We shouldn't ever sign anyone then. Because one person does not make a cup contender.

but someone of his caliber sure does help.
- ImThatGuy

Here's an analogy, your puzzle is a few pieces short, there is a big piece available from another puzzle, but it doesn't freaking fit, but it's big, jam it in there anyway???

IMO Stamkos does make us a cup contender.

Eichel will be a 70-80 point player. Add Stamkos and that's two of them.

Add Vesey and we have a deep, deep top 6.
- sbroads24

Having the right pieces and getting them to gel together makes you a cup contender, just look at the Pens this year.

Dreger and the Harvard Center who played with Vesey were just on wgr. I didn't get a chance to hear what they said, but would be interesting
- turbo044

He verified what a lot of people suspected - these guys are all good friends and talk about the contract stuff. The more I hear the less skeptical I am about us getting Vesey.

"Crazy" is paying someone other than Gretzky Gretyzky-like money.
- Slump Buster

The max contract is 14.3m


Anyone worth that ?

there is no reason to invest more that a 1 year contract to any player 31 or older given expansion and the fact it's a young mans game

I think the pros heavily out weight the cons with him. That being said, who knows really. IMO this team has a 3-4 year window where they can do some serious damage and not be forced to rid themselves because of the cap. That's with Stamkos.
- sbroads24

Our window isn't 3-4 years, our new "core" are still young kids. We have a foundation that can do damage for 10+ years. Stamkos seriously compromises our ability to keep them together.

The max contract is 14.3m


Anyone worth that ?
- cabin

I'm not good with 12 mill., I think I'm going to vomit !!!!

The max contract is 14.3m


Anyone worth that ?
- cabin

If Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Benn, or Kopitar aren't getting paid that then neither should Stamkos. That is my only thought.

I don't think he is hands down better than them.

Here's an analogy, your puzzle is a few pieces short, there is a big piece available from another puzzle, but it doesn't freaking fit, but it's big, jam it in there anyway???
- bobmack13

That analogy makes zero sense.

Who do you want instead of Stamkos? Lets get there first.

Our window isn't 3-4 years, our new "core" are still young kids. We have a foundation that can do damage for 10+ years. Stamkos seriously compromises our ability to keep them together.
- bobmack13

And it's possible to keep those core guys together for a long time even with Stamkos on the books. Drafting and developing would be the key there. It's not out of the realm of possibility. To think that they can't be competitive for the next 10 years if they sign Stamkos is very short sighted.

Our window isn't 3-4 years, our new "core" are still young kids. We have a foundation that can do damage for 10+ years. Stamkos seriously compromises our ability to keep them together.
- bobmack13

Not our entire window, our immediate window of being able to load up with high priced talent outside of Eichel/Vesey/Reinhart.

We can take on Nash for 2 years, we could add a high priced D man, we can add Stamkos. In 3-4 years we will be relying more on prospects to replace talent

I want a cup contending team, not a good team, two different levels. Stamkos doesn't allow us to get to the cup contending level, in my opinion.

The max contract is 14.3m


Anyone worth that ?
- cabin

i think the max is only 14.3 if we are at the cap. isnt that right? no player can make more than 20% of his teams total cap? like if we are at 65 million, our max is 13m?

If Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Benn, or Kopitar aren't getting paid that then neither should Stamkos. That is my only thought.

I don't think he is hands down better than them.
- JVince11

Agree. We'll always have to overpay for top end talent though :/

I'm not good with 12 mill., I think I'm going to vomit !!!!
- bobmack13

We are all fine with 10.5 and 11M... what is the difference if it goes to 12M. Honestly?

GMTM gets paid to manage the cap down the line. I trust him.

I think it makes us a perennial contender if we add Stamkos and are under cap for hte next 3-4 seasons.

I'm all for it. I think we will be in some cap hell down the line.

I think that signing Stamkos for 7 years to that big of a contract will mean that Kane at 5.1M cap hit now won't be resigned down the line. Eichel and Sam will probably both have 6M contracts when they become RFAs in a few years. Risto will be at 5.5M as well.

Stamkos 12M, ROR 7.5M, Eichel 6M, Sam 6M, Risto 5.5M... that's 37M and half your cap already if numbers are flat. (Bogo's 5M cap hit might be here too. hopefully not Moulson's)

I'm not good with 12 mill., I think I'm going to vomit !!!!
- bobmack13

Are you writing the check to him for it? Because if you're not, I don't understand why it's so upsetting to you.

i think the max is only 14.3 if we are at the cap. isnt that right? no player can make more than 20% of his teams total cap? like if we are at 65 million, our max is 13m?
- rover16

No. Doesnt matter the teams cap. That changes all season.

