Colangelo’s signing of Nesterovic and trading for Belinelli this week have the Raptors down to one roster spot to fill before training camp.
The Nesterovic signing makes complete sense for the team. Rasho is a true professional and brings the team an experienced backup for Bargnani. He will also be able to mentor Bargnani on the nuances of playing center and it will help Bargnani develop by practicing against Nesterovic every day. Rasho will only be asked to contribute 6 to 12 minutes a game and at this point of his career this is a role that he will be very comfortable with. The fact that Rasho loves the city is a positive as well.
The trading of George for Belinelli makes sense in that you are trading an older player that will be leaving after the year for a young player with potential. It does however worry me in that we now have to find a back up for Turkoglu at small forward. I liked George as a chance of pace defensive presence to sub in for Turkoglu. With his departure we no longer have that.
One thing that I have heard talked about in the media is that Bargnani may see some minutes at the small forward spot. I think would be a terrible mistake. Bargnani succeeded last year when he was finally cemented into the lineup as a center. He needs to learn that position and develop that mindset. Jerking him around by sliding him into the three spot on occasion would be a major step back in his development.
What I do like is that I believe Colangelo sees the need for a tough back up three and will try to fill it instead of trying to bring Delfino back. Delfino would have been excess depth for the team and with Belinelli on board that is even more the case now.
Belinelli is an interesting addition to the team. The Raptors now have a glut of depth at the two spot with DeRozan, Wright and Belinelli. Jack is also expected to play some minutes there so it will be interesting to see if DeRozan or Wright will be looked at for minutes at the three.
Belinelli has been a target of Colangelo for the past year so I am sure that he has plans for how the team will use him. At the very least he will give the team a shooter that will change the look of the offense when he subs in for DeRozan. Wright is also on the last year of his contract so the plan may be for Belinelli to be the backup two once he leaves. That would leave the team with Calderon, Jack, DeRozan and Belinelli to share the minutes at the guard positions once Wright is gone and that looks like a pretty solid and deep backcourt.
My worry for this year is how Triano works out the rotation, but having too much depth is better then being short as the Raptors were last year. Let’s see what the final piece of the puzzle is and then we can start trying to figure out the rotation.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Rogers Jays Views Clearing Up
All you had to hear yesterday was the comment from Rogers that their objective is to bring costs more in line with the revenue that the Jays bring in. That statement says that Jays will not be increasing their budget and in fact are looking to decrease their budget to bring it more in line with revenues.
Rogers appears to be taking the view that the Jays are just another business division and want to improve the look of the financial statements. This approach sheds an additional bit of light on the buyout of BJ Ryan. Granted Ryan had lost the ability to be a closer and was no longer of value to the club, but it did seem strange that they would just pre-pay the balance of his contract and allow him to sign with another team instead of trying to rehab him themselves.
However, when you look at it from the perspective of corporate financial statements it begins to make sense. On the financial statements the buyout of BJ Ryan is treated as a one time expense and your salary figures magically decrease. When an investor or potential buyer looks at the financial statements they discount one time expenses and are more concerned about how ongoing expenses such as salary compare to projected revenues. This really is no different then a company laying-off a division which is treated as a one time expense and therefore improves the look of projected expenses.
In the grander scheme of things this speaks volumes of how Rogers plans to run the Jays in the future. We can expect the salary budget to decrease and the team to move to a small market model.
As this approach becomes more obvious you hear the fans scream that Rogers is being greedy. They point out that Toronto is the number four market in US/Canada and the budget should be set accordingly. What the fans are choosing to ignore is that Toronto is not really a baseball city. While the Jays are in the fourth largest market, they only have the 23rd best attendance in baseball. In attendance, the Jays are four spots behind Arizona and are just ahead of Kansas City and Tampa.
The reason I’m comparing the Jays attendance to those teams is that they are markets that we as Canadians consider not being able to support a hockey team. Those areas almost define the term “small market”. In the world of baseball, Toronto is really in that group of cities. The reality is that the Jays are not supported by the fans in a way that would let them compete budget wise with the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Some argue that if you spend the money and improve the product the fans will come out. Well the Jays had a tremendous start to this season but that was not reflected in team attendance. If it were your money would you take that chance? The owner, Rogers, is a publicly traded company and as such they have to answer to their investors. It is looking quite clear that they are not prepared to take that chance.
Right now Rogers appears focused on sprucing up the balance sheet. The fans will not like this, but the investment analysts will and that is who Rogers is choosing to please when it comes to managing the Jays.
For Jays fans, the best hope for success on the field might well be new ownership. If we want to dream, the ultimate hope may for a new ownership group led by Paul Beeston.
Rogers appears to be taking the view that the Jays are just another business division and want to improve the look of the financial statements. This approach sheds an additional bit of light on the buyout of BJ Ryan. Granted Ryan had lost the ability to be a closer and was no longer of value to the club, but it did seem strange that they would just pre-pay the balance of his contract and allow him to sign with another team instead of trying to rehab him themselves.
However, when you look at it from the perspective of corporate financial statements it begins to make sense. On the financial statements the buyout of BJ Ryan is treated as a one time expense and your salary figures magically decrease. When an investor or potential buyer looks at the financial statements they discount one time expenses and are more concerned about how ongoing expenses such as salary compare to projected revenues. This really is no different then a company laying-off a division which is treated as a one time expense and therefore improves the look of projected expenses.
In the grander scheme of things this speaks volumes of how Rogers plans to run the Jays in the future. We can expect the salary budget to decrease and the team to move to a small market model.
As this approach becomes more obvious you hear the fans scream that Rogers is being greedy. They point out that Toronto is the number four market in US/Canada and the budget should be set accordingly. What the fans are choosing to ignore is that Toronto is not really a baseball city. While the Jays are in the fourth largest market, they only have the 23rd best attendance in baseball. In attendance, the Jays are four spots behind Arizona and are just ahead of Kansas City and Tampa.
The reason I’m comparing the Jays attendance to those teams is that they are markets that we as Canadians consider not being able to support a hockey team. Those areas almost define the term “small market”. In the world of baseball, Toronto is really in that group of cities. The reality is that the Jays are not supported by the fans in a way that would let them compete budget wise with the Yankees and the Red Sox.
Some argue that if you spend the money and improve the product the fans will come out. Well the Jays had a tremendous start to this season but that was not reflected in team attendance. If it were your money would you take that chance? The owner, Rogers, is a publicly traded company and as such they have to answer to their investors. It is looking quite clear that they are not prepared to take that chance.
Right now Rogers appears focused on sprucing up the balance sheet. The fans will not like this, but the investment analysts will and that is who Rogers is choosing to please when it comes to managing the Jays.
For Jays fans, the best hope for success on the field might well be new ownership. If we want to dream, the ultimate hope may for a new ownership group led by Paul Beeston.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Primeau Pickup
The Leafs trade adding Wayne Primeau and a second round pick for Stralman, Stuart and a seventh round is a solid trade that begins to clear a bit of the log jam on the backend.
The biggest part of the trade is the Leafs sending Stralman to Calgary in return for their 2nd round draft choice next year. With this summer’s additions Stralman was the 9th or 10th defenseman on the depth chart so he was not going to see much time with the big club. At 22, I still like his offensive potential but he was not part of the long term plans. Picking up a 2nd round pick for him is a good move and it replaces the 2nd round pick that Toronto sent to Montreal for Grabovski.
Up front Toronto sends Stuart and their 7th round pick in 2011 to Calgary for Primeau. In flipping Primeau for Stuart the Leafs add size, experience and flexibility. At 6’4, 225 he has the size that Burke likes and he can either center the checking line or move over to left wing to add size and grit where needed as the season moves on. Primeau is also a strong penalty killer so that helps the team improve in an area that was a big concern last year. It also helps that he has experience playing for Wilson and is looking forward to working for him again.
With the youth that Toronto is working into their lineup a player like Primeau makes quite a bit of sense. He will be good in the dressing room and he can mix into any line that needs added size from time to time. The deal works long term as well since he is on the last year of his contract. Should he remain healthy and have a solid year he may well be an attractive commodity for Burke to move to a contenting team at the trade deadline if the Leafs are sellers. If he is not moved, he joins the long list of Leaf forwards with expiring contracts giving the team flexibility at the end of the year.
Burke would still like to move one of his defensemen to get down to eight. By moving Stralman I see the Leafs holding on to White for his offense.
The deal was minor, but it works for the Leafs on several levels.
The biggest part of the trade is the Leafs sending Stralman to Calgary in return for their 2nd round draft choice next year. With this summer’s additions Stralman was the 9th or 10th defenseman on the depth chart so he was not going to see much time with the big club. At 22, I still like his offensive potential but he was not part of the long term plans. Picking up a 2nd round pick for him is a good move and it replaces the 2nd round pick that Toronto sent to Montreal for Grabovski.
Up front Toronto sends Stuart and their 7th round pick in 2011 to Calgary for Primeau. In flipping Primeau for Stuart the Leafs add size, experience and flexibility. At 6’4, 225 he has the size that Burke likes and he can either center the checking line or move over to left wing to add size and grit where needed as the season moves on. Primeau is also a strong penalty killer so that helps the team improve in an area that was a big concern last year. It also helps that he has experience playing for Wilson and is looking forward to working for him again.
With the youth that Toronto is working into their lineup a player like Primeau makes quite a bit of sense. He will be good in the dressing room and he can mix into any line that needs added size from time to time. The deal works long term as well since he is on the last year of his contract. Should he remain healthy and have a solid year he may well be an attractive commodity for Burke to move to a contenting team at the trade deadline if the Leafs are sellers. If he is not moved, he joins the long list of Leaf forwards with expiring contracts giving the team flexibility at the end of the year.
Burke would still like to move one of his defensemen to get down to eight. By moving Stralman I see the Leafs holding on to White for his offense.
The deal was minor, but it works for the Leafs on several levels.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
This and That
A few thoughts from the past week in the world of sports.
If Tom Watson had won The Open last Sunday I think that would have been the most amazing sports accomplishment that I have ever seen. It was sad to see Tom lose, especially since he hit a perfect 8 iron to the green on 18. The thought that comes to mind however is; what does Tom’s success this year and Norman’s run last year say about golf at The Open? My thought is that golf at The Open is golf at its truest, but it is not as much of an athletic competition as the other majors are. Here golf is not about who’s physical skills are at their best during the week. At The Open, golf is not so much a game of pure physical skill as it is an examination of a player’s experience, character and composure. The physical component is of course important, but it is not so much about who hits it the best, but more about who hits it the smartest.
I’ve already written about the Halladay situation, but I for one am looking forward to a trade. I don’t think the Jays will ever decide to compete financially with the Yankees and Red Sox, so I’m looking forward to watching young prospects develop. That takes me back to some of the purity of the sport that is often only evident in spring training when you see players battle for the last roster spots on the team. I find it interesting to watch a player progress through the minors and see them finally make it to the big leagues. Halladay’s own journey was a joy for Jays fans to watch where he overcame various hurdles to develop into an all star and the most sought after target at the trade deadline. If the trade does happen, Halladay will be one of the former Toronto players that I will root for no matter where he goes.
It appears that the Leafs are more set for the coming season then I had thought. I tend to believe Burke and this week he stated again that Kaberle is unlikely to be moved. His goal now is trading a couple of the Leafs lesser defensemen for futures. This type of strategy is less exciting for fans to talk about and me to write about, but it does make quite a bit of sense. Keeping Kaberle leaves Toronto with one of the best groups of defensemen in the conference. Their top two pairings will be Kaberle and Komisarek, followed by Schenn and Beauchemin. Regardless of which two defenders they trade, they will still be left with two competent proven NHL players for the third pair and experienced depth behind them. From a value perspective, the two most likely players to be traded are Van Ryn and White. If the Leafs keep Kaberle, neither of the two figure in the long term plans and both are in the final year of their contracts. Picking up draft picks for these two would put the Leafs in a great position for next year’s draft and give them depth in picks for future trades. By not adding to forward depth now, the Leafs will get to evaluate what their youngsters can do. Next year will likely be makeover time for the forward unit with Stempniak, Ponikarovski, Stajan and Mayers all entering the last year of their contracts.
A quick tip of the hat to Argo coach Bart Andrus for telling Arland Bruce to stay home. Its nice to see a coach stand up to a star player when their behavior is not in the best interests of the team. Sad however not to hear a word from Adam Rita backing up his coach. I have no doubt that Burke would stand up for Wilson, or Colangelo for Triano.
If Tom Watson had won The Open last Sunday I think that would have been the most amazing sports accomplishment that I have ever seen. It was sad to see Tom lose, especially since he hit a perfect 8 iron to the green on 18. The thought that comes to mind however is; what does Tom’s success this year and Norman’s run last year say about golf at The Open? My thought is that golf at The Open is golf at its truest, but it is not as much of an athletic competition as the other majors are. Here golf is not about who’s physical skills are at their best during the week. At The Open, golf is not so much a game of pure physical skill as it is an examination of a player’s experience, character and composure. The physical component is of course important, but it is not so much about who hits it the best, but more about who hits it the smartest.
I’ve already written about the Halladay situation, but I for one am looking forward to a trade. I don’t think the Jays will ever decide to compete financially with the Yankees and Red Sox, so I’m looking forward to watching young prospects develop. That takes me back to some of the purity of the sport that is often only evident in spring training when you see players battle for the last roster spots on the team. I find it interesting to watch a player progress through the minors and see them finally make it to the big leagues. Halladay’s own journey was a joy for Jays fans to watch where he overcame various hurdles to develop into an all star and the most sought after target at the trade deadline. If the trade does happen, Halladay will be one of the former Toronto players that I will root for no matter where he goes.
