Something I've been hearing more and more of late is how there are players who don't want to play for a Canadian based team.

Canadian teams generate a huge part of the NHL revenue that pays their salaries.

You don't want to play for a Canadian based team then fine. You forfeit that part of your salary that is generated by the Canadian market.

If that doesn't work then you are not allowed to participate in games played in Canada.

Piss off! We don't need you. Time to end this nonsense.
- Whatisavailable

Ya I understand your frustration. Canadian teams get rappped from US teams - when we hold up the rest of the NHL

I hope Debrincat starts to figure it out from within. Everyone says DJ needs to get him with the proper linemates but at 9M a year, as a player it also has to come from within too.
- Kevin Francis

Does DeBrincat not make $6.4M this season?

Does DeBrincat not make $6.4M this season?
- HoweHatrick

His cap hit is 6.4, in cash he makes 9m

Something I've been hearing more and more of late is how there are players who don't want to play for a Canadian based team.

Canadian teams generate a huge part of the NHL revenue that pays their salaries.

You don't want to play for a Canadian based team then fine. You forfeit that part of your salary that is generated by the Canadian market.

If that doesn't work then you are not allowed to participate in games played in Canada.

Piss off! We don't need you. Time to end this nonsense.
- Whatisavailable

Well, you can't dictate where someone wants to play. A lot of the time it as simple as wanting to be paid in US$ without paying CDN income tax. All of Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Seattle operate in states with no income tax at all, and most other states have far less tax than Canada. There's also disproportionate media attention and fan pressure, which in many cases is regarded as a negative - plus major endorsement implications, especially given that OTT, CGY, EDM, and WPG are all in the bottom-5 market sizes. Not to mention the basic reality that 3/4 of NHL players start their careers in the USA even if they're born in Canada... and once you start building a life and maybe even starting a family, it becomes harder and far less appealing to move all of that across a country line.

Case in point, despite participating with Team Canada at various levels, none of Crosby, MacKinnon, Toews, Stamkos, Point, Bergeron, Marchand, Barzal, Couturier, O'Reilly, Seguin, Robertson, Doughty, Makar, Letang, Burns, Ekblad, or Pietrangelo, have or likely ever will put on the jersey of a Canadian NHL team. They don't even have to come out and say it, it's just not going to happen. Given that's how the majority of CDN-born star players wind up playing out their careers, I'm not sure there's much point in over-criticizing players from other countries if they have preferences of their own that don't involve CDN cities.

F off Forsberg!

They need a number 1 goalie just as much if not more than a top 4 D. They never going to win anything with the likes of Forsberg or Talbot.

Even the Dallas cheerleader broadcasters were saying if you choose to protect a 1 goal lead for the whole third period you're going to get in trouble.

On top of that who does Smith put out there for a defensive zone faceoff with 40 seconds to go? Of course it's the fourth line.
- Whatisavailable

How many times did he do this last year? I came on here numerous times saying he is gold to bet against because he flat out can’t get out of his own way this coach

His cap hit is 6.4, in cash he makes 9m
- Mithos

Gotcha. I am curious to see how this contract plays out.

What are the odds the Sens try to extend him and, if they do, what kind of offer they would float to him. If they want to keep him, would they look at that sooner rather than later? He is currently a 0.8 PPG player but, if he has a hot scoring streak and increases his goal / PPG total, he will be asking for a deal in the $9M range.

Or, do the Sens exercise patience, perhaps take a little gamble, and wait and see how the season goes and, if the return is there, try to deal him at the deadline?

There's a difference between not taking excessive chances, and not taking a single shot on goal for 15 minutes. I really think there's something broken in DJ Smith's head... his concept of team defence is just about retreating and collapsing. And hey, what do you know... another loss with one of the top-3D out of the lineup. That puts their record at 3-11-2 now when one of Chabot, Zub, or Sanderson is out of the lineup, vs. 7-3-0 when they're all in the lineup. Note to Dorion: that means you need another G-D defenceman.
- khawk

Playing not to lose, your coach has done this same thing for a few years now, it never works

Gotcha. I am curious to see how this contract plays out.

