AJC > Sports > Thrashers > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 27 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSalary cap helps Thrashers improve
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a league without salary caps Mathieu Schneider would never have become a Thrashers defenseman. But the NHL does have a cap, and the Anaheim Ducks couldn’t handle Schneider’s $5.625 million salary, and neither, it appears could a lot of other teams.
“It’s proven to be more difficult to move players than I envisioned,” Ducks general manager Brian Burke told reporters on Friday. “You’re talking about a good hockey player in Mathieu Schneider, a good person. But getting teams to take on that salary was difficult. So, to me, it’s a relief. And it’s the right thing to do for Mathieu. I wasn’t comfortable making him swing in the wind. I don’t like that a player’s fate hung in the balance for a few days like that. At least now there’s some certainty in his life as far as what happens next. It was a good day.”
Even the Thrashers, who eventually grabbed Schneider, were patient enough not to claim him off waivers and instead wait until they could not only acquire him but ship players, and their salaries, to Anaheim. The waivers opportunity came up last week, and even after that the trade talk wasn’t instant.
“Atlanta just came into the picture in the last couple of days,” Schneider said.
Schneider hasn’t been working out with the Ducks. He never reported to camp, at Burke’s request. But Schneider said that won’t be an issue and that he has plenty of time to be ready for the regular season. “I’ve been skating for a few weeks,” he said. “It’s not really a concern of mine.”
There’s not much doubt he would have preferred to stay with the Ducks, but that was never an option, not in this day of the salary cap, with the Ducks needing to make space for Teemu Selanne.
“It’s been a real interesting summer,” Schneider said. “I’ve known for some time I was going to be moved. … We all have to live with the [salary cap] system. I was one of the players who voted for it.”
Comments
By Mike Knobler
September 27, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this
BTW, one interesting measure of how old Schneider is: He played four games for the Canadiens in 1987, when John Anderson was still playing for the Hartford Whalers. Anderson doesn’t remember if he played against Schneider; they could have faced each other in 1989, too, when Schneider played for Sherbrooke in the AHL and Anderson played three games for Binghamton before going overseas.
By d
September 27, 2008 8:35 PM | Link to this
What’s happening (or not happening) with Moose? He finished 2008 season with some bad outings - and it looks like it is carrying over into this year’s exhibition games (allowing 9 goals on 36 shots). At what point does Anderson decide Moose needs to spend time in Chicago?
By Toby
September 27, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this
Sorry to carry this over from the last blog… but here’s a great thought…
Schneider’s contract + Slava’s contact (both up at the end of the season) = Kovy’s new $10 mil/year contract at the end of this season. God, I love this trade :)
By Thrasher_Ed
September 27, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this
Toby, Pardon the Interuption, but you are mistaken! Slava signed a 3 yr deal that expires the same time as Kovy’s. Check nhlnumbers.com!
By ranallo10 (in AT)
September 27, 2008 10:49 PM | Link to this
Toby — Kozlov is signed through the 2009/2010 season. So $10M wont be off the books upon the end of this season.
However, Kovalchuk’s salary and cap hit wouldn’t take effect until the 2010/2011 season, no matter when the contract is signed.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
By ranallo10 (in AT)
September 27, 2008 10:51 PM | Link to this
Looks like Thrasher_Ed beat me to it…
By sisu
September 27, 2008 11:50 PM | Link to this
So can we bring in Teemu next? :)
By Brian R.
September 28, 2008 2:39 AM | Link to this
No extensions can be signed until the last contractual year, if I’m not mistaken.
By Lee
September 28, 2008 4:14 AM | Link to this
The title of this artcile should be Salary Cap FORCES Thrashers to improve, because otherwise we would be the Pittsburgh Pirates of the NHL!!!! And who doesn’t like Adam LaRoche!!!!!!!!
By Jim
September 28, 2008 8:32 AM | Link to this
Sisu- Teemu signed a tryout contract with the Ducks with the understanding that they would work out a deal to free up salary cap space for him Thus we got MS.
