I hope I’m wrong but you know this team.
- jaz258

More precisely, we know this owner.

Five times (posts) apparently.

This will end the same way Stone’s contract negotiation did. Tkachuk has to have been very up front about wanting only a bridge deal and the comments from Melnyk about not having a Captain on a bridge deal means this is headed in the wrong direction. I hope I’m wrong but you know this team.
- jaz258

say it twice, it's just as nice! lol....

I don't know about the "same" as Stone's. Was stone an RFA or a UFA? As much as I think Stone was the next Alfredson, he's not going to age well -speed wise- and that contract won't look good in a couple years.

I don't know about the "same" as Stone's. Was stone an RFA or a UFA? As much as I think Stone was the next Alfredson, he's not going to age well -speed wise- and that contract won't look good in a couple years.
- Octavarium

I still would've loved to have him on as a 'C'.

I still would've loved to have him on as a 'C'.
- Panzer_IVA

100% agree. I would have renewed my seasons tickets that day. I had been a 20 year account. The parking fiasco after the ECF was the clincher for me. Raising the prices during the playoffs for parking is one thing, leasing the parking rights to a company for a couple years and allowing them to maintain the JACKED prices for parking is ...just stupid greed. I was done. EM has burned every corporate bridge in Ottawa.

say it twice, it's just as nice! lol....
- Octavarium

The 5th posting really nailed the urgency of the message.

Agreed, good teams sign players not out of fear of losing them, but with strategic purpose in order to maintain a competitive and successful environment. I really think Tampa Bay is modelling the right approach - all of Kucherov, Point, Hedman, and Vasilevsky were on bridge contracts before signing their long-term deals. Each then signed for $7.9M-$9.5M, after more than proving their value with both individual and team awards. TB also specifically uses 34 as the maximum age they'll typically extend a contract to. Case in point, if you look at their 5 biggest $$$ contracts in terms of player age and years remaining:

$9.5M Point - Age 25, 9yrs Left
$9.5M Vasilevsky - Age 27, 7yrs Left
$9.5M Kucherov - Age 28, 6yrs Left
$8.5M Stamkos - Age 31, 3yrs Left
$7.9M Hedman - Age 30, 4yrs Left

You can also see this playing out with the 3yr x$4.8M AAV bridge deals they provided to Cirelli (Age 24) and Sergachev (Age 23) as part of the next generation of core players. This allows you to layer your contracts effectively, and develop a clear succession plan at key positions (i.e. laying the foundation for long-term competitiveness).
- khawk

Model for success.

17 of the 26 NHL teams have a CENTER as their captain.

List of Captains to lift a cup in the cap era

Scott Niedermayer
Nicklas Lidstrom
Sidney Crosby (3)
Jonathan Toews (3)
Zdeno Chara
Dustin Brown (2)
Alexander Ovechkin
Alex Pietrangelo
Steven Stamkos (2)

Usually a D-man or Center is captain. Rare that wingers are captains. I am torn on naming him captain

17 of the 26 NHL teams have a CENTER as their captain.

List of Captains to lift a cup in the cap era

Scott Niedermayer
Nicklas Lidstrom
Sidney Crosby (3)
Jonathan Toews (3)
Zdeno Chara
Dustin Brown (2)
Alexander Ovechkin
Alex Pietrangelo
Steven Stamkos (2)

Usually a D-man or Center is captain. Rare that wingers are captains. I am torn on naming him captain
- AlfieisKing

Don't forgot about Rod Brind'Amour with Carolina in 2006... who apparently left money on the table when negotiating his contract extension this summer so that his team of assistant coaches, trainers, and equipment staff would be retained/paid.

There's no rush with this decision... just put an 'A' on Chabot, Tkachuk, Brown, and whatever C they bring in, and let the team continue to evolve. They may even discover that Sanderson actually has the most natural leadership ability of the whole group... or at least the most experience, given that he was the 'C' for the USA National U17 & U18 teams, will wear an 'A' at North Dakota as a sophomore, and is a virtual lock to wear a letter for the USA WJC team).

Don't forgot about Rod Brind'Amour with Carolina in 2006... who apparently left money on the table when negotiating his contract extension this summer so that his team of assistant coaches, trainers, and equipment staff would be retained/paid.

There's no rush with this decision... just put an 'A' on Chabot, Tkachuk, Brown, and whatever C they bring in, and let the team continue to evolve. They may even discover that Sanderson actually has the most natural leadership ability of the whole group... or at least the most experience, given that he was the 'C' for the USA National U17 & U18 teams, will wear an 'A' at North Dakota as a sophomore, and is a virtual lock to wear a letter for the USA WJC team).
- khawk

Crosby and Malking also took pay cuts when their signed their last deals to be able to build a winning team and they got 3 cups out of it. It is easy to see players who want to win vs players who want a payday and do not care about winning.

you realize that him and his brother are going to get their contracts set to where as soon as they hit ufa and in an earlier then normal year they are going to go to the blues. This is widely talked about. Armstrong may even try and trade for mathew earlier. SO i wouldnt mark him as your captain andyou should expect to lose him the moment he becomes UFA> I am not trying to be an ahole i am stating fact its their dreams to come home and play for the blues like thier dad did who is still a blues employee

I don't wander into Sens articles too often (good young team though, some damn nice pieces.) Just wondering if Blues fans make garbage "trade proposals" for your Tkachuk like they do Calgary's?

