Optimists View of Parise Situation

by RoBo_Cop on Feb 1, 2012 1:49 AM EST

I think that, despite the doom and gloom that's been posted on here recently, everyone knows that Parise will only truly leave NJ if he wants to leave NJ. I'm confident that we have more than enough resources to accommodate him. And in this post, I'll do a (minimal) amount of work to prove it.

Obviously we've heard about the financial troubles of the Devils - I'm not able to address those. I'm also not able to address what we're actually paying our players today (i.e. - Kovy's $12mm) - But from a cap perspective, using CapGeek.com, I can see that we will have roughly 24,090,000 in cap space to sign parise next year.

Of that cap space, we have a few players we'll need to sign:

Parise, Brodeur, Taormina, Fayne

A few players it would be nice to sign:

Hedberg, Sykora, Ponikarovsky, Steve Bernier, Ryan Carter

And a few players we should not sign:

Salvador, Foster, Cam Janssen, Brad Mills

So - giving conservative estimates of the minimal cap hit for players we should sign:

Brodeur - $1.5mm
Taormina - $900 K
Fayne - $2.5 mm

That would leave us with a little under $20 million in cap space to potentially throw at Parise. Whatever is left over we can use to fill in the gaps in our line up. The Devils organization has a fantastic mix of cheap veteran talent and cheap up-and-coming talent that should do the job nicely. I hope that this has helped to brighten your day as i has mine.

source - http://capgeek.com/charts.php?Team=20

All FanPosts and FanShots are the respective work of the author and not representative of the writers or other users of In Lou We Trust.

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I always wish i could see what some of you see when you watch games. Ponikorovsky, he who has played 2 games for the Devils and Bernier, who has played 1.. “would be nice to sign.”

Salvador, who has actually won us or saved us some grief more than a few times with his play this year… “would not sign.”

I like your optimism!!!!

by Zelepukin on Feb 1, 2012 9:08 AM EST reply actions

haha, yeah true. But Salvador will command at least $3 million – and we have a lot of defensive talent coming up right now. I don’t think salvador offers anything that we can’t get from Taormina, and we can get Taormina at a third of the price. Regarding ponikarovsky, you’re right. He’s only played two or so games – but seems somewhat productive and could be a cheap guy to resign – but i’m fine with not taking him.

by RoBo_Cop on Feb 1, 2012 1:07 PM EST up reply actions

Sure, $3 million/season is the going rate on the UFA market for the typical 2nd-pairing defenseman, but does Salvador fit into that category? Are teams going to look at him as that sort of guy based on his talent and play, and are teams going to commit that kind of money to a guy with a checkered injury history?

Personally, I let him walk. I don’t know that he provides anything (other than “veteran leadership”) that can’t be replicated by guys we already have. Fayne is going to get a healthy raise, anyhow, and I’d prefer to spend the money there.

Now, if Salvador offered to return on a one-year deal at a significantly lower number, I’d at least think about it. A multi-year deal would be completely off the table (to me)…. not only does the injury history scare me, but said multi-year deal would fall under 35+ rules to boot.

by acasser on Feb 1, 2012 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

That’s what i was suggesting. i never said trade him – his contract is up at the end of this year, i don’t think we should resign him.

by RoBo_Cop on Feb 1, 2012 6:59 PM EST up reply actions

I would keep Salvador, he has been solid all year coming back from injury and Fayne i would give 1.75 mil to 2 mil he really isnt worth more than that. Im fine with Marty being at that for A YEAR nothing more. Foster is a hit or miss for me, he could be another greene as a flash in the pants but i think if you put him with a stay at home defenseman like salvador or volchenkov then I feel he would fit nicely with this team. Ponikorovsky is a good role player and depending on the salary i would like to have him too but Im not opposed to losing him either.

by devilkiller on Feb 1, 2012 10:25 AM EST reply actions

Nah, Foster is a liability. Get rid of him. We can sign Taormina for the same amount of money (or less) and he’s got a ton more upside. I have yet to see Foster truly contribute defensively to this team.

by RoBo_Cop on Feb 1, 2012 7:02 PM EST up reply actions

I don’t see any reason to bring back any of the players you’ve stashed into the “Would Be Nice to Re-Sign” category. It seems to me that all of them are veteran roster filler whose jobs could be done by prospects within the system. In the very least, I’d give said prospects first crack at that job, because it’s easy enough to trade for similar players at mid-season if you really feel the need for a veteran presence in those roles.

The Devils are allegedly in the process of getting younger and turning the team over to “the kids” (led by Kovalchuk and hopefully Parise). So let the kids get their opportunity and find out if they’ll sink or swim. If they swim, so much the better. If they sink, at least we’ll know about it and can nudge them out of future planning for the franchise.

by acasser on Feb 1, 2012 10:39 AM EST reply actions

it couldn’t hurt to keep sykora around as long as elias is there

"Its the letter D"

by Rory B. Bellows on Feb 1, 2012 1:08 PM EST up reply actions

Frankly, I’d be asking the following questions before signing Petr Sykora again:

Is he going to repeat this year’s performance? If he’s going to provide 10-15 goals and 20-25 assists, he’s fine to keep around as a complementary player. I just hope that the thought isn’t in place that he’d be a vital contributor to next year’s club, because I don’t see any particular reason to believe he’s that kind of player at this point in his career.