We are going to have a pretty offensive group of D-men- Toby, Bogo, MS and Grant Lewis who can move the puck.
How has Reasoner looked so far?
By Toby
September 28, 2008 9:56 AM | Link to this
ah…my mistake. uuuhhhhh….Williams + Schneider = close to Kovy’s new contract.
By Brendan
September 28, 2008 12:58 PM | Link to this
Without the cap, as has been posted here many times now by various posters, the Thrashers payroll might look something more like $35 million. Or lower. So, yes, the salary cap has helped the Thrashers. Failure to reach the floor can result in a hefty fine and a loss of a draft pick or picks.
Not good.
Hand forced.
Schneider here.
I”m not crying over Klee and Larsen, or Chad Painchaud. In French, his name (Painchaud) means “hot bread.”
Remember, back in the 2005-06 season, we were all “concerned” because our team was flush against the cap limit, as we endured five goaltenders and four groin injuries (Lehtonen, Dunham, Shields, and Garnett). Yeah, but … otherwise … how would we EVER have become acquainted with Adam Berkhoel? At one point in the season, Bob Hartley actually said, “From now on, Berkie is our guy (in net).” Just one of many memorable Hartley quotes.
In the 2006-07 season, we stressed “flexibility” regarding our cap situation. Here were are, in 2008-09, and I’d say we’ve taken “flexibility” to a whole new level.
By Smoothie
September 28, 2008 1:33 PM | Link to this
Now that a player of Schneider’s caliber is coming to Thrasherville, do any of our esteemed bloggers think that it could mark the end of the Swedish defensive duo Havelid & Tobes? I’m not sure if it will happen immediately, but something in my gut tells me that it could very well happen. Here’s why?
1) Hainsey is getting what $4.5 M / year?? No way did we sign this guy expecting him to play 2nd pairing minutes. Unless JA decides to play the top two pairs evenly and split PP time for the two units, then I don’t see how you keep Hainsey off the first pair.
2) Enstrom was inked to a much bigger deal over 4 years. To me it’s a signal to the team that we are investing in Tobias as our # 1 man (or at least a Top Pairing man) for years to come. I would not be surprised in the least if Havelid is asked to play third pairing mins to “protect” Exelby or Valbik.
3) Schneider is 39 and is probably not expecting to play first pairing minutes. While he may still be capable of 40-50 points on the scoresheet, I am humbly inclined to think he was brought in to tutor and mentor the young Zach Bogosian. Having a veteran like the Hebrew Hammer on the second pairing allows Boges to settle in without a huge risk of failure at the NHL level. And if things don’t work out, you can still shuffle the lines and move Havelid back to the 2nd pairing with Tobes while Schneidy and Hainsey play top minutes.
4) Exelby’s limitations and propensity for getting out of position makes it too risky for him to play even diminished third pairing minutes with the likes of an 18 yr old freshman or Bobo the Clown who likes to engage in silly, impetuous behavior that puts him in the Sin Bin much too often. The point being is that the safer route would be to ask a veteran at the end of his career like Havs to do the team-oriented thing and move to the third pairing.
So in conclusion, and I apologize for the Brendan-esque sized post, I am thinking our pairings will look like this by the 4th or 5th game of the year:
Enstrom / Hainsey
Bogosian / Schneider
Exelby / Havelid
Valabik in the pressbox
What do y’all think about our D and what our coaches plan to do with the suddenly augmented talent level on the blueline??
By Baldheaded Thrasher
September 28, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
Smoothie- I’m thinking: 1) Enstrom/Havelid 2) Hainsey/Schneider 3) Exelby/Valbik
Bogosian is the Wild Card if he stays or not.
I’m thinking that JA will juggle the pairings to see what the best fit will be, but we’ll probably not know until JA decides to keep Bogosian or send him down.
