Who is the most likely to get re-signed?

Phoenix30 wrote:Cullen gets resigned and Atrain is moved in a sign and trade to washington.

I really hope you're right. What would we be able to get from Washington? Corvo?

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

Phoenix30 wrote:Cullen gets resigned and Atrain is moved in a sign and trade to washington.

I really hope you're right. What would we be able to get from Washington? Corvo? :***:

Alzner would be nice

Cullen gives us the depth to parade 4 ridiculous lines out. Not only that, but we need playoff performers and he's definitely one.

Cullen is the most important on that list behind A-Train (barely), but we're not re-signing A-Train - no way, no how, so it slides to Cullen.

Make it so Murray!!! ! !

Ok Sutton needs to be resigned as well. Even it ifs for only 2 years. Still need a big guy back there that isnt afraid to clear the front of the net.

Phoenix30 wrote:Cullen gets resigned and Atrain is moved in a sign and trade to washington.

In this league, you sign someone and then trade them, you're dead. No one will ever sign with you again. If you make the commitment to A-Train, then turn around and trade him, IMO, this franchise takes a massive hit. One that we may not recover from for 10 years.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Phoenix30 wrote:Cullen gets resigned and Atrain is moved in a sign and trade to washington.

In this league, you sign someone and then trade them, you're dead. No one will ever sign with you again. If you make the commitment to A-Train, then turn around and trade him, IMO, this franchise takes a massive hit. One that we may not recover from for 10 years.

Kinda like what happened with Hossa? I don't buy it. A-Train knows what the deal is and he'll be made perfectly aware of it if a deal is about to be signed and a NMC is not permitted to be a part of it.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Kinda like what happened with Hossa? I don't buy it. A-Train knows what the deal is and he'll be made perfectly aware of it if a deal is about to be signed and a NMC is not permitted to be a part of it.

Yeah, exactly like that. I wonder if Murray approached Hossa with the same 12 year offer that Chicago was offering and was politely told to diddle off. No NMC would kick in the day the contract is signed, so yeah, you could do it, but why would you? Just such bad hockey karma. Look what happened with Hossa/Heatley, we lost the TRUE successor to Alfie for a snot-nosed mother diddler who we traded for Michalek and scraps. I would advise against doing it again.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Phoenix30 wrote:Cullen gets resigned and Atrain is moved in a sign and trade to washington.

In this league, you sign someone and then trade them, you're dead. No one will ever sign with you again. If you make the commitment to A-Train, then turn around and trade him, IMO, this franchise takes a massive hit. One that we may not recover from for 10 years.

Its a deal where the other team negotiates the contract with the player and once agreed Ottawa moves him based and gets something in return for allowing the other team to talk to him ahead of July 1. Sign and trade. Its not bad business if all 3 parties are aware and in agreement.

Phoenix30 wrote:
Its a deal where the other team negotiates the contract with the player and once agreed Ottawa moves him based and gets something in return for allowing the other team to talk to him ahead of July 1. Sign and trade. Its not bad business if all 3 parties are aware and in agreement.

Yeah, that scenario works, but it's a favour by Grossman and Volchenkov to the Sens and pretty crappy for the Caps. If I were the Caps I would tell them, look, I want Volchenkov badly, I'm willing to meet your term and I'll go to 4.75, but don't make me have to give up players on top of that, I won't do it. I'll just take my chances and try to sign Michalek, Siedenberg, Sutton (perfect!) or Leopold. You know?

I'd like to sign all three, but my vote was for Sutton. He added a new level of excitement, grit and intimidation to this lineup, and he'll most likely come at a pretty good price, given that he made the farm on his last contract and he's starting to age.

Cullen was amazing, and incredibly dynamic throughout this series. He played every position on the ice and never looked out of place. I think that he too will come at a discount, and accordingly should be given some serious consideration by Murray.

Which brings me to Volchenkov. It's going to be hard to see this guy go, but the reality is he's not worth 5 mil, which is what some bottom feeding team will pay him based on "market rates". He deserves to get paid, so in a way I'm happy for him- but there's no way that Volchenkov is worth more than 4 mil per.... and that is why it looks like he may have to go..

If only we could get rid of Kovalev instead...

Jordo wrote:I'd like to sign all three, but my vote was for Sutton. He added a new level of excitement, grit and intimidation to this lineup, and he'll most likely come at a pretty good price, given that he made the farm on his last contract and he's starting to age.

Well said. He's certainly no Zdeno Chara but I'd be very happy if Murray found a way to keep Sutton and his hulking 6'6" 245lb frame on the blue line to punish the opposition while a guy like Wiercioch fills out a little more of his 6'4" frame.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Kinda like what happened with Hossa? I don't buy it. A-Train knows what the deal is and he'll be made perfectly aware of it if a deal is about to be signed and a NMC is not permitted to be a part of it.

