Coconuts

I think the extra year really mattered, and this is just me spitballing but I think once he started getting calls from a bunch of different teams his mind probably started to shift a bit. At one point he may have been set on coming back to Vancouver, but things change. Friedman was saying that Toronto was also really in on Zadorov but that they weren't willing to give him the extra year that Boston did either. So for what it's worth, a team that arguably needed defense more than we did looked elsewhere as well. Which is saying something, because Toronto was trying to get both Tanev and Zadorov from Calgary last autumn, they just weren't willing to pay for retainment on both of them. Zadorov spent quite a bit of time in Calgary, and a decent amount of time in Vancouver, he may have simply have been tired of the relentless Canadian spotlight. The Bruins are a big draw in Boston but it's not the same as playing in a rabid Canadian market. He can play the heel in Boston and still disappear into Boston in a way he probably couldn't do in Vancouver. Taxes factor in too, because 5M in Boston, Vancouver, and Toronto ain't the same. 5M in Boston gets Zadorov 2.8M in take home money, 5M in Vancouver gets him just over 2.5M in take home money, 5M in Toronto gets him 2.35M in take home money. Now, creative accounting can offset some of that, but I do think it matters to agents and players.

I dunno if Lindholm's offense will hold up as well as Bergeron's, I'd guess that it doesn't, which doesn't mean it'll crater. But he brings the other intangibles. Tanev is a head scratcher, my guess is that he's actually committed to playing that long and both sides expect that he will. But yeah, he's been more durable since leaving Vancouver. By the time Toronto gets to those last few Tanev years the cap hit may be inconsequential due to cap jumps though, he may be overpaid but the context may impact just how overpaid.

If I had to guess, they find a way to move out Oshie He's only got a 10-team NTC

I'd honestly rather lean towards having prospects stew longer, even with top prospects. We saw what rushing guys can do to them with Virtanen, McCann, and arguably Podkolzin.

But do they really need him?

I hope he returns to Boston, another season of stewing would probably be great for him. Folks gotta remember how young Willander is, and it's not uncommon for D to take longer to step into the league than forwards. It'd also delay his ELC, which is no small thing.

It's a bit too long, but that cap hit is honestly pretty good for OEL, probably moreso as the cap rises. The Tanev deal is a real head scratcher though.

Basically, but on the other hand the cost of success is having to pay guys and I think most of us would prefer to make the playoffs regularly The downside is guys get paid based on individual and team success whether you win the cup or not, and good teams tend to lose talent, which is what we just saw from Carolina and Florida

https://www.nhl.com/stars/news/dallas-stars-sign-forward-colin-blackwell-to-a-one-year-contract-070224

He was a guy I was kinda hoping we'd roll the dice on, not sure I'd have given him this though

He should def be better in Boston imo, he'll be their go to center and he'll be getting premium minutes with Pasta I'm skeptical of how the contract will age but that's Boston's problem now

Probably, I think some folks just see the numbers and their brains are like "what the fuck" when the numbers just don't equate to the same cap percentage as the cap jumps. The dollars are just going to keep getting bigger for higher tier players as the cap rises, they always have.

I think they find a way to keep him, I wouldn't be shocked to see him come in at close to Miller's 8M, maybe a bit more. Folks gotta remember that Miller signed his deal in September 2022, the cap outlook will be quite different when Brock's deal is up at the end of the season. 8M simply won't be what it used to be in terms of cap percentage.

Too much term but the deal will probably age alright, I really wanted this guy. Wasn't expecting Washington to do much in free agency but they could actually be a legit playoff team next season. Their defense, forward depth, and goaltending are all improved.

Rare to see Carolina hand out term that takes a guy into their later 30's, he's probably their most important defenseman though

I think so, particularly if he puts up 30-40 goals Brocks already at 6.65M though, so 8M really isn't that big a jump considering how the cap will keep rising I think folks are gonna have to get used to the numbers getting bigger at a much faster rate now that we're seeing cap jumps again, that's if this year's free agency is anything to go off of

So they're alive in Anaheim after all I'd say alive and well, but that's really up in the air after yesterday

Too long but that's why the got him, guess we'll see how he ages in Nashville

I'm skeptical as to whether this will age well, but in the short term Seattle could be pretty deadly with a Montour/Dunn 1-2 punch

That's def cheaper than I thought it'd be