We are all fine with 10.5 and 11M... what is the difference if it goes to 12M. Honestly?

GMTM gets paid to manage the cap down the line. I trust him.

I think it makes us a perennial contender if we add Stamkos and are under cap for hte next 3-4 seasons.

I'm all for it. I think we will be in some cap hell down the line.

I think that signing Stamkos for 7 years to that big of a contract will mean that Kane at 5.1M cap hit now won't be resigned down the line. Eichel and Sam will probably both have 6M contracts when they become RFAs in a few years. Risto will be at 5.5M as well.

Stamkos 12M, ROR 7.5M, Eichel 6M, Sam 6M, Risto 5.5M... that's 37M and half your cap already if numbers are flat. (Bogo's 5M cap hit might be here too. hopefully not Moulson's)
- JVince11

Pretty sure there's another guy that actually does that. Most teams have a financial guy that handles that end of things. They have to work with the GM in order to let them know exactly what there is to work with and all that.

That analogy makes zero sense.

Who do you want instead of Stamkos? Lets get there first.
- ImThatGuy

Start with Vesey, knock his freaking socks off, he completes the Eichel line, and is the Left winger that we NEED.
We NEED a LHD scorer, or a LHD, and a scoring RHD.
We NEED a 1B goalie that will push Lehner, or be there if Lehner gets hurt.
Stamkos doesn't fit, and doesn't allow us to make any other necessary moves that need to be made.

Are you writing the check to him for it? Because if you're not, I don't understand why it's so upsetting to you.
- HonkFortheGoose

Plus the cap historically goes up. wasn't it around $45m after the lockout and is now it's at 73.7m? When jack and Samson have to be re-upped, Stamkos would still be at 11-12m but the cap is prob around 85m then.

If Kane, Toews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Benn, or Kopitar aren't getting paid that then neither should Stamkos. That is my only thought.

I don't think he is hands down better than them.
- JVince11

And Flacco shouldn't be the highest paid QB in the NFL, it's sports! I honestly don't care what he gets paid nor should any of us. This armchair GM talk of worrying about salary cap space is a waste of time. Does Stamkos make us better? Does he get us closer to winning a cup? If the answer is no to those then don't sign him, if the answer is yes sign him at all costs.

Are you writing the check to him for it? Because if you're not, I don't understand why it's so upsetting to you.
- HonkFortheGoose

Essentially that check will handcuff us, and I don't like being in handcuffs, unless my wife is doing the handcuffing.

Start with Vesey, knock his freaking socks off, he completes the Eichel line, and is the Left winger that we NEED.
We NEED a LHD scorer, or a LHD, and a scoring RHD.
We NEED a 1B goalie that will push Lehner, or be there if Lehner gets hurt.
Stamkos doesn't fit, and doesn't allow us to make any other necessary moves that need to be made.
- bobmack13

The issue with being able to "knock the socks off" of Vesey is you're restricted money wise. We can't offer him any more than any other team because it's an ELC and there is a hard ceiling for that ($3.75MM if he hits all bonuses).

At this point, Eichel is a big factor in getting him to sign. He'll be the best one to sell the city and team to the kid. If he can't, then there's not much else we can do.

If Stamkos is added at 12M...

We already would hvae ROR at 7.5M, Eichel and Sam in 2 years will be at 6M a piece, Risto will be at 5.5M I bet.

Evander Kane will most likely be gone unless he really shines strong this year and next.

Moulson and Ennis will technically be in the last years of their contracts but most likely gone by then as well. Gionta and Gorges will both be off the books as well.

I am perfectly comfortable with guys like Vesey, 1st rd this year (Nylander/Keller), Fasching/Bailey/Baptiste/Olofsson, etc filling in cracks.

Not to mention I am willing to be we make trades in there too for the top 6. It is all flexible.

Start with Vesey, knock his freaking socks off, he completes the Eichel line, and is the Left winger that we NEED.
We NEED a LHD scorer, or a LHD, and a scoring RHD.
We NEED a 1B goalie that will push Lehner, or be there if Lehner gets hurt.
Stamkos doesn't fit, and doesn't allow us to make any other necessary moves that need to be made.
- bobmack13

I love the idea of Vesey, but do we really have any clue how good at the NHL level he's going to be?

To me that's like saying do not add Keith Yandle because Brendan Guhle is in our pipeline