Devils in the Details - 9/17/11

Assuming he rebounds a bit to a .910 – .915 save %, I’d give him 2.5 for 1 year.

If his performance this season is what the team is hoping for, then I’d offer him $4.5-$5MM for one additional season. If he wanted more than one season, I’d go considerably less, but for one season, I’d be willing to make the gamble that he’d be able to play to what the team expects from him.

2years, 3 mil avg.

4 mil, than 2 mil

I base this on the fact that we probably need him for at least 1 more year as starter, and then another year as backup/mentor for his replacement.

The only comparable for age and performance is Dwayne Roloson, who signed a two-year contract for $2.5M a year at the age of 39. His spectacular play this past season actually earned him a pay hike to $3.5M for one year. Roloson’s price has always been determined by the free market, and I think Marty’s performance sits somewhere in between where Roloson was 2 yrs ago (a good co-starter or an excellent backup) and where he is now (an excellent starter that comes with a lot of risk of decline/injury).

One also has to consider the fact that Johan Hedberg is getting paid $1.25M while expected to play about 1/3 as many games as Marty.

Marty has always taken less money to stay with the Devils, even in the prime of his career. Maybe he was motivated to stay by knowing the team in front of him would always be strong defensively, but at this point he won’t play for any other team. He’s never really been about the money, so I’d be surprised if he asked for $4M or more. I’d be willing to go to a max of $4M if he plays great, but I think he’d settle for less – I’m thinking something in the $2.5-3M range is more likely.

It’s interesting, though, how much Selanne and Lidstrom get paid – both are players who wouldn’t go to the open market to play for any other team yet Selanne will make $4M this year while Lidstrom will make $6.2M. Selanne is still a point per game player and Lidstrom is still a Norris contender, but both are perhaps only at a 20% discount to what their younger peers might get paid for the same performance.

I don’t give a multi-year deal to Brodeur under any circumstances. His age and recent injury history worry me a little bit…. combine that with the 35+ rules on contracts as they currently are enforced and there’s some dangerous terrain out there. I would go year-to-year on him, and I’d probably pay him a little more than “fair market value” as long as his cap number doesn’t handicap the Devils to any major extent.

There’s a gun to my head and I have to come up with a number now? One year at $4 million. It’s more than he’d get on the open market, but it’s also less than he makes now. The team gets more cap room, and it’s a bit of a “thank you” for years of service at a smaller number than he could have gotten.

….

Regarding the article at TSN, I leafed through it yesterday when it came out. It’s better than the companion piece that also came out yesterday, TSN’s 30 Teams in 30 Days article…. but the latter has so many factual inaccuracies — and on stuff they could easily and quickly check, no less — that I couldn’t take it seriously.

Id give Marty one year contract extensions until the Devils can feel comfortable that his younger backup can take the lead role then phase him out in about 2-3 years. IDK he is getting old and his injury problems are not getting better I think Marty might be a wake me for the playoffs kind of goaltender right now. Not that he wouldnt try and have a great season but playing him more during the season will increase his risk of injury. Id say try and play him around 50 games so he has his energy and strength for the playoffs if the stars align and the new coach works out with a healthy team and Adam L comes storming out of the gates ready for a big role, then playoff bound the Devils are. If the new coach has a rocky year, Parise cant find his groove (doubt this one), or the young D still need seasoning I can see another season outside looking in. Its a cycle every team goes through highs and lows unless you are detroit, it has to be excepted. Poor management can extend the lows though, look at the late 90s early 00 Rangers or the Islanders in general post Mike Bossy.

As far as the hockey prospects. Two of the devils prospects have played in the nhl maybe it wasnt enough games? But that list looks a bit outdated and biased. There are people like Rocco Grimaldi ranked at 36 Idk about that Rocco was supposed to be a good player but getting picked late in a weak draft year wont put you up to the 36th spot especially when you are as small as he is. Article looks poorly assembled, some of those names have had playing time in the nhl and I feel they are ranking the college kids to low in general when there seems to be more skill coming from college hockey in recent years.