LaCava83 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/07/with_no_agreement_in_sight_new.html "The Devils would like to have avoided salary arbitration with center Travis Zajac, but that is now unlikely." "Although Lamoriello said when the club signed Yann Danis that Weekes might still be in the picture, that is no longer the case. "We've had a very lengthy discussion," Lamoriello said. "I think he'll be going in a different direction." " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
britoon Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Ya!!!! Even if Zajac wants 7 million dollars a year for 25 years, get these negotiations I know nothing about done!!!! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msweet Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Looks like Danis is our B/U Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Not good news, but we still have a few days. Hopefully the deadline motivates both parties to get something done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Ya!!!! Even if Zajac wants 7 million dollars a year for 25 years, get these negotiations I know nothing about done!!!! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Zajac will probably win any arbitration if he asks for under 4m, Carter's cap hit is 5, and Krejci is 3.75m. I think Lou is just trying to lowball Travis, of course none of us actually know for sure, but based on his history I think thats a fair bet. Given that I think Zajac will win, i'd rather Lou swallow his pride and ante for for a nice 4 year 4m deal to keep our only quality center rather then go through a bitter and potentially damaging arbitration hearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 To bad about Weeksie, I had a feeling Travis was going to arbitration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sameblood Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Oh DAMN. All I saw on the main page was 'Travis Zajac is headed to A...' and I freaked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devils731 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Ya!!!! Even if Zajac wants 7 million dollars a year for 25 years, get these negotiations I know nothing about done!!!! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Zajac will probably win any arbitration if he asks for under 4m, Carter's cap hit is 5, and Krejci is 3.75m. I think Lou is just trying to lowball Travis, of course none of us actually know for sure, but based on his history I think thats a fair bet. Given that I think Zajac will win, i'd rather Lou swallow his pride and ante for for a nice 4 year 4m deal to keep our only quality center rather then go through a bitter and potentially damaging arbitration hearing. Why would Zajac agree to a longer term deal for the same amount of dollars he can get on a short term deal, since you think he can get 3.9 million in arbitration? If I'm Zajac, I want a lot more dollars than I can get in arbitration if I am going to sign a deal that eats into my time as an UFA. If I'm Lou I want a discount if I'm signing Zajac and I'm not either having the contract expire while Zajac is still RFA or I'm not signing him through some of his UFA years. And as you acknowledge, you made your whole scenario up. So yes, in you're made up scenario signing Zajac to the made up contract both sides would agree to may be the best move. The Devils probably feel comfortable going to arbitration because Zajac will still be a RFA at the end of the arbitration contract and that mindset would hamper any leverage Zajac's agent might have. That leaves you in a stalemate since the agent has to move his demands or the Devils get the shorter term contract they wouldn't mind anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTommo44 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I know that a lot of people have said this already, but this all goes back to the god damn Penguins giving Jordan Staal 4 mil/yr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Ya!!!! Even if Zajac wants 7 million dollars a year for 25 years, get these negotiations I know nothing about done!!!! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Zajac will probably win any arbitration if he asks for under 4m, Carter's cap hit is 5, and Krejci is 3.75m. I think Lou is just trying to lowball Travis, of course none of us actually know for sure, but based on his history I think thats a fair bet. Given that I think Zajac will win, i'd rather Lou swallow his pride and ante for for a nice 4 year 4m deal to keep our only quality center rather then go through a bitter and potentially damaging arbitration hearing. hockey arbitration works strangely, so i'm not sure that strategy is best. in baseball, the team picks a figure, the player picks a figure, and the arbitrator chooses one of the figures based on the evidence presented. in hockey, i believe either side is able to ask for anything, and the arbitrator decides on a figure based on the evidence presented - i.e. he doesn't go with one or the other. it's therefore in travis's best interest to pick a very high figure and for lou to pick a very low one. carter's a poor comparison for zajac, but i suppose this is your point. zajac wants to go with jordan staal and dave bolland for sure as comparisons. lou will likely answer back with something like krejci and parise. i'm not sure a 4 year 16 million dollar deal is advantageous for either side. lou does get a UFA year out of it - zajac is UFA in 3 years - but if zajac can go to arbitration, whether he wins or loses, if he can have a 70 or 80 point season, now he's in a position to demand around 5 million. i wonder if at that point, selling high on zajac wouldn't be a prudent move. Edited July 20, 2009 by Triumph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adavid Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Oh DAMN. All I saw on the main page was 'Travis Zajac is headed to A...' and I freaked. Me too. I thought Atlanta and clicked as fast as I could. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elias26 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I want double of what Zubrus makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge18 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Travis better hope that Lou picks a 2 year deal, that is the only hope for improving his salary position after the arbitration decision. It is obvious what his agent is trying to do, they feel that locking him up to a deal right now would underpay him going forward. They assume that Travis will still improve his point totals enough to warrant a better deal than Bolland or Krejci got. This is suprising really, it bucks the trend of rfa's going into their 2nd contract taking a mid length deal with an escalating salary structure, setting them up for a big contract around UFA time. If the devils take the 1 year deal, and Travis does not improve like he and the agent believe will happen, he better get ready to be disappointed with his salary going forward. The cap probably coming down, with Martin being the teams big priority next season does not bode well for him getting the payday he hopes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DH26 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I want double of what Zubrus makes. If he used that and pandolfo's ludicrous contracts, travis could be the richest man in the league Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyrsuck26 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Kinda figured this was gonna happen with Zajac. At least we'll have him for next year. I'm gonna miss Weekes though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) Travis