Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Hockey Widow]

Read that SJS officially stripped Jumbo Joe and Marleau of the letters off their jerseys next year.

Gotta think it leads to a trade. Rumour is its a ploy to get him to waive but if you obviously dont want them any more, doesn't this more or less cost you on a potential trade return? Not to mention demotivating them while they still play for you.

That's the reality of trading any player with a NTC. You can eventually trade anyone, except Sundin , but the return will always be tempered by the fact there is a NTC. Perhaps they haven't been open to a trade thus far and this is a move of encouragement, or perhaps it is meant to simply take the pressure off of them and begin the process of turning the leadership over to the next generation.

Hard to say as most everyone in SJS has been pretty silent on the issue.

[Hockey Widow]

The NYR have announced that they have signed UFA Kevin Hayes, former 1st round pick of the Hawks. Hawks will get a compensatory 2nd rounder next year. He signed the maximum ELC. Poor Flames who thought they would get him. Kevin who??

[Hockey Widow]

Flames sign Devin Setoguchi to a one year $750k contract. They reclaim MayRay now Devin.

[Tciso]

Flames sign Devin Setoguchi to a one year $750k contract. They reclaim MayRay now Devin.

Every team has a reclamation project. Sad when it's your rebuilding plan.

[dbr]

Read that SJS officially stripped Jumbo Joe and Marleau of the letters off their jerseys next year.

Gotta think it leads to a trade.

They stripped Thornton and Marleau of letters once already (in fact they did pretty much the exact same thing after suffering a crushing playoff loss.. went into the season with no letters at all).

[Rede]

Sounds like things are getting a bit interesting with Johansen in Columbus...

"When training camp starts, that’s it," Kekalainen said. "After that, it’s guys who are there on tryouts or guys who are under contract. That’s it. That will be the only focus."

"I've said it many, many times, that I think (Johansen) can be special," Kekalainen said. "His potential is great. But we’re not there yet, after one year, when we’re willing to invest the franchise-type of money into his future. Do it once or twice more. Make us pay. Go ahead and make us pay!

"We’ve shown it many times, that our ownership is committed. Look at Brandon Dubinsky. We paid him (this summer). Look at Nathan Horton in free agency (two summers ago). They are willing to make the commitment when it’s earned. We have no problem paying the dollars when it’s earned, but the key word there is ‘earned.’ While we believe in his future, we want to see him do it a little bit longer than just one year."

We're going to exhaust every option to get a contract done before camp," Kekalainen said. "After that, we’ll focus just on the team, the guys who are here."
Asked if that meant the Blue Jackets would no longer negotiate with Overhardt once camp opened, Kekalainen paused.
"Draw your own conclusions."

http://bluejacketsxtra.dispatch.com/con ... ts-it.html

[BurningBeard]

Sounds like things are getting a bit interesting with Johansen in Columbus...

"We’ve shown it many times, that our ownership is committed. Look at Brandon Dubinsky. We paid him (this summer). Look at Nathan Horton in free agency (two summers ago). They are willing to make the commitment when it’s earned. We have no problem paying the dollars when it’s earned, but the key word there is ‘earned.’ While we believe in his future, we want to see him do it a little bit longer than just one year."

Yeah, compare him to Nathan Horton, and the contract you signed *him to* because that's a great way to make your point. Compare him to a player who hasn't score 63 points in his entire fucking career. Good job. Sound reasoning.

I understand asking for $6.5 (which is rumored) is too much, but they're comparing him to Nathan Horton? He should tell them to get fucked.

[ClamRussel]

Sounds like things are getting a bit interesting with Johansen in Columbus...

"We’ve shown it many times, that our ownership is committed. Look at Brandon Dubinsky. We paid him (this summer). Look at Nathan Horton in free agency (two summers ago). They are willing to make the commitment when it’s earned. We have no problem paying the dollars when it’s earned, but the key word there is ‘earned.’ While we believe in his future, we want to see him do it a little bit longer than just one year."

Yeah, compare him to Nathan Horton, and the contract you signed *him to* because that's a great way to make your point. Compare him to a player who hasn't score 63 points in his entire fucking career. Good job. Sound reasoning.

I understand asking for $6.5 (which is rumored) is too much, but they're comparing him to Nathan Horton? He should tell them to get fucked.

That is not comparing him to Horton, it's simply saying the owners will pay but he has to earn it. One decent season doesn't warrant gone cash he's asking. I agree w/ the GM.

[BurningBeard]

Yeah, compare him to Nathan Horton, and the contract you signed *him to* because that's a great way to make your point. Compare him to a player who hasn't score 63 points in his entire fucking career. Good job. Sound reasoning.

