re: NHL Free Agency Thread

Caps got Niskanen for 7 years/40 mil.

The Caps went full retard today.

Orpik especially, but then top it off by paying Niskanen 5.75 mill over 7 years for 1 good year in his 8 seasons..

God they are stupid, but I love it.

I like the Niskanen deal. It's an overpay, particularly in term, but he was the Pens best defense and by far the best defenseman on the market. You have to put up cash to get talent. I don't really care about his boxcar stats, which are certain to decline, I care that he drives possession and he's an active defender. He's been the Pens' best blueliner for three season now, and he's just entered his prime.

Taken with the Orpik deal, I at least see the plan. I don't like it, but I at least see it. The Caps front office has decided that the D corps has been a huge problem, and they went all-in to upgrade. That's fine, I just wish Brooks f'n Orpik wasn't part of the solution. But they will use them to bridge to their prospects.

I think they saw a team that was above average in goals scored and below average in goals allowed, so they moved to shore up the D.

But now they only have about $1.5 million to spend to prevent Laich, Kuznetsov, or MoJo from being your opening night 2C. None of whom, you will note, is primarily a center.

I think the Stars clearly won the day. Added Spezza and Hemsky, plus a backup goalie. Still have plenty of cap space to re-sign Dillon and maybe bring in another blueliner. Other than that, their team is set other than a few back end moves. They went from a playoff cusp team to a Stanley Cup cusp team.

The Pens were certainly helped by Ehrhoff taking a far under-market value deal. That 1 year, $4mm deal is obscene. He could've gotten $5m AAV easily.

But honestly, did the Pens make themselves better than they were when the offseason started? They went into the offseason with an extremely top heavy roster and almost no cap space.

So, the team looks pretty much the same today, only slightly worse. They added Horqvist and Comeau on offense, and lost Neal, Jokinen, Glass, Pyatt, and Stepniak. Sutter is still a pending RFA. On defense, they added Ehrhoff, and lost Niskanen and Orpik. In goal, they traded out Vokoun for Greiss, a net zero move but it saved them some on the cap.

So, they now an even thinner team than they were on June 1, and they still have $8.3 million to sign a minimum of six players (and that's just to get to the minimum). Sutter's qualifying offer is $2.7 million, leaving them $5.6 million to find another D and replacements, essentially, for Stepniak and Jusi.

I think the Pens did the best they could given the salary cap apocalypse they are facing, but they are nowhere near out of the woods. They are not an improved team from June 1, and have pretty much the same issues, only now less defensive depth and if possible, less offensive depth.

Might as well keep Cole, he only has 1 yr left and gives us good forward depth. Gonchar on the other hand is a hindrance and taking minutes from young guys. We'd have to retain some salary to move him but it would be worth it.

While I'm not happy with how much the Caps spent on getting two defenseman, I'm pleased they committed to making themselves better on defense.

At the end of the day they are better today than they were yesterday.

quote:

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While I'm not happy with how much the Caps spent on getting two defenseman, I'm pleased they committed to making themselves better on defense.

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I'm not thrilled either, but I see the logic behind it. this team has lacked a commitment to defense, and the new guys are coming in and saying that defense is now a priority. Even if we pay $5.5 million for a third pair defenseman.

And while I think people overrate grit and leadership, stat heads tend to undervalue it. It's worth having some greybeards in the locker room if nothing else to show the young guys the ropes. The Caps will go into next season with precisely three players over the age of 30: Chimera, Ward, and Orpik.

This was a deal for "veteran leadership". I still hate the deal and it is a massive, massive overpay that will be a drag on the cap (one of GMGM's virtues was his lack of bad longterm deals), but I think it shows the front office and coaching staff has a plan. People have talked about "culture change" for a long time in DC... well, here it is. I wouldn't be shocked to see Orpik wearing an A.

Which will make me spit blood.

Bob McKenzie ?@TSNBobMcKenzie 13m
Steve Downie agrees to terms on one-year, $1M deal with PIT. #TSN

Tocchet worked well with him in Tampa, great price too.



Love what GMJR is doing, bringing back the toughness and grit that won us a Cup in 09.

Goaltending? Why would we address that?