Is he going to come back for similar money? If you’re getting similar production for $1 million, that’s fine. If he wants $2-3 million off a nice bounce-back season, I’m thanking him for his contributions and letting him find stupid money from another GM.

What sort of role does one envision for Sykora if he returns? Are we “obligated” to keep him in the Top Six, or would he be content playing limited minutes as a third-line player and PP specialist? Or, to borrow and butcher a quote of his from training camp, would he be willing to drive the team bus?

Why is Patrik Elias a concern? Sure, I want to keep my players happy, but Elias isn’t the kind of person I think is liable to rock the boat because you don’t re-sign his friend. On the other hand, doing something to make Zach Parise happy so he’ll re-sign would seem to be more in the long-term interests of the club.

by acasser on Feb 1, 2012 3:08 PM EST up reply actions

I would agree on “nice to sign” as Sykora only. If he winds up putting up 40 points or so for 650k, he was worth it. Ponikarovsky is a maybe, but it is too early to tell. As long as he can play good defense and produce 15 goals or so a season, I would cosider him a cheap pickup for 3rd line duty. The rest are pretty much worthless outside of Hedberg. But I believe it is past time to get younger in net. So if Marty wants another season, then Heddy needs to be replaced by a younger and more capable netminder. Salvador I would resign if he is cheap, if not… bye bye. And just because we are loaded with cap space doesn’t mean we should give Parise everything on a silver platter. If his cap hit demands exceed 7 mil. a season, I would not resign him. And I believe 7 mil. is still a bit high when I look at this season. If Parise doesn’t resign, we would still have a top 9 like

Kovalchuk-Henrique-Zubrus
Elias-Zajac-Sykora
Poni(Maybe)-Josephson-Clarkson

That doesn’t seem horrible if we could shore up our blueline with a true #1 Weber-Keith-Lidstrom like Defenseman. I would rather see the money go to D… It wins cups.

by JerzeeD on Feb 1, 2012 12:32 PM EST reply actions

I’d agree with just about everything you said – except the Parise part.

Yes, i was thinking the same thing – bring marty back for a year and let Kinkaid or someone back him up. Sykora and salvador we can keep for cheap. But Parise I think we need to make a strong effort to resign.

I’d say we can go as high as 8 per year. If you look at similar players of his caliber – this is what they’re receiving.

by RoBo_Cop on Feb 1, 2012 7:06 PM EST up reply actions

Brodeur.

Is anyone else with me in thinking that Lou should have a long, hard conversation with Brodeur… and give him a soft landing into management?

Look at the Stralman and Boyle goals he gave up yesterday. A weak/weakened shot from Gaborik (or Richards) and he kicked/ sticked into onto the stick of Stralman. It was fire-wagon hockey, very intense, and it was the end of the period. I had no doubt that he could have captured and frozen the puck, but he chose a riskier approach which gives up a well-placed rebound.

On the Boyle goal, he overcommitted too soon either with a poke or by going down, so he had to try some absurd looking cartwheel move that was too little, too late.

The Delzotto goal was just being beaten six-hole. It happens.

But, re the first two: if his decision-making puts him in positions that his body/ skill can no longer get him out of, then he will become a liability.

He’s Martin F. Brodeur. As much as I want him on the team, I don’t want to see him with mediocre numbers next year or any tarnish on his records.

by Alan Wright on Feb 1, 2012 7:15 PM EST via mobile reply actions

I’m pretty sure he’s been around long enough to know that the lifers always have a job in the organization.

Personally, I’d like to see him sign for 1-2 years at a rate commensurate with his recent perfromance to split with Kinkaid and give Wedge a shot at the Albany job.

I’m not going to lie to you. It felt good and I’m going to do whatever is in my power possible to stay there as long as I can. - Petr Sykora on playing on a line with Elias and Parise.

by Murdoc on Feb 2, 2012 7:40 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, he’ll always be welcome there. Couldn’t he give the same support to K and W whether he plays or not, though? I don’t know. And if he doesn’t play, then who would? I don’t know.

by Alan Wright on Feb 2, 2012 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

Support as a Goalie coach with CT is different than support by being the second goalie with Kinkaid. I’d like to see the two of them split next year close to 50-50 and KK take it over full time the year after if he turns out to be better than decent. If Marty doesn’t play next year, can the team afford to ride the Kinkaid-Hedberg train? Do you sign both Moose and Marty and let Kinkaid continue to work in the AHL and leave Wedge hanging? Go out and get someone else? For me at least, this is going to be the most interestig drama of the offseason and next camp.

