There is lots of talk about burying Blake in the minors but that is easier said then done. The problem isn’t just one of MLSE agreeing to swallow Blake’s contract while he plays for the Marlies. The bigger problem is what Blake’s attitude will be down in the minors and how that will effect the players there. Burying a player like Blake also creates a bad impression for the team among NHL agents.
An out of the box thought is trying to move Blake for a worse contract that you are willing to eat. The name that comes to mind is Rick DiPietro. When healthy he is an outstanding goalie. The question is whether he will ever be healthy again. The Islanders signed him to a crazy long term deal that still has over ten years to run at $4.5 million per season and would love to get out from under that commitment.
At present DiPietro is costing the team salary but not cap space since he is on injured reserve. The Islanders do not need the cap relief and they certainly don’t want to throw $4.5 million per year down the drain on a player that is not contributing. For them, Blake’s contract at a $4 million cap hit, but only $3 million in actual salary for the next two years, would look great compared to DiPietro’s.
The question here is; would the Leafs be willing to take DiPietro’s contract off the Islanders hands? If they are serious about being willing to eat a bad contract then maybe Toronto is willing to pick up his contract, pay his salary, and get cap relief if he can not return.
Because of the contracts, a straight Blake for DiPietro is stacked in the Islanders favor so this should allow Burke to expand the deal. The player that I’d be interested in picking up from the Islanders is Josh Bailey. Bailey has slipped to number three at center on the Islanders depth chart, but at 19 he still has the potential to be a number one center. Going the Islanders way would be either Stajan or Grabovski.
Why would the Islanders do this? They immediately pick up production by adding Blake and either Stajan or Grabovski while only losing their number three center. More importantly they get out from under the remaining salary commitment to DiPietro who may never be able to resume his career as a full time number one goalie.
The Leafs pick up the $4.5 million salary commitment but this will only count against their cap if DiPietro is healthy enough to resume his career as a number one goalie. That is highly unlikely and if it were to occur, it is not a bad problem to have. They also pick up a top prospect that is ready to play in the NHL today and will be a legitimate top two line center and possibly the partner for Phil Kessel.
Is this deal sellable to either team? Likely not, but it is the type of out of the box thinking that Burke will have to consider to move the team forward.
An out of the box thought is trying to move Blake for a worse contract that you are willing to eat. The name that comes to mind is Rick DiPietro. When healthy he is an outstanding goalie. The question is whether he will ever be healthy again. The Islanders signed him to a crazy long term deal that still has over ten years to run at $4.5 million per season and would love to get out from under that commitment.
At present DiPietro is costing the team salary but not cap space since he is on injured reserve. The Islanders do not need the cap relief and they certainly don’t want to throw $4.5 million per year down the drain on a player that is not contributing. For them, Blake’s contract at a $4 million cap hit, but only $3 million in actual salary for the next two years, would look great compared to DiPietro’s.
The question here is; would the Leafs be willing to take DiPietro’s contract off the Islanders hands? If they are serious about being willing to eat a bad contract then maybe Toronto is willing to pick up his contract, pay his salary, and get cap relief if he can not return.
Because of the contracts, a straight Blake for DiPietro is stacked in the Islanders favor so this should allow Burke to expand the deal. The player that I’d be interested in picking up from the Islanders is Josh Bailey. Bailey has slipped to number three at center on the Islanders depth chart, but at 19 he still has the potential to be a number one center. Going the Islanders way would be either Stajan or Grabovski.
Why would the Islanders do this? They immediately pick up production by adding Blake and either Stajan or Grabovski while only losing their number three center. More importantly they get out from under the remaining salary commitment to DiPietro who may never be able to resume his career as a full time number one goalie.
The Leafs pick up the $4.5 million salary commitment but this will only count against their cap if DiPietro is healthy enough to resume his career as a number one goalie. That is highly unlikely and if it were to occur, it is not a bad problem to have. They also pick up a top prospect that is ready to play in the NHL today and will be a legitimate top two line center and possibly the partner for Phil Kessel.
Is this deal sellable to either team? Likely not, but it is the type of out of the box thinking that Burke will have to consider to move the team forward.
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