I understand asking for $6.5 (which is rumored) is too much, but they're comparing him to Nathan Horton? He should tell them to get fucked.

That is not comparing him to Horton, it's simply saying the owners will pay but he has to earn it. One decent season doesn't warrant gone cash he's asking. I agree w/ the GM.

What did Nathan Horton do to earn a 7 year $37 million dollar contract with Columbus?

No problem with "you have to earn it" and "one season isn't good enough" reasoning. But don't bring up Horton's contract as a comparable, or even an example of "earning it". That's just ridiculous. They guy is overpaid, he hasn't earned shit, and he hasn't done shit for Columbus.

[ClamRussel]

Yeah, compare him to Nathan Horton, and the contract you signed *him to* because that's a great way to make your point. Compare him to a player who hasn't score 63 points in his entire fucking career. Good job. Sound reasoning.

I understand asking for $6.5 (which is rumored) is too much, but they're comparing him to Nathan Horton? He should tell them to get fucked.

That is not comparing him to Horton, it's simply saying the owners will pay but he has to earn it. One decent season doesn't warrant gone cash he's asking. I agree w/ the GM.

What did Nathan Horton do to earn a 7 year $37 million dollar contract with Columbus?

No problem with "you have to earn it" and "one season isn't good enough" reasoning. But don't bring up Horton's contract as a comparable, or even an example of "earning it". That's just ridiculous. They guy is overpaid, he hasn't earned shit, and he hasn't done shit for Columbus.

I didn't say Horton earned that per say, I said that's why the GM mentioned him (as in - not comparing them) and Dubinsky (just as veteran examples who put in their time). I agree w/ the GM that a kid having one good season doesn't warrant those numbers. UFA season is a different situation & salaries always get blown out of proportion.

[Island Nucklehead]

I didn't say Horton earned that per say, I said that's why the GM mentioned him (as in - not comparing them) and Dubinsky (just as veteran examples who put in their time). I agree w/ the GM that a kid having one good season doesn't warrant those numbers. UFA season is a different situation & salaries always get blown out of proportion.

While I have no problem playing hardball with an RFA (why negotiate against yourself, if he wants to play, he'll sign), it's the negotiating in public that really makes no sense. You can say he hasn't earned it, but he's already a better hockey player than Nathan Horton, who's never had a 33 goal or 63 point season. It's a pretty idiotic comparison (or even mentioning them together), IMO. Why even bring up Horton and Dubinsky? You know it's apples and oranges, the player knows its apples and oranges.

The biggest threat to Johansen is not playing hockey. If he doesn't sign, he doesn't A) get any money, or B) play professional hockey this season, and C) is no closer to UFA status. I'm sure he's heard these arguments already, why throw them into the newspaper? What kind of pressure does that put on the kid? None. Ultimately it could be self-defeating, as the consequences of pissing off your franchise player are quite high. If you're lucky he only asks for market value when his bridge deal is up (a la Subban), and if you're not he does the bare minimum until he can bolt in Free Agency.

Just because Columbus has made the playoffs and a bandaid UFA like Horton signed there, does not make them an attractive team. Pissing on your star player during contract negotiations makes Columbus look even more bush-league than they already are. Don't take last season for granted, give the kid a fair bridge deal and make him earn his next one.

All that being said, if Kekalainin really wants to make a point, he could trade Johansen to Vancouver.

[ClamRussel]

Fair enough, I'm no fan of airing this stuff publicly. Doesn't help anything.
That said, the greed of it all is a tad hard to swallow. Sign a bridge deal, get on w/ it.

[Hockey Widow]

Ryan Johansen has reached the end. He was told to stay away from the team, and his teammates,so he has packed his bags and is returning to Vancouver. Same agent as Kesler. Same hardball tactics. But we can't get excited It just means he is coming home to sit out.

[Jovocop]

Ryan Johansen has reached the end. He was told to stay away from the team, and his teammates,so he has packed his bags and is returning to Vancouver. Same agent as Kesler. Same hardball tactics. But we can't get excited It just means he is coming home to sit out.

What could Benning realistically offer the CBJ for Johansen? Will Horvat + Shinkaruk + 1st in 2105 be enough?

[Tciso]

Ryan Johansen has reached the end. He was told to stay away from the team, and his teammates,so he has packed his bags and is returning to Vancouver. Same agent as Kesler. Same hardball tactics. But we can't get excited It just means he is coming home to sit out.

What could Benning realistically offer the CBJ for Johansen? Will Horvat + Shinkaruk + 1st in 2105 be enough?

Lol. Thumbs down on that trade. He turned down 8 years at $5.75 per year. He either really hates his team, or is an a$$hole. Either way, I don't see his value as a team player.

You're 22. Just play the effing game.