2873 replies to this topic

[Triumph]

But a reporter blabbing something doesn't really mean anything. Numbers get thrown around all the time.

This. No one who works for the team has said anything. Ron Wilson saying something is a lot different.

[Daniel]

But a reporter blabbing something doesn't really mean anything. Numbers get thrown around all the time.

That's why an investigation would be required. Not sure what procedures are in place, but the league would probably depose Wild management under oath, and ask them what they said to Nanne during this supposed meeting, and will ask if they have any knowledge if and how this supposed offer got into the hands of a reporter. The league likely could not get Nanne or the reporter to answer questions, which would make proving charges difficult.

Still, if, say Wild management met with Nanne and said "We won't get outbid" with knowledge that this would be repeated and then, directly or indirectly, leaked an offer to the press, that is absolutely tampering. Only proving it is the difficult part.

[NJDevs4978]

This. No one who works for the team has said anything. Ron Wilson saying something is a lot different.

That's just it, the Wild owner and GM DID give Nanne details and had him serve as the go-between and leak details because they're not allowed to get in front of a microphone themselves. Unless you think Nanne's pulling this whole story out of his a** when he has a clear motivation to help his buddies and send their message to Zach

If this potential loophole in the rule doesn't get stopped, every team will start floating their offers out through an alum of the team or buddy in the media in this fashion and put their name to it without putting their name to it, so to speak (i.e. they talked to owner X and gm Y, who plan to offer free agent Z this deal). It makes a mockery of the exclusive window.

If someone like Bruce Driver - not an employee of the team but clearly with connections to the team - had come out and said he talked to Lou and Vanderbeek and they planned to make a major push for Ryan Suter, and then details of said contract started leaking out immediately afterward you'd bet your botom dollar the Nashville people would be ticked off. That's more or less what's going on here.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 15 June 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[maxpower]

That's why an investigation would be required. Not sure what procedures are in place, but the league would probably depose Wild management under oath, and ask them what they said to Nanne during this supposed meeting, and will ask if they have any knowledge if and how this supposed offer got into the hands of a reporter. The league likely could not get Nanne or the reporter to answer questions, which would make proving charges difficult.

Still, if, say Wild management met with Nanne and said "We won't get outbid" with knowledge that this would be repeated and then, directly or indirectly, leaked an offer to the press, that is absolutely tampering. Only proving it is the difficult part.

I'm half out of it, but it seems to me that your own post proves it's an exercise in pointlessness. Anyways, if this is out of the Devils' ballpark, it hurts the other suitors far more than it hurts the Devils. Hell it might increase the value of the rights if they can't compete.

If I'm Detriot, it's more of a "ah, fvck" moment than it is for the Devils. He's not going to play here for that.

[Daniel]

I'm half out of it, but it seems to me that your own post proves it's an exercise in pointlessness.

Not necessarily. Again, I'm not familiar with the investigative tools the league has in place, but an examination under oath, even if it is only limited to Wild personnel, can be a very powerful tool.

[NJDevs4978]

I'm half out of it, but it seems to me that your own post proves it's an exercise in pointlessness. Anyways, if this is out of the Devils' ballpark, it hurts the other suitors far more than it hurts the Devils. Hell it might increase the value of the rights if they can't compete.

If I'm Detriot, it's more of a "ah, fvck" moment than it is for the Devils. He's not going to play here for that.

Oh it definitely hurts the Devils. Theoretically, there's still a chance he could re-sign with us before July 1, but the offer of a virtual blank check from the Wild floating out there certainly makes that possibility a lot more remote. Even if you believed there was no chance in heck he would re-sign with us before FA anyway, it certainly ups the price to retain him now that this is public knowledge.

Edited by NJDevs4978, 15 June 2012 - 04:15 PM.

[maxpower]

Oh it definitely hurts the Devils. Theoretically, there's still a chance he could re-sign with us before July 1, but the offer of a virtual blank check from the Wild floating out there certainly makes that possibility a lot more remote. Even if you believed there was no chance in heck he would re-sign with us before FA anyway, it certainly ups the price to retain him now that this is public knowledge.

If he and his agent were retarded, perhaps. This is a wide open FA for him. If he's signing with the Devils beforehand, either they are paying far out the ass or he's giving a discount. He could have 10+ teams in on him, quite a few of them big players. So how does this change anything at all? To me it's just more Devils conspiratorial whining and it doesn't even, like I said, rise to the Paul Martin/Blues
stuff.

[ghdi]

If Zach goes to the Wild, at those #'s, so be it. He will fade into obscurity with an awful contract on a pretty bad team and I wont hate him if they want to break the bank on him, nor would I blame him for taking that sort of money. Ive thought since the beginning of the year that Minnesota or Detroit were our biggest competitors for him, and it became less Detroit once we went on the playoff run.

[ATLL765]

No one cares about that movie anymore but Chinatown is a legitimate classic and I'd say the average age of the board is like 25 and hasn't seen it.

There's an element that the NHL has to be overjoyed about wrt the salary cap and that's guys taking less out of a legitimate desire to help their team. That's what would come into play.