What are the odds the Sens try to extend him and, if they do, what kind of offer they would float to him. If they want to keep him, would they look at that sooner rather than later? He is currently a 0.8 PPG player but, if he has a hot scoring streak and increases his goal / PPG total, he will be asking for a deal in the $9M range.

Or, do the Sens exercise patience, perhaps take a little gamble, and wait and see how the season goes and, if the return is there, try to deal him at the deadline?
- HoweHatrick

I really like DeBrincat and he can be a lot better than what he has showed so far in Ottawa. But, is he the right fit for us at this time? I don't know.

I would lean towards saying yes if someone makes a huge offer for him at the trade deadline. Would I do Lafreniere for DeBrincat?

Well, you can't dictate where someone wants to play. A lot of the time it as simple as wanting to be paid in US$ without paying CDN income tax. All of Dallas, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Seattle operate in states with no income tax at all, and most other states have far less tax than Canada. There's also disproportionate media attention and fan pressure, which in many cases is regarded as a negative - plus major endorsement implications, especially given that OTT, CGY, EDM, and WPG are all in the bottom-5 market sizes. Not to mention the basic reality that 3/4 of NHL players start their careers in the USA even if they're born in Canada... and once you start building a life and maybe even starting a family, it becomes harder and far less appealing to move all of that across a country line.

Case in point, despite participating with Team Canada at various levels, none of Crosby, MacKinnon, Toews, Stamkos, Point, Bergeron, Marchand, Barzal, Couturier, O'Reilly, Seguin, Robertson, Doughty, Makar, Letang, Burns, Ekblad, or Pietrangelo, have or likely ever will put on the jersey of a Canadian NHL team. They don't even have to come out and say it, it's just not going to happen. Given that's how the majority of CDN-born star players wind up playing out their careers, I'm not sure there's much point in over-criticizing players from other countries if they have preferences of their own that don't involve CDN cities.
- khawk

Would be nice if they leveled the playing field a bit with respect to the advantages certain teams enjoy because of taxes and currency but that's never going to happen because the absolute biggest nightmare for the NHL would be for the Cup to come back to Canada.

Last night was a great game. Dallas is a good team and the Sens played them really tough. Chabot played an outstanding game. Sanderson was so good. You wonder just how high his upside goes.

Last night Brady, Timmy and Giroux had to match up against some really deep talent up front, on defence and especially in goal. Our guys need to be better.

Last night was as close to a playoff style of game as you get in the regular season headed into Christmas. Boys played hard. No need to be disappointed.

I really like DeBrincat and he can be a lot better than what he has showed so far in Ottawa. But, is he the right fit for us at this time? I don't know.

I would lean towards saying yes if someone makes a huge offer for him at the trade deadline. Would I do Lafreniere for DeBrincat?
- spatso

I think maybe the Rangers need to add Adam Fox and an unprotected first to make that trade fair. I mean this is DeBrincat we're talking about after all.

Maybe the Sens should feel out a possible trade of DeBrincat for McDavid if Edmonton would be willing to retain 50% of McDavid's salary.

What a joke! The Sens would be lucky if they got a third round pick for DeBrincat. Nobody is going to want to pay him anywhere near 9 million except maybe the delusional incompetent the Sens have for a GM. If Dorion does that he will have killed any chance this city has for a parade for many years to come.

Last night was a great game. Dallas is a good team and the Sens played them really tough. Chabot played an outstanding game. Sanderson was so good. You wonder just how high his upside goes.

Last night Brady, Timmy and Giroux had to match up against some really deep talent up front, on defence and especially in goal. Our guys need to be better.

Last night was as close to a playoff style of game as you get in the regular season headed into Christmas. Boys played hard. No need to be disappointed.
- spatso

The team played very well. They were by far the better team. The only reason they lost is Forsberg.

I think maybe the Rangers need to add Adam Fox and an unprotected first to make that trade fair. I mean this is DeBrincat we're talking about after all.

