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Leafs Sign Jake Gardiner (5 years, 4.05M AAV)

This is great news - This deal will look spectacular in years 3-5 especially when he starts to pay more attention to his own zone.
 
Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

Don't remember the last time I was this pleased with how an offseason has gone.
 
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=458259
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/leafs-sign-gardiner-to-five-year-extension/
Not much at the links except confirmation.

I don't mind the deal. They bought a couple of UFA seasons.

I still think the biggest area they might need help (relative to the other general positions) is with a left handed dman. Unfortunately, the cap space is tight.

They'll have to trade to open up some cap space and maybe help them with the 50 contract limit.
 
freer said:
Aren't we over the cap now?

No. There's a lot of spare bodies, and some of them will be sent to the Marlies. They won't have a done of space to place with, but, they'll have some. This does signal the end of the team's forays into free agency this summer, as, without a trade, they don't have space to bring anyone else in.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
freer said:
Aren't we over the cap now?

Once the roster gets down to 23 guys they'll likely have about $500k in cap space.
I've included McLaren on the team because I want him manning the press box as opposed to Ashton/Bodie who will be  better served playing big minutes again on the Marlies...


CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster
FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($5.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($4.200m) / Phil Kessel ($8.000m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Nazem Kadri ($2.900m) / Matt Frattin ($0.800m)
Daniel Winnik ($1.300m) / Mike Santorelli ($1.500m) / David Booth ($1.100m)
Leo Komarov ($2.950m) / Peter Holland ($0.775m) / David Clarkson ($5.250m)
Petri Kontiola ($1.100m) / Frazer McLaren ($0.700m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Morgan Rielly ($0.894m) / Dion Phaneuf ($7.000m)
Jake Gardiner ($4.050m) / Stephane Robidas ($3.000m)
Roman Polak ($2.750m) / Cody Franson ($3.300m)
Petter Granberg ($0.800m) /
GOALTENDERS
Jonathan Bernier ($2.900m)
James Reimer ($2.300m)
BUYOUTS
Mike Komisarek ($0.000m)
Mikhail Grabovski ($0.000m)
Tim Gleason ($0.833m)
RETAINED SALARIES (0.29% of upper limit)
Carl Gunnarsson ($0.200m?6.35%)
BONUS OVERAGE
$450,000
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,552,500; BONUSES: $950,000
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $447,500
 
pmrules said:
I've included McLaren on the team because I want him manning the press box as opposed to Ashton/Bodie who will be  better served playing big minutes again on the Marlies...

Bodie's no better served playing for the Marlies than McLaren. Ashton would have to clear waivers to be sent down, and he provides better options to the Leafs as a part-time guy than McLaren, as well.
 
bustaheims said:
pmrules said:
I've included McLaren on the team because I want him manning the press box as opposed to Ashton/Bodie who will be  better served playing big minutes again on the Marlies...

Bodie's no better served playing for the Marlies than McLaren. Ashton would have to clear waivers to be sent down, and he provides better options to the Leafs as a part-time guy than McLaren, as well.

I'd rather Bodie playing with the Marlies to be ready for when the injuries hit then being in the press box - he has more of a future than McLaren. 

Ashton - don't know what to do with him.  I'm not a big fan of his, and if we'd like to keep him around for the 12-14th forward then so be it.  Trade him - but I doubt he has much value (Colborne'ish).
 
pmrules said:
I'd rather Bodie playing with the Marlies to be ready for when the injuries hit then being in the press box - he has more of a future than McLaren. 

Bodie's 29. He doesn't have any more future than what we've already seen from him. He'll be just as effective getting regular practice time with the Leafs as he would playing with the Marlies. That being said, he's likely the odd man out. He's the 15th forward right now. He'll be joining McLaren in the AHL.
 
This is how I see things going now: Smith and Orr are going to the AHL. I think that's pretty clear. One of Ashton/Frattin/Kontiola/Bodie will have to join them, and I think it will be Ashon. If the Leafs lose him off waivers or trade him for a low draft pick I wouldn't really care. On defence the team still needs a 7th defenceman. Most people are penciling Granberg in there but he's only had 1 year of North American hockey and still has room to grow, particularly when it comes to handling the puck. Holzer likely makes more sense as he's older/more experienced and his development won't be stunted by playing the role of 7th defenceman. So that leaves us with this:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($5.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($4.200m) / Phil Kessel ($8.000m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Nazem Kadri ($2.900m) / David Clarkson ($5.250m)
Leo Komarov ($2.950m) / Mike Santorelli ($1.500m) / David Booth ($1.100m)
Daniel Winnik ($1.300m) / Peter Holland ($0.775m) / Matt Frattin ($0.800m)
Troy Bodie ($0.600m) / Petri Kontiola ($1.100m) /

DEFENSEMEN
Dion Phaneuf ($7.000m) / Cody Franson ($3.300m)
Jake Gardiner ($4.050m) / Stephane Robidas ($3.000m)
Morgan Rielly ($0.894m) / Roman Polak ($2.750m)
Korbinian Holzer ($0.788m) /

GOALTENDERS
Jonathan Bernier ($2.900m)
James Reimer ($2.300m)

BUYOUTS
Mike Komisarek ($0.000m)
Mikhail Grabovski ($0.000m)
Tim Gleason ($0.833m)

RETAINED SALARIES (0.29% of upper limit)
Carl Gunnarsson ($0.200m?6.35%)

BONUS OVERAGE
$450,000
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,440,000; BONUSES: $850,000
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $560,000
 
I could not be happier with this commitment to young talent at a decent price over a longer term.