It appears that the Leafs are more set for the coming season then I had thought. I tend to believe Burke and this week he stated again that Kaberle is unlikely to be moved. His goal now is trading a couple of the Leafs lesser defensemen for futures. This type of strategy is less exciting for fans to talk about and me to write about, but it does make quite a bit of sense. Keeping Kaberle leaves Toronto with one of the best groups of defensemen in the conference. Their top two pairings will be Kaberle and Komisarek, followed by Schenn and Beauchemin. Regardless of which two defenders they trade, they will still be left with two competent proven NHL players for the third pair and experienced depth behind them. From a value perspective, the two most likely players to be traded are Van Ryn and White. If the Leafs keep Kaberle, neither of the two figure in the long term plans and both are in the final year of their contracts. Picking up draft picks for these two would put the Leafs in a great position for next year’s draft and give them depth in picks for future trades. By not adding to forward depth now, the Leafs will get to evaluate what their youngsters can do. Next year will likely be makeover time for the forward unit with Stempniak, Ponikarovski, Stajan and Mayers all entering the last year of their contracts.
A quick tip of the hat to Argo coach Bart Andrus for telling Arland Bruce to stay home. Its nice to see a coach stand up to a star player when their behavior is not in the best interests of the team. Sad however not to hear a word from Adam Rita backing up his coach. I have no doubt that Burke would stand up for Wilson, or Colangelo for Triano.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ricciardi Going Down Ugly
You really have to wonder about Ricciardi sometimes. Ok, you should wonder about him often, but his performance regarding Halladay is disgusting.
This is not the first time that Ricciardi has displayed a lack of common sense and arrogance. Last summer he angered many Canadian baseball fans by calling Scott Richmond up from the minors just a few days before he was to be part of Canada’s team at the Olympics. The Jays were not in a pennant race and it would have been a great experience for Richmond to represent his country at the Olympics. It also would have greatly helped Canada’s Olympic chances.
Ricciardi’s defense was that it’s the dream of any kid to be in the majors. That’s true, but also very insensitive to the country that he is a GM in. Ricciardi was not ignorant of the Olympic Games since he had been a member of the US Olympic baseball selection committee and he should have had some sense as to how important Olympic success could have been for Canada. He shrugged his shoulders and gave his arrogant response. Within three weeks of being called up to the majors, and missing the Olympics, Richmond was returned to the minors.
That episode came a couple of months after Ricciardi embarrassed Toronto with his comments about Adam Dunn on a call in show. Instead of offering a classy response to a fan questioning whether the Jays had interest in trading for Dunn, Ricciardi attacked the fan and Dunn by stating that Dunn did not really like baseball and did not have passion to play the game. Interesting comments when you consider the signing of players like Wells and Rios, but I digress. Ricciardi’s comments on a simple call in show embarrassed the organization and made the Jays look like a backwoods small time operation. He ended up apologizing to Dunn, who responded by saying that he didn’t even know who Ricciardi was. At the moment, Dunn is batting .274 with 24 HR and 65 RBI (which is tied for 5th and 10th respectively in the majors).
Now Ricciardi is trying to make Halladay look like the bad guy by inferring that Halladay forced the Jays hand by stating that he was going to explore the free agency market after 2010. This revelation came a week after Ricciardi chose to start all the trade speculation by going public with the comment that he would listen to trade offers for Halladay. Of course a week ago he stated that nothing had changed and that was just business as usual. But now the story is that Halladay started this process and in a sense infers that Halladay is not being loyal to the Jays.
Where is Ricciardi’s grip on reality if he thinks that he has a chance of being believed? Halladay has been a loyal soldier for the Jays for years and has been the ace on a team that has never had a chance at the playoffs without complaining. He is now nearing his final contract and he wants a chance to pitch for a team with a chance to compete. Do the fans find this unreasonable, or Halladay is disloyal? Not in the slightest, but that’s not stopping Ricciardi from trying to cast a shadow over Halladay.
What Ricciardi’s arrogance does not accept is that he has no credibility left in the Toronto market. He basically sold much of that credibility with his famous quote a few years ago when he was caught in a lie. At that time his explanation was that “It’s not a lie, if I know the truth”. Sounds like Clinton doesn’t it? He likely should have been shown the door at that moment, but for some reason Godfrey defended him.
With his comments about Halladay, Ricciardi may well have started a firestorm that will force him out sooner rather than later. Of course in his arrogance, Ricciardi is trying to spin a story that he is not sure whether he even wants to remain with the Jays past his current contract.
Are his comments true, or are they a lie? The sad thing is we don’t care anymore when it comes to Ricciardi. It is time for Beeston to do something about him before this feeling spreads and the fans stop caring about the Jays.
This is not the first time that Ricciardi has displayed a lack of common sense and arrogance. Last summer he angered many Canadian baseball fans by calling Scott Richmond up from the minors just a few days before he was to be part of Canada’s team at the Olympics. The Jays were not in a pennant race and it would have been a great experience for Richmond to represent his country at the Olympics. It also would have greatly helped Canada’s Olympic chances.
Ricciardi’s defense was that it’s the dream of any kid to be in the majors. That’s true, but also very insensitive to the country that he is a GM in. Ricciardi was not ignorant of the Olympic Games since he had been a member of the US Olympic baseball selection committee and he should have had some sense as to how important Olympic success could have been for Canada. He shrugged his shoulders and gave his arrogant response. Within three weeks of being called up to the majors, and missing the Olympics, Richmond was returned to the minors.
That episode came a couple of months after Ricciardi embarrassed Toronto with his comments about Adam Dunn on a call in show. Instead of offering a classy response to a fan questioning whether the Jays had interest in trading for Dunn, Ricciardi attacked the fan and Dunn by stating that Dunn did not really like baseball and did not have passion to play the game. Interesting comments when you consider the signing of players like Wells and Rios, but I digress. Ricciardi’s comments on a simple call in show embarrassed the organization and made the Jays look like a backwoods small time operation. He ended up apologizing to Dunn, who responded by saying that he didn’t even know who Ricciardi was. At the moment, Dunn is batting .274 with 24 HR and 65 RBI (which is tied for 5th and 10th respectively in the majors).
Now Ricciardi is trying to make Halladay look like the bad guy by inferring that Halladay forced the Jays hand by stating that he was going to explore the free agency market after 2010. This revelation came a week after Ricciardi chose to start all the trade speculation by going public with the comment that he would listen to trade offers for Halladay. Of course a week ago he stated that nothing had changed and that was just business as usual. But now the story is that Halladay started this process and in a sense infers that Halladay is not being loyal to the Jays.
Where is Ricciardi’s grip on reality if he thinks that he has a chance of being believed? Halladay has been a loyal soldier for the Jays for years and has been the ace on a team that has never had a chance at the playoffs without complaining. He is now nearing his final contract and he wants a chance to pitch for a team with a chance to compete. Do the fans find this unreasonable, or Halladay is disloyal? Not in the slightest, but that’s not stopping Ricciardi from trying to cast a shadow over Halladay.
What Ricciardi’s arrogance does not accept is that he has no credibility left in the Toronto market. He basically sold much of that credibility with his famous quote a few years ago when he was caught in a lie. At that time his explanation was that “It’s not a lie, if I know the truth”. Sounds like Clinton doesn’t it? He likely should have been shown the door at that moment, but for some reason Godfrey defended him.
With his comments about Halladay, Ricciardi may well have started a firestorm that will force him out sooner rather than later. Of course in his arrogance, Ricciardi is trying to spin a story that he is not sure whether he even wants to remain with the Jays past his current contract.
Are his comments true, or are they a lie? The sad thing is we don’t care anymore when it comes to Ricciardi. It is time for Beeston to do something about him before this feeling spreads and the fans stop caring about the Jays.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Dominic Moore: A Case Study
The handling of the Dominic Moore situation has been a great illustration of how Brian Burke looks at building a hockey team and how he evaluates players.
Dominic Moore is a great hockey player to have on your team. He is a solid checking center that brings energy to your team and has a great work ethic. His style quickly makes him a fan favorite and when given the opportunity he can put points on the board. Last season he had a “breakout” year with the Leafs and put 41 points on the board in 63 games. He was about to become a free agent at the end of last season and as the trade deadline approached Burke had to decide whether they would re-sign him.
Under past management this decision would have been a slam dunk. A 28 year old fan favorite coming off a career year would be guaranteed a big raise. Burke offered Moore in the range of $1.5 million a year on a three year deal while Moore was looking to get between $2 and $2.5 million per year. Why not bite the bullet and sign Moore to the contract he wanted since his career is on an upswing and the difference is less then $1 million per season?
The reason is that Burke is building a cup contender.
Burke realized that Moore’s “breakout” season came on a bad Leaf team when Moore was playing center on the second line. This meant that he was playing with wings that could score and he was also seeing time on the power play where he scored 4 of his 13 goals. On a contending team Moore would not be close to a top six forward and his numbers would slide back to where they usually were. In fact when he was traded to Buffalo at the deadline he went back to being a bottom six player and his point production dropped to 4 points in the last 18 games.
This is not to suggest that Moore is a bad hockey player. The point is that he is a responsible energy player that could center a third or fourth line on a contending team. I use the term “could” center that line because there are many players that can fill that role. That role however is not worth $2 million plus per year on a three year deal.
Instead of signing Moore to an inflated contract or just letting him walk at the end of the season, Burke traded him to the Sabres for a second round draft choice. The Leafs then went out this off season and signed Rickard Wallin to fill that spot. With Wallin they only had to make a one year commitment which gives them flexibility should one of the kids develop and be ready to take a roster spot. If that doesn’t happen it will not be hard to find a replacement for that role next summer.
Was Burke correct in his assessment of Moore? Well it appears the other NHL teams agree since Moore has yet to find a team to sign with for next year. Moore and his agent will likely have to end up agreeing with Burke’s assessment of his worth and sign a contract with some other team that might not be as attractive as what he was offered by the Leafs.
The end result is that Leafs received the Sabres second round pick which they used to draft Jesse Blacker, a tough 18 year old defenseman from the Windsor Spitfires. They then signed Wallin to a one year contract replacing Moore without committing valuable cap space on an inflated three year deal.
A small move overall and one not noticed by many, but that is exactly how you go about building a contender.
Dominic Moore is a great hockey player to have on your team. He is a solid checking center that brings energy to your team and has a great work ethic. His style quickly makes him a fan favorite and when given the opportunity he can put points on the board. Last season he had a “breakout” year with the Leafs and put 41 points on the board in 63 games. He was about to become a free agent at the end of last season and as the trade deadline approached Burke had to decide whether they would re-sign him.
Under past management this decision would have been a slam dunk. A 28 year old fan favorite coming off a career year would be guaranteed a big raise. Burke offered Moore in the range of $1.5 million a year on a three year deal while Moore was looking to get between $2 and $2.5 million per year. Why not bite the bullet and sign Moore to the contract he wanted since his career is on an upswing and the difference is less then $1 million per season?
The reason is that Burke is building a cup contender.
Burke realized that Moore’s “breakout” season came on a bad Leaf team when Moore was playing center on the second line. This meant that he was playing with wings that could score and he was also seeing time on the power play where he scored 4 of his 13 goals. On a contending team Moore would not be close to a top six forward and his numbers would slide back to where they usually were. In fact when he was traded to Buffalo at the deadline he went back to being a bottom six player and his point production dropped to 4 points in the last 18 games.
This is not to suggest that Moore is a bad hockey player. The point is that he is a responsible energy player that could center a third or fourth line on a contending team. I use the term “could” center that line because there are many players that can fill that role. That role however is not worth $2 million plus per year on a three year deal.
Instead of signing Moore to an inflated contract or just letting him walk at the end of the season, Burke traded him to the Sabres for a second round draft choice. The Leafs then went out this off season and signed Rickard Wallin to fill that spot. With Wallin they only had to make a one year commitment which gives them flexibility should one of the kids develop and be ready to take a roster spot. If that doesn’t happen it will not be hard to find a replacement for that role next summer.
Was Burke correct in his assessment of Moore? Well it appears the other NHL teams agree since Moore has yet to find a team to sign with for next year. Moore and his agent will likely have to end up agreeing with Burke’s assessment of his worth and sign a contract with some other team that might not be as attractive as what he was offered by the Leafs.
The end result is that Leafs received the Sabres second round pick which they used to draft Jesse Blacker, a tough 18 year old defenseman from the Windsor Spitfires. They then signed Wallin to a one year contract replacing Moore without committing valuable cap space on an inflated three year deal.
A small move overall and one not noticed by many, but that is exactly how you go about building a contender.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Jack Filling Out Roster
The signing of Jarrett Jack is not a blockbuster, but it may well be the piece that solidifies a playoff spot for the Raptors this season. Jack is the perfect piece to provide depth for the backcourt and insurance for the Raptors most vulnerable position.
First off Jack is a competent starting point guard that came into his own last season. He began last year as the backup point for the Pacers and beat out TJ Ford to become the starter as the season wore on. Jack is a quick and physical point that will provide a good change of pace from the more controlled style of Jose Calderon. Jack is a better defender then Calderon so he is pretty much the perfect complement at the point. He is also a quality person and just the type of person that Colangelo likes to add to the organization.
