Thursday, January 8, 2009
3rd Line Center? Line Up for Your Pay Day
This is a questionable, at best, move by the Penguins, giving a 3rd line center $4 million a year, albeit a 20 year old 3rd line center. The day somebody pays Chris Drury $4 million...oh you mean that's happened? How's that worked out thus far? Oh terrible you say? Not a surprise. Checking centers play a pivotal role, but that is a dying role. Guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Lucic, Roy, Ovechkin, Richards, Toews, Crosby, etc. etc. who play both the offensive and defensive game are excelling, and getting paid as such.
The Penguins have a single bargaining chip if they're looking to bring in a worthwhile winger for Crosby, Jordan Staal. Offensive D-men like Goligoski don't win Stanley Cups, guys like Chris Pronger, Scott Stevens, and Zdeno Chara do, and Goligoski ain't of that caliber, so he's not going to bring back a good return in a mid-season trade. If Brian Campbell only nets Steve Bernier, what does Goligoski get you? You can trade away your picks again, but do you really want that? Especially after losing Esposito? Right now if you buy into this Hockey's Future has the Pens farm system ranked 29th. That isn't good.
But you know what, if Shero and Lemieux just hold on to Jordan Staal, don't trade him, don't sign him, and allow the offersheets to roll in come the off season, then they have options. Market would've dictated a price greater than the $4 million Staal signed for based solely on potential.
2008 (from NHLSCAP)
863,156 or less ......... none
863,157 - 1,307,811 ..... 3rd round pick
1,307,812 - 2,615,623 ..... 2nd round pick
2,615,624 - 3,923,434 ..... 1st and 3rd etc.
3,923,435 - 5,231,246 ..... 1st, 2nd and 3rd
5,231,247 - 6,539,061 ..... 1st x2, 2nd & 3rd
6,539,062 or more ......... 1st x4
So basically you're looking at a guaranteed 1st, 2nd, and a 3rd. But in the open market, who knows what he could've gotten. Also, remember, with each year those numbers change with the ebb and flow of the salary cap, I'll get to that next.
How can the Penguins justify passing up a potential of 2 1st rounders? Let alone all the guaranteed picks? We can now talk about the salary cap issues this will likely cause here down the road. Judging by the handy dandy nhlnumbers Penguins site, for when your top 6 players are on the ice, an investment of....$36 million dollars. 6 guys, $36 million. By the way, that's Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Gonchar, Orpik, and Fleury.
The cap is estimated to decrease next season due to the drop of the Canadian dollar, struggling teams, etc. etc. But for the purposes of this argument we'll just keep it static at 56 million. The Penguins will have $20 million to spend on atleast, at leassssssst, 10 players to fill out the roster, including some big contributors in Sykora and Fedotenko (and Satan bwahahahaha joke). Signing Staal only increases the number of 2 bit players and career AHL'ers that will fill out the roster.
Will this move be the best thing for the Pens moving forward? Is he worth $4 million? Personally I don't think so, but what do you think. I'm sure Denson and Gary Scares Me will have plenty to say.
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1 comments:
Actually the Pens cap room for next year is even less considering they also locked up Talbot and Kennedy so it's probably going to be around like...14 mil...maybe as low as 12.
I can't fault Shero though, he's sticking to his "Take care of the core" guys first. And that's what we've seen. It's nice to see a GM actually stick to his words. Maybe they see something we don't.
I can't argue against the fact they over paid, because I think they did. Staal's play over the past 3 years does not warrant that contract. Paying him soley based on potential is risky when this team could win now. But maybe Staal needs to be part of that. We saw his rookie year his capabilities. Maturation should help him deal with the pressure he has now to live up to what he did when he had no pressure.
It's all to early to tell. He's 20. Let us not forget that either.
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