Maybe the Sens should feel out a possible trade of DeBrincat for McDavid if Edmonton would be willing to retain 50% of McDavid's salary.

What a joke! The Sens would be lucky if they got a third round pick for DeBrincat. Nobody is going to want to pay him anywhere near 9 million except maybe the delusional incompetent the Sens have for a GM. If Dorion does that he will have killed any chance this city has for a parade for many years to come.
- Whatisavailable

I can understand you not liking Debrincat overall. I think we are all a little disappointed in the lack of goals he has buried, but let’s not act like he hasn’t done anything useful. He has 21 points in 26 games. Not too bad for a guy that is playing underwhelming hockey. I didn’t know he had play making ability in him. He has very good vision. He has more trade value than a 3rd round pick. I personally, would like to keep him around if the price was right.

Would be nice if they leveled the playing field a bit with respect to the advantages certain teams enjoy because of taxes and currency but that's never going to happen because the absolute biggest nightmare for the NHL would be for the Cup to come back to Canada.
- Whatisavailable

7 Canadian teams. 25 American teams.

It’s always going to seem the American teams get the wealth. Even with the differing taxes and currency, I think the Canadian teams do ok, overall. The NHL is pretty good in terms of players wanting to stick with the teams that drafted/developed them. McDavid, Matthews, and B. Tkachuk are all stars who stuck around past their entry level deals. Just look at the signings by Ottawa the last few years. When it comes to free agency, things can get a little dicier, but it is what it is. There are always going to be guys that want less tax and less attention. However, how many guys in the last 20 years have chosen to play for Toronto because of family routes? Ottawa just had that with Giroux.

Player movement is inevitable. Regardless of circumstances, the onus is on the GM o build the best possible team possible. Starts from drafting. Erik Karlsson even said publicly that Ottawa is his home. Had ownership not been a poopshow, he’d likely still be around. Build a base for the player, they will be enticed to stay.

Can’t really dictate personal preferences. Main reason why so many sports allow a type of free agency. Give the power to the player.

Last night was a great game. Dallas is a good team and the Sens played them really tough. Chabot played an outstanding game. Sanderson was so good. You wonder just how high his upside goes.

Last night Brady, Timmy and Giroux had to match up against some really deep talent up front, on defence and especially in goal. Our guys need to be better.

Last night was as close to a playoff style of game as you get in the regular season headed into Christmas. Boys played hard. No need to be disappointed.
- spatso

We clearly have a pretty different understanding of what a "great game" looks like. From my perspective there was a good effort for 42min, followed by an ill-conceived attempt to play a completely different type of game for the last 18min or regulation where they barely registered a single SOG. The result? After outshooting them 27-15 for the first 40min, then were outshot 17-4 for the last ~25min of the game, blew the lead, and then blew the OT. When you're outplaying a team, you don't just stop in order to implement a half-assed defensive lock-down strategy that you simply don't have the personnel to execute properly. Blame Forsberg if you want, but if you let a team basically control an entire period of hockey with home ice advantage, there's a good chance that one of those shots will eventually find the mark.

I can understand you not liking Debrincat overall. I think we are all a little disappointed in the lack of goals he has buried, but let’s not act like he hasn’t done anything useful. He has 21 points in 26 games. Not too bad for a guy that is playing underwhelming hockey. I didn’t know he had play making ability in him. He has very good vision. He has more trade value than a 3rd round pick. I personally, would like to keep him around if the price was right.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Just to clarify. I'm not disliking DeBrincat because he hasn't performed up to expectations although that doesn't help at all at all. I didn't like this acquisition from the get go and I came on here and said so.

His qualifying offer will be 9 million dollars or thereabouts. They need to pay Pinto and Zub and either pay or replace 8 other players. Next year they will have to pay Sanderson. They need to acquire and pay an actual top 4 Dman. They need to acquire at least one good and affordable top six player for next year and another when Giroux leaves. Above all they need an actual number 1 goalie.

I'm not giving any other top six player 9 million dollars even if he was scoring 40 goals. There are plenty of much more important ways to spend that money.