At 6’3 Jack can also play the two spot so we can expect to see him and Calderon share the court at times during the season. He will be the first guard off the bench and should put in 25 to 30 minutes a game.
The other important thing about this signing is that the Raptors now have a fall back plan if Calderon gets injured. Last year the team fell apart without Calderon in the lineup and he was rushed back from injury. As a result he never fully recovered physically and the team suffered even when he came back into the lineup. Should Calderon get hurt again this season Jack is fully capable of running the team for a three or four week stretch.
Ukic was rushed last year and will take a step back in playing time. For the Raptors he would only be the third point so Colangelo is exploring trade options for him. With four year commitments to Calderon and Jack there really is not a long term fit for Ukic here. I could see him develop into a solid player with a non-playoff team where he can earn serious minutes as the back up point guard.
Colangelo would love to find someone to take Marcus Banks’ salary off his hands but that will be a challenge since he has two more years left on his contract. Douby is the other player without a role but would be a fine third point guard if Ukic and Banks are moved.
From my perspective this signing further decreases the need to bring Delfino back and I would hate to see the Raptors tie up future cap space by signing him to a long term deal. The last word form Colangelo is that he would like to bring Delfino back, but he would rather overpay a little on a one year deal then commit to a multi year deal.
The last piece is another big man and Nesterovic is still in the Raptors sights. He would be a very important for the team and be able to chip in 8 to 12 minutes a game, grab some rebounds, play defense against some of the bigger centers and eat up some fouls. If he is not signed by the end of the month look for the Raptors to make a move to sign another back up big man.
A minor side point in the Jack signing is that he and Bosh are former teammates at Georgia Tech and still good friends. Jack’s signing will not be the tipping point in trying to retain Bosh, but it definitely does not hurt.
First off Jack is a competent starting point guard that came into his own last season. He began last year as the backup point for the Pacers and beat out TJ Ford to become the starter as the season wore on. Jack is a quick and physical point that will provide a good change of pace from the more controlled style of Jose Calderon. Jack is a better defender then Calderon so he is pretty much the perfect complement at the point. He is also a quality person and just the type of person that Colangelo likes to add to the organization.
At 6’3 Jack can also play the two spot so we can expect to see him and Calderon share the court at times during the season. He will be the first guard off the bench and should put in 25 to 30 minutes a game.
The other important thing about this signing is that the Raptors now have a fall back plan if Calderon gets injured. Last year the team fell apart without Calderon in the lineup and he was rushed back from injury. As a result he never fully recovered physically and the team suffered even when he came back into the lineup. Should Calderon get hurt again this season Jack is fully capable of running the team for a three or four week stretch.
Ukic was rushed last year and will take a step back in playing time. For the Raptors he would only be the third point so Colangelo is exploring trade options for him. With four year commitments to Calderon and Jack there really is not a long term fit for Ukic here. I could see him develop into a solid player with a non-playoff team where he can earn serious minutes as the back up point guard.
Colangelo would love to find someone to take Marcus Banks’ salary off his hands but that will be a challenge since he has two more years left on his contract. Douby is the other player without a role but would be a fine third point guard if Ukic and Banks are moved.
From my perspective this signing further decreases the need to bring Delfino back and I would hate to see the Raptors tie up future cap space by signing him to a long term deal. The last word form Colangelo is that he would like to bring Delfino back, but he would rather overpay a little on a one year deal then commit to a multi year deal.
The last piece is another big man and Nesterovic is still in the Raptors sights. He would be a very important for the team and be able to chip in 8 to 12 minutes a game, grab some rebounds, play defense against some of the bigger centers and eat up some fouls. If he is not signed by the end of the month look for the Raptors to make a move to sign another back up big man.
A minor side point in the Jack signing is that he and Bosh are former teammates at Georgia Tech and still good friends. Jack’s signing will not be the tipping point in trying to retain Bosh, but it definitely does not hurt.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Canucks Work Hard to Stand Pat
The big story of free agency was Vancouver’s battle to keep the Sedins at a reasonable price and term. The Canucks declined the initial Sedin request for a twelve year deal and the twins finally agreed to identical five year deals just before free agency was set to begin.
This signing commits the Canucks to having the twins as the cornerstones of their top line for the next five years. What this likely does is guarantee the Canucks a playoff team, but it does not help them climb the next hurdle. While they managed to re-sign the twins, they lost their top defender Mattias Ohlund who had been the anchor of their defense for the past decade.
Even with that loss the top two defense pairings will be very competent for this season. A player to watch here is Alexander Edler who signed a four year extension last fall. He is only 23 and could develop into a puck moving two way defender with an offensive flair to replace Ohlund. Shane O’Brien will also be given the opportunity to crack the top four as the season progresses and could eventually replace Willie Mitchell who is a UFA after this season.
Upfront we have much the same team as last year. The Sedins will continue to be the face of the team and Gillis is counting on them to continue to grow and become a more dominant force up front. The Sundin experiment really wasn’t much of a success and talk about his potential return is refreshingly non-existent. The Canucks are hoping that Cody Hodgson can make the jump to the big team and take over his spot as the second line center. Hodgson was the Canadian junior hockey player of the year, but the jump to a top six forward spot in the NHL is never a sure thing.
Kessler, Burrows and Demitra fill out a solid top two lines. Wellwood is also available as the second line center if Hodgson is not ready to take on that role from day one. Mikael Samuelsson was a good pick up and together with Steve Bernier gives the team depth down the right side. Darcy Hordichuk fills the role of agitator and enforcer for Vancouver.
Still left on the to-do list for Gillis is signing Luongo to a contract extension. Luongo has one more year left on his contract, but they want to get the extension agreed to before it becomes any sort of distraction. The back up role is interesting and may see some movement. The Canucks already have Cory Schneider who is projected by most as a number one goalie and could either serve as backup, play another year in the minors, or be used as trade bait since the team signed Raycroft to a one year deal this off season. I would not be surprised if Schneider is being shopped, but in all likelihood he will not be moved until Luongo’s contract extension is done.
Overall Vancouver is a team that is hard to define. They are a hard working team and have a franchise goalie that can cover many shortcomings. On special teams they are right in the middle on both the power play and penalty killing. The defense will miss Ohlund so as usual much will depend on the Sedins continuing to grow and whether Hodgson can make an impact as a rookie.
The Canucks seem a lock for the playoffs but could fall behind the Flames in their division. Gillis should try to lock up Luongo this off season so that a slow start does not scuttle his efforts to resign him.
This signing commits the Canucks to having the twins as the cornerstones of their top line for the next five years. What this likely does is guarantee the Canucks a playoff team, but it does not help them climb the next hurdle. While they managed to re-sign the twins, they lost their top defender Mattias Ohlund who had been the anchor of their defense for the past decade.
Even with that loss the top two defense pairings will be very competent for this season. A player to watch here is Alexander Edler who signed a four year extension last fall. He is only 23 and could develop into a puck moving two way defender with an offensive flair to replace Ohlund. Shane O’Brien will also be given the opportunity to crack the top four as the season progresses and could eventually replace Willie Mitchell who is a UFA after this season.
Upfront we have much the same team as last year. The Sedins will continue to be the face of the team and Gillis is counting on them to continue to grow and become a more dominant force up front. The Sundin experiment really wasn’t much of a success and talk about his potential return is refreshingly non-existent. The Canucks are hoping that Cody Hodgson can make the jump to the big team and take over his spot as the second line center. Hodgson was the Canadian junior hockey player of the year, but the jump to a top six forward spot in the NHL is never a sure thing.
Kessler, Burrows and Demitra fill out a solid top two lines. Wellwood is also available as the second line center if Hodgson is not ready to take on that role from day one. Mikael Samuelsson was a good pick up and together with Steve Bernier gives the team depth down the right side. Darcy Hordichuk fills the role of agitator and enforcer for Vancouver.
Still left on the to-do list for Gillis is signing Luongo to a contract extension. Luongo has one more year left on his contract, but they want to get the extension agreed to before it becomes any sort of distraction. The back up role is interesting and may see some movement. The Canucks already have Cory Schneider who is projected by most as a number one goalie and could either serve as backup, play another year in the minors, or be used as trade bait since the team signed Raycroft to a one year deal this off season. I would not be surprised if Schneider is being shopped, but in all likelihood he will not be moved until Luongo’s contract extension is done.
Overall Vancouver is a team that is hard to define. They are a hard working team and have a franchise goalie that can cover many shortcomings. On special teams they are right in the middle on both the power play and penalty killing. The defense will miss Ohlund so as usual much will depend on the Sedins continuing to grow and whether Hodgson can make an impact as a rookie.
The Canucks seem a lock for the playoffs but could fall behind the Flames in their division. Gillis should try to lock up Luongo this off season so that a slow start does not scuttle his efforts to resign him.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Oil Change Delayed
The biggest story this off season for Edmonton is the trade that wasn’t, or at least isn’t yet. Once Heatley’s trade demand gathered momentum it was the Oilers that came up with a trade offer that the Senators found acceptable. The trade would have moved Heatley to the Oilers in exchange for Cogliano, Penner and Smid. This trade would have moved out the large contract of Penner though it would have cost them a highly valued player in Cogliano. The trade could have helped both teams.
Heatley however continued his selfish behavior by finally refusing the trade and as of now that trade is dead. What is unfortunate is that the three young Oilers know that they were on the verge of being shipped out by their team. The Oilers are a team that relies on cohesion and you hope that this almost trade is not a distraction for the team.
Upfront the team is solid and has young players on the way up. Gagner and Horcroff give the team a solid one two punch and will likely be the core centers for the next few years. Cogliano at 22 is the number three center and like Gagner he is a small high skill center that is growing into his potential. The problem for the Oilers is that both are RFA’s after this season and both will command serious salary increases. The Oilers are a budget conscious team and that is what made Cogliano expendable in the Heatley trade talks. Cogliano has very high value and I can see the Oilers still being willing to move him for that reason.
On the wings they have a nice mix with O’Sullivan and Hemsky as fast scoring wingers. Penner and Moreau add grit with a scoring touch and there are still hopes that Nilsson develops into an offensive force. If Heatley was in the mood to play here, he would have been a great fit for this fast, young, exciting team that despite the talent had problems scoring goals.
The concern on defense is that they do not have true stay at home defensemen in the mix. What they do have are players that move the puck up the ice quickly so the Oilers remain an offense first team first. Considering the offensive focus of the defense it is surprising that the Oilers only ranked 22nd on the power play last year. Special teams are a big concern for the team since their penalty kill was 4th worst in the league.
The one big free agent signing that the team did make was to sign Khabibulin to replace Roloson in net. This signing is really a wash as far as performance goes since you can not knock the goaltending that Roloson has provided. The risk here is that Khabibulin is 36 years old and Edmonton signed him to a 4 year contract at $3.75 million per season. That’s quite the long term commitment to a 36 year old goalie that relies on reflexes and acrobatics.
The Oilers should be an exciting team to watch again and are loaded with young talent that will continue to develop. To move up in the standings they need to improve their special teams and pick up a stay at home defenseman.
As they sit today, I do not see them cracking the playoffs in the tough Western conference.
Heatley however continued his selfish behavior by finally refusing the trade and as of now that trade is dead. What is unfortunate is that the three young Oilers know that they were on the verge of being shipped out by their team. The Oilers are a team that relies on cohesion and you hope that this almost trade is not a distraction for the team.
Upfront the team is solid and has young players on the way up. Gagner and Horcroff give the team a solid one two punch and will likely be the core centers for the next few years. Cogliano at 22 is the number three center and like Gagner he is a small high skill center that is growing into his potential. The problem for the Oilers is that both are RFA’s after this season and both will command serious salary increases. The Oilers are a budget conscious team and that is what made Cogliano expendable in the Heatley trade talks. Cogliano has very high value and I can see the Oilers still being willing to move him for that reason.
On the wings they have a nice mix with O’Sullivan and Hemsky as fast scoring wingers. Penner and Moreau add grit with a scoring touch and there are still hopes that Nilsson develops into an offensive force. If Heatley was in the mood to play here, he would have been a great fit for this fast, young, exciting team that despite the talent had problems scoring goals.
The concern on defense is that they do not have true stay at home defensemen in the mix. What they do have are players that move the puck up the ice quickly so the Oilers remain an offense first team first. Considering the offensive focus of the defense it is surprising that the Oilers only ranked 22nd on the power play last year. Special teams are a big concern for the team since their penalty kill was 4th worst in the league.
The one big free agent signing that the team did make was to sign Khabibulin to replace Roloson in net. This signing is really a wash as far as performance goes since you can not knock the goaltending that Roloson has provided. The risk here is that Khabibulin is 36 years old and Edmonton signed him to a 4 year contract at $3.75 million per season. That’s quite the long term commitment to a 36 year old goalie that relies on reflexes and acrobatics.
The Oilers should be an exciting team to watch again and are loaded with young talent that will continue to develop. To move up in the standings they need to improve their special teams and pick up a stay at home defenseman.
As they sit today, I do not see them cracking the playoffs in the tough Western conference.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Flames Pour on More D
Calgary made the biggest move of free agency by jumping ahead of the line to swing the deal with Florida to obtain a few days of exclusive negotiating rights with Bouwmeester. Sutter has to be congratulated for his courage to take that gamble and then successfully negotiating the contract before July 1. At 25 Bouwmeester is the new breed of young free agent and he would have been the most sought after one this year.
