I tend to agree. That length and dollar amount seems unnecessary. Scratching my head on that one.

I'm also scouring the roster looking for the next Captain. I'll be darned if I can find one. Pietrangelo doesn't excite me.

Alexander Steen???
- bcallaway

I'd go with Stasny

I might be alone, but I can see how your hearts say this is a bad off season. I think Army has pretty much made all the right moves so far. We are essentially moving the rest of the old core out and relying more on our new younger core. Guys like Jaskin, Fabbri, and Rattie are going to get more ice time and show us what they have. Like it or not this is how the cap NHL works. You rely on the draft to grow. Backes will be bought out in 2 years and so might Brouwer. Both these guys got more money than they were worth and it was time to move on. You can't pay 3rd liners that kind of money.

We are going to be more skilled and faster with both of them off the roster and that is why the Perron signing is brilliant in my opinion. Look what he did with the ducks last year!

Also Allen deal is again instilling confidence in him being our number one. I think the term and value is right on track if not below most NHL goaltenders with his age and stats.

Intangibles aside we lost 2 third liners at this point in their careers (yes they had good playoff runs) and a career 1b , 40 game a year starter. We lost all of them for reasons out of control of management for the most part it seems. Backes to much term and money for any sane person, brouwer wanted to play closer to home, and elliot wanted to be traded or be crowned the undoubted #1.

The sky is not falling

Intangibles aside we lost 2 third liners at this point in their careers (yes they had good playoff runs) and a career 1b , 40 game a year starter. We lost all of them for reasons out of control of management for the most part it seems. Backes to much term and money for any sane person, brouwer wanted to play closer to home, and elliot wanted to be traded or be crowned the undoubted #1.

The sky is not falling
- bluenote31

This! Its a business you have to leave your heart out of it. They keep saying they wanted to play a speed / skill game. Now they actually can.

I might be alone, but I can see how your hearts say this is a bad off season. I think Army has pretty much made all the right moves so far. We are essentially moving the rest of the old core out and relying more on our new younger core. Guys like Jaskin, Fabbri, and Rattie are going to get more ice time and show us what they have. Like it or not this is how the cap NHL works. You rely on the draft to grow. Backes will be bought out in 2 years and so might Brouwer. Both these guys got more money than they were worth and it was time to move on. You can't pay 3rd liners that kind of money.

We are going to be more skilled and faster with both of them off the roster and that is why the Perron signing is brilliant in my opinion. Look what he did with the ducks last year!

Also Allen deal is again instilling confidence in him being our number one. I think the term and value is right on track if not below most NHL goaltenders with his age and stats.
- cuethenoise

agree with you on everything except I'm not as excited about the Perron move but I'm not against it either

agree with you on everything except I'm not as excited about the Perron move but I'm not against it either
- bluenote31

For 3.75x2 I think he is a steal

For 3.75x2 I think he is a steal
- cuethenoise

Him taking brouwer's spot on a line with stastny and fabbri would have to put up some points you would think if that's the route they go

Him taking brouwer's spot on a line with stastny and fabbri would have to put up some points you would think if that's the route they go
- bluenote31

He could look pretty good with Valdi on the PP as well.

I might be alone, but I can see how your hearts say this is a bad off season. I think Army has pretty much made all the right moves so far. We are essentially moving the rest of the old core out and relying more on our new younger core. Guys like Jaskin, Fabbri, and Rattie are going to get more ice time and show us what they have. Like it or not this is how the cap NHL works. You rely on the draft to grow. Backes will be bought out in 2 years and so might Brouwer. Both these guys got more money than they were worth and it was time to move on. You can't pay 3rd liners that kind of money.

We are going to be more skilled and faster with both of them off the roster and that is why the Perron signing is brilliant in my opinion. Look what he did with the ducks last year!

Also Allen deal is again instilling confidence in him being our number one. I think the term and value is right on track if not below most NHL goaltenders with his age and stats.
- cuethenoise

Allen has proved nothing in the playoffs

Moose did well for us every year but we could not score…….

Perron……..i don't know where to begin with how this is a bad signing. Backes and Brouwer, i get it, not happy they left but i understand.

are we really the chicago cubs of hockey, so far it seems so

Any word on Sobotka yet?

Intangibles aside we lost 2 third liners at this point in their careers (yes they had good playoff runs) and a career 1b , 40 game a year starter. We lost all of them for reasons out of control of management for the most part it seems. Backes to much term and money for any sane person, brouwer wanted to play closer to home, and elliot wanted to be traded or be crowned the undoubted #1.

The sky is not falling
- bluenote31

I agree with this sentiment. I am shocked though on a number of ypunger players with potential and given the right opportunities could surprise that are put there and Army could not snatch one up on the cheap.

