UnderDogX Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Ok, so first Marty and now other teams are getting in the swing...players are starting to renegotiate contracts and sign extensions...we have Kolzig, Kaberle, Koivu...I don't know if its just because I'm hyped about possibly signing Elias long term or if this is just how the Devils have handled business and I never paid enough attention but when are we going to getting around and signing Elias long term?...not only that but deciding on if we are going to keep Gomer and try to get Gio to sign something also...I know it's probably put on hold with the Olympics and all but shouldn't this have been a priority before the trade deadline got so close...I mean I know its possible for the Devs to go all the way but it will be extremely hard to go far without some consistency out of a second scoring line and I still think we lack a component for that to happen (whether we can get that component by calling someone up or trading is another topic all together) So unless we are planning on doing nothing trade-wise or just picking up a loaner (which I think is almost obsolete in the new cap era...so it would be dumb to do that) then we need to get our butts in gear...any thoughts?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils744 Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 mr. elias, meet mr. max contract Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Loaners are hardly obsolete - but the Devils won't be getting one. In the cap era, a team has to be more judicious about when it is going to try to make a run for the Stanley Cup, otherwise it risks selling off too many assets for a fruitless run, and being saddled with bad contracts as a result. The year for the Devils to make a run is next season - before Gomez and White and possibly Gionta (I haven't checked) are eligible for UFA status. A lot of players will also be UFA at the end of that season, and the Devils may look into trading for one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilish34 Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 Send Kozlov north to Albany.Theres alittle money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Fan Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Loaners are hardly obsolete - but the Devils won't be getting one. In the cap era, a team has to be more judicious about when it is going to try to make a run for the Stanley Cup, otherwise it risks selling off too many assets for a fruitless run, and being saddled with bad contracts as a result.The year for the Devils to make a run is next season - before Gomez and White and possibly Gionta (I haven't checked) are eligible for UFA status. A lot of players will also be UFA at the end of that season, and the Devils may look into trading for one of them. Gionta is still an UFA because he doesn't have enough NHL season and his age is not old enough as well. For White, this is his fifth year and not eligible either while Gomez could. I think the team will re-sign Elias for sure, given that Madden will be earning lesser next season and I think we have room to sign one defenseman to replace Albelin. I hope that would be Pavel Kubina, who becomes an UFA next season. Other UFAs from Tampa includes Burke, Fedotenko and Richards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langs15 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 RICHARDS!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I think the team will re-sign Elias for sure, given that Madden will be earning lesser next season and I think we have room to sign one defenseman to replace Albelin. Contracts are weighted and carry the same value throughout the contract. So it doesnt matter what Madden gets paid now or next, its the whole contract. The cap is going to increase, so hopefully Vander has the money to go up. A typical devs team didnt really exceed ~45mm; so Lou will be right back where he belongs with money, and players will have lower expectations for pay then pre-cap. I'm thinking Elias could get the max elsewhere, but not here. BUT, Elias will weight in our faith in him, even when it looked like he wasnt returning, the Devs stuck with him and offered him a contract. We also have treated him well when he was an RFA. I believe Elias will stay for life, providing we pay a reasonable amount. 4.5-5mm over 4 or 5 years. Unfortunately, I think Gomez is a different story. I'm sure he'd love to break out in some offensive system where he can get big numbers and not get hounded on D. He may break away much like Nieder did to get closer to his family; but I think his girlfriend is East Coast, so who knows. Gio Im not 100 % on, but I think he's RFA still Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSkirt Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I think we have seen the best that Gomez has to offer (and that is very good) I just doubt that his numbers would go up dramatically in another city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderDogX Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 I think we have seen the best that Gomez has to offer (and that is very good) I just doubt that his numbers would go up dramatically in another city. I agree...it's not like he plays great D and Elias more than makes up for his faults on D..but the EGG line and with Almo the first time around we've seen exactly what Gomer is about...he's a great player and good for the team but I don't think he's worth as much as he would like to think...but not many people are...the real question lies with what players do we have now that are going to become free agents and are willing to stay with the team over taking more money...and I think that really comes down to what players really have the opportunity to be Devils for life...that is probably a short list with Marty topping it, Elias coming in a close second maybe followed by White, Gionta, Rafalski and maybe a few others...just my two cents though...I think we could very well make a few good cup runs keeping what we have and adding an extra second line scorer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtime98 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 Elias should get close to max or at least the most we can afford.... But with the Season Gionta's having he is going to want close to max. Hopefully Lou does NOT make the same sh!t signings as last off season, Malakhov, Mogilny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias26 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 (edited) Elias should get close to max or at least the most we can afford.... But with the Season Gionta's having he is going to want close to max. I would say elias 5 years at 5m per year and gomer 4 years at 4.2m per year would be right. Gio would probably take 4m per season for 4 years. Edited February 15, 2006 by Elias26 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I may be in the minority but I don't think Elias gets a max contract because, even with his good play so far, his health will still be an issue and in general I think very few players will get max contracts and you certainly won't give it to a player who has question marks. Gomez is still very dependent on how his linemates play to make him a better player which hurts his value, plus his consistency can be poor. Gionta is having his first big season and he'll have to repeat it before he gets big time dollars. All IMO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I may be in the minority but I don't think Elias gets a max contract because, even with his good play so far, his health will still be an issue and in general I think very few players will get max contracts and you certainly won't give it to a player who has question marks. Gomez is still very dependent on how his linemates play to make him a better player which hurts his value, plus his consistency can be poor. Gionta is having his first big season and he'll have to repeat it