still safe, right up until July 1.

As for loyalty it will determine early who is and who is not loyal, both team and player.

If player A for team X is offered a contract and says he wants to wait or to go to arbitration then team X knows where his head is at. And if team X doesn't offer player A a contract before July 1 he knows how they feel about him. Especially if they have already offered player B a contract. And then if team Y offers him a sweet then Player A knows that team Y is really interested in him and his team is not. Or his team will match there offer and he knows then that he is a priority.

If a player files for arbitration, other teams cannot tender an offer sheet.

But yeah, I agree with your points about locking up your bright, young players long-term before they become RFAs.

One thing for some of you people who dislike Lowe's tactics.... he had the ability to make an offer sheet for Penner. He stockpiled a lot of draft picks so giving up a 1st, 2nd and 3rd Round pick for Penner is peanuts (unless the Oilers finish in the bottom 6 again!). Suppose no offer was made and Burke decided to deal Penner? What do you think Burke would want in return? Probably a 1st round pick and a 2nd or 3rd line forward at the very least. But with the Oilers tendering an offer sheet, they'll still give up a 1st rounder yet not lose anyone off their roster.

If you are worried this is open-season for GMs to raid young prospects from other teams just look at the compensation chart:

The compensation scale for signing restricted free agents is:

$773,442 or below, none;

$773,442-$1,171,882, third-round pick

$1,171,882-$2,343,765, second-round pick

$2,343,765-$3,515,647, first- and third-round picks

$3,515,647-$4,687,530, first-, second- and third-round picks

$4,687,530-$5,859,412, two first-, one second- and one third-round pick

$5,859,412-plus, four first-round picks.

So GMs with half a brain would know by the quality of their player what their market value will be in the next 2-4 years. If you have a 20 year old prospect who has not cracked the regular line-up then offer him a 1M/year two year deal. But if you have Jordan Staal then lock him up for 5 years at 3.75M/year.

And if for some reason your star, elite player becomes a RFA, how many teams would be willing to give up four 1st Round picks to snag him off your team?

p.s. I don't think we will see too many teams offering a 1st Round pick for a rental player (Guerin, Tkachuk) at the trade deadline anymore. Those 1st Round picks are more valuable to get an RFA.

Edited July 27, 2007 by North Guy

[CrossoverThrash 0]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=214854&hubname=nhl burke is pissed

[OsGOD 3]

Burke said he wasn't actually angry at the fact there was an offer sheet, but rather the amount of money offered - Penner will go from making $450,000 a season to $4.25 million a year.

Nice!