What Sutter has done is add top notch depth to the area where the Flames already were the strongest. In an era where teams are looking for one or two top flight defenders, the Flames now have four quality horses back there. Bouwmeester, Regehr, Phaneuf and Sarich give Calgary the deepest defense in the NHL. These four will eat up the minutes in a dominating fashion with the smallest of the group standing at 6’3. Bouwmeester and Phaneuf give each pair an offensive edge while Regehr and Sarich are rocks on defense.
While there is nothing negative to be said about the makeup of this defense, the only concern is whether Sutter is investing too much of his cap on the back end. Including Kiprusoff’s salary, the Flames have $26.5 million of the cap committed to five players focused on keeping the puck out of the net. What does that leave them with up front?
Iginla has always been the focus on offense, but with that amount of money committed to the back end there is precious little left to provide him with support. The team was already thin up front last year, but the signing of Bouwmeester made it impossible for the Flames to keep Cammalleri or to sign a skilled replacement for the top two lines. Cammalleri was a great compliment for Iginla and his 39 goals will be missed.
The Flames can still put together a strong first line but there is not much left to provide a threat from any of their other lines. This allows the opposition to focus on shutting down Iginla’s line. The problem is intensified in that Iginla does not have a true playmaking center to play with so he often has to create his own scoring chances as well as put the puck in the net. With Iginla’s style of play the season becomes long without a threat from the other lines and he can get pretty worn down come playoff time.
While very thin at the wings, the Flames do have Jokinen and Langkow as their top two centers. Jokinen was a late addition last year and the team is counting on him to take some of the scoring pressure off Iginla. He has the size and skill to be a great fit for Calgary and should be motivated since he will be a UFA at the end of the year. Langkow will also be counted on to provide scoring and he is the only center with a contract beyond this year so expect changes next year.
Kiprusoff is still one of the top goalies in the game but he could use more rest during the season. While the Flames may not be able to cut back much on the number of games he plays, the defense should be able to make his life a little easier between the pipes.
Brent Sutter takes over the coaching of the team so you know that he will be in step with his brother.
While it appears that the Flames are set with the big four on defense, I would have liked to see Sutter try to move Phaneuf for additional scoring up front. The Flames will again rely on Iginla to drive the offense and hope that Jokinen can take some of that burden off him.
Calgary should not have a problem making the playoffs this year, but with the strength of the conference I do not see them cracking the top four.
What Sutter has done is add top notch depth to the area where the Flames already were the strongest. In an era where teams are looking for one or two top flight defenders, the Flames now have four quality horses back there. Bouwmeester, Regehr, Phaneuf and Sarich give Calgary the deepest defense in the NHL. These four will eat up the minutes in a dominating fashion with the smallest of the group standing at 6’3. Bouwmeester and Phaneuf give each pair an offensive edge while Regehr and Sarich are rocks on defense.
While there is nothing negative to be said about the makeup of this defense, the only concern is whether Sutter is investing too much of his cap on the back end. Including Kiprusoff’s salary, the Flames have $26.5 million of the cap committed to five players focused on keeping the puck out of the net. What does that leave them with up front?
Iginla has always been the focus on offense, but with that amount of money committed to the back end there is precious little left to provide him with support. The team was already thin up front last year, but the signing of Bouwmeester made it impossible for the Flames to keep Cammalleri or to sign a skilled replacement for the top two lines. Cammalleri was a great compliment for Iginla and his 39 goals will be missed.
The Flames can still put together a strong first line but there is not much left to provide a threat from any of their other lines. This allows the opposition to focus on shutting down Iginla’s line. The problem is intensified in that Iginla does not have a true playmaking center to play with so he often has to create his own scoring chances as well as put the puck in the net. With Iginla’s style of play the season becomes long without a threat from the other lines and he can get pretty worn down come playoff time.
While very thin at the wings, the Flames do have Jokinen and Langkow as their top two centers. Jokinen was a late addition last year and the team is counting on him to take some of the scoring pressure off Iginla. He has the size and skill to be a great fit for Calgary and should be motivated since he will be a UFA at the end of the year. Langkow will also be counted on to provide scoring and he is the only center with a contract beyond this year so expect changes next year.
Kiprusoff is still one of the top goalies in the game but he could use more rest during the season. While the Flames may not be able to cut back much on the number of games he plays, the defense should be able to make his life a little easier between the pipes.
Brent Sutter takes over the coaching of the team so you know that he will be in step with his brother.
While it appears that the Flames are set with the big four on defense, I would have liked to see Sutter try to move Phaneuf for additional scoring up front. The Flames will again rely on Iginla to drive the offense and hope that Jokinen can take some of that burden off him.
Calgary should not have a problem making the playoffs this year, but with the strength of the conference I do not see them cracking the top four.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Major Hab Makeover
Montreal’s centennial season went from hopes of a Stanley Cup run to one where they barely squeezed into the playoffs and then were blown out in the first round. The result has been a complete makeover this summer. The changes do not end with the players, but Gainey brought in Jacques Martin to coach the new team.
The makeover began just before the trade deadline with Montreal making a trade with the Rangers to pick up Scott Gomez. That move is as a tremendous gamble for the club since that ties up over $7.3 million of cap space for the next five years. When Gomez signed with the Rangers it was a surprise since he was not considered to be a player that craved the spotlight. In Montreal, the pressure on him will only increase.
In free agency the Habs added Cammalleri and Gionta to bolster the offense. Both have flair and speed, but at 5’9 and 5’7 they join Gomez at 5’11 leaving Montreal with extremely small skill players. The three also tie up over $18 million in cap space for the next five years. You have to wonder if Gainey would not have been better off trading for Lecavalier and his $10 million per year salary. Their next skilled center is Tomas Plekanc who is 5’10 and leaves them small up the middle. The only grit on the top two lines will come from Latendresse and he may well have play on the top line to provide some balance.
Yes the Habs added firepower with the signings, but they lost Koivu, Kovalev and Higgins and will not be bringing back Tanguay or Lang. Some of the poison from last year’s dressing room has been removed, but I am not sure if the overall changes are an improvement.
On defense they continued with the change of personality by letting Komisarek go in free agency and will not be resigning Schneider. Spacek and Mara have been brought in and should help offensively, but neither is a defensive standout. To help with the penalty kill and deal with bigger forwards 6’7 Hal Gill was added, but at over $2 million per year you are paying quite a bit for a third pair defenseman.
In goal Montreal will again go with the young duo of Price and Halak. Going without an experienced back up was a big gamble for Gainey that did not work well last year. The pressure got to Price and his confidence disappeared. His glove side weakness was exposed and he did not have the veteran back up that he could lean on, or learn from. No changes have been made in goal and Montreal is hoping that Price is over last year’s shakiness and can lead the team. In Montreal, that’s quite a bit of pressure for a youngster that will turn 22 later this summer. If Price doesn’t rebound Halak will take over. I can see one of these two being moved and a veteran back up brought in over the next year.
This season has more questions then answers for Montreal. They have totally remade the roster and dressing room, and have a new coach to run the team. The talent up front suggests a small, fast, skill team bringing back fire wagon hockey. The coaching however suggests a more conservative approach so it will be very interesting to see how this new mix comes together.
Gainey is taking a very big gamble with this year’s team. The gamble is also a long term one since very few contracts will expire at the end of the season and Montreal will have little flexibility if the pieces don’t fit. That is not good position to be in since the cap will be going down next year.
The makeover began just before the trade deadline with Montreal making a trade with the Rangers to pick up Scott Gomez. That move is as a tremendous gamble for the club since that ties up over $7.3 million of cap space for the next five years. When Gomez signed with the Rangers it was a surprise since he was not considered to be a player that craved the spotlight. In Montreal, the pressure on him will only increase.
In free agency the Habs added Cammalleri and Gionta to bolster the offense. Both have flair and speed, but at 5’9 and 5’7 they join Gomez at 5’11 leaving Montreal with extremely small skill players. The three also tie up over $18 million in cap space for the next five years. You have to wonder if Gainey would not have been better off trading for Lecavalier and his $10 million per year salary. Their next skilled center is Tomas Plekanc who is 5’10 and leaves them small up the middle. The only grit on the top two lines will come from Latendresse and he may well have play on the top line to provide some balance.
Yes the Habs added firepower with the signings, but they lost Koivu, Kovalev and Higgins and will not be bringing back Tanguay or Lang. Some of the poison from last year’s dressing room has been removed, but I am not sure if the overall changes are an improvement.
On defense they continued with the change of personality by letting Komisarek go in free agency and will not be resigning Schneider. Spacek and Mara have been brought in and should help offensively, but neither is a defensive standout. To help with the penalty kill and deal with bigger forwards 6’7 Hal Gill was added, but at over $2 million per year you are paying quite a bit for a third pair defenseman.
In goal Montreal will again go with the young duo of Price and Halak. Going without an experienced back up was a big gamble for Gainey that did not work well last year. The pressure got to Price and his confidence disappeared. His glove side weakness was exposed and he did not have the veteran back up that he could lean on, or learn from. No changes have been made in goal and Montreal is hoping that Price is over last year’s shakiness and can lead the team. In Montreal, that’s quite a bit of pressure for a youngster that will turn 22 later this summer. If Price doesn’t rebound Halak will take over. I can see one of these two being moved and a veteran back up brought in over the next year.
This season has more questions then answers for Montreal. They have totally remade the roster and dressing room, and have a new coach to run the team. The talent up front suggests a small, fast, skill team bringing back fire wagon hockey. The coaching however suggests a more conservative approach so it will be very interesting to see how this new mix comes together.
Gainey is taking a very big gamble with this year’s team. The gamble is also a long term one since very few contracts will expire at the end of the season and Montreal will have little flexibility if the pieces don’t fit. That is not good position to be in since the cap will be going down next year.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Leaf Fans, a Tainted Love
Reading articles and listening to the media you constantly hear about the Leaf fans. Many paint them as pathetic in that they follow the Leafs no matter how much they lose and they pack the seats at the ACC pouring money into MLSE’s coffers no matter what the product is on the ice.
First off, Leaf Nation is not just the people that pack the ACC. Most in Leaf Nation can not get to the games, or afford the tickets. Most true Leaf fans have inherited their love of the team from parents, or from their early childhood years. For us, the Leafs are a true love, but like true love, in many cases it can be blind.
The biggest obstacle faced by the person that runs the Leafs is not the board of MSLE, but it is the blind love of many Leaf fans towards their players. In the past, we have had managers of the team that gave in to that passion of Leaf fans. The fans would fall in love with a Domi, Tucker, or McCabe, and the manager of the day would overpay to keep that player on the team. As an old manager once said; if you listen to the fans, pretty soon you’ll be sitting with the fans.
For years we have watched the Leafs go through another disappointing season and the first thing that happens is that 90% of the team gets re-signed, many with rich new contracts. The fans love their Leafs and the players become heroes whether they win or lose. Many players succumb to this adulation and start to become complacent. They become used to being treated like heroes even when they lose. Losing becomes acceptable. They may still talk about the fire they have, but they turn down trades to playoff contenders and when given the choice of where to play they choose a relaxed lifestyle in Florida as opposed to a perennial playoff contender in New Jersey.
Another type of situation is what happened with Darcy Tucker. He was a heart and soul player, but it became obvious that at age 33, and being only 5’10, he could no longer play his style effectively. The Leaf fans still chanted Darcy, Darcy and would have loved the team to keep him. Fortunately management in Toronto is changing and Tucker was bought out last year. Colorado management went for the reputation of what once was and signed Tucker for two years at an average of $2.25 million. For that they got 8 goals and 8 assists last year. Funny that Colorado finished dead last in the west last year and both the GM and coach are no longer with the team. Of course that wasn’t Tucker’s fault, but it shows what happens when you pay for reputation and past performance.
The Leafs are changing and the fans have to get used to the idea of letting their favorites leave. The days of overpaying a player by 20% because the fans love him are over. It may seem trivial to pay a player $1.2 million instead of $1 million because he’s a fan favorite. But when you spread that approach over the whole team, $40 million in salaries becomes $48 million. The costs your team the ability to sign an $8 million player and that is a very big deal.
Instead of paying a premium for players, in Detroit players often take a home town discount to stay with the team. They see the privilege of playing for the Wings and realize that if they demand a premium they will be gone. That allows Detroit to keep their nucleus and gives them the ability to add quality players to the mix.
Burke understands this approach and will manage that way. Playing for the Leafs is a privilege. Sure the Leafs have not been winners, but if you retire as part of Leaf team you will be part of a legacy that matters long after your playing days are over. Players who care about the game see that and those are the players you want on your team.
The times are a changing Leaf fans so keep an open mind as you watch some of the roster turnover as the Burke makeover continues.
First off, Leaf Nation is not just the people that pack the ACC. Most in Leaf Nation can not get to the games, or afford the tickets. Most true Leaf fans have inherited their love of the team from parents, or from their early childhood years. For us, the Leafs are a true love, but like true love, in many cases it can be blind.
The biggest obstacle faced by the person that runs the Leafs is not the board of MSLE, but it is the blind love of many Leaf fans towards their players. In the past, we have had managers of the team that gave in to that passion of Leaf fans. The fans would fall in love with a Domi, Tucker, or McCabe, and the manager of the day would overpay to keep that player on the team. As an old manager once said; if you listen to the fans, pretty soon you’ll be sitting with the fans.