Kovalchuk would've gotten more money with his Thrashers contract but he didn't sign one, and the Wild are basically the Thrashers with better attendance.

I take offense to you're assumption that us younger folk don't have an affinity for classic films, especially one's with a NJ legend such as Mr. Nicholson. I mean seriously, my sister, my daughter *SLAP*, lol.

[NJDevs4978]

If he and his agent were retarded, perhaps. This is a wide open FA for him. If he's signing with the Devils beforehand, either they are paying far out the ass or he's giving a discount. He could have 10+ teams in on him, quite a few of them big players. So how does this change anything at all? To me it's just more Devils conspiratorial whining and it doesn't even, like I said, rise to the Paul Martin/Blues
stuff.

There's a huge difference between saying 10-15 teams will make huge offers, and having the specific parameters of one of those offers, which was more than most layman's projections going in (did you have anyone making a 10-90 offer? I don't think I had one getting that high). Maybe the agents figured he'd get $90 million from multiple teams anyway, then again Grossman probably figured Kovy would get $100 million from ten teams as well.

[NJDevils1214]

Well then the obvious answer is sexy pirates.

But that will all come in due time.

Is it time to bump this thread with a sexy pirate for luck yet?

[ghdi]

TG just posted a blog where he says nothing is going on w/ Parise yet. Hes back in MN now and looks like next week will be the target for a new contract.

http://blogs.northje...ract_situation/

[squishyx]

TG just posted a blog where he says nothing is going on w/ Parise yet. Hes back in MN now and looks like next week will be the target for a new contract.

http://blogs.northje...ract_situation/

This always drives me nuts, what does Lou wait for? Why not call him right now and see what his numbers are? Shouldn't he have done that last week? How can he make rationale decisions going into the draft without even knowing some basic information on his franchise player?

[lucifer91]

This always drives me nuts, what does Lou wait for? Why not call him right now and see what his numbers are? Shouldn't he have done that last week? How can he make rationale decisions going into the draft without even knowing some basic information on his franchise player?

Totally agree, get some information and just see where he is at and see what he is asking for to at least get the ball rolling. No, Lou has given Fayne an offer already. Clearly his priorities are straight.... That being said, I HIGHLY doubt Parise signs anything prior July 1 anyway.

[Devil Dan 56]

Totally agree, get some information and just see where he is at and see what he is asking for to at least get the ball rolling. No, Lou has given Fayne an offer already. Clearly his priorities are straight.... That being said, I HIGHLY doubt Parise signs anything prior July 1 anyway.

Fayne is an RFA. They HAD to give him an offer or we would become a UFA. It was a formality. I'm pretty sure Lou, who has been an NHL GM for over 20 years, understands priorities. There's a draft Friday, for example.

[Mayday]

From those last comments from Parise's agent I wouldn't expect a deal before July 1st.

[ATLL765]

Is it time to bump this thread with a sexy pirate for luck yet?

Yes.

[Onddeck]

This always drives me nuts, what does Lou wait for? Why not call him right now and see what his numbers are? Shouldn't he have done that last week? How can he make rationale decisions going into the draft without even knowing some basic information on his franchise player?

yo, relax. we dont know what lou and parise have talked about. im sure they've discussed when they want to talk next. just cuz TG says that there is no new updates doesn't mean lou's an idiot.

they're not retarded dude, they have their jobs because they're professionals. they know what they're doing, im sure they've talked

[mort4345]

The Parise contract saga or lack thereof is more compelling than the final sequence of the Usual Suspects at this point. Are the financial ownership troubles to blame for the lack of a contract offer so far? Does Parise simply want to go for the big money and sign with Minnesota? Why have there been close to zero contract negotiations over the last year? Or were there and we just didn't know about it? Is Parise still angered by the Kovy contract and Langs departure? Does he secretly covet playing for Detroit? And for that matter, was the Kovy contract driven by Lou ... or really was it the product of a crazy owner? Will the Devils declare bankruptcy? Will they find an investor? Will the NHL take over the team? Why did the Devils keep the pick instead of forfeiting it? The list goes on and on and on ...

In sum, I don't have any good answers. But I will say, as far as contract stuff goes, this is what I'd do as a GM (assuming I have the financial backing): ideally my ceiling would be a 5-year $7.6 million or 7-year $7.3 million contract offer (with a player/team option for another year at the same average salary). I did read a rumor somewhere that Parise was supposedly offered a 7 year/$49 million deal last year and his agents recommended he turn it down. So we'll see. But I really believe that he'd stay with the Devils all things being equal money-wise. However, it seems pretty clear that it's going to come down to the wire - just like everything else the Devils do. So I guess we'll just have to buckle up and prepare to sweat this deal out to the bitter end.

As usual.

[sundstrom]

regardless of what we hear and timing, do you not honestly think lou isn't going to tell parise what the devils can offer and give his best shot before 7/1 and then ask parise that if he doesn't take it before 7/1, to let the devils have a chance.