JA will not split the Swedes(not broke don’t fix it!)
I’m hoping that Schneider/Hainsey will be the 2nd line and Exelby/Valabik 3rd. If ATL goes with Bogosian the 2nd line will have to be split, and my guess is that Schneider would be the mentor to Bogosian.
Not really a bad position for JA to be in.
By Baldheaded Thrasher
September 28, 2008 3:11 PM | Link to this
Smoothie- I’m thinking: 1) Enstrom/Havelid 2) Hainsey/Schneider 3) Exelby/Valbik
Bogosian is the Wild Card if he stays or not.
I’m thinking that JA will juggle the pairings to see what the best fit will be, but we’ll probably not know until JA decides to keep Bogosian or send him down.
JA will not split the Swedes(not broke don’t fix it!)
I’m hoping that Schneider/Hainsey will be the 2nd line and Exelby/Valabik 3rd. If ATL goes with Bogosian the 2nd line will have to be split, and my guess is that Schneider would be the mentor to Bogosian.
Not really a bad position for JA to be in.
By Tony C.
September 28, 2008 4:23 PM | Link to this
I am still in shock that DW didn’t include our 2nd pick in this upcoming draft as well as the following year. O trade Sterling or some other pulling-my-hair-out inducing thing like he’s done so often in the past.
Good deal for both sides-Anaheim has the room to sign Teamu, gets some depth and maybe a gem in the rough, with the longshot Painchuard.
We get an NHL defenCeman.
By ranallo10 (in AT)
September 28, 2008 4:50 PM | Link to this
Tony C. — Had Bobby Ryan come this way, would you have worried about losing Sterling or the second round pick in 2009?
I agree though, I’m glad there was no asset lost in that trade that I personally regret losing (Painchaud isn’t a huge loss in my books, though it’s never fun to give away prospects). I’m also happy to my least favorite defender was shipped off (sorry Nikita), and an excess grinding line forward was sent away as well.
By Jarndyce
September 29, 2008 8:29 AM | Link to this
I’ll stop short of saying that I’ll set my head on fire if Bogosian doesn’t make this team, but I’d certainly be willing to wager something. I can’t imagine that Bogosian gets sent back to juniors. There’s just so little upside to that. I think that the d lines will be a bit juggled, and look more like:
Havelid-Enstrom Schneider-Bogosian Hainsey-Exleby/Valabik
You get stability around the younger players, and three balanced lines that can spread the minutes out fairly evenly.
By Crazy Diamond
September 29, 2008 10:57 AM | Link to this
We asre so screwed.
By Crazy Diamond
September 29, 2008 10:58 AM | Link to this
We are so screwed.
By Ted
September 29, 2008 11:03 AM | Link to this
Is Enstrom talented enough to play center or wing on the top two lines? Reason that I ask is because we seem to have enough defensemen now with the trade. Toby at center/wing would take advantage of his passing and shooting. And, it would let him take a lesser beating. The kid has talent!!
By Tony C.
September 29, 2008 4:56 PM | Link to this
Ted,
I dunno, the guy is definitely a playmaker buuuuut….. That would leave us with:
Schneider, Havelid, Hainsey, X, Valabik, Bogosian and probably Kulda as our defenders-and I for one just don’t think that any of those last four guys are ready to put in quality top-4 type minutes.
Ranallo-Dude, if we could’ve gotten Ryan I would be A-OK with giving up the pick(s). As I thought about the trade it occured to me: Sterling doesn’t really mesh in there because of his new contract-Anaheim’s @ the cap and may still have to dump some salary.
But yeah, if we could’ve gotten Ryan I’d be stoked.
By Frontman
September 30, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Ted, remember that Enstrom was almost even on plus/minus until the very end of the season with a team that was horrible. That indicates that he’s either really lucky, or playing some good D. I’m gonna go with the latter. Lower his minutes a bit and he can be hugely productive as an offensive d-man.