A 12-Year Deal Sounds Awful

I think the title of this post says it all. I don't care how good Luongo is right now, I definitely wouldn't want him on my team in 12 years.

(source)

Ummm...wtf...so much could be said...

fighting off urge to make dirty jokes....argh!

I realize all of these long term contracts are really just ways to circumvent the whole salary cap issue while still holding onto your prized possession, but they're ridiculous and I wouldn't want my GM to make these kind of gambles. I think that any contract over 2 years should be converted to dog years. According to the online conversion calculator:

It is a common belief that 1 human year is equal to 7 dog years. That is not very accurate, since dogs reach adulthood within the first couple of years. The formula is: 10.5 dog years per human year for the first 2 years, then 4 dog years per human year for each year after.

So let's say that Luongo, currently 30 years old, has already reached adulthood and that from this point forward every year in his contract equals 4 dog years. I think that's fair. After 12 years of his contract, he would technically be 42 in human years, but in hockey years, which is more like dog years, he would actually be 78!!! WTF?! This scientific conversion proves that this contract really is ridiculous.

Jack vs. Denis

I know Jack hasn't put up the numbers that some people (*cough* myself *cough*) thought he would, but I have no doubt that even if he doesn't develop into an offensive defensiveman he'll still be incredibly valuable in the next two years. When I heard the news that Jack Johnson signed a two-year contract for a cap hit of a mere $1.425 million/year I was shocked because I couldn't believe someone actually agreed to a contract for less than 19 years and that his cap hit was under $2 million/season.

(Photo: LA Kings)JMFJ!!

From a "numbers" point of view, the monetary value of his contract makes sense. He hasn't had a significant offensive presence that was on display in his college years, but that could be because of Crow's coaching style, the Kings' lack of success during his time in LA, and, most definitely, his injury in the '08-'09 season. From a "name" and "potential" point of view, the cap hit is miniscule. I applaud Lombardi and Jack for agreeing to this contract because I cannot stand it when GMs give in to incredibly long-term contracts and I abhor even more athletes (i.e. NFL rookies) who expect large contracts solely on their potential to be a deciding factor.

I thought Jack would sign in the $2.5-$3 million range for around 3-4 years so I'm thoroughly pleased with the agreed contract. It gives Jack the time to prove his value while allowing Lombardi room to work his magic in the years to come without being locked down to a contract that could be problematic. I'm all for compensating players fairly so if Jack proves that he belongs in the top ranks of NHL defensemen than I will gladly see him be rewarded by the Kings or another team if the Kings have enough depth to wave goodbye to a price that doesn't fit the team's building process.

With that said, how in the world did ex-King Denis Grebeshkov just sign a one-year contract with the Oilers for $3.15 million. Umm....really?

(Photo: Gerry Thomas/Getty Images)

Him? Sure, he has more career points than Jack, but points don't mean everything. He was pretty much useless in the Kings system and I think the Oilers are severely overpaying for him. I wonder what athletes think when they see someone, who may be considered below their value, sign for a lot more. I'm glad the Kings traded Grebeshkov and did not let go of Johnson. There's a lot of upside to him and with a stable, (dare I say, "strong") defense, possibly some confidence from Murray, and hopefully an injury-free season I think he'll show some major improvement in terms of offensive production and smart defense.

P.S. I heart Jack even more because he looks just like this hot Chicago Detective that helped me with an incident I had when I was in the City a month ago. *sigh* I really hope Jack does well this season.

Sully In, Zeiler (Hopefully) Out

O'Sullivan's Back!!

So...can we send Zeiler back to Manchester now? Or, how about this Richardson guy? I'm still not convinced he's an actual hockey player...

I'm actually really surprised at the dollar amount of Sully's contract. It's front loaded so he'll make the most this season, but over three years his contract averages out to just under $3 million/season. I know he only has one solid season to his name but he definitely has great potential and Lombardi definitely pinpointed that last season during interviews. I expected him to sign for an average in the $3.25 range but I guess the difference is miniscule when you're making that much money. I was worried that Sully was going to sign for an average of $4 million but I guess Lombardi knows how to get his way. With Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov and now Sully signed at what seem like cheap contracts in comparison to guys around the league, I wonder what the contracts for Kopitar and Johnson will look like. Will Lombardi be able to re-sign them to relatively inexpensive contracts or will he give them contracts inked in gold?

