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NHL contract talk
Mike McChesney has a question about Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore's contract . . .
Q: Just wondering whether Theodore has the option of renegotiating his contract. I see other pros doing just that in other leagues. Is that not a possibility with the NHL's new agreement? Also, whom do you see the Avs making a strong run at in free agency?
A: Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the NHL doesn't allow contracts to be restructured. I think it's dumb, but the players agreed to it in negotiations to end the lockout after the 2004-05 season was canceled. Contracts can be extended, but the deal already in force can't be changed. The Avalanche's only options with Theodore are to keep him for another season at $6 million ($5.33 million against the salary cap) or to buy out the final year of his contract.
As for free agents, it's kind of early to tell which players the Avalanche might be interested in signing. Several Avalanche players will be free agents, including Tyler Arnason and Brett McLean. I imagine Peter Forsberg will be on the radar if he decides to play another year. I'd like to see Chris Drury back here, but that seems like a long shot to me. I have to believe Buffalo will do everything in its power to re-sign him. Another Sabres forward, Daniel Briere, also will be a free agent, but he's already making $5 million. Ditto New Jersey's Scott Gomez. I do think the Avalanche needs another top-six forward, left or right wing. Andrew Brunette can play both sides, and Wojtek Wolski struggled down the stretch. Ryan Smyth would be a great addition, but the Oilers couldn't sign him to a new contract for $5.4 million, so he's going to be expensive.
The Avalanche could use a defenseman or two, maybe a Scott Hannan type. I also think they need a center who can win faceoffs, kill penalties and score every once in a while.Yanic Perreault would be a great fit in that regard. He made just $700,000 this season.
I'm really interested to see what happens on the defense this summer. Looking back at the season, we had 10 different defensemen play at one point. I thought for certain that Sauer was a gone - until something clicked in his head and he became the defensemen he was with the Ducks.
Leopold I think is a good denfensemen who had the most unlucky season anyone has seen in a long time. He needs a full year for anyone to judge him.
Finger I think will be back. I can actually see Skrastins being traded, he isn't physical enough. I compare him with De Vries, and De Vries was much more physical than Skrastins. Combine that with Sauer's better play of late, and the addtion of Finger and Klee with Vanaanen. I don't see him fitting in anymore.
Cumisky will not be on the team full time for a while.
Brisebois is gone.
As much as I would love to see Scott Hannan in a Avs uniform. I think the defense can be shored up from within the 10 defensemen who played last year.
I think that Yanic Perreault would have the best impact on the team. The Avs were horriable at faceoffs last year! This guy has led the league in faceoff win percentage at least twice in the last 3 years. And he was at the Allstar game last year as a member of the Coyotes! He could provide defensive help that Ryan Smyth or Chris Drury could not (I believe).
Sorry, Will, but it's the same answer to the same question. Nothing has changed since the previous post.
Posted by Rick on May 1, 2007 03:25 PMWow... this answer is a copy-and-paste job from a similar post months ago (see "Could be a busy summer"). C'mon Rick....
Posted by Will on April 30, 2007 11:21 PM