No, a washed up Tarasenko isn't getting you Matthew, use your half empty head.

Edit: oof, I guess they do, the guy above me.

The Blues don't have the young talent needed to get Matthew. Kyrou and Thomas are 2nd and 3rd pieces of a trade. Not happening.

I don't wander into Sens articles too often (good young team though, some damn nice pieces.) Just wondering if Blues fans make garbage "trade proposals" for your Tkachuk like they do Calgary's?

No, a washed up Tarasenko isn't getting you Matthew, use your half empty head.

Edit: oof, I guess they do, the guy above me.

The Blues don't have the young talent needed to get Matthew. Kyrou and Thomas are 2nd and 3rd pieces of a trade. Not happening.
- eternal_flames

Why would the blues ever trade anything for Matthew when they can be patient and just land him as an ufa in a few years. Im gonna go out a limb and say losing in Calgary for his entire career is probably not one of his longterm goals. Lmao

all I can say as a BLUES fan since birth CGY & OTT please sign them long term so we never see another Tkachuk again in a BLUES sweater!

This - when I saw the headline of this article I thought we had finally signed him. If this is the latest offer, then I wonder how low the very first one was.

I also heard that the 'Tkachuk clan' was hard to negotiate with. TBH they have every right to be. Let's just hope we can actually get him at a price & term that's suitable for all. I wouldn't want to let him go because we couldn't come to term, but I don't want OTT to overpay either.
- Panzer_IVA

There have been at least 3 offers with different term. This was the latest and we will see how it shakes out, but as we get closer to September, something has to give!

This - when I saw the headline of this article I thought we had finally signed him. If this is the latest offer, then I wonder how low the very first one was.

I also heard that the 'Tkachuk clan' was hard to negotiate with. TBH they have every right to be. Let's just hope we can actually get him at a price & term that's suitable for all. I wouldn't want to let him go because we couldn't come to term, but I don't want OTT to overpay either.
- Panzer_IVA

There have been at least 3 offers with different term. This was the latest and we will see how it shakes out, but as we get closer to September, something has to give!

I think Sens will allow Brady to poke his nose a little out front of Chabot on their internal salary scale. If the Sens trade for a $10m player, they would have about $32m. invested in their top 4. Far less efficient than Boston with their older players.

But the Sens would be infinitely better than the ugly situation that the blue team is stuck with. Vancouver cap also appears pretty ugly. Edmonton has an awkward cap situation but they have truly elite players. Montreal stumbles along and appears to be making it work as they transition over to become a much younger team. Winnipeg and Calgary are hard to read. Calgary seems to be trying to figure it out as they go along. Winnipeg acts they like they are just one player away from winning it all and keep trying to find that one special add that will get them over the top. I believe Winnipeg is close and, maybe, this is the year they get it done.

In the current cap situation you always need one finger on the panic button. You will not be able to go out and buy the assets that get you over the top. A 5 year window makes sense. If you can't get it done in the 5 year window sell off the assets that are near the top of their value and buy future winners.
- spatso

Absolutely, the 5 year window will be used more than ever with teams. Teams will need guys to perform at a high level on their ELC if they have too many guys eating up a big chunk of the cap. Lets face it, flat cap for at least 3 years, so teams arent going to be able to hope that cap increases to fix mistakes.

They are hard negotiators, and there's a pretty clear evidence base to support that, which makes the rumored comments about the negotiations hardly a surprise. The real problem is that it's the Senators that want him to sign for 6yrs and make him the captain... but it's pretty clear that as much as Tkachuk appears to like the young group in Ottawa, he's also a realist. He knows he hasn't shown his full offensive potential on the ice yet, and they're asking him to give up both his 2nd RFA status plus 2 years of UFA years, which are the most lucrative negotiating opportunities of his career. Plus, some people might crap all over Eichel for wanting to play on a competitive team and call it a character flaw, but don't for a second think Brady won't leave after his RFA status (or sooner) if the Senators don't cut the $hit, and start putting a more competitive product on the ice.

As I said, don't be surprised if the Tkachuk side dig their heels in on a 2-3 bridge deal, regardless of Melnyk's feelings about having a team captain not being signed to a long-term deal. If Melnyk is really so concerned, he can start to work with Dorion on moving the team away from the $60M cap floor, and bringing in some players to legitimately make the team better and prove that the rebuild is over.
- khawk

That is why the team is trying to get Brady to give up a few of those years but at the same time promising him to surround him with the right pieces while keeping the core together! Trust me, it has been talked about quite alot behind closed doors.
But you are right, Melnyk can say all he wants but if he isnt willing to loose the purse strings on spending with Dorion then this could all blow up in their face.

