Jeremy Laura: The Hockey News reports Veleno signs for 2 x 2.275. 1 down, 3 to go.

Good for Joe!

Oh well, there goes the chance to buy out Husso.

Can't wait for Yzerman to blow another pick to grease him out the door next summer.

Good for Joe but $2.3m x 2 is a bit steep for what he brings IMO.

Can't wait for Yzerman to blow another pick to grease him out the door next summer.

Good for Joe but $2.3m x 2 is a bit steep for what he brings IMO.
- Sven22

Was thinking the same thing. At this point he's a 4th liner so below 2 mil should have been it.

Would not have paid Veleno a penny over
$2 mil x 2 years. $1.75 mil is probably a more realistic number for what he brings to the team.
Yzerman sure is building a reputation for overpaying all the wrong players.

we can still use the buyout. the player only has to file for arbitration. if they sign we still get the buyout.

Does the Big23ClownSHow not post in here? lol...

Another bad contract. Death by a thousand cuts. Veleno is an easy to replace player. Sure he put up 28 points, but was a team worst -16. Should have been $1 to $1.5M. And if he doesn't like it then you flip him for a pick and replace in free agency.

Can't wait for Yzerman to blow another pick to grease him out the door next summer.

Good for Joe but $2.3m x 2 is a bit steep for what he brings IMO.
- Sven22

WAAAAHHHHHHHHH

Does the Big23ClownSHow not post in here? lol...
- LordHumungous

Nope.

WAAAAHHHHHHHHH
- optimus-reim

Lets hear the troll spin this into a good signing…

Lets hear the troll spin this into a good signing…
- Feds91Stammer

Paying 700k more than what you think is fair value for Veleno doesn’t make it a bad signing.
I’m not defending the signing but I’m also not attacking it and claiming the sky is falling because a bottom 6 guy got an extra 700k over two year deal. Y’all need to get a life 😂😂😂😂


Edit:
Oh God queue the kleenex boxes, Sprong signed in Vancouver. Future hall of famer ammiright

Paying 700k more than what you think is fair value for Veleno doesn’t make it a bad signing.
I’m not defending the signing but I’m also not attacking it and claiming the sky is falling because a bottom 6 guy got an extra 700k over two year deal. Y’all need to get a life 😂😂😂😂


Edit:
Oh God queue the kleenex boxes, Sprong signed in Vancouver. Future hall of famer ammiright
- optimus-reim

Agree. In isolation this contract doesn't kill you. But it's death by a thousand cuts. We already have 5 or 6 awful contracts (Holl, Husso, Copp, Chiarot, etc...) and then many more that are all just a bit too high. Add them up and its more mediocrity. We're already wasting draft picks to erase these recent mistakes.

we can still use the buyout. the player only has to file for arbitration. if they sign we still get the buyout.
- drrtydan

No, you don't get a buyout window if the players signs before arbitration.

Sprong signs for $975K x 1 with the Nucks!!!!!!!!!!

Sprong signs for $975K x 1 with the Nucks!!!!!!!!!!
- HenryHockey

No real surprise here. Nobody offered him the multi year deal so he takes a one year deal with a good team hoping to increase his value for next summer. I knew he would take less somewhere over coming back to the Wings (not that they tried to re-sign him) because of how Uncle Fester healthy scratched him at the end of the season.

Fester is starting to come off as Babcock with Commodore (not that he tries to end careers or the way he treats people) with how he uses UFAs that Yzerman signs. To be fair Yzerman has a less than stellar record when it comes to signing UFAs but Yzerman traded for Kostin and Fester barely played him. Yzerman signs Holl and Fester barely plays him. Yzerman signs Sprong and he did play some but rarely in the top 6 or even top 9 and gets healthy scratched when the team is losing badly with Larkin out and nobody is scoring and the playoffs are on the line. None of these guys are key guys to any team and maybe Fester just sees that these guys are very flawed but it doesn't look good on Yzerman that the coach doesn't like the players he's giving him.

No real surprise here. Nobody offered him the multi year deal so he takes a one year deal with a good team hoping to increase his value for next summer. I knew he would take less somewhere over coming back to the Wings (not that they tried to re-sign him) because of how Uncle Fester healthy scratched him at the end of the season.

Fester is starting to come off as Babcock with Commodore (not that he tries to end careers or the way he treats people) with how he uses UFAs that Yzerman signs. To be fair Yzerman has a less than stellar record when it comes to signing UFAs but Yzerman traded for Kostin and Fester barely played him. Yzerman signs Holl and Fester barely plays him. Yzerman signs Sprong and he did play some but rarely in the top 6 or even top 9 and gets healthy scratched when the team is losing badly with Larkin out and nobody is scoring and the playoffs are on the line. None of these guys are key guys to any team and maybe Fester just sees that these guys are very flawed but it doesn't look good on Yzerman that the coach doesn't like the players he's giving him.
- dcz28

I agree on his usage. His “rumored” initial ask was 3yrs x 3m. Once he hadn’t been signed I assumed he’d take less, but if those numbers are even close this was a big hit. It also (opinion) makes JV deal look worse than some already feel. It’s tough to believe no other team would give more than what Sprong got. That was a good deal for Van.

Paying 700k more than what you think is fair value for Veleno doesn’t make it a bad signing.
I’m not defending the signing but I’m also not attacking it and claiming the sky is falling because a bottom 6 guy got an extra 700k over two year deal. Y’all need to get a life 😂😂😂😂


Edit:
Oh God queue the kleenex boxes, Sprong signed in Vancouver. Future hall of famer ammiright
- optimus-reim

Oh I forgot being critical of a move is doomsday sky is falling stuff to you.