So many people went into some ecstatic, euphoric trance when DeBrincat was acquired which completely surprised and confounded me and even now they search for reasons to support the view that DeBrincat is a difference maker. He is not and never will be. You could put me on the ice every PP and the puck would probably hit me now and then before finding its way into the net.

Any team acquiring DeBrincat would be looking at either qualifying him at 9 million or letting him walk. What would any rational GM give up for that? I think a third rounder would be just about right. What concerns me is that Dorion is loathe to admit a mistake and what makes this really troubling is that so many people made the same mistake and also don't want to admit it making it much harder for Dorion to walk away.

I think maybe the Rangers need to add Adam Fox and an unprotected first to make that trade fair. I mean this is DeBrincat we're talking about after all.

Maybe the Sens should feel out a possible trade of DeBrincat for McDavid if Edmonton would be willing to retain 50% of McDavid's salary.

What a joke! The Sens would be lucky if they got a third round pick for DeBrincat. Nobody is going to want to pay him anywhere near 9 million except maybe the delusional incompetent the Sens have for a GM. If Dorion does that he will have killed any chance this city has for a parade for many years to come.
- Whatisavailable

Leafs return the 3rd you sent along with Murray for DeBrincat. It’s practically going to be a 2nd.

Leafs return the 3rd you sent along with Murray for DeBrincat. It’s practically going to be a 2nd.
- Canada Cup

There's that joke about how a Chihuahua can kill a German Shepherd because it gets stuck in his throat. I would do that trade just to watch the Leafs choke.

Leafs return the 3rd you sent along with Murray for DeBrincat. It’s practically going to be a 2nd.
- Canada Cup

Please don’t hold this post against all Leaf fans…..

CC is “special”

Just to clarify. I'm not disliking DeBrincat because he hasn't performed up to expectations although that doesn't help at all at all. I didn't like this acquisition from the get go and I came on here and said so.

His qualifying offer will be 9 million dollars or thereabouts. They need to pay Pinto and Zub and either pay or replace 8 other players. Next year they will have to pay Sanderson. They need to acquire and pay an actual top 4 Dman. They need to acquire at least one good and affordable top six player for next year and another when Giroux leaves. Above all they need an actual number 1 goalie.

I'm not giving any other top six player 9 million dollars even if he was scoring 40 goals. There are plenty of much more important ways to spend that money.

So many people went into some ecstatic, euphoric trance when DeBrincat was acquired which completely surprised and confounded me and even now they search for reasons to support the view that DeBrincat is a difference maker. He is not and never will be. You could put me on the ice every PP and the puck would probably hit me now and then before finding its way into the net.

Any team acquiring DeBrincat would be looking at either qualifying him at 9 million or letting him walk. What would any rational GM give up for that? I think a third rounder would be just about right. What concerns me is that Dorion is loathe to admit a mistake and what makes this really troubling is that so many people made the same mistake and also don't want to admit it making it much harder for Dorion to walk away.
- Whatisavailable

they cannot afford Cat at 9M and the way he is playing now he is not worth more than 7M, Pinto will not make more than 5M he has cooled down big time, they need to dump Joseph and get 2 3rd line players that can play in the NHL to play with Pinto, maybe next year Greig steps in fine but Formenton was/is a huge part of that 3rd line.

they cannot afford Cat at 9M and the way he is playing now he is not worth more than 7M, Pinto will not make more than 5M he has cooled down big time, they need to dump Joseph and get 2 3rd line players that can play in the NHL to play with Pinto, maybe next year Greig steps in fine but Formenton was/is a huge part of that 3rd line.
- Mithos

Who is going to take Joseph at 3 million? The Sens are stuck with him for 3 more years after this. Pinto at 5. Zub at 5. Sanderson at 8. Two third line players that can actually contribute won't be free. Another top 4 RD at 5+ if they're any good. An actual number 1 goalie won't be free and they're not winning anything without one.