Sens' Face versus Kings' Face

On Friday, October 2, 2007, Jason Spezza (24) extended his contract with the Ottawa Senators until the 2014-2015 season. Translated: $49M for 7 years. The Sens have also locked up Daniel Alfredsson (34) until 2011-2012 and Dany Heatley (26) until 2013-2014 ($45 for 6 years).

Spezza – Has been only with the Senators since 2002-2003. He has logged 256 games while going 83-183=266. He is +63 with 163 PIM.

Alfredsson – Has been only with the Senators as well, for him, since 1995-1996. He's put in 794 games and is 300-47=778. He's an impressive +130 over these 11 years and has accumulated 355 PIM.

Heatley – Played 3 years at Atlanta and has been with the Sens since 2005-2006. In 366 career games, he has accumulated 188 goals, 216 assists (=404), is a plus 31, and has 306 PIM.

The line has already proven that they can produce and the Ottawa Senators has now told us that these three guys are the official future of their organization. Let's take a look at the Kings' future guys. As I write this, I have thought about who the Kings have shown to be their top boys. Once the league takes notice of this team that is near the top the Pacific Division, who are the faces they will look to? According to Robitaille (while speaking at H & HH), it's Brownie, Kopi, JMFJ, and Bernier. So let's take a look.

The Kings have started in this path by signing Brownie for a 6-year contract for $19.05M. In 206 NHL games he has gone 38-51=89 with 163 PIM. We'll just ignore his plus/minus.

My boy Anze has played in 87 games and going 25-50=75. This center has only 28 PIM. Plus/minus? What's that? But the Kings had better lock him up soon for an extended contract because I really couldn't bear to see him in any other jersey.

JMFJ is a new rookie who I will definitely be keeping my eye on. In 20 games he's gone 1-1=2. 36 PIM and a better plus/minus than the first two Kings mentioned. I see Jack growing immensely this season. He's surrounded by veteran defensemen and I bet we're going to see a noticeable difference in his playing from now to the end of this season.

Jonathan Bernier – Why do I get goose bumps whenever I hear or read his name? Because I'm a nerd and because I have put more hope than I'm comfortable with in his future. I was so sad when the Kings sent him away, but ultimately it was for the best. The boys weren't protecting him and it would have been severely damaging to his development in becoming the fucking awesome goaltender that will soon emerge.

These four guys obviously do not make up the single top line like the Sens, but they are looking to create a solid foundation for this organization to grow on. Our top line? Did the arbitration kill Cammy's shot at a long-term contract? Perhaps. But, he IS the top goal-scorer as of this writing (11). But another thing to point out about Cammy is that he's 25 (he has the same exact birthday as I do down to the year, CRAZY), and the other boys are 22, 20, 20, and 19, respectively. Fro has also been moved around in this mix; at 25 he's a solid contributor as well. But Cammy and the Fro aren't considered part of this emerging flash and dash from the Kings.

The Senators' future versus our future. Is it even comparable? What say you?

Brownie Lands Extension

I know Brownie's contract extension is old news but I've been debating whether or not I want to write about it. Considering how early into the season the decision came along combined with reading about Kipper's recent contract extension, it got me thinking about several things. What other LA Kings may we see agree to a contract extension before the off-season? How much are these players going to sign for? How many more seasons will their extension include? Who is getting the better deal with these early contract decisions? A quick look at THN's salary list shows that Patrick O'Sullivan, Joe Piskula, Erik Ersberg, Gabe Gauthier, and a handful of other veteran Kings and youthful Monarchs will be RFAs at the end of the season. Another interesting point is that Joey is making more than Patty.

At the beginning of last season I was disappointed in Patty's play. He deservedly was sent to Manchester for most of the season but came up at the end of the season and showed a definite improvement. However, his improvement over the off-season has been quite stunning. I definitely want to see him back next season but wouldn't be surprised if management held off for a couple months before they agree to a contract extension. Part of me thinks that management sees him as a part of the youth movement that will see the Kings become true competitors in the NHL but part of me thinks he could be trade bait. If he keeps up the smart play, his intensity, and production, I don't see why the Kings wouldn't keep him for the future. And besides, who would they want to bring in at the trade deadline? I won't say anthing because I don't want to jinx my team, but I know that a lot can happen in just a few months.