Yeah, exactly like that. I wonder if Murray approached Hossa with the same 12 year offer that Chicago was offering and was politely told to diddle off. No NMC would kick in the day the contract is signed, so yeah, you could do it, but why would you? Just such bad hockey karma. Look what happened with Hossa/Heatley, we lost the TRUE successor to Alfie for a snot-nosed mother diddler who we traded for Michalek and scraps. I would advise against doing it again.

Are you canonizing Hossa? He was not a successor to Alfie. He went to a loaded Pittsburgh team and they lost; he went to a loaded Detroit team, and they lost. He's now on a loaded Chicago team -- guess what's coming. I liked Hossa, don't get me wrong. But I felt he went >this far< and not any further. When he had to battle through hooking and holding he would do it to a point, but if he did not get the call (which he never did -- the refs hated the Sens even back then) he would take a retaliatory penalty. He was a great secondary guy -- someone who would be great alongside a leader. He was not and is not *the leader*. True, we're still looking for that guy, and Heatley certainly was not *that guy*, but he gave us back-to-back 50 goal seasons and mad the CASH/Pizza line the most feared trio in recent history. As much as we all hate him now, he was good for us for a while.

And who's to say that Hossa would not have pulled the same crap that Heatley did, only much sooner, after his contract expired? After all, he went to Pittsburgh then Detroit and now Chicago. Who is to say he would not have bolted to the Pens from the Sens?

Man...I really really really want to resign A-Train but it sounds like it's going to be nearly impossible. I do not want to have to pay more than 4.2 at the most and I think he'll get more. I will miss him dearly but I hope that we can work something out with him.

Matt Cullen is my number 1 behind A-Train, I really hope Murray can get something done with him, I don't think he'll make less than 3.5. He could go as high as 4, not sure if we can afford him, but if I were Murray I would do everything in my power to sign him, he is exactly what we need on this team and he proved it even more in the playoffs.

Andy Sutton is someone I would like to re-sign but I'm not sure how much he is seeking. I like him a lot, I was a huge fan in the regular season and then lost some of that love in the first few games of the playoffs, he seemed to be playing scared. But maybe that was just inexperience. he got much better as time went on for sure. I would definitely welcome him back, especially if we lose Volchenkov.

I am going to guess that Sutton will be the one to be re-signed. Not sure about the others...I hope for all of them though of course.

Anyone catch Donovan's interview on the Team yesterday afternoon?

Hilarious. York asked him how is end of season interview went with BM and if they discussed next year.

"Ya they signed me to a 5 year - 30 million dollar extention"

haha. the guy is hilarious.

I want no part of an A-Train resigning. Anything over 3.5 x 3 would become an anchor of a contract down the road. I am thrilled he turned down the 4M x 5 years. I love Cullen but again anything above 3 x 3 is reaching. Sutton should wave bye-bye if he's looking for more than 2 years unless he accepts a smaller cap hit of around 2M.

RobbyJ wrote:I want no part of an A-Train resigning. Anything over 3.5 x 3 would become an anchor of a contract down the road. I am thrilled he turned down the 4M x 5 years. I love Cullen but again anything above 3 x 3 is reaching. Sutton should wave bye-bye if he's looking for more than 2 years unless he accepts a smaller cap hit of around 2M.

The Sens have way too many young D men to be extending guys for more then 2 years, 3 tops.

Gryba, Wiercoich, and Cowen will all be fighting for spots soon (while Lee sucks his thumb) and after what Murray said yesterday it sounds like Cowen starts the year in Ottawa goes back to Jr after 9 or 10 games and plays in the WJC while Wiercoich plays less then 40 games during the 2nd 1/2 of the year. Gryba is the wild card and if they dont go out and sign that defensive D man, Gryba will be the guy.

So I agree with you, defensive D men for the most part are not worth anything more then a 2 or 3 year extension in Ottawa, fact is Ottawa has a lot better options going forward and it's going to be great to see this core group of defenseman with the aid of Phillips move forward.

In 2, 3 years tops The Sens blueline will consist of these 5 cogs. Phillips, Karlsson, Gryba, Cowen, and Wiercoich. I will probably guess Campoli as well as there is a lot of potential there. That's a big, fast, hard hitting, and complete blueline from front to back.

I voted for Cullen. Murray seems to be making it clear that resigning Volchie won't happen... if that is the case, I'd hope we can hold on to both Cullen and Sutton. Cullen was one of our best forwards in the post season and I think a full season under Clouston would do Sutton some good.

But it will all come down to money. I'd say keeping Cullen is a priority.