If you felt or heard a sudden sigh of relief - maybe even an outright holler - late on Thursday evening, it’s quite possible you were in reasonable proximity to a Dallas Stars fan and/or Jamie Benn fantasy owner.
Surely a few sets of knuckles were getting a little white as Benn and the Stars’ negotiations forced the somewhat hidden gem to miss the fourth game of the season (in Thursday’s case: against the Chicago Blackhawks in Dallas). Then, out of nowhere, word surfaced while the Stars briefly held a 1-0 lead: Benn and the Stars agreed to a five-year contract.
It’s important not to call the deal an extension because he was without a deal. Those five years include this abbreviated season, so Benn is covered through the 2016-17 at an average of $5.25 million per year (the first being prorated).
A DEFT SIGNING
Now, a player receiving a bargain contract doesn’t have a gigantic fantasy impact - the most practical result could be that a team can more easily afford to keep its important elements together - but as an observer of team building, it still is mandatory to step back and rave about a deal that totals $26.25 million.
Even last season, I thought Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk would be shrewd to use division rivals’ dual Corey Perry-Ryan Getzlaf deals as a benchmark for discussions with Dallas’ own impact forward.
As it turns out, Nieuwendyk landed the comparably gifted - if not quite as hyped - Benn for a little bit less than what Perry and Getzlaf received in their second contracts. That would be a remarkable bit of work if the Stars managed that near-twin deal in the same period as the Anaheim Ducks handed out those doppelganger deals, but it gets close to jaw-dropping when you consider that Perry and Getzlaf’s contracts kicked in and 2008-09 and are set to expire.
In other words, the Stars managed to hand Benn a deal that’s cheaper than that comparable benchmark despite five years of escalating contracts. You’d think the Stars would need to stomach some sort of “inflation,” yet they ended up with brilliant savings.
Then again, when you look at the team’s admittedly budget-conscious structure (is locked up through 2015-16 for just $4.25 million per year!), maybe Dallas is really on the verge of something special soon.
YOUR MOVE, MONTREAL AND COLORADO
Sometimes, all you need to do is see what happened to your peers to get you moving in one way or another.
After Thursday night, it’s going to be a lot tougher for P.K. Subban and Ryan O’Reilly to ask their respective teams for more than $5.25 million per year. That’s especially true for O’Reilly, who for all the verve he displayed last season, is far less proven and crucial than Subban and Benn are right now.
Really, if you’re Subban, you almost hope that a defensively desperate franchise like the Philadelphia Flyers or Detroit Red Wings throw a fat offer sheet your way. That seems unlikely in the country club atmosphere that is the GM boys’ club (try to imagine a bitter mood over mint juleps* - I cannot), yet it could help those teams to improve or even force the Habs into action.
It can get much worse at the moment for Montreal in particular. Rumors began swirling (again) that Subban could be traded if this impasse continues. We’re 24 hours from the one-week mark of the 2013 season, so it’s getting to the point where these teams must be a little annoyed by these absences.
GM Marc Bergevin would be nuts to lose his cool and trade Subban, though.
* - I assume that general managers drink numerous mint juleps. Seems like a drink of choice for shadowy, powerful figures who probably also play a lot of golf. I make weird assumptions.
After the jump: worrisome injury updates, glorious celebrations and more.
If you felt or heard a sudden sigh of relief - maybe even an outright holler - late on Thursday evening, it’s quite possible you were in reasonable proximity to a Dallas Stars fan and/or Jamie Benn fantasy owner.
Surely a few sets of knuckles were getting a little white as Benn and the Stars’ negotiations forced the somewhat hidden gem to miss the fourth game of the season (in Thursday’s case: against the Chicago Blackhawks in Dallas). Then, out of nowhere, word surfaced while the Stars briefly held a 1-0 lead: Benn and the Stars agreed to a five-year contract.
It’s important not to call the deal an extension because he was without a deal. Those five years include this abbreviated season, so Benn is covered through the 2016-17 at an average of $5.25 million per year (the first being prorated).
A DEFT SIGNING
Now, a player receiving a bargain contract doesn’t have a gigantic fantasy impact - the most practical result could be that a team can more easily afford to keep its important elements together - but as an observer of team building, it still is mandatory to step back and rave about a deal that totals $26.25 million.
Even last season, I thought Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk would be shrewd to use division rivals’ dual Corey Perry-Ryan Getzlaf deals as a benchmark for discussions with Dallas’ own impact forward.
As it turns out, Nieuwendyk landed the comparably gifted - if not quite as hyped - Benn for a little bit less than what Perry and Getzlaf received in their second contracts. That would be a remarkable bit of work if the Stars managed that near-twin deal in the same period as the Anaheim Ducks handed out those doppelganger deals, but it gets close to jaw-dropping when you consider that Perry and Getzlaf’s contracts kicked in and 2008-09 and are set to expire.
In other words, the Stars managed to hand Benn a deal that’s cheaper than that comparable benchmark despite five years of escalating contracts. You’d think the Stars would need to stomach some sort of “inflation,” yet they ended up with brilliant savings.
Then again, when you look at the team’s admittedly budget-conscious structure (is locked up through 2015-16 for just $4.25 million per year!), maybe Dallas is really on the verge of something special soon.