For years we have watched the Leafs go through another disappointing season and the first thing that happens is that 90% of the team gets re-signed, many with rich new contracts. The fans love their Leafs and the players become heroes whether they win or lose. Many players succumb to this adulation and start to become complacent. They become used to being treated like heroes even when they lose. Losing becomes acceptable. They may still talk about the fire they have, but they turn down trades to playoff contenders and when given the choice of where to play they choose a relaxed lifestyle in Florida as opposed to a perennial playoff contender in New Jersey.
Another type of situation is what happened with Darcy Tucker. He was a heart and soul player, but it became obvious that at age 33, and being only 5’10, he could no longer play his style effectively. The Leaf fans still chanted Darcy, Darcy and would have loved the team to keep him. Fortunately management in Toronto is changing and Tucker was bought out last year. Colorado management went for the reputation of what once was and signed Tucker for two years at an average of $2.25 million. For that they got 8 goals and 8 assists last year. Funny that Colorado finished dead last in the west last year and both the GM and coach are no longer with the team. Of course that wasn’t Tucker’s fault, but it shows what happens when you pay for reputation and past performance.
The Leafs are changing and the fans have to get used to the idea of letting their favorites leave. The days of overpaying a player by 20% because the fans love him are over. It may seem trivial to pay a player $1.2 million instead of $1 million because he’s a fan favorite. But when you spread that approach over the whole team, $40 million in salaries becomes $48 million. The costs your team the ability to sign an $8 million player and that is a very big deal.
Instead of paying a premium for players, in Detroit players often take a home town discount to stay with the team. They see the privilege of playing for the Wings and realize that if they demand a premium they will be gone. That allows Detroit to keep their nucleus and gives them the ability to add quality players to the mix.
Burke understands this approach and will manage that way. Playing for the Leafs is a privilege. Sure the Leafs have not been winners, but if you retire as part of Leaf team you will be part of a legacy that matters long after your playing days are over. Players who care about the game see that and those are the players you want on your team.
The times are a changing Leaf fans so keep an open mind as you watch some of the roster turnover as the Burke makeover continues.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Sens Up Against It
From outward appearances the Heatley saga has died down, but its like that pot you forget on the back burner. The burner is still on and the water is getting pretty hot beneath the cover. Ignore it as much as you want, but its going to boil over sooner or later is you leave it too long.
Heatley blindsided the Sens in June with the trade demand and he made it worse by limiting the teams with which Murray could deal. The Sens had a very good deal worked out with Edmonton, but Heatley hummed and hawed and finally turned it down. Ottawa missed out on the start of free agency and finally made the move to pick up Kovalev to replace Heatley. The problem is that Heatley is still on the books. Now with Kovalev added, the Sens are just over the cap and have no room to move.
Can Heatley return to the team? Sure. The players would likely accept him after an apology, but Heatley has likely burned too many bridges with management, ownership and the fans. He would be under a microscope if he returned and I do not think that is something that Heatley wants to experience. You can pull this type of move in a non-hockey market, but once you do it in Ottawa I think you are pretty much done.
Heatley has also knocked down his trade value since many teams see him with a big red flag now. Strangely, it looks like the Oilers still want him, but if that deal can’t be brought back to life I do not envy the Ottawa situation.
Without Heatley the Sens have three top six forwards. That number includes Spezza who will be without his star winger and two very opposite people in Alfredsson and Kovalev. Both are 36 and we will have to see how they co-exist on the same team. Alfredsson is a heart and soul player, but his body is starting to show wear and tear. Kovalev is a talented enigma and Sens fans can only hope that he feels he has something to prove after his questionable departure from Montreal. Despite Alfredsson’s apparent excitement about Kovalev’s addition, these two may not mix well as the team hits bumps in the road. Spezza is not known as a team leader so you can not count on him being the glue of the team. His reaction to this summer’s team Canada snub will be worth watching to see if it pushes him towards a fast start to the season.
On defense they do not have a top pair defenseman on the roster. They have some serviceable players that appear to have already reached their potential, but they lack an identity. Young players like Lee and Campoli need to develop quickly and begin to take leading roles with this group.
Pascal Leclaire is the big gamble as the team’s star goalie of the future. He definitely has the potential and is young, but he has yet to put two strong back to back seasons together.
After seasons of great promise and getting close to the cup, the reality is that the Sens finished last year out of the playoffs. Having lived through decades of misplaced Leaf expectations I see some of the same delusions creeping into the world of the Sens. They are not just a tweak away from getting back to their former glory.
They need to deal with Heatley and they need to find a way to free up some cap space. Right now they appear to be gambling that things will just work out. For me that’s too big a risk to take.
Heatley blindsided the Sens in June with the trade demand and he made it worse by limiting the teams with which Murray could deal. The Sens had a very good deal worked out with Edmonton, but Heatley hummed and hawed and finally turned it down. Ottawa missed out on the start of free agency and finally made the move to pick up Kovalev to replace Heatley. The problem is that Heatley is still on the books. Now with Kovalev added, the Sens are just over the cap and have no room to move.
Can Heatley return to the team? Sure. The players would likely accept him after an apology, but Heatley has likely burned too many bridges with management, ownership and the fans. He would be under a microscope if he returned and I do not think that is something that Heatley wants to experience. You can pull this type of move in a non-hockey market, but once you do it in Ottawa I think you are pretty much done.
Heatley has also knocked down his trade value since many teams see him with a big red flag now. Strangely, it looks like the Oilers still want him, but if that deal can’t be brought back to life I do not envy the Ottawa situation.
Without Heatley the Sens have three top six forwards. That number includes Spezza who will be without his star winger and two very opposite people in Alfredsson and Kovalev. Both are 36 and we will have to see how they co-exist on the same team. Alfredsson is a heart and soul player, but his body is starting to show wear and tear. Kovalev is a talented enigma and Sens fans can only hope that he feels he has something to prove after his questionable departure from Montreal. Despite Alfredsson’s apparent excitement about Kovalev’s addition, these two may not mix well as the team hits bumps in the road. Spezza is not known as a team leader so you can not count on him being the glue of the team. His reaction to this summer’s team Canada snub will be worth watching to see if it pushes him towards a fast start to the season.
On defense they do not have a top pair defenseman on the roster. They have some serviceable players that appear to have already reached their potential, but they lack an identity. Young players like Lee and Campoli need to develop quickly and begin to take leading roles with this group.
Pascal Leclaire is the big gamble as the team’s star goalie of the future. He definitely has the potential and is young, but he has yet to put two strong back to back seasons together.
After seasons of great promise and getting close to the cup, the reality is that the Sens finished last year out of the playoffs. Having lived through decades of misplaced Leaf expectations I see some of the same delusions creeping into the world of the Sens. They are not just a tweak away from getting back to their former glory.
They need to deal with Heatley and they need to find a way to free up some cap space. Right now they appear to be gambling that things will just work out. For me that’s too big a risk to take.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Let it Blow
One of the classics of the sports year begins tomorrow morning with the start of the British Open. For fans of the game, it is simply called The Open.
First off I love golf, but I also love tradition and I love nature being such a big part of this event. The other classic of golf is The Masters. It is also full of tradition and I love it in its own way. The Masters however, is a manicured tradition and was bred from a private invitation only tournament. Not only is the course and the setting manufactured to perfection, the men that run the tournament control every facet of it. At the Masters there are no fans, they are patrons, and there is no rough, it is the second cut. If a commentator makes the mistake of using the wrong word there is a good possibility that he will never be allowed back on the premises. The Masters has that controlled feeling that you might find in a museum of art. The Open, is more like a day at the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field.
The Open is golf brought back to its basics. The weather is a big part of the game and often the biggest star of the tournament. Though held in July, summer in Great Britain is usually quite different from what we see here. We have images of wind howling over the exposed course as players brace themselves for each shot. The wind becomes a factor in where you aim your shot and imagination is brought into play. Players no longer hit high shots like darts into a soft green. They must ride the wind or hit low into the wind, but they must always consider the wind and beware of the contour of the land facing them.
When we play golf here we look at the forecast and hope for a sunny day. For the Open we expect and even hope for some rain. We want to see the golfers bring out their rain gear and caps and brace down for a true fight with nature and themselves. I had my first golfing trip to Ireland a couple of years ago and was almost disappointed by the lack of “terrible” weather. As golfers, I think there is a bit of a masochist in all of us. We want to be faced with the impossible shot and we play for the feeling of conquering that moment even it is only one time out of ten.
Today’s golf pro seldom faces these challenges. They usually play on courses that have been set up perfectly for the week of the tournament. Yes those courses are long and have many man made obstacles, but usually the fairways, bunkers and greens are almost too perfect. Landing in a bunker is seldom much of a penalty and greens are almost always receptive to a shot hit at the pin. At The Open, the rules of engagement change.
The Open golf course rotation features courses that have more been carved out of nature then manufactured. The fairways are not framed by trees and they are not flat. They are hard and rolling and your ball will bounce and run in ways that you do not expect. The bounces will not always be fair. The imagination and character of the player is tested. Here the golf course is not manufactured. Here the player who must manufacture their golf shot. The low bump and run, hitting an iron on a long hole off the tee for position, battling out of knee high wild grass, putting from off the green and playing escape shots away from the hole all become part of the game.
Turnberry, where The Open is played this year, is a true classic. Located on the south west coast of Scotland it is a natural masterpiece. It is the history of golf and it is the history of the land. Turnberry was used as an airfield during WW II and it still retains that feel.
If you can find the time, sit back and slip back to the basics of sport and enjoy this weekend at The Open.
First off I love golf, but I also love tradition and I love nature being such a big part of this event. The other classic of golf is The Masters. It is also full of tradition and I love it in its own way. The Masters however, is a manicured tradition and was bred from a private invitation only tournament. Not only is the course and the setting manufactured to perfection, the men that run the tournament control every facet of it. At the Masters there are no fans, they are patrons, and there is no rough, it is the second cut. If a commentator makes the mistake of using the wrong word there is a good possibility that he will never be allowed back on the premises. The Masters has that controlled feeling that you might find in a museum of art. The Open, is more like a day at the frozen tundra at Lambeau Field.
The Open is golf brought back to its basics. The weather is a big part of the game and often the biggest star of the tournament. Though held in July, summer in Great Britain is usually quite different from what we see here. We have images of wind howling over the exposed course as players brace themselves for each shot. The wind becomes a factor in where you aim your shot and imagination is brought into play. Players no longer hit high shots like darts into a soft green. They must ride the wind or hit low into the wind, but they must always consider the wind and beware of the contour of the land facing them.
When we play golf here we look at the forecast and hope for a sunny day. For the Open we expect and even hope for some rain. We want to see the golfers bring out their rain gear and caps and brace down for a true fight with nature and themselves. I had my first golfing trip to Ireland a couple of years ago and was almost disappointed by the lack of “terrible” weather. As golfers, I think there is a bit of a masochist in all of us. We want to be faced with the impossible shot and we play for the feeling of conquering that moment even it is only one time out of ten.
Today’s golf pro seldom faces these challenges. They usually play on courses that have been set up perfectly for the week of the tournament. Yes those courses are long and have many man made obstacles, but usually the fairways, bunkers and greens are almost too perfect. Landing in a bunker is seldom much of a penalty and greens are almost always receptive to a shot hit at the pin. At The Open, the rules of engagement change.
The Open golf course rotation features courses that have more been carved out of nature then manufactured. The fairways are not framed by trees and they are not flat. They are hard and rolling and your ball will bounce and run in ways that you do not expect. The bounces will not always be fair. The imagination and character of the player is tested. Here the golf course is not manufactured. Here the player who must manufacture their golf shot. The low bump and run, hitting an iron on a long hole off the tee for position, battling out of knee high wild grass, putting from off the green and playing escape shots away from the hole all become part of the game.
Turnberry, where The Open is played this year, is a true classic. Located on the south west coast of Scotland it is a natural masterpiece. It is the history of golf and it is the history of the land. Turnberry was used as an airfield during WW II and it still retains that feel.
If you can find the time, sit back and slip back to the basics of sport and enjoy this weekend at The Open.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Shhh.. Big Day in Phoenix
Sometimes the big days in a court case are the ones that nobody talks about. Today could well be such a day in the Coyotes case. Today is largely about where the public spotlight will be allowed to shine as the bankruptcy proceeds.
Moyes wants the Reinsdorf bid to be fully disclosed. He wants all the details of the discussions with Glendale and the NHL to be made public. As the Reinsdorf offer is about to be structured there is no money for Moyes. The Reinsdorf bid is largely about restructuring the lease with Glendale and making a deal with the outstanding creditors. Reinsdorf’s position is that neither Moyes nor Gretzky are creditors, but are in fact equity owners of the Coyotes, and as such they have no claim to the proceeds of the sale. The NHL and Glendale want Moyes and Gretzky’s records made public so that the court can determine whether Moyes and Gretzky have any claim as creditors.
The fact that the NHL is willing to accept an offer that does not pay Moyes a penny is the reason that Moyes declared bankruptcy in the first place and is why he is backing the Balsillie bid.
Balsillie and his bid are not dead yet. His bet is that nobody is willing to purchase the Coyotes with the long term intent of keeping them in Glendale. Normally he would not have a chance to make this gamble work since the NHL has been known for making backroom deals and providing future considerations for parties that it wishes to deal with.