They simply can't afford to pay The Kitten even 7 million. They need to acquire a couple of those 4 to 5 million guys to play top 6 over the next couple of years. Things are going to get really sticky cap wise if they intend to actually compete. Maybe Dorion can trade Joseph and DeBrincat to Tampa for Nick Paul. Tampa would fall on the ground laughing hysterically before hanging up.

Who is going to take Joseph at 3 million? The Sens are stuck with him for 3 more years after this. Pinto at 5. Zub at 5. Sanderson at 8. Two third line players that can actually contribute won't be free. Another top 4 RD at 5+ if they're any good. An actual number 1 goalie won't be free and they're not winning anything without one.

They simply can't afford to pay The Kitten even 7 million. They need to acquire a couple of those 4 to 5 million guys to play top 6 over the next couple of years. Things are going to get really sticky cap wise if they intend to actually compete. Maybe Dorion can trade Joseph and DeBrincat to Tampa for Nick Paul. Tampa would fall on the ground laughing hysterically before hanging up.
- Whatisavailable

At some point, they're going to need to rely on the secondary wave of drafted talent to support the core group, and not just try to sign everyone to massive long-term contracts. That means NOT going out shopping for more top-6 forwards, and instead letting a player like Jarventie, Sokolov, or Pettersson step in. Eventually one of Sogaard or Merilainen is going to have to become a factor in the G situation. Guys like Greig, Ostapchuk, and Boucher will need to be factors on the bottom-6, and ideally at least one of Thomson, Bernard-Docker, and Kleven will step up to become a significant factor on the blue line. And they can't just sign guys like Pinto/Sanderson to max-contract $$$ until the cap starts increasing again. So until then, using RFA deals wisely can help bridge the situation without having to put too much AAV on the table.

Joseph out 2 weeks LBI

To think Debrincat will only fetch a 3rd pick based on him getting 9m is ridiculous lol
The Joseph Contract is so bad we are stuck with him for 3 more yrs or we eat money to move him
And with almost 12million coming off book next year with Watson Gambrell Motte Brassard Hamonic Holden or more if we can move Zeitsev somehow I think signing isn’t gonna be a problem
I’m ok with trading Debrincat only for Top 4 D
Zub and Sanderson 5-5.5million
Pinto 4-4.5
We will still have

Tkachuk Stutzle Giroux
?????? Norris Batherson
Greig Pinto Sokolov
Kelly Kastelic Boucher

Chabot Zub
Sanderson JBD
Brannstrom ???

Hopefully we get a good player in draft

To think Debrincat will only fetch a 3rd pick based on him getting 9m is ridiculous lol
The Joseph Contract is so bad we are stuck with him for 3 more yrs or we eat money to move him
And with almost 12million coming off book next year with Watson Gambrell Motte Brassard Hamonic Holden or more if we can move Zeitsev somehow I think signing isn’t gonna be a problem
I’m ok with trading Debrincat only for Top 4 D
Zub and Sanderson 5-5.5million
Pinto 4-4.5
We will still have

Tkachuk Stutzle Giroux
?????? Norris Batherson
Greig Pinto Sokolov
Kelly Kastelic Boucher

Chabot Zub
Sanderson JBD
Brannstrom ???

Hopefully we get a good player in draft
- sens4life1971

I remember when I predicted that DeBrincat would have a hard time getting to 25 goals I was ridiculed for it. You think he would fetch a top 4D. We'll have to remember that. Unless a team is willing to qualify him at 9 million he would basically be a short term rental and I have a hard time imagining any GM willing to part with a top 4D in exchange. Plus any legitimate top 4D is going to cost you 5 million+.

All those guys coming off the books need to be either resigned or replaced and I don't see a whole lot percolating in the prospect list. I don't see Sokolov as a player. Maybe Greig in the bottom six. Don't think Boucher is ready. Maybe one of JBD or Thomson can make the jump but this coach is making it difficult to find out especially now that he's got Zaitsev back and he's not going anywhere.

You're not signing Sanderson for 5 million in a million years. 4-4.5 for Pinto, a really good 3C that can play up the lineup, might also be a little low.