Joey P played a couple games with the Kings at the end of the '06-'07 season. I don't remember much of him except that he looked nervous in an interview he did one or two games before he made his NHL debut. I don't doubt that the reason I can't recall his contribution is because of the hype that surrounded JMFJ's first NHL game, which came around the same time that Joe made his appearance. At the H&HH event Luc made some positive comments about Joe and Brian Boyle that made it seem like those two are the future of the Kings blueline, especially Boyle who they are determined to mold into a defenseman. Since he's at Manchester I don't foresee the Kings extending Joe's contract anytime soon. One sidenote: Boyle is HOT! I think I'm surprised because I expected him to look like Chara. No offense to Chara...he's just not my type. Boyle definitely has that model look going for him and a great head of wavy dark hair. Move over Pennersquee, Boyle is going to take the NHL fangirls' panties off with just one sultry look. But let's get back to Piskula; from what I've read in articles and heard in interviews, it seems like Piskula will be around for awhile because of his promising development. During camp there was talk that he might make the squad but was sent down to Manchester just before the start of the season.

I haven't heard much about goaltender Erik Ersberg. Well, actually I do know that he has the heroin chic look down. Seriously, there's no way that kid weighs 182. He's sharing netminder duties with my personal favorite, Dan Cloutier, and so far his 2-1-1, 2.77 GAA, 0.882 SV% is better than Cloutier's stats. Oh Cloutier...you make me proud! Who knows, Ersberg could make a career in the AHL or he could possibly come out of nowhere and make a viable run for a spot on the team in the next several seasons.

Last season I held Gabe Gauthier in the same light as the likes of Noah Clarke and John Zeiler. Needless to say, that's not good for him. However, while Clarke was let go by the team and picked up by Jersey and promptly sent down to a farm team and Zeiler continues to be that "energy" guy who makes more successful hits on the glass than actual players, Gauthier is ripping it up down at Manchester. Last season he was 14-28-42 in 69 games and was a +16. So far this season he leads the Monarchs with 4-8-12 in 8 games and is a +2. On the other hand, Guilano, Cliche, and Tukonen have 0 points combined. Will we see Gauthier this season? If he keeps up his play, I don't see why not. But then again, he could very well be one of those guys who excels in the AHL and then has nothing to show once he's in the NHL. I'm going to keep an eye on him and if he gets called up I'll be supporting him this time, if for no reason other than he's a hometown boy; I don't mean "hometown boy" as in Verne, CA, I'm talking about Torrance, CA! Represent, Gabriel!

As for the questions I posed at the beginning of the post, it seems like Patrick O'Sullivan would be the next likely candidate to receive a contract extension. Even though he sees a lot of PK time the recent move to put him on a line with Frolov and Nagy has so far paid off. If that line continues to produce like they have the past several games, I don't see why Patty couldn't be a 20 goal scorer this sesaon. He'll definitely see a pay raise considering he's not even making $1 million this season.

When I first read that Dustin Brown signed a 6-year contract I was a bit worried he would be bringing in a mighty big paycheck. After finding out that it's just over $3 million/season I began to think that Brownie might not have gotten the best deal. Actually, you know who really got kicked in the crotch over that deal? Michael Cammalleri. I wouldn't be surprised if Cammy has a bounty out for the arbitrator who awarded him his contract. I'd like to think that Brownie really wanted to stay in LA (and according to several LA Times and Kings articles it seems he does) and was willing to take the risk of being underpaid in the future in order to stay with the team.

I'm sure once JMFJ, Anze, and Frolov get ready to renew contracts they'll be offered long-term deals as well. In fact I bet most of the younger players in the NHL will be signing 4-6 year contracts while the veterans will be the ones signing one-year deals, like Brendan Shanahan did. I just hope DL doesn't make another contract extension goof like he did with Cloutier. Thank god he didn't sign him to a 5-year deal; I'd be bleeding out of my eyes if I knew Cloots was making Manchester suffer while he was raking in millions.