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Yandle Signs Seven-Year, $44.45 Mil Deal in Florida |
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Keith Yandle, we hardly knew you. Acquired with Chris Summers, who was selected 29th in 2006, and a 2016 4th rounder in exchange for John Moore, Anthony Duclair, a second round pick in 2015 and a first-round pick in 2016, Yandle agreed to seven-year contract worth $44.45 million with the Panthers late Wednesday evening. The deal includes a full no-movement clause in its first six seasons.
As I wrote the other day, Florida was looking for a puck-moving d-man and might have gotten the best available on the free agent market before he hits there in Yandle. With Brian Campbell possibly gone, Yandle would potentially become a top-pair d-man alongside Aaron Ekblad. One other twist has Campbell staying and Dimitri Kulikov and his $4.33 mil salary going elsewhere. A spot for Yandle was opened earlier this offseason when Florida traded defenseman Erik Gudbranson to Vancouver for Jared McCann. Per Yahoo and General Fanager, before signing Yandle, the Panthers were under the salary cap floor by $3.43 million, so they still having money to spend, some of which will be used to lock up Vincent Trocheck.
New York received a sixth round pick this year when the trade was first made Monday. With Yandle signing in Florida, New York now gets a fourth round pick in 2017, which was conditional on him agreeing to a contract with the Panthers. The return is nowhere near where New York could have gotten if they decided to Yandle at the deadline, but we have kind of beaten that discussions to death already.
When New York acquired Yandle from Arizona, he was in the midst of a five-year, $26.25 million contract. This new contract is for $6.35 mil per, but when you factor in the lack of state tax in Florida, it's closer to $6.75-$7 mil per in NY. It's possible Yandle would have taken less to stay in New York, given his believed affinity for the team and location, but the contracts afforded to Dan Girardi and Marc Staal coupled with those to Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein made that possibility extremely remote.
According to Naturalstattrick, Yandle, who tallied 47 points last year, including 22 on the man advantage, posted a 51.02 score and venue adjusted 5-on-5 CF%. He also held a plus-4.84 score and venue adjusted 5-on-5 CF% relative to the rest of his team. Those numbers show just how valuable he was last year, especially as the defense around him, highlighted by the poor play of Girardi and Staal, struggled mightily. New York loses their best offensive defenseman, which increases the pressure on Brady Skjei to fill that massive breach.
The seven year term, including six with an NMC, is no question a long one. The hope whenever you sign an athlete to this length of a deal is that you get four excellent years, two average and maybe a subpar final one. If Yandle provides that, then it's a great move for Florida, as his presence clearly deepens and strengthens their blueline. GM Dale Tallon made a bold move first by getting his negotiating rights and a second one by signing him to this deal keeping him from the open market, especially Boston.
For New York, it highlights the need to find a way to move G and Staal or at least one of them. If one or the other wasn't here, then Yandle probably would be. Maybe not at the terms he signed for but relatively close. The already challenged offensive blue line lost their best offensive d-man with Yandle going. If he stayed, he, McDonagh and Skjei would have been protected in the expansion draft, which would have increased the pressure for GM Jeff Gorton to move G and Staal. The spotlight gets a bit brighter on Gorton to find a way to improve the Rangers, who have no question gotten worse by moving Yandle.
New York Rangers Blogger • 
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