Moyes and Balsillie won the first big battle of this case when the court ruled that the bankruptcy petition was valid and took control of the sale. This has prevented the NHL from steamrolling ahead with their plan.
What I find interesting is that the US Trustee has now entered the proceedings and is very interested in finding out what, if any, side deals are in place with the Reinsdorf offer. What sparked their interest was Bettman’s initial comment about there being three other groups interested in purchasing and keeping the team in Phoenix, followed by Daly’s big mistake in stating that the other three bids coalesced around the Reinsdorf bid. This smacks of collusion and immediately got the Trustee involved. The Trustee now wants full disclosure of who the other bidders were, why they decided not to pursue their bid and whether the NHL was involved in promoting one consolidated bid by Reinsdorf. That type of activity compromises the integrity of the bankruptcy process, undermines the concept of an open auction, and hurts the creditors. Sounds like the beginnings of some anti-trust concerns doesn’t it?
If the judge rules that the NHL, Glendale, Reinsdorf, etc. must submit to full disclosure of all matters, I think that the whole Reinsdorf offer may fall apart. I do not believe that Reinsdorf, or any other purchaser, is willing to commit to Glendale long term. I also doubt that a respected businessman like Reinsdorf will be willing to submit to such public scrutiny of his offer.
If this bid falls apart, the Phoenix only auction will likely fall apart as well. The next step in the process that the judge laid out is the September auction for parties wishing to relocate the Coyotes. That is when Balsillie steps back into the fray and that is when other legitimate bidders may pop up as well.
If on the other hand the judge rules that Moyes and Gretzky are not creditors and denies Moyes’ full disclosure motion, then the NHL, Reinsdorf and Glendale may well get to work out a deal and keep the team where it is, for a couple of years.
Let’s see what happens. Today could be a very big day.
Moyes wants the Reinsdorf bid to be fully disclosed. He wants all the details of the discussions with Glendale and the NHL to be made public. As the Reinsdorf offer is about to be structured there is no money for Moyes. The Reinsdorf bid is largely about restructuring the lease with Glendale and making a deal with the outstanding creditors. Reinsdorf’s position is that neither Moyes nor Gretzky are creditors, but are in fact equity owners of the Coyotes, and as such they have no claim to the proceeds of the sale. The NHL and Glendale want Moyes and Gretzky’s records made public so that the court can determine whether Moyes and Gretzky have any claim as creditors.
The fact that the NHL is willing to accept an offer that does not pay Moyes a penny is the reason that Moyes declared bankruptcy in the first place and is why he is backing the Balsillie bid.
Balsillie and his bid are not dead yet. His bet is that nobody is willing to purchase the Coyotes with the long term intent of keeping them in Glendale. Normally he would not have a chance to make this gamble work since the NHL has been known for making backroom deals and providing future considerations for parties that it wishes to deal with.
Moyes and Balsillie won the first big battle of this case when the court ruled that the bankruptcy petition was valid and took control of the sale. This has prevented the NHL from steamrolling ahead with their plan.
What I find interesting is that the US Trustee has now entered the proceedings and is very interested in finding out what, if any, side deals are in place with the Reinsdorf offer. What sparked their interest was Bettman’s initial comment about there being three other groups interested in purchasing and keeping the team in Phoenix, followed by Daly’s big mistake in stating that the other three bids coalesced around the Reinsdorf bid. This smacks of collusion and immediately got the Trustee involved. The Trustee now wants full disclosure of who the other bidders were, why they decided not to pursue their bid and whether the NHL was involved in promoting one consolidated bid by Reinsdorf. That type of activity compromises the integrity of the bankruptcy process, undermines the concept of an open auction, and hurts the creditors. Sounds like the beginnings of some anti-trust concerns doesn’t it?
If the judge rules that the NHL, Glendale, Reinsdorf, etc. must submit to full disclosure of all matters, I think that the whole Reinsdorf offer may fall apart. I do not believe that Reinsdorf, or any other purchaser, is willing to commit to Glendale long term. I also doubt that a respected businessman like Reinsdorf will be willing to submit to such public scrutiny of his offer.
If this bid falls apart, the Phoenix only auction will likely fall apart as well. The next step in the process that the judge laid out is the September auction for parties wishing to relocate the Coyotes. That is when Balsillie steps back into the fray and that is when other legitimate bidders may pop up as well.
If on the other hand the judge rules that Moyes and Gretzky are not creditors and denies Moyes’ full disclosure motion, then the NHL, Reinsdorf and Glendale may well get to work out a deal and keep the team where it is, for a couple of years.
Let’s see what happens. Today could be a very big day.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Leafs Up Front
Well I think we all like what Burke has done to rebuild the defense this off season. So while he heads off for his annual fishing week with other NHL execs, let’s have a look at where the Leafs stand up front at this moment.
The forwards are still a work in progress so we’re not sure who we will see at camp. The Leafs will trade a defenseman or two, and may well sign another free agent. Skill players like Tanguay and Afinogenov have fallen through the initial free agency frenzy and may see their price be lower then they had hoped. On the trade front players like Kessel, Sharp, Backes, Pominville, or even Vanek might be available in a deal involving Kaberle as the center piece from the Toronto side. I put Vanek on this list because he might be a salary that the Sabres may wish to get rid of, and the Leafs may be willing to pay for a 25 year old 40 goal first line winger.
With some moves yet to be made, the Leafs already have an interesting group of forwards coming to camp. At center, the current top four are Grabovski, Stajan, Wallin and Mitchell. If the Leafs feel good about Bozak stepping right in, or if they pick up a top center, I can see them moving Stajan this summer. Wallin and Mitchell should be competent third and fourth line centers. For the future we have Kadri and Didomenico though they are likely a couple of years away.
On the left side we have Ponikarovsky, Hagman, Blake, Tlusty and Stuart. I see Stuart making the team and being part of a grinding fourth line with Mitchell and Orr. Blake can still play the game, but his age and contract are the problem. He may not be movable, but after this year his actually salary drops down to $3 million (with the $4 million cap hit) so he could become more attractive come trade deadline time to a team looking for short term help and needing someone to eat up cap space while drawing a lower salary.
As things stand now, Kulemin will be given the shot to be a first line right winger. Behind him are Stempniak, Mayers and Orr. Hanson and Mitchell are the best known prospects here, but the player I am interested in seeing develop is Mikhail Stefanovich. Last year in Quebec junior hockey Stefanovich had 49 goals in 56 games, was a +30 and at age 19 he’s already 6’2 and 202.
With the exception of Blake, the contract situation looks good up front. Stempniak, Stajan, Ponikarovsky and Mayers are not part of the future. Poni and Stajan are likely immediate trade bait and may fit into a Kaberle package. The good news is that all four have contracts that expire at the end of this season. That represents $8 million of cap space that will be freed up. These players moving out of the organization will open up ice time for the kids coming up, and their salaries coming off the books open up cap space for another top six forward.
With Burke, the Leafs will stop the love affair with players that are really not part of a championship mix. Matt Stajan is a great example. I love him for his character and he’s a fine hockey player. But, is he a top two center for a championship team? No. Does he have the grit you want centering your third or fourth line? Not really. Unfortunately he’s just the type of nice kid that plays on a perennial Leaf team that keeps missing the playoffs and becomes a fan favorite.
These are the type of tough questions that Burke will ask at each roster spot. We will lose some of our favorite players over the years, but finally the goal is to build a cup contender.
The forwards are still a work in progress so we’re not sure who we will see at camp. The Leafs will trade a defenseman or two, and may well sign another free agent. Skill players like Tanguay and Afinogenov have fallen through the initial free agency frenzy and may see their price be lower then they had hoped. On the trade front players like Kessel, Sharp, Backes, Pominville, or even Vanek might be available in a deal involving Kaberle as the center piece from the Toronto side. I put Vanek on this list because he might be a salary that the Sabres may wish to get rid of, and the Leafs may be willing to pay for a 25 year old 40 goal first line winger.
With some moves yet to be made, the Leafs already have an interesting group of forwards coming to camp. At center, the current top four are Grabovski, Stajan, Wallin and Mitchell. If the Leafs feel good about Bozak stepping right in, or if they pick up a top center, I can see them moving Stajan this summer. Wallin and Mitchell should be competent third and fourth line centers. For the future we have Kadri and Didomenico though they are likely a couple of years away.
On the left side we have Ponikarovsky, Hagman, Blake, Tlusty and Stuart. I see Stuart making the team and being part of a grinding fourth line with Mitchell and Orr. Blake can still play the game, but his age and contract are the problem. He may not be movable, but after this year his actually salary drops down to $3 million (with the $4 million cap hit) so he could become more attractive come trade deadline time to a team looking for short term help and needing someone to eat up cap space while drawing a lower salary.
As things stand now, Kulemin will be given the shot to be a first line right winger. Behind him are Stempniak, Mayers and Orr. Hanson and Mitchell are the best known prospects here, but the player I am interested in seeing develop is Mikhail Stefanovich. Last year in Quebec junior hockey Stefanovich had 49 goals in 56 games, was a +30 and at age 19 he’s already 6’2 and 202.
With the exception of Blake, the contract situation looks good up front. Stempniak, Stajan, Ponikarovsky and Mayers are not part of the future. Poni and Stajan are likely immediate trade bait and may fit into a Kaberle package. The good news is that all four have contracts that expire at the end of this season. That represents $8 million of cap space that will be freed up. These players moving out of the organization will open up ice time for the kids coming up, and their salaries coming off the books open up cap space for another top six forward.
With Burke, the Leafs will stop the love affair with players that are really not part of a championship mix. Matt Stajan is a great example. I love him for his character and he’s a fine hockey player. But, is he a top two center for a championship team? No. Does he have the grit you want centering your third or fourth line? Not really. Unfortunately he’s just the type of nice kid that plays on a perennial Leaf team that keeps missing the playoffs and becomes a fan favorite.
These are the type of tough questions that Burke will ask at each roster spot. We will lose some of our favorite players over the years, but finally the goal is to build a cup contender.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Delfino? Maybe No.
I think that we may be looking the wrong way when we consider Delfino to be a slam dunk to return to the Raptors. Instead of just worrying about team depth, what the Raptors also have to watch for is becoming too deep with players that need to be in the rotation.
NBA teams are based on a rotation and players function best when they know where they fit into the rotation. One of the strengths that Triano brought to the team was a commitment to a rotation so that players knew when they would be playing and what their role was. This gave a player like Bargnani a solid understanding of what his job is. Under Mitchell he was constantly being moved between different positions and he could not establish a mind set as to what he was supposed to be. It is very difficult to go out with your role being a finesse outside player one moment, and then go back out the next time and be an inside banger.
In some ways putting together an NBA team is simple. You only have five players on the court at one time and there are 48 minutes in a game. If you assign your starters an average 36 minutes a game each, that does not leave much playing time for your bench. Let’s break this down a little.
In the backcourt you can pencil Calderon in for 36 minutes a game playing the point. Wright and DeRozan will share the shooting guard spot eating up the 48 minutes there. This leaves Ukic to play the remaining 12 minutes. Douby ends up sitting on the bench and is an emergency player for injuries.
In the frontcourt Bosh, Bargnani and Turkoglu will average 36 minutes each. This leaves only 36 minutes to be shared by the remaining team. I think Nesterovic will be back with the Raptors since they do need an experienced big man to bang with the big boys. If he plays12 minutes and Reggie Evans adds his grit and rebounding for another 20 minutes a game, you are left with very little playing time for anyone else. Devean George can easily eat up those minutes without hurting your team.
While Delfino can fit into many roles, my worry is that he will demand more playing time to be effective, and without that his play and effort will start to drift. I believe that was his problem last time with the Raptors and I see that as a concern with bringing him back.
Colangelo is very aware of the salary implications going forward and what the team will need in budget room next year. As he has stated, he would be willing to overpay for a player that is willing to take a one year contract. I expect him to take his time and not jump on Delfino. If something happens quickly, I would not be surprised to see him make a last minute pitch to Anthony Parker for a one year deal at a bigger number then Cleveland is willing to offer. Parker could be a solid role player for the team and will not need the coddling that Delfino will to keep him positive. Parker can even play some point, especially when you can now run the offense through Turkoglu.
I like the look and rotation of the Raptors with the addition of Nesterovic, which I think will happen. I think Colangelo will be careful in picking up back end rotation pieces since you do not need attitude problems on the team.
The biggest exposure right now is Calderon going down with a nagging injury since I do not see Ukic starting for an extended time period. I see the Raptors going for a more experienced point guard that is capable of filling the starter’s role.
NBA teams are based on a rotation and players function best when they know where they fit into the rotation. One of the strengths that Triano brought to the team was a commitment to a rotation so that players knew when they would be playing and what their role was. This gave a player like Bargnani a solid understanding of what his job is. Under Mitchell he was constantly being moved between different positions and he could not establish a mind set as to what he was supposed to be. It is very difficult to go out with your role being a finesse outside player one moment, and then go back out the next time and be an inside banger.
In some ways putting together an NBA team is simple. You only have five players on the court at one time and there are 48 minutes in a game. If you assign your starters an average 36 minutes a game each, that does not leave much playing time for your bench. Let’s break this down a little.
In the backcourt you can pencil Calderon in for 36 minutes a game playing the point. Wright and DeRozan will share the shooting guard spot eating up the 48 minutes there. This leaves Ukic to play the remaining 12 minutes. Douby ends up sitting on the bench and is an emergency player for injuries.