YOUR MOVE, MONTREAL AND COLORADO
Sometimes, all you need to do is see what happened to your peers to get you moving in one way or another.
After Thursday night, it’s going to be a lot tougher for P.K. Subban and Ryan O’Reilly to ask their respective teams for more than $5.25 million per year. That’s especially true for O’Reilly, who for all the verve he displayed last season, is far less proven and crucial than Subban and Benn are right now.
Really, if you’re Subban, you almost hope that a defensively desperate franchise like the Philadelphia Flyers or Detroit Red Wings throw a fat offer sheet your way. That seems unlikely in the country club atmosphere that is the GM boys’ club (try to imagine a bitter mood over mint juleps* - I cannot), yet it could help those teams to improve or even force the Habs into action.
It can get much worse at the moment for Montreal in particular. Rumors began swirling (again) that Subban could be traded if this impasse continues. We’re 24 hours from the one-week mark of the 2013 season, so it’s getting to the point where these teams must be a little annoyed by these absences.
GM Marc Bergevin would be nuts to lose his cool and trade Subban, though.
* - I assume that general managers drink numerous mint juleps. Seems like a drink of choice for shadowy, powerful figures who probably also play a lot of golf. I make weird assumptions.
After the jump: worrisome injury updates, glorious celebrations and more.
IRKSOME INJURIES
If it weren’t for the Benn-sized ray of sunshine, the primary focus of today’s Daily Dose would have been some really troubling injuries. Simply put, Steve Downie’s season-ending surgery isn’t the only stomach-turning update from the last few days.
Scott Hartnell suffered a broken foot from Kimmo Timonen’s wayward shot, and the verdict is not good. He’ll be out 4-8 weeks, which is the kind of vague window that is sure to make owners unhappy. The shortened season is basically three months and change, so he could miss up to two-thirds of action. Hartnell was just starting to settle in to a very lucrative role as Claude Giroux’s running mate, so this stings for a guy who jumped from a 40-40 point, 100+ PIM to a truly rare power forward.
For a Philadelphia Flyers that just eked out its first win on Thursday and owners who likely drafted him in the top 30 or 50, let’s hope he comes back closer to late February than late March.
Speaking of former Flyers employees with broken appendages,* Joffrey Lupul’s news isn’t particularly promising either. The newly-extended winger suffered a fractured forearm thanks to either a Dion Phaneuf shot or Brooks Orpik slash (perhaps both?). He could miss up to six weeks, which represents another frustratingly vague window.
On the bright side regarding prominent injuries touched upon on Thursday, it at least sounds like Mike Smith won’t miss much time with his lower-body injury (which I assume is probably a groin injury since it had the feel of a “routine stretch during a save gone wrong”). We’ll keep an eye out for updates on Smitty, however, as the Phoenix Coyotes will likely miss him - some might say they already did on Thursday as Phoenix coughed up a 3-1 third period to eventually lose 5-3 to the scorching San Jose Sharks.
QUICK HITS
With a busy Thursday, I’m skipping the under 50 feature for some general player notes … Nail Yakupov is a fun fantasy pick because he was the No. 1 pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, but he’s also just plain fun. He invoked comparisons to Theo Fleury’s famous goal celebration (and made me think of the possibilities of human curling) when he tied Edmonton’s game against Los Angeles with just four seconds left on Thursday. The Oil eventually won … If Erik Karlsson’s start ranks as “regression,” sign me up. His blistering goal was a beauty, but not a fluke; he’s already hammered a forward-like 13 shots on goal in just three games … Derek Roy won’t get top line duty once Benn rolls in, but a likely role alongside Ray Whitney and/or Michael Ryder isn’t too shabby, either … Another goal for Steve Sullivan last night. Hmmm … Speaking of more scoring, Andrei Markov, Vladimir Tarasenko and Marian Hossa also stayed hot … No one’s hotter than he combo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, though. Jumbo Joe’s one-goal, three-assist night reminds of his last post-lockout season, when he won the Hart Trophy … The struggles continue for the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings. I expect the Kings in particular to bounce back, but things are at least coasting toward being disturbing … Eric Staal (hat trick) and Jordan Staal (two assists) finally had a big night on Thursday ... Wade Redden returned to NHL action, receiving 17:23 minutes of ice time ... Life is good for Jaroslav Halak, who needed just 13 saves for a shutout.
MORE INJURY NOTES (Full list)
Speaking of that Hart Trophy year, the guy who arguably deserved it that season came up lame on Thursday. The severity isn’t clear yet, but Jaromir Jagr didn’t finish Thursday’s game against the Blackhawks. The early word isn’t negative, yet we’ll see … This isn’t technically an injury bit, but note that Benn probably won’t play on Saturday because of visa issues. Stay tuned just in case, though … Valtteri Filppula's knee is bugging him. Not good ... Willie Mitchell has received medical clearance but hasn't opted to return to action yet. That sure seems troubling, but let's wait a few days before it gets ugly … Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with a foot injury ... Andrej Meszaros could be in trouble again. He suffered a shoulder injury. We'll find out the extent of the injury fairly soon ... Stephen Weiss and Cam Atkinson are day-to-day with respective lower-body issues.
* - Now that’s a clumsy segue, ladies and gents.