No...really...
To be clear, no way are the Canes (or anyone for that matter) taking any part of Gomez's $7M salary. But IF the NHL and NHLPA make the logical adjustment that allows teams to buy guys out this year (i.e. Gomez and Redden), might Gomez FOR THE RIGHT PRICE be an interesting option for the Canes.
The Canes are very strong 2 deep at center. No way would you pencil Scott Gomez into either of those spots after his recent struggles anyway. But the Canes have no good answer at 3rd line center. Brent is really a 4th line center. And Jussi Jokinen really belongs on 1 of the top 2 lines either as a playmaker for EStaal/Semin or as a solid 2-way compliment to JStaal. But right now the Canes training camp has Jokinen slotted as the 3rd center. Why? Because I don't think there is really any other option on the current roster. I have tossed around Dominic Moore's name recently and over the summer as being a decent, affordable option. Jason Arnott would be the premium option, but I don't see the Canes spending the money. The team already went over their budget with the Semin signing, and the uncertainty of what the lockout means financially does not create a great situation for spending even more. Toss in the fact that someone like Arnott might push for 2 years, and though I would love it, I just don't see it happening.
But did I get amnesia over the lockout and forget the past 2 years of the Scott Gomez story? No I didn't. I get that he was horrible, awful, even worse last season coming off a previous season that was only bad.
So why would I even suggest signing him then?
--First and foremost, this suggestion would be price dependent. 1 year for something like $1-1.3M. Think Ray Whitney coming into 2005-06. Talented veteran offensive player...lost in the shuffle of a very demanding big hockey market...bought out so already mostly paid for the current season...And needing a fresh start maybe in a smaller spotlight more than anything.
For a guy, who could use a fresh start minus a ton of pressure and 100 media monkeys riding his back daily, where better could he go than Raleigh? He is only 2 seasons removed from being a decent 60-point per year player. That season did not justify a $7M/year franchise player type contract, but even 2/3 of that is worth $1-1.5M/year easy.
The downside if it completely fails is minimal. His salary would be only $300-400k too much for press box depth. And you can part ways at no cost next summer.
The okay path is a win. You get a veteran to center the 3rd line. Freeing up Jokinen to add playmaking and balance to 1 of the top 2 lines in itself would be easily worth the cost. And even the struggling version of Gomez would be a reasonable option for 2nd unit power play depth.
I don't envision Scott Gomez returning to 60-70 point form, but I think there is upside in this role/price range. He would be a decent playmaker for Skinner if you wanted to move him away from the defensive attention. Skinner is a difficult one right now. Skinner/EStaal/Semin looks too much like all offense/minimal defense and Staal/Skinner found no chemistry and were horrible last year. It also pairs 3 guys who are shoot-first type of offensive players. I'm not sure that is ideal unless they put 2 pucks on the ice. Then you take JStaal's line. They get the assignment of playing a lot of minutes against the other team's best scoring line. We will probably see this tried, but I'm not sure this is a great fit. Put him on a 3rd line with someone who can feed him the puck and (2nd Whitney reference coming...) it looks a little bit like Whitney/Cullen/Larose from 05-06. They were fast and skilled. And they completely ate up 3rd pairing defensemen and weak defensive units.
Now comes an inevitable deluge of people blasting me and this blog for even mentioned Scott Gomez as a possibility for anyone. I lean on my dead-on assertion that the Canes should sign Semin (13 hours before it happened), the need to think outside the box to build championship NHL teams on a limited budget and the fact that I can take whatever abuse comes my way with the joy of at least having the ability to debate NHL hockey (or take verbal abuse over it even).
What say you Canes fans? IF the league enables buyouts this year, would you consider Gomez as a 3rd line center for the 1 year at the right price?
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