This is a cap to the last 3 or 4 weeks namely that this is at last a serious (re)build commitment by management and not another ad hoc UFA overpayment summer.

I was worried that we would trade Gardiner for some established top to slightly over the hill player that would not stand us in any better stead than has been the case over the last decade or more.

It also tells me that Shanny is firmly in control of the day to day and like Dave Poulin, woe to he who stands in Shanny's path to respectability and annual playoff appearances a la the Destroyed Dead Things.

Finally I fully expect some movement off the roster (and not just for cap reasons) of players and perhaps a head coach who are not seen as part of this new vision.

Players and management must either get on the bus or get out of the way.

This is IMHFO the right move without any qualifications.

Well done Leafs. In fact very well done Leafs.

 
Just in case I was not clear enough....I could not possibly be more freaking pleased with this move than I am. Shanny is making an enormous difference.

In other summers we would have overpaid for  UFA that was past his "best before" date and we would have traded Gardiner to some place like Edmonton for a lesser player or players or worse friging still we would have shipped him to Boston for some guy they had no choice but to move due to the salary cap anyway and we would have thrown in a first round draft pick (or two) and maybe a second rounder and then signed the over the hill stiff Bruin for megabucks for 5 years and then wondered why Boston does so well while we suck goat dicks (yet again) while watching the Beantowners use our pick(s) to continue a competitive team as they go to the podium to select a great junior player with our fourth or fifth overall pick(s).
 
CarltonTheBear said:
This is how I see things going now: Smith and Orr are going to the AHL. I think that's pretty clear. One of Ashton/Frattin/Kontiola/Bodie will have to join them, and I think it will be Ashon. If the Leafs lose him off waivers or trade him for a low draft pick I wouldn't really care. On defence the team still needs a 7th defenceman. Most people are penciling Granberg in there but he's only had 1 year of North American hockey and still has room to grow, particularly when it comes to handling the puck. Holzer likely makes more sense as he's older/more experienced and his development won't be stunted by playing the role of 7th defenceman. So that leaves us with this:

CAPGEEK.COM ARMCHAIR GM ROSTER
CapGeek Armchair GM Roster

FORWARDS
Joffrey Lupul ($5.250m) / Tyler Bozak ($4.200m) / Phil Kessel ($8.000m)
James Van Riemsdyk ($4.250m) / Nazem Kadri ($2.900m) / David Clarkson ($5.250m)
Leo Komarov ($2.950m) / Mike Santorelli ($1.500m) / David Booth ($1.100m)
Daniel Winnik ($1.300m) / Peter Holland ($0.775m) / Matt Frattin ($0.800m)
Troy Bodie ($0.600m) / Petri Kontiola ($1.100m) /

DEFENSEMEN
Dion Phaneuf ($7.000m) / Cody Franson ($3.300m)
Jake Gardiner ($4.050m) / Stephane Robidas ($3.000m)
Morgan Rielly ($0.894m) / Roman Polak ($2.750m)
Korbinian Holzer ($0.788m) /

GOALTENDERS
Jonathan Bernier ($2.900m)
James Reimer ($2.300m)

BUYOUTS
Mike Komisarek ($0.000m)
Mikhail Grabovski ($0.000m)
Tim Gleason ($0.833m)

RETAINED SALARIES (0.29% of upper limit)
Carl Gunnarsson ($0.200m?6.35%)

BONUS OVERAGE
$450,000
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(estimations for 2014-15)
SALARY CAP: $69,000,000; CAP PAYROLL: $68,440,000; BONUSES: $850,000
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $560,000

That's pretty close to my thoughts.

I still think they'll try to do something with the D via trade.

Kontiola and Komarov will probably tried together as they played together in Europe but it could easily wind up as you have it.

They might be weaker at center than last year but stronger on the wings in the bottom six. Not sure of that but the bottom six overall looks improved (hard to make it much worse)
 
I'm genuinely surprised that he would sign a five year deal for that low of an annual hit. Great deal.
 
KW Sluggo said:
It also tells me that Shanny is firmly in control of the day to day and like Dave Poulin, woe to he who stands in Shanny's path to respectability and annual playoff appearances a la the Destroyed Dead Things.

I don't know how to make that leap. Nonis has, for the most part, negotiated pretty good contracts. Bringing back Gardiner in some form or another was pretty much a no-brainer. I'm comfortable believing that Shanahan maybe set the direction of looking long-term on this deal but in terms of the actual negotiating I have to believe this is Nonis' handiwork.
 

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