In the frontcourt Bosh, Bargnani and Turkoglu will average 36 minutes each. This leaves only 36 minutes to be shared by the remaining team. I think Nesterovic will be back with the Raptors since they do need an experienced big man to bang with the big boys. If he plays12 minutes and Reggie Evans adds his grit and rebounding for another 20 minutes a game, you are left with very little playing time for anyone else. Devean George can easily eat up those minutes without hurting your team.
While Delfino can fit into many roles, my worry is that he will demand more playing time to be effective, and without that his play and effort will start to drift. I believe that was his problem last time with the Raptors and I see that as a concern with bringing him back.
Colangelo is very aware of the salary implications going forward and what the team will need in budget room next year. As he has stated, he would be willing to overpay for a player that is willing to take a one year contract. I expect him to take his time and not jump on Delfino. If something happens quickly, I would not be surprised to see him make a last minute pitch to Anthony Parker for a one year deal at a bigger number then Cleveland is willing to offer. Parker could be a solid role player for the team and will not need the coddling that Delfino will to keep him positive. Parker can even play some point, especially when you can now run the offense through Turkoglu.
I like the look and rotation of the Raptors with the addition of Nesterovic, which I think will happen. I think Colangelo will be careful in picking up back end rotation pieces since you do not need attitude problems on the team.
The biggest exposure right now is Calderon going down with a nagging injury since I do not see Ukic starting for an extended time period. I see the Raptors going for a more experienced point guard that is capable of filling the starter’s role.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Hats Off to Colangelo
Details of Colangelo’s dealings with Turkoglu and Marion are just coming out but from the sounds of it, Colangelo has played this beautifully. Yes, we already knew that Turkoglu was coming and Marion was leaving, but by engineering sign and trades for both players the Raptors regain the salary flexibility and bench depth that it appeared they would lose.
If Colangelo had let Marion leave without managing to do a sign and trade, and if he had just signed Turkoglu as a free agent, the Raptors would have had to renounce Parker and Delfino and they would not have been able to sign replacements at more then the NBA minimum. This would have forced the team to start DeRozan earlier then they would have liked, and left the team without experienced back ups for DeRozan and Turkoglu. As I mentioned on Monday, I think this was a risk worth taking, but Colangelo has now managed to take the risk out of the equation.
For starters, the sign and trades allow the Raptors the flexibility to re-sign Delfino if they choose to. They will likely also have the mid-level salary exemption left which will allow them to sign another quality depth player.
The moves however do not just end with this increased salary flexibility. The Raptors were also able to pick up Antoine Wright and Devean George from Dallas while giving up Humphries and Douby. Neither of the new players are stars, but they happen to fit specific Raptor needs. Antoine Wright can start at shooting guard giving DeRozan time to work his way into the NBA more gradually. Wright also is a change of pace to DeRozan in that he is a good outside shooter. At 6’7 he can also help out on the boards. Devean George plays small forward. He is a good defender and rebounder, so he fits as a back up to Turkoglu when defense is needed. If the Raptors bring Delfino back he is a back up at both wing positions and can serve as an emergency starter.
The other great thing about this move is that both Wright and George are on the last year of their contracts. Colangelo was not forced to pick up a bad contract with these moves. With Bosh’s unknown status after this year it is impossible to guess what the team’s needs will be a year down the road. We will also have a much better idea of the needs after we see how Ukic and DeRozan develop this year.
The loss of Douby and Humphries will not be noticed. Douby would have been the third point guard on the team and was really undersized to fill in at the two. Humphries is a nice player, but Evans will be taking his spot off the bench and Evans is not a “nice” player. When he comes on the court he will add the rebounding and toughness that the Raptors have lacked for years. Humphries also had two years left on his contract so his departure gives the team more cap flexibility next year. It would also not be surprising to see Nesterovic return to the Raptors in a reserve role at a very reasonable price. He loves Toronto and fits a need as a solid professional back up center.
In summary, great job Colangelo! In other Toronto sports news; Jays eat $15 million by dumping B.J. Ryan and receive nothing in return.
If Colangelo had let Marion leave without managing to do a sign and trade, and if he had just signed Turkoglu as a free agent, the Raptors would have had to renounce Parker and Delfino and they would not have been able to sign replacements at more then the NBA minimum. This would have forced the team to start DeRozan earlier then they would have liked, and left the team without experienced back ups for DeRozan and Turkoglu. As I mentioned on Monday, I think this was a risk worth taking, but Colangelo has now managed to take the risk out of the equation.
For starters, the sign and trades allow the Raptors the flexibility to re-sign Delfino if they choose to. They will likely also have the mid-level salary exemption left which will allow them to sign another quality depth player.
The moves however do not just end with this increased salary flexibility. The Raptors were also able to pick up Antoine Wright and Devean George from Dallas while giving up Humphries and Douby. Neither of the new players are stars, but they happen to fit specific Raptor needs. Antoine Wright can start at shooting guard giving DeRozan time to work his way into the NBA more gradually. Wright also is a change of pace to DeRozan in that he is a good outside shooter. At 6’7 he can also help out on the boards. Devean George plays small forward. He is a good defender and rebounder, so he fits as a back up to Turkoglu when defense is needed. If the Raptors bring Delfino back he is a back up at both wing positions and can serve as an emergency starter.
The other great thing about this move is that both Wright and George are on the last year of their contracts. Colangelo was not forced to pick up a bad contract with these moves. With Bosh’s unknown status after this year it is impossible to guess what the team’s needs will be a year down the road. We will also have a much better idea of the needs after we see how Ukic and DeRozan develop this year.
The loss of Douby and Humphries will not be noticed. Douby would have been the third point guard on the team and was really undersized to fill in at the two. Humphries is a nice player, but Evans will be taking his spot off the bench and Evans is not a “nice” player. When he comes on the court he will add the rebounding and toughness that the Raptors have lacked for years. Humphries also had two years left on his contract so his departure gives the team more cap flexibility next year. It would also not be surprising to see Nesterovic return to the Raptors in a reserve role at a very reasonable price. He loves Toronto and fits a need as a solid professional back up center.
In summary, great job Colangelo! In other Toronto sports news; Jays eat $15 million by dumping B.J. Ryan and receive nothing in return.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Halladay Future
Lots of talk yesterday about Halladay’s Blue Jay days being numbered. J.P is confirming that he would listen to offers for Halladay, but he’s saying that this is just business as usual. In this case, I think it is anything but business as usual.
Roy Halladay is the professional athlete playing in Toronto that I have the most respect for. He is one of the very best pitchers in the majors. He is a no nonsense guy with a professional attitude and he loves playing in Toronto. He’s never complained when the team has gone bad and he’s been the anchor of our pitching staff for years. Without Halladay on the Jays, the stature of the team diminishes.
Having said this, I think the chances are great that Halladay will be moved before the trade deadline. As usual these days, the problem is economics.
In his interviews yesterday Halladay confirmed that he loves playing in Toronto, but he also wants to play for a winner, soon. Halladay is a free agent after next season, so that means that the Jays would have to show the potential to be a winner this season, or next. To me, the chances of that happening look very slim, in fact non-existent.
This year the Jays have overachieved. Yet at this moment they sit in sixth spot in the wild card race and are a full seven games behind. Last night they were forced to start another rookie pitcher, Rzepczynki, and got another surprising great start. The result unfortunately was another loss. They simply do not have the horses to make a playoff run. On the Jays staff Halladay is really the only proven major league pitcher. The others are kids with great promise who have done a super job, but Halladay stands alone as the only true major league starter on the roster.
The problem for the Jays is that they can not afford to improve the team and Halladay becomes a free agent after next season. With the state of the economy, it is doubtful that the Jays will be increasing their budget in a meaningful fashion over the next couple of years. What will be happening however is that Rios’ contract will go from $6.4 million this year, to $10.2, $12.5, $12.5 and $13 million the next four years. Worse, Wells will go from $5.1 million this year, to $16.2, $26.6, $24.6 and $24.6 million the next four years.
With B.J. Ryan’s annual salary of $12 million coming off the books after next season, the Jays can afford to match a Yankee type offer and sign Halladay. But how do the Jays build a winner while they are stuck with Rios and Wells earning 25% of the team’s salary? If the Jays did re-sign Halladay, they will have half of their payroll committed to three players and Halladay will be a 34 year old pitcher when that contract starts. Does that make any sense?
If the Jays hope to keep Halladay, JP will be beating the bushes for any team that is willing to take the Wells and Rios contracts off his hands. Rios has picked up recently and his contract is likely moveable as a salary dump. Wells however, at roughly $25 million per year starting in 2011, will likely be an albatross around the franchise’s neck for another four years.
I will hate to see Halladay go, but I can not see how the Jays can compete within their current budget with both Wells and Halladay on the roster in 2011. Fans do not like to think that far ahead, but I think that JP has to look at finding the perfect deal for Halladay that will get the Jays a quality young player and two can’t miss prospects in return. Those kids and the current crop of young pitchers can develop while we watch Wells play out his contract.
This is not the future for the Jays that I want to see, but that is where I think this road is taking us.
Roy Halladay is the professional athlete playing in Toronto that I have the most respect for. He is one of the very best pitchers in the majors. He is a no nonsense guy with a professional attitude and he loves playing in Toronto. He’s never complained when the team has gone bad and he’s been the anchor of our pitching staff for years. Without Halladay on the Jays, the stature of the team diminishes.
Having said this, I think the chances are great that Halladay will be moved before the trade deadline. As usual these days, the problem is economics.
In his interviews yesterday Halladay confirmed that he loves playing in Toronto, but he also wants to play for a winner, soon. Halladay is a free agent after next season, so that means that the Jays would have to show the potential to be a winner this season, or next. To me, the chances of that happening look very slim, in fact non-existent.
This year the Jays have overachieved. Yet at this moment they sit in sixth spot in the wild card race and are a full seven games behind. Last night they were forced to start another rookie pitcher, Rzepczynki, and got another surprising great start. The result unfortunately was another loss. They simply do not have the horses to make a playoff run. On the Jays staff Halladay is really the only proven major league pitcher. The others are kids with great promise who have done a super job, but Halladay stands alone as the only true major league starter on the roster.
The problem for the Jays is that they can not afford to improve the team and Halladay becomes a free agent after next season. With the state of the economy, it is doubtful that the Jays will be increasing their budget in a meaningful fashion over the next couple of years. What will be happening however is that Rios’ contract will go from $6.4 million this year, to $10.2, $12.5, $12.5 and $13 million the next four years. Worse, Wells will go from $5.1 million this year, to $16.2, $26.6, $24.6 and $24.6 million the next four years.
With B.J. Ryan’s annual salary of $12 million coming off the books after next season, the Jays can afford to match a Yankee type offer and sign Halladay. But how do the Jays build a winner while they are stuck with Rios and Wells earning 25% of the team’s salary? If the Jays did re-sign Halladay, they will have half of their payroll committed to three players and Halladay will be a 34 year old pitcher when that contract starts. Does that make any sense?
If the Jays hope to keep Halladay, JP will be beating the bushes for any team that is willing to take the Wells and Rios contracts off his hands. Rios has picked up recently and his contract is likely moveable as a salary dump. Wells however, at roughly $25 million per year starting in 2011, will likely be an albatross around the franchise’s neck for another four years.
I will hate to see Halladay go, but I can not see how the Jays can compete within their current budget with both Wells and Halladay on the roster in 2011. Fans do not like to think that far ahead, but I think that JP has to look at finding the perfect deal for Halladay that will get the Jays a quality young player and two can’t miss prospects in return. Those kids and the current crop of young pitchers can develop while we watch Wells play out his contract.
This is not the future for the Jays that I want to see, but that is where I think this road is taking us.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Leafs Build Foundation
The first week of free agency has seen the Leaf signings focus on building a solid foundation for the future. Sure they took a run at Camalleri and likely were hoping the Sedins would test free agency, but when it came to putting pen to paper the focus has been on building the defense.
There are several things I like about this strategy. First, if you want to build a team with toughness and grit, building your defense like this makes great sense. You will now have either the likely Beauchemin / Schenn pairing, or Komisarek, or Exelby on the ice at all times. This means that you don’t necessarily have to worry about toughness on each forward line since you will always have someone on the ice to back them up.
With this type of defense your goaltending also improves. Opposing forwards have to keep their heads up as they head into the Leaf zone and the team’s crease now becomes a no parking zone. The goalie will have a better view of the puck and will be able to focus on the first shot. There will be less deflections in front of the net and rebounds will be quickly cleared. These defense upgrades should also improve the chance of the Leafs landing Gustavsson, maybe later today.
From a development and culture point of view, having players like Beauchemin and Komisarek in the dressing room will help create a professional and gritty team. While Schenn’s natural defensive talents would have let him play with an offensive player like Kaberle, there is so much more for him to learn at this level. If he is paired with a player like Beauchemin this should be great for his development.
At the moment the Leafs have an excess of quality defensemen. While some look at this as a problem, isn’t that a nice statement for Leaf fans to finally hear?
As we look to the next step we have to consider where the Leafs are in their rebuilding process. With these changes I can see the Leafs making a run at the playoffs next year, but the goal of a long playoff run is still likely two or three years away. With that in mind Kaberle is likely the best bet to be moved. This is not a slight at Kaberle and he would fit in great with these additions. However, he is the one player that could likely obtain a young top six forward that would still be in his prime in three years. The Kaberle / Kessel trade talk is not dead yet and this is the type of deal that the Leafs should be looking at making.
