Who’s the bad contract on NJD? Schneider? He had 10 quality starts in his last 17 appearances playing in front of an awful D core on a team with zero stars (Hall was hurt). He’s now the starting goalie for USA at the Worlds and btw they’ve won 5 straight and he’s sporting a .924sv% (league average this year was .910 I just read on Sportsnet)

I didnt realize they could bury him in the minors at only $2M... that's not bad and much better than a buyout.

I wouldn't be totally opposed to a Rask trade. Putting him at 4C allows Blueger to move up the lineup on the wing potentially.

In a trade with Minnesota, I'd be trying to do Kessel and JJ for Brodin & Zucker.
- MacPatty

I mentioned this one the other day. IMO it’s just too much for MN to give up with Spurgeon possibly on the move as well. They MIGHT do Brodin and Zucker for Kessel, JJ (maybe $500K retained), and Maatta. Even then we might need to throw something else their way imo

I didnt realize they could bury him in the minors at only $2M... that's not bad and much better than a buyout.

I wouldn't be totally opposed to a Rask trade. Putting him at 4C allows Blueger to move up the lineup on the wing potentially.

In a trade with Minnesota, I'd be trying to do Kessel and JJ for Brodin & Zucker.
- MacPatty

When you add the salary to replace him though, you're only saving about 300k and that's with a minimum salary which the Pens best bet is Riikola.

Blueger is a better C.

I love that trade, but don't think we can get Brodin and dump JJ.

I just don't know why Ottawa would want Johnson if there wasn't a 1st rd pick coming back with him.

I'd propose:

Johnson + 2019 1st Pit

for

Condon, Pit 3rd 2019 + Harpur

Even then, Ottawa is close to set on the left side with Chabot, Brannstrom and Wolanin as the best three and then Boro + Harpur as extras...
- riceroni

Exactly, sir. Ottawa is more likely to let the kids play and take on contracts like Clarkson from Vegas and Hossa from AZ who are owed less in real dollars and won’t eat up an actual roster spot. They’re probably the most ideal landing spot for Callahan as well. When you factor those into the equation, JJ really doesn’t make any sense for them without a 1st+ coming along for the ride. Dorian is on the heat seat enough as it is

I mentioned this one the other day. IMO it’s just too much for MN to give up with Spurgeon possibly on the move as well. They MIGHT do Brodin and Zucker for Kessel, JJ (maybe $500K retained), and Maatta. Even then we might need to throw something else their way imo
- WSCTeton17

I was thinking about that too... I'm guessing they would want what you suggested with Rask going back the other way rather than the retained salary and a sweetener. No idea though.

I include myself in this, but pretty much anyone who’s entertaining trade/buyout ideas is fooling themselves and has a false sense of hope.

There’s really zero indication JR wants to move Johnson. In fact, it’s the opposite.

I would easily do Rask for Johnson straight up. At least it would give you options with switching forwards around on different lines.

Every team in the league has at least 1 bad contract worth 3-5 million. EVERY TEAM - JJ's is a measly 3 million, 2 million of he's so bad that he gets sent to the AHL

Get over it, It isn't crippling the team in any way
- RoloTahmasee

It's crippling because he's playing significant minutes. If Sullivan does the right thing and makes him a 6 or 7, it's not so crippling.

He should be bought out, but Rutherford shows no inclination to doing that.

Backes had 7/13/20 in 70 games and is making $6M for 2 more years (but is having a decent playoff so far).

Bozak I guess has been decent, but J-Bo is getting paid like the stud defenseman he was with Florida, not the bottom-3 player he is now (but it's still better than his previous contract was). Allen, yeah, that's a $4.35M pit.
- jmatchett383

None of those players, aside from Allen, have had negative on-ice impact.

“Today @ 10:42 AM ET
Every team in the league has at least 1 bad contract worth 3-5 million. EVERY TEAM - JJ's is a measly 3 million, 2 million of he's so bad that he gets sent to the AHL

Get over it, It isn't crippling the team in any way”

It’s not that JMFJ cripples the salary cap. It’s that his on-ice performance cripples the team.

I include myself in this, but pretty much anyone who’s entertaining trade/buyout ideas is fooling themselves and has a false sense of hope.

There’s really zero indication JR wants to move Johnson. In fact, it’s the opposite.
- Rinosaur

Exactly. JR thinks JMFJ is the solution, not the problem.

It’s not that JMFJ cripples the salary cap. It’s that his on-ice performance cripples the team.
- Za Warudo

Bingo. The only bad contract on the back-end was Gudbranson, there wouldn’t be as big of an uproar. Yeah, even he is poor money management and isn’t that great, but he’s serviceable.

Backes had 7/13/20 in 70 games and is making $6M for 2 more years (but is having a decent playoff so far).

Bozak I guess has been decent, but J-Bo is getting paid like the stud defenseman he was with Florida, not the bottom-3 player he is now (but it's still better than his previous contract was). Allen, yeah, that's a $4.35M pit.
- jmatchett383

J-Bo and Parayko are the Blues shutdown pair and getting tougher assignments than Petro. J-Bo is a huge part of this team and his rebound coincided with their 11 game run early in 2019. They would not be where they are without him.

Bozak has definitely been decent. His line was the strongest in the Dallas series and he's been excellent on faceoffs.

Steen, mentioned by another poster, is definitely overpaid. However, he's a huge factor in the 4th line being the Blues strongest line in the Shark's series. He makes too much but I definitely take him at his current salary over not having him at all.