before he gets big time dollars. All IMO of course. Gionta's a group II who is probably eligible for arbitration - he's getting at least 3 million in his next contract. Think Sykora after 2001 money. Elias isn't getting a max contract not because of his health but because he isn't worth it. The guy has 2 seasons of 59 and 61 points in the last 5 - he's not a power forward. He's an excellent LW, but he's not Ilya Kovalchuk or even Markus Naslund. He'll get somewhere in the mid to high 5's. Also remember that most teams have come close to maxing out their cap and that most teams don't have major contracts expiring this season - that extra cap room they get will go immediately to restricted free agents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwindog Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 (edited) I think that the Devils can't really make a move on getting these things taken care ofduring the season to be frank. We dont know what the cap is next year yet... All our guys are up in the air performance-wise really. i think Brodeur is the only franchise guy we have to be frank. I think mistakes were made with Madden and Raflaski -- no I take that back... miscalculations - they're worth what they're getting in most respects but it is a little out of whack in relation to the rest of the team -- and the way I think is the ONLY way the Devils can go forward from here on out... I think you'd have to low-ball at this point and that's just not right... it's insulting for now... not until everyone knows the whole picture. I think the guys understand this -- Elias does no doubt. So I say Lou think about it but of course do nothing until we know what the landscape is for next year. The wait is less insulting for most than the lowball would be. So I guess what I'm saying is relax... only Marty warrants a renewal before his contract is up... because he's proven he's got the Devils best at heart -- he's not going for bucks and he's not going to get insulted by a seemingly lowball offer.. Every other guy IMO they're loose cannons salary wise - they can freak on a moments notice. Stevens was the same way too actually... he'd get his stupid dander up thinking he hadn't proved himself sufficiently or something salary is too personal to mess with for EVERYONE except Marty and I thank him for that Edited February 15, 2006 by Darwindog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnderDogX Posted February 15, 2006 Author Share Posted February 15, 2006 I agree with you Darwin on most respects but I believe that Elias should be in that catagory with Marty as well. He has proven time and time again that he has loyalty to the team...the year Sykora went to arbitration Elias had the choice also, knowing his salary could have skyrocketed..and it did..but not as much as it could have and he didn't have to go to arbitration. Also last time his contract was up he again chose not to go to arbitration and accepted the 2 yr deal which is standard Devil fare for most players...again at the beginning of this season he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would return and excell...he's done just that but he also understood where Lou was coming from and understood that it would be best for the team to negotiate a longer term contract at a later date...so I don't believe Elias is in anyway a loose cannon salary wise...I agree that Marty is the franchise player I mean when you have the worlds best goalie then he should be...but I also think that Elias is or at least should be a Devil for life and should be in that catagory with Marty... I think that the lack of contract negotiations is more disheartening for fans (myself probably included) than it is for Elias... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langs15 Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I don't think Gio will be greedy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mddevsfan Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I can see Gio signing for 1.5-2 million, at least that's what I think he's worth. He's making under a mil now, which is silly, but he's only put up one season of big numbers so far. He needs to do it again next year to prove he's really worth the big bucks. Brian knows that the organization took a chance on him when a lot of other teams were saying he was too small to ever pan out in the NHL. And, he's already shown himself to be a lover of kool-aid. He'll be reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted February 15, 2006 Share Posted February 15, 2006 I'm hoping Gionta will sign a contract like Cheechoo's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Fan Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 In fact, Elias fights harder and the reason why he scored 59 and 61 points is because the sake of defense. I still think Elias will be asking for 5M at least while Gomez will make 3M. As for Gionta, I believe 2.2M will satisfy him. That make 10.2M for the top line. Yikes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 there will be no Maximum contracts because they probably won't exist anymore. Patty will probably sign a 5 year contract for $4 million per, Gomer probably $3 million and Gio probably $2 million. Teams won't be able to afford anyone making more than that since they won't be able to trade them afterwords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jursylegnd Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Elias and Gomez will both be long term. Gionta is obviously trailblazing right now but he will not put up number like this next season. Sorry but he is in the John Madden, Martin St. Louis type of year where the little guy breaks out of nowhere and then cools off considerably the following season. I think its kind of telling how all the Devil's Russian players (Sarge excluded) sucked this season. Kozlov, Mogilny, and Mahlokov. Lesson learned don't draft any Russians. Stick with the kids from Minnesota! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Elias and Gomez will both be long term. Gionta is obviously trailblazing right now but he will not put up number like this next season. Sorry but he is in the John Madden, Martin St. Louis type of year where the little guy breaks out of nowhere and then cools off considerably the following season. I think its kind of telling how all the Devil's Russian players (Sarge excluded) sucked this season. Kozlov, Mogilny, and Mahlokov. Lesson learned don't draft any Russians. Stick with the kids from Minnesota! Gionta isn't going to be a star but I think he will consistently put up 25-35 goal seasons over the next couple of years. I just don't see him turning into a more defensive player like Madden did. Also, sure the Russians did not work out for us, but we still should at least take a look at them in the draft. Not every Russian plays like Malakhov or Kozlov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jursylegnd Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Your right but I am all about the Czechs now! Ever notice just how many great players come out of their? Gionta isn't going to be a star but I think he will consistently put up 25-35 goal seasons over the next couple of years. I just don't see him turning into a more defensive player like Madden did. Also, sure the Russians did not work out for us, but we still should at least take a look at them in the draft. Not every Russian plays like Malakhov or Kozlov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefiestygoat Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 I love the Czechs! They produce a lot of talented two way players, like Elias. I'm sure the Devils have some scouts over there full time evaluating talent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
langs15 Posted February 16, 2006 Share Posted February 16, 2006 Im sure they have full time scouts over there,russia,canada and most top-notch countries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.