Luongo will Waive NTC If Asked To

[coco_canuck]

I would be shocked if we landed either Parise or Suter. I think MG makes the calls but I would be shocked if either came here. More likely "b" UFA's will be on his list. I know I have heard he has targeted at least 2 guys he will take a run at but I'm just not thinking Parise and or Suter.

I would love Doan at 5 million max, 2 years. (10 total). But a team like Toronto will offer him the wad.

It really is a lean UFA market, even for bottom 6 players.

I'll add more about the best available free agents, but first a comment on Doan.

Word is, if he leaves Phoenix he wants to stay close to Phoenix, and join a contender. Doan is from Alberta, and he's a religious guy who is close with his family.

So I wouldn't necessarily worry about Toronto, unless they go Gillis for Sundin on him.

I'm not sure if he thinks Vancouver is too far from Phoenix, when he can go to teams like LA and SJ, but playing in Canada, near Alberta, on a contender that has other character guys like Hamhuis and Malhotra who are also very religious.

I'd definitely go 2 years, $5M per for Doan, and hopefully Gillis approaches him the right way, like he has done others.


As for free agents.

Top/Skill forwards
Parise
Doan
Selanne
Whitney
Semin
Hudler
Smyth


Top 9/skill forwards
Penner
P.Mueller
Samuelsson
Huselius
Wolski

Third line forwards
Gaustad
Prust
Winnik
Knuble

Bottom 6 options
T. Mitchell
Asham
Fedotenko
Halpern
Glass
Hecht
Konopka
Hagman
Staubitz (for those wanting an enforcer)


That's pretty lean, and those classifications are relative to the market.

Outside Parise and Doan, the only players that interest me in order:

Whitney
Selanne
Prust
Gaustad
Winnik
T.Mitchell
Asham
Knuble
Hudler
P.Mueller
Fedotenko


*EDIT

Realizing this post doesn't really talk Luongo, I've moved the free agent list to the Wheelings and Dealings Thread.

[Mondi]

Why are we paying 5 million for a 20-goal man on the wrong side of 35?

Shane Doan? Seriously?

[ClamRussel]

I'd definitely go 2 years, $5M per for Doan, and hopefully Gillis approaches him the right way, like he has done others.
.....

Outside Parise and Doan, the only players that interest me in order:

Whitney
Gaustad

Agree completely, guys like Doan & Whitney would really round out the forward corps....as would a player like Gaustad, esp while Kesler heals. Doan has lost a step but was very effective in last season's run. Whitney is a winner and, despite his age, still a solid contributor. Look at most cup winners and they have a roster rounded out w/ a key vet (perhaps playing in a different capacity than he did when younger)...I think of Trottier with the Pens, Andreychuk with the Lightning, Recchi, Whitney etc. Whitney can distribute the puck which would go a long way to providing secondary scoring & 2 effective PP units.

[coco_canuck]

Mondi and Clam,

Doan reply is in the other thread.

[Cornuck]

Marty Brodeur... free agent? He's signed up with an agent and will go UFA if he's not signed before FA frenzy.

Let's hope that he finishes his career in NJ and doesn't sign with FLA.

[Strangelove]

To people thinking the notion of paying $9.33M for two goalies is ridiculous, here's a couple of comparisons:

Lundqvist and Biron combine for $8.2M

Backstrom and Harding for $7.9M


Between $1.1-1.4M more, the Canucks have Schneider and Luongo under contract.

From everything I see and read, it seems Luongo will be dealt sometime before the season, but the idea of brining both back is possible cap wise, and it's not ridiculous. Obviously, something will have to give eventually, but the Canucks can take their time, and even if they exceed the cap with free agent signings they have time to sort it out, and like Gillis told the media today, people always worry about the Canucks cap problems, but he always finds a way to navigate through it.

I agree with all of that.

Patience is key.

You mention NYR and Minny....

Nashville will be in the $8mil total-for-goaltender range after they sign a backup.

Buffalo, Calgary, Carolina, LA, Montreal, NYI, Philly, Pittsburgh... all around $7mil.

It wouldn't be crippling cap-wise to start the season with our two elite goaltenders.

But I doubt we will....

