One By One

That's one thing about the New York Rangers - they're never, ever afraid to overpay.

They overpaid for Chris Drury and Scott Gomez, and wildly overpaid for Wade Redden to the tune of $6.5 million per season. The Rangers paid Michal Rozsival $6 million and $7 million the last two years, although, to be fair, his cap hit is somewhat less at $5 million per campaign because he gets $7 million in total the next two seasons. Still, fabulous numbers for a stay-at-home blueliner who has never topped 40 points in an NHL season and had three goals and 20 assists a year ago.

Now comes the news that restricted free agent Marc Staal has agreed to terms on a five-year, $19.875 million deal, one that will take him one year into unrestricted free agency before he can negotiate again.

Too much for your basic stay-at-home defenceman? A smart deal to lock up a 23-year-old core asset? A deal that should scare the heck out of the Maple Leafs, with Luke Schenn likely to be comparing himself to Staal when his contract expires in July?

With the NHL, it's always difficult trying to compare apples and apples, let alone apples and oranges. Anaheim signs Bobby Ryan to a deal that's roughly 25 per cent more than Staal's, but Ryan is a 30-goal scorer with potential to score 50. There are so few of those kinds of scorers that its hard not to imagine that the price differential between the players should be greater.

Moreover, Staal had no real leverage with the Rangers. No offer sheet or a realistic expectation of one. No rival league. No arbitration rights.

But they paid up anyway, ostensibly to lock Staal up and obviously believing there's greater upside to his game, particularly his offensive game, than has been demonstrated so far.

Hey, he may have Rozsival-like potential.

Out of all the restricted types that were still unsigned into late August, you could argue that Staal made out the best based on his numbers and game. One by one, almost all have trickled in. Sam Gagner. Andrew Cogliano, Peter Mueller. Chris Stewart. Carey Price. Niclas Bergfors.

Only James Neal and Matt Niskanen of the Dallas Stars are left, and while GM Joe Nieuwendyk says deals are "close" with both players, its possible neither will be on the ice when the Stars open camp in Prince Edward Island on Saturday. Both made less than $900,000 last season, and if the Stars were inclined, they could play hardball with the twosome just as Edmonton did with Cogliano in giving him only a $1 million deal.and Atlanta did with Bergfors, who will make $900,000 on a one-year deal.

Or the Stars could go the other way and demonstrate the largesse (optimism?) of the Rangers.  (Ed. Note: Thursday evening the Stars signed both Neal and Niskanen to two-year-deals.)

Comments

[Geoff Read]

Most of the comments here roasting Damien completely missed the point. He's not saying Staal's not a good player, or that he's not valuable. But given his negotiating position there was no need to give him that kind of money. It's just bad business from a GM who's made a habit of overpaying his players in recent years.

[Eric Z]

Damian has a very low opinion of all things American. Whether it is an American Team, Player or Coach. IF you read his articles he gives back handed compliments to Wilson for leading an untalented USA team to a silver. Wilson led a very talented team to the Silver which was won in overtime. The Canadian team was "overloaded" with talent at all positions and just barely squeaked by in the tournament. Therefore by Damien's own logic would that make the team not as talented as thought or the coach not as good. My personal opinion is that the Canadian team was not as good as perceived because individual talent does not make a team. They lost to the US in the round robin. Capitals lost to Montreal. Penguins disappeared. Talent does not win hockey games a team does.

Sather being stupid I can agree with just not this time. Other than Corey Price and Sam I don't recognize the names as "elite" young players. Each of those guys are only worth the <$1 Mil they received.

[Conn Smythe]

@ bill d

'Staal did not have a miserable first two years with the Rangers as Schenn has with the Leafs. Burke did Schenn a disservice by not allowing him time to mature and get comfortable with the higher level of hockey played in the pros.'

I would take Stall over Schenn in a heartbeat, but to say that Schenn had a 'miserable' first two years with the Leafs is laughable. Schenn was named on the All - Rookie team in his first year, and although he struggled in the first half of last season, he didn't look that bad in the last half. And Burke wasn't with the the Leafs for Schenn's rookie year because he has already been on record as saying that he would have sent Schenn back to junior.

[bill d]

Schenn should have spent another year in junior and probably a year in the AHL prior to taking a full-time job in the NHL. Schenn looks uncomfortable on the ice and coughs up the puck with a frequency that McCabe couldn't match. Boston rushed Joe Thornton and it took him about 5 years to get his confidence to the point where he was finally competitive at the NHL level. Some players need time in the minors and Schenn is one of them. Schenn is still a player that can best be described as having potential rather than an NHL ready player that can command $4 million/yr. So Schenn can't seriously look at Staal's contract and expect the same.