Updated 9:35am EDT:
Sabres fans are feeling long in the tooth right now. Let the Gagner to Sabres rumors die now.
Sam Gagner has avoided arbitration and has agreed to a 3 year, $14.4 deal to stay with the Oilers. His AAV is $4.8 and contains a no trade/no move clause.
He didn't get the $5.5M per season that he was seeking, however, he made out better than the $3.5 million that the team was offering.
Now that Gagner is signed, the Oilers have a roster move to make.
They now have 24 players under contract. They now have less than $3 million in cap space remaining.
____________________________________________________________________
If I'm an Edmonton Oiler fan, I am very nervous right now.
Oilers center Sam Gagner is said to be seeking an $5.5 million annual salary from the arbitrator. The arbitrator's ruling is a one year contract off which the team and player negotiate future contracts. The Oilers are reportedly only willing to offer Gagner $3.5 million per season. The club will argue that Gagner isn't worth $5.5M per season since he's never scored more than 49 points in an 82 game season. Gagner's agent will present a case that will argue that Gagner is a 20+ goal scorer with tremendous upside that may well get him to the 30 goal plateau. Gagner scored 14 goals and added 24 assists in 48 games played this season. He also scored 10 goals and added 10 helpers while he played 21 games games with Klagenfurt KAC during the lockout. Gagner played with Sabres D Tyler Myers in Klagenfurt. He's only 23 years of age. He's played 5 NHL seasons. His best offensive years are definitely ahead of him.
Heading into Monday morning's arb hearing, the Oilers have 23 players under contract with only $6,148,333 in available cap space.
If the judge rules in Gagner's favor, GM Craig MacTavish may have to say goodbye to him as their forward ranks salaries would be seriously out of whack to the tune of $37,699,167 in cap space allocated to forwards. Add $5.5M to this cap for Gagner and you have a seriously top-heavy team with no money to upgrade its blue line and goal tending.
The Oilers needs to improve its D corps. Its doesn't need another top six forward.
Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall are both $6 million AAV players. Alex Hemsky is $5M AAV. David Perron is $3,812,500 AAV, while Nail Yakupov is $3.775M AAV. Boyd Gordon is a $3M cap hit.
A huge discrepancy will end badly for Oilers. If the arbitrator rules in favor of Gagner, the Oilers may opt to trade their 23 year old center. If and when they do, Darcy Regier and the Sabres better be ready to pounce at the opportunity to trade for his rights and then sign Gagner.
Ryan Miller?
The Oilers and Gagner can hammer out a deal in the hallway just before the arbitration hearing begins. Will they?
Following the announcement on July 10 that 21 NHLPA members had elected to file for salary arbitration, the dates for the hearings have been set. Below is the list of 15 hearings and the date that they will take place, as well as a list of the players who have come to an agreement on a contract with their club prior to reaching the arbitration hearing. All times are eastern standard time.
2013-14 SALARY ARBITRATION DATES
Hearing Date AM/PM Player Club
July 22, 2013
AM
SAM GAGNER
EDM
July 23, 2013
AM
ERIC TANGRADI
WPG
July 24, 2013
AM
BRYAN LITTLE
WPG
July 25, 2013
AM
NICK SPALING
NSH
July 26, 2013
AM
CARL GUNNARSSON
TOR
July 29, 2013
AM
BLAKE WHEELER
WPG
July 30, 2013
AM
PAUL POSTMA
WPG
July 30, 2013
AM
MARK FRASER
TOR
July 31, 2013
AM
MATS ZUCCARELLO
NYR
July 31, 2013
AM
DALE WEISE
VAN
August 1, 2013
AM
ROBERT BORTUZZO
PIT
August 1, 2013
AM
JORDAN NOLAN
LA
August 2, 2013
AM
TREVOR LEWIS
LA
August 2, 2013 AM
Zach Bogosian
WPG
* Players who reach a settlement prior to hearing
SETTLEMENTS/AGREEMENTS
Players who reached agreement with their club prior to arbitration dates being set:
- Brendan Smith - DET
- Alec Martinez - LAK
- Jake Muzzin - LAK
- Ryan White - MTL
- Josh Bailey - NYIS
- Erik Condra - OTT
- Chris Stewart- STL
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
So Ryan Miller was in the state of Colorado this weekend. Contrary to internet rumors, the Sabres goalie was not in Vail on NHL business. No, he wasn't in Denver, near the Avs facilities.
Miller and his wife, Noureen Dewulf, were invited guests at the wedding of NHLer, John Michael Liles. Miller and Liles have been great friends since their playing days at Michigan State University. Miller and Liles were Spartan teammates for three seasons.
The story, as I hear it, is that Liles stood up for his friend Miller in his bridal party when he and Dewulf were married two years ago. This past weekend, Miller reciprocated by standing up for his freind as a groomsman in the wedding party.
Toronto Maple Leafs teammate, Tyler Bozak, tweeted this picture of Liles and his lovely bride.
Miller is the $6.25 million dollar face of the Sabres franchise. He has one year remaining in his current contract in Buffalo. Its appearing more and more likely that Miller will be Buffalo's opening night starter in Detroit on 10/2. Sabres GM Darcy Regier will have to hope that Miller starts strongly this season so that Miller's trade value will increase. Regier runs the risk of having Miller struggle early, the same way that Calgary's Jarome Iginla's trade value diminished dramatically at the 2013 trade deadline.
For those of you conspiracy theorists who want to tar and feather Miller for blowing off his teammate Drew Stafford's wedding (also on Saturday), settle down.
Miller and his wife cannot be in two places at the same time.
I'm sure Miller sent Stafford a nice wedding gift.
____________________________________________________________________
Speaking of Sabres goaltenders, former RFA Matt Hackett has agreed to his qualifying contract offer. RDS reports that Hackett has agreed to a two year deal, good for one year and $715,000.
The Sabres have not confirmed the signing.
Buffalo's two remaining RFAs are centers Cody Hodgson and Luke Adam.
_____________________________________________________________________
Join the Discussion:
»