I agree on his usage. His “rumored” initial ask was 3yrs x 3m. Once he hadn’t been signed I assumed he’d take less, but if those numbers are even close this was a big hit. It also (opinion) makes JV deal look worse than some already feel. It’s tough to believe no other team would give more than what Sprong got. That was a good deal for Van.
- Jeremy Laura

He might have been offered a bit more by certain teams for one year (i assume) but likely wanted to go to a better team. Similar to what Bertuzzi did (less money obviously) last year with Toronto. If he can hit 20 to 30 goals, 50 to 60 points this season, like Bertuzzi, he might be able to get that multi year deal next summer.

He might have been offered a bit more by certain teams for one year (i assume) but likely wanted to go to a better team. Similar to what Bertuzzi did (less money obviously) last year with Toronto. If he can hit 20 to 30 goals, 50 to 60 points this season, like Bertuzzi, he might be able to get that multi year deal next summer.
- dcz28

He for sure could, but even Bert didn’t get a massive raise just ended up with term. I wish we had the offers that were refused in front of us. It’s a huge opportunity, I’m not sure I see him hitting 30 but more power to him if that happens. There’s a bit of a side issue as agents debate a players value. Sometimes the player takes a hit because of it. Regardless, neither Bert last year or Sprong this year came close to the term ask and Sprong for sure took a hit on dollars too. I don’t blame agents or players for trying to get the best deal but this would have me looking at another agency.

He for sure could, but even Bert didn’t get a massive raise just ended up with term. I wish we had the offers that were refused in front of us. It’s a huge opportunity, I’m not sure I see him hitting 30 but more power to him if that happens. There’s a bit of a side issue as agents debate a players value. Sometimes the player takes a hit because of it. Regardless, neither Bert last year or Sprong this year came close to the term ask and Sprong for sure took a hit on dollars too. I don’t blame agents or players for trying to get the best deal but this would have me looking at another agency.
- Jeremy Laura

It's seems likely that teams don't see him as a valuable scoring depth or a top 6 player since neither Seattle or Detroit retained him after pretty decent seasons and they didn't really give him much of a chance in the top 6.

Personally i think Sprong has a better shot than Debrincat. I think if you reversed their linemates and ice time last season, Sprong would have at least outscored Debrincat and probably outpointed him too and Debrincat would be seen as an expensive depth player. Most of Debrincat's offense came early in the season and towards the end. He went a long stretch in the middle without bringing much offense and being a defensive liability.

Does the Big23ClownSHow not post in here? lol...
- LordHumungous

No... he doesn't post in here. But he does bad mouth this blog when he posts on the Leafs' blog. Claims to be a Wing's fan (which is a joke) but he's actaully a Leafs' fan. He can just stay of over there and that would be fine.

It's seems likely that teams don't see him as a valuable scoring depth or a top 6 player since neither Seattle or Detroit retained him after pretty decent seasons and they didn't really give him much of a chance in the top 6.

Personally i think Sprong has a better shot than Debrincat. I think if you reversed their linemates and ice time last season, Sprong would have at least outscored Debrincat and probably outpointed him too and Debrincat would be seen as an expensive depth player. Most of Debrincat's offense came early in the season and towards the end. He went a long stretch in the middle without bringing much offense and being a defensive liability.
- dcz28

I agree. Sprong was one of the reasons this team had good offensive depth last season. LaLonde did not do a good job utilizing his skills or give him any opportunity to show what he could do. I would have liked to see him at least get a shot in the top 9 (which never happened). Just bad coaching. I wanted Sprong back... more so than Veleno who will not ever be more than a 4th liner. Vancouver got a heck of a good deal with Sprong. The fact Veleno is a center was why he was brought back IMO... and we know how thin up the middle the Wings are so advantage Veleno.

Fire the coach. So Sprong comes back. Trade Veleno for a pick. Sign another 4th line centre for less. Someone like a Nosek, Carrick were signed for $1M or less. I like Stenlund at $2M more than Veleno at $2.275M.

It's seems likely that teams don't see him as a valuable scoring depth or a top 6 player since neither Seattle or Detroit retained him after pretty decent seasons and they didn't really give him much of a chance in the top 6.

Personally i think Sprong has a better shot than Debrincat. I think if you reversed their linemates and ice time last season, Sprong would have at least outscored Debrincat and probably outpointed him too and Debrincat would be seen as an expensive depth player. Most of Debrincat's offense came early in the season and towards the end. He went a long stretch in the middle without bringing much offense and being a defensive liability.
- dcz28

I understand where you’re coming from, but I really don’t think Sprong is going to hit those numbers even moving up. I’ll happily be wrong. He had to take half of his salary last year on a deal that will see him as a depth player again. Debrincat disappointed, absolutely, and I believe had his career worst shooting percentage. For whatever reason, Sprong just finds himself on the depth chart and his only 20+ season was in Seattle. A big part of that is his limited NHL action. In Seattle he saw 66 games which was a career record and averaged 11:25 and scored 21. He had 76 games in Detroit averaging 12 minutes and scored 18 goals. The upcoming season will be an important one for the journeyman as every year closer to 30 makes it tougher. Debrincat has had better minutes and linemates, and failed once to eclipse 20, and was 3 off of 30 last year. Even scoring 30 you’re going to have 52 games in a full season where you don’t score so there will be stretches for sure. We’ll see where it all lands