[coco_canuck]

It wouldn't be crippling cap-wise to start the season with our two elite goaltenders.

But I doubt we will....

Yeah, it's certainly doable, but not probable.

It's difficult to figure out what happens with Luongo, but everything seems to be pointing to a trade at some point. When it happens is anyones guess at this point.

[dbr]

The Montreal Canadiens signed Carey Price to a six year contract extension at $6.5m per.

Roberto Luongo now has the 9th-highest cap hit in the league for goaltenders if I remember correctly.

[coco_canuck]

The Montreal Canadiens signed Carey Price to a six year contract extension at $6.5m per.

Roberto Luongo now has the 9th-highest cap hit in the league for goaltenders if I remember correctly.

In terms of real salary, Price and Luongo essentially get paid the same amount of money over the next 6 years.

Granted, Price is much younger, but he's also less proven.

Luongo's cap hit is more than fair, and he's not overpaid at all in terms of real salary.

But don't tell the eastern media that. Luongo has a fat and untradeable 10 year contract.

[dbr]

Yep.

You've got to think even Brian Burke sees the writing on the wall in terms of the cost of a real number one goaltender in this league.

Luongo's artifically low cap hit may not be an advantage to the Panthers but on the Leafs that kind of wiggle room gives you enough space to cover the buyout on a terrible contract like Colby Armstrong's..

[coco_canuck]

Luongo's artifically low cap hit may not be an advantage to the Panthers but on the Leafs that kind of wiggle room gives you enough space to cover the buyout on a terrible contract like Colby Armstrong's..

IMO, the main thing holding back a Luo to Toronto deal is Burke's ego.

Will he get past that and have realistic discussions with Gillis?

Reports are that Gillis is asking for the moon and Burke is low-balling. I'm sure Gillis will come off that asking price if Burke stops trying to package dead weight in a deal.

[Hockey Widow]

Luongo's artifically low cap hit may not be an advantage to the Panthers but on the Leafs that kind of wiggle room gives you enough space to cover the buyout on a terrible contract like Colby Armstrong's..

IMO, the main thing holding back a Luo to Toronto deal is Burke's ego.

Will he get past that and have realistic discussions with Gillis?

Reports are that Gillis is asking for the moon and Burke is low-balling. I'm sure Gillis will come off that asking price if Burke stops trying to package dead weight in a deal.

Ya but Burke doesn't want to give up 15, 1 round draft picks.

[coco_canuck]

Ya but Burke doesn't want to give up 15, 1 round draft picks.

Of course.

In Burke's world, Schenn was worth more than 10 first round draft picks...so JVR must have been worth at least 11 first rounders for him to make that swap.

[surreal78]

IMO, the main thing holding back a Luo to Toronto deal is Burke's ego.

Will he get past that and have realistic discussions with Gillis?

Reports are that Gillis is asking for the moon and Burke is low-balling. I'm sure Gillis will come off that asking price if Burke stops trying to package dead weight in a deal.

FLA has more & better prospects to package. Hoping GMMG goes that route. Saw a Tweet earlier about GMMG asking for Versteeg & Bjugstad (which obviously Tallon wasn't biting on). That would be a solid return, much better than anything TO can offer up if Gardiner is off the table.

[Diehard1]

IMO, the main thing holding back a Luo to Toronto deal is Burke's ego.

Will he get past that and have realistic discussions with Gillis?

Reports are that Gillis is asking for the moon and Burke is low-balling. I'm sure Gillis will come off that asking price if Burke stops trying to package dead weight in a deal.

FLA has more & better prospects to package. Hoping GMMG goes that route. Saw a Tweet earlier about GMMG asking for Versteeg & Bjugstad (which obviously Tallon wasn't biting on). That would be a solid return, much better than anything TO can offer up if Gardiner is off the table.

That's a much better return than the Leafs can offer even if Gardiner is on the table. I fully assume Lu will be traded back to Florida in the next few weeks, there's been too much talk about it for it not to happen. Brke's too stupid (yes stupid, not stubborn) to realize that a good goalie is worth his weight in gold - that's why he's picked up guys like Cloutier, Potvin, Giguere (well after his best before date) and Gustavsson. When it comes to goalies, the guy is just a bad GM.