Budget Options
Pierre LeBrun spills some Canuck beans on the Satellite Hot Stove and his blog:
The Canucks, we are told, have yet to officially make a contract offer to veteran defenseman Mattias Ohlund. So, unless something drastic changes soon, it appears Ohlund is headed to unrestricted free agency. While we’re sure the Canucks would love to be able to move him March 4 if they fall out of the playoff race, the fact is Ohlund controls his fate with a no-trade clause.
In the meantime, talks have also stalled with the Sedin twins, also pending UFAs. There was a meeting this past Wednesday between Canucks GM Mike Gillis and the Sedins’ agent, J.P. Barry, but no progress was made.
Whether it was by luck or by design, Mike Gillis is in pretty good shape for the salary cap wars. I think it may be a buyer’s market for the next couple of years. Gillis will be a buyer with money to spend. He has ten players under contract for next year with $30 MM committed. He has so many options it hurts the head if you try to sort them out.
I’m not really happy about losing Ohlund after 11 years, but I think it is inevitable. They have to give him a big raise to keep him and the Canucks would still have four other defensemen making more than $3.2 MM next year. The only way Mattias stays in Vancouver is if Gillis can unload Salo. (Question: Has Ohlund come to regret giving the Canucks such a big discount four years ago? Loyalty? Pfffft.)
Gillis is negotiating with the Sedins, but apparently he is willing to play hardball. The Canucks can expect to get a big discount because the Sedins are a package. How many other teams will have $10 MM in cap space to sign both players? How much would they get on the open market? If they go, might not the Canucks be better off by giving Henrik’s job to Cody Hodgson and Daniel’s job to Hossa or Gaborik?
The Sedins aren’t signed? Fine by me. Ohlund is traded? I’d be okay with it even if the Canucks do make the playoffs. Personally, I’ll be kept happy as long as Mike Gillis tucks away enough for a nice contract for Burrows.
I would not be surprised in Brian Burke and the Leafs make a run at the Sedins if they become UFA’s. Burke has a general fondness of bringing in players he has had in other organizations and the Leafs will have the cap space to do it.
I’m not really happy about losing Ohlund after 11 years, but I think it is inevitable. They have to give him a big raise to keep him
Why does everyone assume this? If he took a hometown discount last time why wouldn’t he do it again, especially now that he’s getting close to the end and he has a chance to close out his career here. The guy obviously loves Vancouver, he lives here even during most of the off-season. Why would he uproot his entire family and go somewhere else now?
I don’t think Burke has ever been a big Sedin fan, but maybe. Will he pay him like first line players?
Even if Ohlund is willing to deliver up a cut rate offer, the Canucks would still be in a position where they would be paying there number five d-man more than $3 MM. I don’t think Gillis will put up woth that situation.
the good fortune Mike Gillis inheirited was due to Dave Nonis’s planning. i was at the Canucks season ticket holder meeting when he explained his theory on managing the financial side in the salary cap era. the Canucks under his direction decided to stagger contracts on their core players (so they didn’t face a nightmare situation of everybody comng due at the same time) and to offer deals of no more than 4 years. the Canucks are lucky in that contracts are coming due when the biggest freespenders (New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, etc) are already up to their ears in bad contracts. i don’t think that Ohlund will get a huge contract unless he’s willing to play for a bad team, same with the Sedins. the new economic reality is that discretionary spending is the first to go and hockey is entertainment, people will buy groceries before game tickets (watch for pay per view games to increase though). if players are smart they’ll realize it’s better to take a little less money to play on a stable team in a hockey mad market than on a team where the local high school football scores get reported before the NHL games. As for Burke taking a run at the Sedins, nobody that has a choice wants to play in Toronto or Minnesota for that matter. players who want to go to a different market for more money need to ask Naslund if hockey is still fun.