I like Perron and have always liked him. He had a tough time in Pittsburgh when everyone was having antough time including Crosby. He went then the coach went....

I think the money is fair. He knows the system and has grown up a bit. He is the next Geoff Courtnall.

For all the talk about Brouwer I am still going with over rated. He played great in the play offs and in some bigger games towards the end, which was nice.

I can make a long list of players that were third liners and so-so how had one good play offs and got over paid in money and term.

40 point players wanting four plus million and four plus years

For 3.75x2 I think he is a steal
- cuethenoise

How is that a steal?

He could look pretty good with Valdi on the PP as well.
- cuethenoise

Problem can be if you fit two players who like to play with thenpuck together one almost always suffers.

How is that a steal?
- carcus

almost a point per game player after the trade to anaheim. only 28 has scored 28 goals in a season. had only a few points less than Brouwer in less games. Everyone on the Penguins suffered under Johnston.

So if 30 plus year olds are getting six million and five years and over four million for four years then relatively speaking he is a steal.

"Perron said #stlblues called as soon as free agency window opened. Said it was Hitch pushing to get him signed as much as anyone." Lou Kuroc.

the one concern I have is too much veteran leadership is leaving. that can cause identity issues. but this team shpuld be able to handle it.

Ott to Detroit.

Thank You Thank You Thank You!

Ott to Detroit.

Thank You Thank You Thank You!
- lastmanback

but geez if his last contract was closer to that price tag we could have added a player.

How is that a steal?
- carcus

How is it not? Short term low payout for a UFA that is still capable of 40-50 points a year?

The Allen extension is BAD - See Vasilevsky, Andrei as proof.

"Lightning announce Andrei Vasilevskiy has signed an extension for 3 yrs at $3.5 mil per."
- Jason Millen

You have to consider the age of these players before you start drawing parallel comparisons. Valishevsky is only 21, has only a handful of NHL games under his belt and his deal a bridge deal taking him to age 25, exactly where Allen is right now. So if you want to compare the two players, compare him to the bridge deal Allen signed that took him to age 25 which paid him only 2.35 per.

Allen's deal takes him into UFA years, big difference.

This! Its a business you have to leave your heart out of it. They keep saying they wanted to play a speed / skill game. Now they actually can.
- cuethenoise

They are taking the first steps anyway. I still want to see Shatty and Berglund moved for a quality forward.

Definitely wouldn't have wanted Backes at that price, and even Brouwer is a bit much. You can't have too many average guys in that 5 mil range, just look at the BJ's.

Yeah, the last few years the difference in ice time between the first and third lines was not significant. I wonder if that's going to change next year...

Kucherov or Palat would be nice
- sycsam

No way they trade Kucherov but would love to see him moved to the Note

This! Its a business you have to leave your heart out of it. They keep saying they wanted to play a speed / skill game. Now they actually can.
- cuethenoise

I'm not disappointed that they let Backes walk for that kind of money. I'm disappointed that they hamstrung themselves on the cap by overpaying both Perron and Allen and Hutton. It is a bad day because of that and them being so close to the cap already once they fill the roster out. You can't overpay for potential (Allen) when you are close to the cap ceiling. You also can't overpay for 3rd and 4th line players which they now did with Perron and Sobotka.

Maybe Hutton's deal is 2 way?

"Perron said #stlblues called as soon as free agency window opened. Said it was Hitch pushing to get him signed as much as anyone." Lou Kuroc.
- BluemanGuruu

if true, it really goes to him being a cap casualty when he was traded to Edmonton vs the presumed problem label with the coaches and management.

You have to consider the age of these players before you start drawing parallel comparisons. Valishevsky is only 21, has only a handful of NHL games under his belt and his deal a bridge deal taking him to age 25, exactly where Allen is right now. So if you want to compare the two players, compare him to the bridge deal Allen signed that took him to age 25 which paid him only 2.35 per.

Allen's deal takes him into UFA years, big difference.
- fattyboubatty

Except Vasi is above 95th percentile in high danger save % while Allen is barely over 80th percentile and Vais is 70th percentile in War on Ice adjusted save % while Allen is less than 40th percentile. Also, Vasi has a 20% higher playoff save % and his playoff quality save % is almost DOUBLE that of Allen's. Note that Vasi's save% and QS % both improve tangible in his playoff numbers vs regular season while Allen's decrease tangible in the playoffs.

Allen just got Craig Anderson money, actually more than him and he was a UFA. He got almost as much as Halak who was a UFA. The AAV on Allen's deal has to be smaller even if it means losing a year on the deal. Armstrong did not manage the cap well last year and appears to be struggling with it this off season.

I'm not saying the AAV is 2million too high but every 500-750k matters in this day and age.