2016 Free Agent Hunt

[Cornuck]

Who should the Canucks pursue?

Who should the Canucks avoid?

Is it worth adding a top UFA to the team at this point? Can we attract one?

2016 UFA List

[Hockey Widow]

Stamkos camp have imposed a blackout on suitors. They don't want leaks in the press. Expect those teams not in the running to start talking

If we hear Benning say he will be meeting with Stamkos and is in on discussions it means he has already been told no.

Yzerman now telling a couple of GMs that he is more confident than ever that Stamkos will return to Tampa.

[Carl Yagro]

Lol @ Project Stammer. Everyone tossing around smoke grenades and flash-bangs.

[SKYO]

Here's how it'll go down.

Canucks signing stamkos, it'll happen in hours July 1st, just bam out of nowhere, the media kings will get a whiff, and pounce on the story.

Immediate reaction: why? why the Canucks? wtf do they got? some old ass sedin sisters? not much else, we the Sabres have a way better long term team.

leaves we had him all along! why gods why?

Redwings, back to the drawing board, stepan becomes target #1.

Rangers, nah we'll keep stepan now, $7.5M per for Lucic.

[nuckster]

David Backes and Milan Lucic.... and to carry my fantasy UFA world further, we could then have the Sedins slotted as our second line thus decreasing the level of defensive pushback they would have to contend with.

[Ronning's Ghost]

If the Canucks could somehow land Stamkos, and if he makes a complete recovery from his surgery, and if the Sedins can continue to fight Father Time to a stalemate for a couple of more years, they would only be one more season of player development/cap reallocation away from being legitimate championship contenders. I don't know how even a genius GM insures that all of those things happen, though.

I'd ask the Sedins if there are any free agents they would particularly excited about playing with, as many suppose that they would be with Eriksson. The reasoning is not that they would be better at identifying good value and fit than management, but that I would want to motivate them to stick around for as long as they can be effective. I know they are more passionately competitive than widely credited, but the prospect of retiring on a big pile of dough while some your joints still work would be very tempting, and I think it might be worth buying some insurance against that.

People talk about how to shed the cap hits from Higgins and Burrows, but if you wanted to go deep into the free agent market this season I think one of the better sources of cap room would be Miller. He might even return something that you could use. Yes, he does provide solid, stable, reliable #1 goaltending at roughly market rate, but Markstrom has shown that he can play pretty much as well over at least short stretches, the Canucks are not going deep into the playoffs next season, anyways, and I rather doubt Miller is excited about spending any of his few remaining seasons on a rebuilding project.

I don't want the Canucks to try to sign Lucic. Apart from my personal dislike, unless he is signed well below projected market value and term, his a cap hit will be too large relative to his contribution, particularly near the end of the contract when the Canucks might otherwise hope to be relevant again.

[Hockey Widow]

One of the stumbling blocks, allegedly, surrounding Lucic and LA was Lucic insistence on a full NMC. Lombardi is somewhat done with full NMC for lesser players and only wanted a limited NTC.

Teams will be reluctant to offer up NMC to players like Lucic given how unpredictably they age in the NHL and with expansion protection protocols.

I'm hoping whoever Benning gets does not have a NMC. Hope he is able to use limited NTC all the way.

News pundits keep saying we have 11.3 to spend with the Higgins buyout but they keep forgetting we have to sign a few RFAs yet. Etem, Pedan, Larsson, Grenier. That's 4-5m right there. True, maybe only 1-2 will be on Canucks cap but still, not enough to chase Stamkos, not even close.

[rikster]

I expect Benning to sniff around the bottom 2 lines and increase the toughness of the team ...

UFA season is always the silly season and this year with so many teams having cap space and only a few elite players available, I can only imagine how silly silly season will be...

Where I think he will look to make a move is by poaching on teams tight against the cap ...

Take care...

[Hockey Widow]

With Etem locked up to a one year, $775,000 deal we have a little more wiggle room for FA.

[Strangelove]

Stamkos camp have imposed a blackout on suitors. They don't want leaks in the press. Expect those teams not in the running to start talking

If we hear Benning say he will be meeting with Stamkos and is in on discussions it means he has already been told no.

Benning, knowing he won't land him, will offer the Max to Stammer (no NMC/NTC) just to drive up the cost!

I'm telling you, the guy is an asshole!

[Strangelove]

News pundits keep saying we have 11.3 to spend with the Higgins buyout but they keep forgetting we have to sign a few RFAs yet. Etem, Pedan, Larsson, Grenier. That's 4-5m right there. True, maybe only 1-2 will be on Canucks cap but still, not enough to chase Stamkos, not even close.

Don't forget you can go 10% over the cap in the off-season.

So sign whomever to whatever and make it work later.

(for example I bet he has a Burrows trade simmering on the back-burner)

[Hockey Widow]

News pundits keep saying we have 11.3 to spend with the Higgins buyout but they keep forgetting we have to sign a few RFAs yet. Etem, Pedan, Larsson, Grenier. That's 4-5m right there. True, maybe only 1-2 will be on Canucks cap but still, not enough to chase Stamkos, not even close.

Don't forget you can go 10% over the cap in the off-season.

So sign whomever to whatever and make it work later.

(for example I bet he has a Burrows trade simmering on the back-burner)

There is another buyout window. Burrows isn't out of the woods yet.

[Strangelove]

There is another buyout window. Burrows isn't out of the woods yet.

No need to buyout Burrows imo, he's still a great 3rd-liner only due $3M in real dollars.

I mean, even if you had to retain up to say 33%... still clears us a few mill in cap-space.

[Hockey Widow]

The Calgary Flames announced today that the following four players have received qualifying offers from the club:

Johnny Gaudreau (LW)

Freddie Hamilton (C)

Sean Monahan (C)

Tyler Wotherspoon (D)

The following players did not receive qualifying offers:

Kenny Agostino (LW)

Bill Arnold (C)

Joe Colborne (C)

Turner Elson (LW)

Josh Jooris (C)

Joni Ortio (G)

Kevin Poulin (G)

Drew Shore (C)

Bryce Van Brabant (LW)

Treliving says they did not qualify Colburn, Jooris or Ortio to avoid arbitration where they feared the outcome. They are negotiating hard with all three to get them locked up by July 1st. I would love it it if Jooris and Colburn were lost to FA. I'd even want Benning to kick the tires.

[Strangelove]

Treliving says they did not qualify Colburn, Jooris or Ortio to avoid arbitration where they feared the outcome. They are negotiating hard with all three to get them locked up by July 1st. I would love it it if Jooris and Colburn were lost to FA. I'd even want Benning to kick the tires.

Flames wouldn't have to worry about arbitrator's decisions on Colburn and Jooris

... if they weren't paying $3m to each of Raymond, Stajan, Engelland, and Smid.

(not to mention $5M+ to Psycho Wideman)

And some people here complain about "bad contracts" on the Canucks!