I’m not going to lie to you. It felt good and I’m going to do whatever is in my power possible to stay there as long as I can. - Petr Sykora on playing on a line with Elias and Parise.

by Murdoc on Feb 3, 2012 6:48 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I agree with you there.

Brodeur is like an ex-girlfriend who you’re still I intrigued by. He can be frustrating and annoying sometimes, but is at other times brilliant and alluring. In the end I don’t know what I want.

Last night, I (again) think he overcommitted by going down too quickly on the first two goals. I think trying for a poke check and flatteninghis body so 80% ofthe net is unprotected. In the post-game interview he admitted that playing the puck on one play created a turnover and directly created a great scoring chance for Habs.

But, he was brilliant at other times. He moved well laterally, had quick reflexes on lots of chances which came from nowhere, stopped the initial chance on the shorty breakaway, and held his ground after lots of physical contact. If Parise and Kovalchuk hadn’t gotten so many points, then Brodeur should have been first star.

So: I’m thinking the Devils should shop around for someone else and keep some combo of him and Brodeur and bringing up Kinkaid. Hell, if Moose isn’t going to play then even bring up Kinkaid now just to get the lay of the land. Brodeur stepped up when CT was injured in 1992 or ‘93, so I’d hope Kinkaid could jump into the deep if Brodeur got pulled or something. Hmm… maybe that’s too risky but I’m going to leave it there.

Yeah… what to do with G. Do we trust in Lou to make the right decision?

"Smart guy, that William Shakespeare."

by Alan Wright on Feb 3, 2012 7:59 AM EST via mobile up reply actions

Yeah, he’ll always be welcome there. Couldn’t he give the same support to K and W whether he plays or not, though? I don’t know. And if he doesn’t play, then who would? I don’t know.

by Alan Wright on Feb 2, 2012 6:16 PM EST reply actions

With regards to Parise's Contract

Is there any way Lou could sign him to a lower $ cap hit but have some shares in the team included in the contract? Is that allowed under the current CBA?

Even though devils shares wouldn’t be worth much as a result of all these news articles, it could be still be a good way for GM’s to sign star players whilst keeping the cap hit down.

"We should be playing hockey"

by richer#44 on Feb 6, 2012 9:04 AM EST reply actions

The major professional North American sports do not permit giving out ownership stakes to active players. In the case of the NHL, it would probably be defined as cap circumvention to even attempt it. That doesn’t even begin to decipher the potential mess of valuing a player’s contract if you could include them, because the value of stock fluctuates over time and that would make it very difficult to calculate cap hits.

Also, I don’t think Lou Lamoriello would have the authority to offer a stake in the Devils even if it were allowed. It’s one thing to give away the owners’ cash, but diluting their ownership stakes would be another matter altogether.

by acasser on Feb 6, 2012 11:01 AM EST up reply actions

The major professional North American sports do not permit giving out ownership stakes to active players. In the case of the NHL, it would probably be defined as cap circumvention to even attempt it. That doesn’t even begin to decipher the potential mess of valuing a player’s contract if you could include them, because the value of stock fluctuates over time and that would make it very difficult to calculate cap hits.

Also, I don’t think Lou Lamoriello would have the authority to offer a stake in the Devils even if it were allowed. It’s one thing to give away the owners’ cash, but diluting their ownership stakes would be another matter altogether.

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." -Aristotle

by Tim G on Feb 6, 2012 10:51 PM EST up reply actions

Parise re-interp?

It just occurred to me that I’ve been looking at Parise’s public statements all wrong. I’ve often heard variations of a few key public phrases: 1) that he’s happy in NJ (and wants to stay here?); 2) that he wants to play where he thinks he has the best chance to win the Stanley Cup; 3) that it’s a business so $ is a factor.

I’ve usually read them as different messages for different audiences: 1) First for the Devils’ fan base; 2) the second for the Devils’ owners; 3) the third for NJD owners and owners elsewhere who might look to acquire him on the market.

First, what if they’re all for the Devils’ owners? That makes me feel good because he’s sending signals to them: 1) I’m happy here and want to stay 2) provided you go the distance to (re)build the team to win it all, though 3) I won’t be cheap so don’t try to be chintzy with me.

For me, that’s the optimal scenario.

Of course all three statements could be taken as signals to outside management, too: 1) I’m happy in NJ, so if you want to attract me you have to 2) have an organization that is poised to win and 3) owners/ cap space to spend on me because I won’t be cheap and you know I can shop around.

That’s the worst-case scenario. Attn: Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, etc, and the consistently relevant contenders… here’s what’s up.

I know that Parise is smart, so the question is whether his public statements are so shrewd and calculating as to give of those signals/ impressions… or rather they’re all balled up into the general concept of staying vs. shopping around. I suppose another question is how shrewdWade Arnott (his agent and Jason Arnott’s brother) is. Is he feeding Parise his lines? It may well be. Wade Arnott knows how the Devils work.

by Alan Wright on Feb 12, 2012 7:55 PM EST reply actions