If Brady follows his brother and is smart he does three or four years at 7 or 8 with the deal structured so that the qualifying offer has to be $9million. This makes you as close to a free agent before free agency as possible. It also keeps from being stuck in a place that might not work out. The Sens are looking good now but the owner has a history of changing things or not having money. It'd be hard to to sign long term there. If your best seasons might be coming to you want to bet on yourself, especially when the cap should be going up by then?
- BluemanGuruu

Both sides are playing hardball, but someone eventually has to flinch and call the bluff. But you make great points. Nice to see a few Blues fans in here!

I would bridge Tkachuk and Batherson and make C. Brown my captain. I don't believe in teams committing big money and term to players based on potential. This is a business and players are assets and they can be moved or retained. Successful teams must establish a sort of salary structure among players. The bridge is part of the process.
- granpa

Management has to be very calculated here though, especially with the flat cap. So they have to plan with how this core will play out with future contracts. I do agree with you on not overpaying but you also need to show a winning attitude and that you will spend to not only keep the young core but that you will spend for those final key pieces to put you over the top!

Agreed, good teams sign players not out of fear of losing them, but with strategic purpose in order to maintain a competitive and successful environment. I really think Tampa Bay is modelling the right approach - all of Kucherov, Point, Hedman, and Vasilevsky were on bridge contracts before signing their long-term deals. Each then signed for $7.9M-$9.5M, after more than proving their value with both individual and team awards. TB also specifically uses 34 as the maximum age they'll typically extend a contract to. Case in point, if you look at their 5 biggest $$$ contracts in terms of player age and years remaining:

$9.5M Point - Age 25, 9yrs Left
$9.5M Vasilevsky - Age 27, 7yrs Left
$9.5M Kucherov - Age 28, 6yrs Left
$8.5M Stamkos - Age 31, 3yrs Left
$7.9M Hedman - Age 30, 4yrs Left

You can also see this playing out with the 3yr x$4.8M AAV bridge deals they provided to Cirelli (Age 24) and Sergachev (Age 23) as part of the next generation of core players. This allows you to layer your contracts effectively, and develop a clear succession plan at key positions (i.e. laying the foundation for long-term competitiveness).
- khawk

Yes very true with all of them getting those long term deals after their bridge contracts but the huge difference is, TB will pay their players and players want to play in TB. I dont think you can say either about Ottawa at this point in time. Could that change? Possibly, especially if the owner follows through on how he said he would spend to the cap ceiling for 5 years of unparalleled success!

This will end the same way Stone’s contract negotiation did. Tkachuk has to have been very up front about wanting only a bridge deal and the comments from Melnyk about not having a Captain on a bridge deal means this is headed in the wrong direction. I hope I’m wrong but you know this team.
- jaz258

Many fans in this city feel the way you do!

100% agree. I would have renewed my seasons tickets that day. I had been a 20 year account. The parking fiasco after the ECF was the clincher for me. Raising the prices during the playoffs for parking is one thing, leasing the parking rights to a company for a couple years and allowing them to maintain the JACKED prices for parking is ...just stupid greed. I was done. EM has burned every corporate bridge in Ottawa.
- Octavarium

Oh has he ever! See that is the problem, the fan base is so fractured here! Look at yourself, 20 year season ticket holder. Believe it or not, I have spoke to many that were longtime season ticket holders and it all goes back to Melnyk.

Crosby and Malking also took pay cuts when their signed their last deals to be able to build a winning team and they got 3 cups out of it. It is easy to see players who want to win vs players who want a payday and do not care about winning.
- Mithos

Absolutely! Stars in any sport that take less so they can have a winner for years, are the ones you build around like you said. Look no further than Tom Brady in NE, how many years did he take less? Oh and look, 6 SB rings, what a surprise!

If Brady follows his brother and is smart he does three or four years at 7 or 8 with the deal structured so that the qualifying offer has to be $9million. This makes you as close to a free agent before free agency as possible. It also keeps from being stuck in a place that might not work out. The Sens are looking good now but the owner has a history of changing things or not having money. It'd be hard to to sign long term there. If your best seasons might be coming to you want to bet on yourself, especially when the cap should be going up by then?
- BluemanGuruu

Brady and mathew to st louis E27

I don't wander into Sens articles too often (good young team though, some damn nice pieces.) Just wondering if Blues fans make garbage "trade proposals" for your Tkachuk like they do Calgary's?

No, a washed up Tarasenko isn't getting you Matthew, use your half empty head.

Edit: oof, I guess they do, the guy above me.

The Blues don't have the young talent needed to get Matthew. Kyrou and Thomas are 2nd and 3rd pieces of a trade. Not happening.
- eternal_flames

Blues are not going to trade for Brady or Matt they will sign as ufa..... why do you think they are not signing super long contracts lol