The other defenseman that I would love to move is Finger. I like Finger, but at $3.5 million per year, for three more years, he is too pricey as the 6 or 7 defenseman. They will need that cap space as they look to add skilled forwards during the next two years. Trying to move him will be a big challenge, but I would be happy to move him for a draft pick to get his contract off the books.
There has been talk of moving Van Ryn, but I like the fact that he is on the last year of his contract and would free up $2.9 million of cap space at the end of next season. He is also the type of player that a cup contender would look to add at the trade deadline so I would keep him for now.
If the Leafs can swing a Kaberle trade, I still love the look and depth of the defense. The pairings would be something like:
Van Ryn - Komisarek
Beauchemin - Schenn
White - Exelby
Your primary depth players would be Finger, Frogen and Stralman. I like this group today, and it is a defense that you can fine tune over the years.
With the foundation in place, let’s see what happens as Burke turns his focus to the offence.
There are several things I like about this strategy. First, if you want to build a team with toughness and grit, building your defense like this makes great sense. You will now have either the likely Beauchemin / Schenn pairing, or Komisarek, or Exelby on the ice at all times. This means that you don’t necessarily have to worry about toughness on each forward line since you will always have someone on the ice to back them up.
With this type of defense your goaltending also improves. Opposing forwards have to keep their heads up as they head into the Leaf zone and the team’s crease now becomes a no parking zone. The goalie will have a better view of the puck and will be able to focus on the first shot. There will be less deflections in front of the net and rebounds will be quickly cleared. These defense upgrades should also improve the chance of the Leafs landing Gustavsson, maybe later today.
From a development and culture point of view, having players like Beauchemin and Komisarek in the dressing room will help create a professional and gritty team. While Schenn’s natural defensive talents would have let him play with an offensive player like Kaberle, there is so much more for him to learn at this level. If he is paired with a player like Beauchemin this should be great for his development.
At the moment the Leafs have an excess of quality defensemen. While some look at this as a problem, isn’t that a nice statement for Leaf fans to finally hear?
As we look to the next step we have to consider where the Leafs are in their rebuilding process. With these changes I can see the Leafs making a run at the playoffs next year, but the goal of a long playoff run is still likely two or three years away. With that in mind Kaberle is likely the best bet to be moved. This is not a slight at Kaberle and he would fit in great with these additions. However, he is the one player that could likely obtain a young top six forward that would still be in his prime in three years. The Kaberle / Kessel trade talk is not dead yet and this is the type of deal that the Leafs should be looking at making.
The other defenseman that I would love to move is Finger. I like Finger, but at $3.5 million per year, for three more years, he is too pricey as the 6 or 7 defenseman. They will need that cap space as they look to add skilled forwards during the next two years. Trying to move him will be a big challenge, but I would be happy to move him for a draft pick to get his contract off the books.
There has been talk of moving Van Ryn, but I like the fact that he is on the last year of his contract and would free up $2.9 million of cap space at the end of next season. He is also the type of player that a cup contender would look to add at the trade deadline so I would keep him for now.
If the Leafs can swing a Kaberle trade, I still love the look and depth of the defense. The pairings would be something like:
Van Ryn - Komisarek
Beauchemin - Schenn
White - Exelby
Your primary depth players would be Finger, Frogen and Stralman. I like this group today, and it is a defense that you can fine tune over the years.
With the foundation in place, let’s see what happens as Burke turns his focus to the offence.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Signing Turkoglu
Turkoglu’s signing is both a big gamble by Colangelo for 2009 and a solid building block for the future. The downside of this move is that the Raptors will be stripping the team of much of the depth that Colangelo has always had on the team. They will be saying goodbye to Parker, will not be able to bring back Delfino, and DeRozan will likely be thrust into the starting rotation sooner then they would like. This also means goodbye to Shawn Marion.
The plan for the off season was to add grit to the team and athleticism to the wing positions. The addition of Evans and DeRozan were good moves in that direction while the Turkoglu signing is a step back. The move does however add a proven NBA veteran from a successful team. He is also a player that can create his own shot and is not afraid to take it with the game on the line. Both of these attributes were something that the team desperately needed and were skills that Marion could not bring to the table.
The other big issue this off season is the future of Chris Bosh. To have any hope of re-signing Bosh after this season the Raptors had to immediately improve upon last year’s record and move solidly into a playoff position. Turkoglu’s signing gives them that chance. If the team falters, or if Bosh decides to leave anyway, Turkoglu is a solid piece that the team can build with going forward.
Overall, his addition leaves the Raptors with a very interesting starting five and a dangerous lack of depth at the point guard and small forward positions. Bosh, Turkoglu and Bargnani give the Raptors great size up front, but limited athleticism. The one thing all three can do is shoot, so they will be a challenge for opposing teams to match up against. Calderon will be running the point, and if he is fully recovered and can avoid injuries they should have no problems there. DeRozan will likely be thrust into the starter’s role immediately, but with four good shooters on the floor with him he should be able to concentrate on his strengths which are defense, rebounding and slashing to the basket.
Having Turkoglu at the three spot is an improvement over Marion for this team. While Marion is more athletic and is a much better defender, he is not a shooter and would have put more pressure on DeRozan to hit from the outside. Turkoglu will draw the defense out which will give DeRozan and Bosh more room inside. He can also run the offense from the three which provides different looks for the opposition and frees up Calderon on occasion.
His lack of defense is a concern since that, and rebounding, have always been a concern with the Raptors. To help in this area the Raptors will count heavily on Iavaroni. His focus has always been defense and the Raptors will rely on him to mould this group of players into a solid defensive unit. The coaching combination of Triano and Iavaroni is perfect for this team due to their international background and ability to think outside of the box. The Raptors will definitely be an outside of the box team this year and this could well be a boom or bust season for the team.
Congratulations to Colangelo for pulling this signing off and being willing to take this gamble. The first two months of the season will be critical, so now its time for Triano and Iavaroni to get to work. Their season begins today.
The plan for the off season was to add grit to the team and athleticism to the wing positions. The addition of Evans and DeRozan were good moves in that direction while the Turkoglu signing is a step back. The move does however add a proven NBA veteran from a successful team. He is also a player that can create his own shot and is not afraid to take it with the game on the line. Both of these attributes were something that the team desperately needed and were skills that Marion could not bring to the table.
The other big issue this off season is the future of Chris Bosh. To have any hope of re-signing Bosh after this season the Raptors had to immediately improve upon last year’s record and move solidly into a playoff position. Turkoglu’s signing gives them that chance. If the team falters, or if Bosh decides to leave anyway, Turkoglu is a solid piece that the team can build with going forward.
Overall, his addition leaves the Raptors with a very interesting starting five and a dangerous lack of depth at the point guard and small forward positions. Bosh, Turkoglu and Bargnani give the Raptors great size up front, but limited athleticism. The one thing all three can do is shoot, so they will be a challenge for opposing teams to match up against. Calderon will be running the point, and if he is fully recovered and can avoid injuries they should have no problems there. DeRozan will likely be thrust into the starter’s role immediately, but with four good shooters on the floor with him he should be able to concentrate on his strengths which are defense, rebounding and slashing to the basket.
Having Turkoglu at the three spot is an improvement over Marion for this team. While Marion is more athletic and is a much better defender, he is not a shooter and would have put more pressure on DeRozan to hit from the outside. Turkoglu will draw the defense out which will give DeRozan and Bosh more room inside. He can also run the offense from the three which provides different looks for the opposition and frees up Calderon on occasion.
His lack of defense is a concern since that, and rebounding, have always been a concern with the Raptors. To help in this area the Raptors will count heavily on Iavaroni. His focus has always been defense and the Raptors will rely on him to mould this group of players into a solid defensive unit. The coaching combination of Triano and Iavaroni is perfect for this team due to their international background and ability to think outside of the box. The Raptors will definitely be an outside of the box team this year and this could well be a boom or bust season for the team.
Congratulations to Colangelo for pulling this signing off and being willing to take this gamble. The first two months of the season will be critical, so now its time for Triano and Iavaroni to get to work. Their season begins today.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Free Agency Countdown
As of this writing the Sedins have not decided on what to do with the Canuck offer and Heatley is sitting on the fence about the Oilers deal.
The Heatley saga really disgusts me since he is the one that signed the rich long term deal with the Sens which included the no trade clause that he demanded. It is bad enough that he turned on the Sens by demanding a trade, but now that the Sens have found a willing trading partner he’s threatening to blow that deal by trying to pressure them into a lesser deal with the Rangers. I hope he upsets Melnyk to the point where the Sens sit the lad in the minors for the duration of his contract. However it is likely that Heatley will get his way and I see a trade later in the day moving him to the Rangers.
I really think Gainey blew it big time in agreeing to take on Gomez’s contract. Sure the Canadiens have tons of cap space left, but in this day and age you just do not commit $7.3 million of cap space for the next five years to a player that has never led a team and is coming off a very disappointing season. At that cap figure, Gomez will be expected to lead the Habs and that’s just not who Gomez is. He is a great compliment player if he has a good winger on his side and a strong system to play in. I can’t see this working out for the Habs. I think this contract will hang over their heads, though I can see them being able to move him during the last couple of years to a financially strapped team that will need his cap figure (and lower actually salary) to reach the cap floor. Today should be interesting to see what Gainey can do about picking up that scoring winger for Gomez.
I love Calgary’s move to sign Bouwmeester last night. I think it works for both the team and the player. He will love playing in Calgary and the salary and term seem reasonable for a young workhorse defenseman. I do see Calgary trying to move Phaneuf now since they do need more firepower up front to help Iginla.
I think, and hope, that the Sedins decide to stay in Vancouver. If that falls through I can see Burke making the move to pick them up and sign them to a five or six year deal. Despite the fact that I like the Sedins, I think that is committing to much money and term to two players that can not be separated or moved. My preference would be for Burke to save some of that money and pick up Cammalleri who is a top six forward. I also like the idea of Burke going after Colton Orr (at about $1 million per season) and Beauchemin to add some toughness and grit to the roster.
Now that Bouwmeester and Pronger have found homes, the attention should turn to Kaberle. I can see something happening there quickly. I also hear that Jack Johnson is in play and he would be a great addition for the Leafs. Other Leafs that may be moved include Stajan, Mayers, Kubina and White but those deals will likely occur later in the summer.
I normally hate players dithering over decisions but I’m ready to cut Gustavsson some slack here. I he just lost his mother and I understand that he is quite alone in trying to make this decision, so lets give him a few days to see how the free agency dust settles before he decides on his future. I still think that a Giguere Toskala swap is a possibility if Gustavsson does not sign with the Leafs.
Just wondering and maybe dreaming, if Gainey can’t find scorers in the free agency market to take his money play with Gomez, would he be willing to take Blake’s contract off our hands?
The Heatley saga really disgusts me since he is the one that signed the rich long term deal with the Sens which included the no trade clause that he demanded. It is bad enough that he turned on the Sens by demanding a trade, but now that the Sens have found a willing trading partner he’s threatening to blow that deal by trying to pressure them into a lesser deal with the Rangers. I hope he upsets Melnyk to the point where the Sens sit the lad in the minors for the duration of his contract. However it is likely that Heatley will get his way and I see a trade later in the day moving him to the Rangers.
I really think Gainey blew it big time in agreeing to take on Gomez’s contract. Sure the Canadiens have tons of cap space left, but in this day and age you just do not commit $7.3 million of cap space for the next five years to a player that has never led a team and is coming off a very disappointing season. At that cap figure, Gomez will be expected to lead the Habs and that’s just not who Gomez is. He is a great compliment player if he has a good winger on his side and a strong system to play in. I can’t see this working out for the Habs. I think this contract will hang over their heads, though I can see them being able to move him during the last couple of years to a financially strapped team that will need his cap figure (and lower actually salary) to reach the cap floor. Today should be interesting to see what Gainey can do about picking up that scoring winger for Gomez.
I love Calgary’s move to sign Bouwmeester last night. I think it works for both the team and the player. He will love playing in Calgary and the salary and term seem reasonable for a young workhorse defenseman. I do see Calgary trying to move Phaneuf now since they do need more firepower up front to help Iginla.
I think, and hope, that the Sedins decide to stay in Vancouver. If that falls through I can see Burke making the move to pick them up and sign them to a five or six year deal. Despite the fact that I like the Sedins, I think that is committing to much money and term to two players that can not be separated or moved. My preference would be for Burke to save some of that money and pick up Cammalleri who is a top six forward. I also like the idea of Burke going after Colton Orr (at about $1 million per season) and Beauchemin to add some toughness and grit to the roster.
Now that Bouwmeester and Pronger have found homes, the attention should turn to Kaberle. I can see something happening there quickly. I also hear that Jack Johnson is in play and he would be a great addition for the Leafs. Other Leafs that may be moved include Stajan, Mayers, Kubina and White but those deals will likely occur later in the summer.
I normally hate players dithering over decisions but I’m ready to cut Gustavsson some slack here. I he just lost his mother and I understand that he is quite alone in trying to make this decision, so lets give him a few days to see how the free agency dust settles before he decides on his future. I still think that a Giguere Toskala swap is a possibility if Gustavsson does not sign with the Leafs.
Just wondering and maybe dreaming, if Gainey can’t find scorers in the free agency market to take his money play with Gomez, would he be willing to take Blake’s contract off our hands?
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