Melnyk sits down with Mats again

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2008/11/22/7499811-sun.html

Melnyk was in LA to push for his MLSA franchise, and took the opportunity to talk with Sundin again. Seriously, with Vancouver offering $10x2, and both Montreal and Anaheim offering a better chance at the Cup, what hope does Melnyk have of landing him?

By mid-December the Sens will have played 28 games. This leaves 54 games, which is approximately $6.6M for a $10M salary pro-rated over the remainder of the season. The Senators currently have $3.23M in cap space, so they will need to clear $3.4M just to make room for Sundin this year. Waiving Gerber will give you only $2.4M (we will have already paid him for 28 games). So we will need another $1M plus the cost of a backup (not sure if Elliott has a big-league contract, but an NHL-min will cost around $300K after mid-December). So we would need to shed $1.3M, to say nothing of making oom for injuries and, perhaps some trade-deadline help.

Replacing Vermette and Schubert in the lineup with league-min players will save $1.8M -- enough to accomodate Sundin and still leave $500K for injuries. Not enough for anything in March, though.

Also let's not forget that Lee will likely be in the lineup before the year is up, and his NHL salary is significantly higher than the league minimum.

I'll be willing to say that we can make cap room for Sundin this year, if we move Gerber, Vermette and Neil's salaries, plus probably another player or two. Given that Sundin is a top-six centre, we would have to either move Spezza or Fisher, or shift Fisher to wing. I don't like the idea of moving a 25 year old almost-superstar for a 1-2 year rental. We don't have anyone in the system to replace Spezza when Sundin retires. Fisher is definitely a possibility, though.

If we move Fisher (and Vermette+Schubert) we could definitely make room for Sundin this year. Next year would still be very, very tight. I don't think we could give him 2 years, and I don't think we could give him the Cup in one.

He doesn't need the money though, where does it say he has to sign for $10 million? He can sign for anything he wants, wherever he wants.

If someone offered you, a 38 year old player on the end of his career with no championship ring $10 million to play on a team that has little chance of winning; or said this is how much room we have, take it or leave it, but you will win a championship, what would you do?

*Not that I am saying or thinking we have a chance of winning a Stanley Cup as it is now or with Sundin.*

It's also wishful thinking I suppose to think a player would do such a thing anyways (signing for well under league market value).

DashRiprock wrote:He doesn't need the money though, where does it say he has to sign for $10 million? He can sign for anything he wants, wherever he wants.

If someone offered you, a 38 year old player on the end of his career with no championship ring $10 million to play on a team that has little chance of winning; or said this is how much room we have, take it or leave it, but you will win a championship, what would you do?

*Not that I am saying or thinking we have a chance of winning a Stanley Cup as it is now or with Sundin.*

It's also wishful thinking I suppose to think a player would do such a thing anyways (signing for well under league market value).

I was just covering all the angles. We cannot match what Vancouver is offering in terms of money (we could this year, next year not so much), and we can't offer him a run at the Cup this year. He might as well just go to Vancouver to collect $6.6M this year (adding Sundin and with Luongo in goal they have as legitimate a shot at the Cup as anyone). I just don't see anything we could offer him that another team would not easily match and surpass.

Unless Melnyk offers him some BioVale stock and a post on the BoD. Match that, Burke!

We're not getting Sundin. Period.

Honestly though, at this rate, we might have a really good chance at a top 5 pick, and really is that such a bad thing? We are highly unlikely to win the cup this year, so we can either draft a superstar and try again next year with a better team, or we can try to make it to the post-season only to fail miserably as always.

Let's say we are lucky to get Tavares or Hedman, both of which make us much better, we then have options upfront to move someone. We can either have a great 1-2 punch in Tavares and Spezza, and trade Vermette or Fisher, for example, to help out in other areas. Or, move Spezza for an even bigger return (though would have to be before the NTC kicks in).

And with San Jose's pick in our possession, we could perhaps end up with another top 20 pick, or use it for trade bait.

Next season we have some contracts coming off the books, like Gerber, which will make a big difference.

TheAvatar wrote:We're not getting Sundin. Period.

Heh. If I was Sundin, I would not come here.

If being on a "contender" is his primary goal, then Ottawa is not on his list at all.

We are not a contender, even with him.

The road to the Cup is much easier through the East though. You have to remember that. The teams out West are just stacked. Just Detroit and San Jose alone (neither of whom need or have money for Sundin) are these giants out there and the road to the Stanley Cup goes through one or both of them. Then you have the other types in there: the Anaheims, the Minnesotas, the Calgarys. Hell, even Dallas is bound to turn it around at some point.

He's just doing this to get free lunches from GMs. He already knows where he wants to go.

No respect for this guy, as he has previously claimed that he wouldn't do this as he wanted to be on a team through camp and the season.

At least we never heard about Selanne this much last season until it was close to him coming back.

hemlock34 wrote:He's just doing this to get free lunches from GMs. He already knows where he wants to go.

No respect for this guy, as he has previously claimed that he wouldn't do this as he wanted to be on a team through camp and the season.

At least we never heard about Selanne this much last season until it was close to him coming back.

But the guy eats at McDonalds. GMs don't do that.
:D