Allen is the only player the Blues would shed if given the opportunity, and even then, I think he will serve out his contract as a competent backup. He played very well in that role once Binnington took over.

Allen is the only player the Blues would shed if given the opportunity, and even then, I think he will serve out his contract as a competent backup. He played very well in that role once Binnington took over.
- charlest

Bad contracts matter a lot less when they don’t appear on the ice. Jake Allen hasn’t been playing and thus hasn’t been sucking.

EK had Nyquist E4 with the Pens, so I guess we can cross him off the list.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.
- jmatchett383

The only thing I will say is that USUALLY (not always) those bad contracts are earned by the players one way or another. Maybe they had career years before free agency and benefitted from a desperate bidding war, or maybe they had a history of being good but were on the older side when they got the contract and declined sharply (Ladd, Ryan, Neal). Johnson has sucked for like seven years and was a fringe NHL defenseman last year when Ruth signed him to a top 4 defenseman’s cap hit. It’s an inexcusable move.

None of those players, aside from Allen, have had negative on-ice impact.
- Rinosaur

Relative to their cap hit/term, I would disagree.

If Jake Guentzel had a cap hit of $20M per for the next 8 years, would you call it a good contract because he doesn't have a negative on-ice impact?

The only thing I will say is that USUALLY (not always) those bad contracts are earned by the players one way or another. Maybe they had career years before free agency and benefitted from a desperate bidding war, or maybe they had a history of being good but were on the older side when they got the contract and declined sharply (Ladd, Ryan, Neal). Johnson has sucked for like seven years and was a fringe NHL defenseman last year when Ruth signed him to a top 4 defenseman’s cap hit. It’s an inexcusable move.
- Victoro311

I don't disagree with anything you said here. It was a bad idea when it was signed, and it hasn't looked any better since. It was a flat-out bad signing with no signs that it would ever work out.

That said, looking at the cap based on hit/term, most teams have at least one player on a similar deal who is not living up to what his hit/term say he should be.

Who’s the bad contract on NJD? Schneider? He had 10 quality starts in his last 17 appearances playing in front of an awful D core on a team with zero stars (Hall was hurt). He’s now the starting goalie for USA at the Worlds and btw they’ve won 5 straight and he’s sporting a .924sv% (league average this year was .910 I just read on Sportsnet)
- WSCTeton17

I'll answer this once they extend Zacha.

It's crippling because he's playing significant minutes. If Sullivan does the right thing and makes him a 6 or 7, it's not so crippling.

He should be bought out, but Rutherford shows no inclination to doing that.
- madmike71

Sullivan doesn't really hide his bottom pair though, Gudbranson got almost 60 DZ starts. One could argue JJ was sheltered, but he was placed on a group that was supposed to score and hindered their ability to do so.

Unfortunately, I have little hope in JJ moving as only Rossi is reporting it as a possibility. My hope is that by the trade deadline he's fallen out of favor.

I don't disagree with anything you said here. It was a bad idea when it was signed, and it hasn't looked any better since. It was a flat-out bad signing with no signs that it would ever work out.

That said, looking at the cap based on hit/term, most teams have at least one player on a similar deal who is not living up to what his hit/term say he should be.
- jmatchett383

At that point it becomes a question of whether not said bad player is being given a large role. Like the Flyers have scratched and sent down Andy Mac on multiple occasions. Yes, in the grand scheme of hints $3.25 mil in dead cap is manageable, but it’s a whole different problem when Johnson is being paired with our only other non-Letang offensive defenseman and completely neutering his transition game. Johnson’s a much bigger on-ice issue than he is a cap issue, which is why I’m basically at a get rid of Johnson at all costs position.

I just want to know what NHL team doesn't have a bad contract with multiple years remaining. I can't think of one.
- jmatchett383

colorado. youngest team in the league, second most cap space in the league, everyone of consequence signed for years to come except for Rantanen who will get a sh*t-ton of money this summer.

not to mention having arguably the 2nd best player in the league - Mackinnon - signed for a ridiculously low cost right now. even if i’m being avs-biased in calling him 2nd only behind McDavid, i doubt anyone would place him outside the top-5 best.

name one player on the avs with a bad contract :-)

Relative to their cap hit/term, I would disagree.

If Jake Guentzel had a cap hit of $20M per for the next 8 years, would you call it a good contract because he doesn't have a negative on-ice impact?
- jmatchett383

I’m talking about negative impact on the ice. JJ makes the team worse when in the ice. The aforementioned players, aside from Allen, do not make their team worse on the ice.

It’s just simple like that. Does that player make your team worse on the ice? JJ, yes.

colorado. youngest team in the league, second most cap space in the league, everyone of consequence signed for years to come except for Rantanen who will get a sh*t-ton of money this summer.

not to mention having arguably the 2nd best player in the league - Mackinnon - signed for a ridiculously low cost right now. even if i’m being avs-biased in calling him 2nd only behind McDavid, i doubt anyone would place him outside the top-5 best.

name one player on the avs with a bad contract :-)
- avsgrinder

Ian Cole. That guy is beyond useless. You should trade him to us for JJ

colorado. youngest team in the league, second most cap space in the league, everyone of consequence signed for years to come except for Rantanen who will get a sh*t-ton of money this summer.

not to mention having arguably the 2nd best player in the league - Mackinnon - signed for a ridiculously low cost right now. even if i’m being avs-biased in calling him 2nd only behind McDavid, i doubt anyone would place him outside the top-5 best.

name one player on the avs with a bad contract :-)
- avsgrinder

Congrats, you win. You found 1 team without a bad contract.