better hope that Lou picks a 2 year deal, that is the only hope for improving his salary position after the arbitration decision. It is obvious what his agent is trying to do, they feel that locking him up to a deal right now would underpay him going forward. They assume that Travis will still improve his point totals enough to warrant a better deal than Bolland or Krejci got. This is suprising really, it bucks the trend of rfa's going into their 2nd contract taking a mid length deal with an escalating salary structure, setting them up for a big contract around UFA time. If the devils take the 1 year deal, and Travis does not improve like he and the agent believe will happen, he better get ready to be disappointed with his salary going forward. The cap probably coming down, with Martin being the teams big priority next season does not bode well for him getting the payday he hopes. travis can just go to arbitration next year. the problem with arbitration is that it doesn't reflect the market - when does arbitration begin to reflect the fact that the salary cap is descending? neither party can make reference to the salary cap in their arbitration arguments. i'd actually say never. i'll say that RFA salaries will continue to, generally, escalate. while some players will take less dollars than perhaps they could have, most will go for every dollar possible, as is their right with arbitration - and since the arbitrator can't take this into account, how can RFA salaries ever get lower? Edited July 20, 2009 by Triumph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsfan26 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 hockey arbitration works strangely, so i'm not sure that strategy is best. in baseball, the team picks a figure, the player picks a figure, and the arbitrator chooses one of the figures based on the evidence presented. in hockey, i believe either side is able to ask for anything, and the arbitrator decides on a figure based on the evidence presented - i.e. he doesn't go with one or the other. I thought they changed that with the new CBA so that now it is the same as baseball's arbitration. Or was that just something that was discussed but never actually agreed on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtime98 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 WTF? SIGN TRAV ALREADY LOU! Sheesh. Ya!!!! Even if Zajac wants 7 million dollars a year for 25 years, get these negotiations I know nothing about done!!!! Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!! Zajac will probably win any arbitration if he asks for under 4m, Carter's cap hit is 5, and Krejci is 3.75m. I think Lou is just trying to lowball Travis, of course none of us actually know for sure, but based on his history I think thats a fair bet. Given that I think Zajac will win, i'd rather Lou swallow his pride and ante for for a nice 4 year 4m deal to keep our only quality center rather then go through a bitter and potentially damaging arbitration hearing. Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatansDevils Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Not really good news to hear about Zajac going to arbitration. I was hoping Zajac, his agent and Lou would have agreed on a deal before the arbitration hearing. Devils and Lou could or most likely lose Zajac when he becomes an UFA now because of this. As for Weekes...C-YA! Bye-Bye! Time to retire. So glad to have Danis as the back up to Brodeur this season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevs4978 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I don't get all the hemming and hawing about Zajac...to me the big worry was him being offer sheeted, and that's no longer a possibility. He will be on the team next year, whatever he gets (or not) in arbitration. If you want to worry about Zajac going all Holik and turning into a baby after the arb process - and btw Holik lost, that's the only reason why he whined - fine, can that happen first before everyone goes off the deep end? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 hockey arbitration works strangely, so i'm not sure that strategy is best. in baseball, the team picks a figure, the player picks a figure, and the arbitrator chooses one of the figures based on the evidence presented. in hockey, i believe either side is able to ask for anything, and the arbitrator decides on a figure based on the evidence presented - i.e. he doesn't go with one or the other. I thought they changed that with the new CBA so that now it is the same as baseball's arbitration. Or was that just something that was discussed but never actually agreed on? I just re-read the Arbitration section in the CBA, there is nothing to indicate that it's like the baseball style, the only rule the Arbiter has is that he can't award a contract that is less then 85% of the amount the player made in his final year (not his cap hit for the contract, thought that was mildly interesting). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squishyx Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 hockey arbitration works strangely, so i'm not sure that strategy is best. in baseball, the team picks a figure, the player picks a figure, and the arbitrator chooses one of the figures based on the evidence presented. in hockey, i believe either side is able to ask for anything, and the arbitrator decides on a figure based on the evidence presented - i.e. he doesn't go with one or the other. it's therefore in travis's best interest to pick a very high figure and for lou to pick a very low one. carter's a poor comparison for zajac, but i suppose this is your point. zajac wants to go with jordan staal and dave bolland for sure as comparisons. lou will likely answer back with something like krejci and parise. i'm not sure a 4 year 16 million dollar deal is advantageous for either side. lou does get a UFA year out of it - zajac is UFA in 3 years - but if zajac can go to arbitration, whether he wins or loses, if he can have a 70 or 80 point season, now he's in a position to demand around 5 million. i wonder if at that point, selling high on zajac wouldn't be a prudent move. I don't think the best play is for Zajac to come in asking for 8m and Lou asking for 500k, you'll come off looking unreasonable. He is going to get a contract similar to other players his age, his production range, since thats about 4 million anyway I'd rather they just skip the arbitration process, there is nothing good about it. As for no one wins? Lou gets a quality center for 3-4 years, Zajac get's the money he was going to get anyway without the arbitration process which at best ends up being a pointless formality and at worst creates deep rifts between the player and organization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Dan 56 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Arbitration was the beginning of the end for Gomez, too, wasn't it? Sorry to see Weekes go, thought he'd atleast get a shot at camp. I hope he lands a decent job somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DH26 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Arbitration was the beginning of the end for Gomez, too, wasn't it? Sorry to see Weekes go, thought he'd atleast get a shot at camp. I hope he lands a decent job somewhere. With gomez though there were always rumors that they were trying to trade him years ago and there was always the feeling that he was gonna leave anyway. It almost seemed like gomez and lou were stuck with each other And if Zajac does leave, hopefully he turns into as much of a joke as Gomez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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