With the signing of Slava Voynov earlier today the Kings now have five defenseman under contract for next season – Drew Doughty, Matt Greene, Willie Mitchell. Robyn Regehr and Voynov.
They also have used up $56.76M of the allowed $64.3M salary cap on 15 players. That leaves an average of about $950K each for the remaining eight roster spots that need to be filled.
Even though some may try to argue the points, there are two assumptions that are fairly safe to make:
(a) Any decision to put Mitchell on Long Term Injured Reserve isn’t likely to come before the free agent window opens in a few weeks. So, for the immediate future, his $3.5M is on the books. Remember, he can’t be bought out as long as he’s injured. Thus, the only options for Mitchell next season are play him, trade him or put him on LTIR.
(b) Scuderi isn’t likely to sign in LA for $2M – despite any sentimental feelings about his teammates and winning a Cup here – given that his value on the open market might be near double that per year. And even if Dean Lombardi could convinced him to do it, things would still be a challenge for LA because they’d only have about $806K each to sign their other seven guys – including Kyle Clifford and Jake Muzzin.
So, the only conceivable way the Kings can sign Scuderi at this point is to trade a currently signed roster player. To be perfectly clear, you’d realistically have to trade one of these 11 names:
Dustin Brown ($3.175M), Jeff Carter ($5.273), Drew Doughty ($7.0M), Matt Greene ($2.95M), Anze Kopitar ($6.8M), Jonathan Quick ($5.8M), Robyn Regehr ($3.0M), Mike Richards ($5.75M), Jarret Stoll ($3.25M), Slava Voynov ($4.167M) or Justin Williams ($3.60M).
…because Colin Fraser ($825K), Dwight King ($750K) or Tyler Toffoli ($870K) on their own wouldn’t be enough cap space…and Mitchell probably isn’t very tradable at the moment.
Which leads to the ultimate question:
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Can’t we go over the cap by 10% in the off season? When does that allowance expire?
Yes, teams can go over the cap by 10% during the summer. That doesn’t really solve the Kings overall issue, as laid out here:
http://mayorsmanor.com/2013/06/why-the-kings-cant-bring-everybody-back-simplistic-overview/
Dump Regehr, didn’t understand why we signed him long term anyway. Scuderi is hands down one of the best D-men in the league.
It is a bit perplexing that they would have gone this route, Regehr over Scudzzzz….I do not think he will be back though =/
Insurance in case Scuds didn’t work out
As MayorsManor first reported back in February, both Lombardi and Scuderi confirmed to us they were having talks on an extension.
So, basically look at this way, by May they had a greater than 50% belief that Mitchell might not be back…and Scuderi hadn’t signed yet…. they didn’t want to go 0-3, so Regehr was given an extension.
Better to have one than none at all.
I agree with dumping Regehr. He was great as an injury fill-in, but now he’s simply not necessary.
couldnt agree more hes great but not long term
I agree. Regehr < Scuds
John, I think you’re overestimating his value on the open market. He’s 35 in December and his last deal raised eyebrows as a 31 year old coming off leading a Cup Champion in PK ice time and blocked shots. He was a distant 3rd and 2nd respectively in those stats for the Kings Cup run.
I put him on par this Summer with Brad Ference who we know Boston won’t bring back. They’re both 34, middle of the depth chart blueliners with tons of Cup experience. Brad is a glove dropper and a puck mover, two things Rob doesn’t really do. And Brad is coming off a deal that pays him $2.25 million.
I just don’t see how Scud can get as much or more this Summer than what he got in ’09. So the difference between what he “might cost” and say, Martinez, could also cost might not be $2.5 to 3 million. It might be half of that.
He might pull an Aaron Miller and want a multi and I think Dean would have to pull the brakes on that. But I wouldn’t write him off thinking teams are going to line up offering him the same numbers he’s made as a King.
Expecting the Islanders to offer him four years for between $13 – 15million. A bidding war with three other teams could easily see that number increase.
Wish we could keep Scuderi but my fear is that he’s not willing to take a hometown discount for 2 years. I know he said he likes it here in LA, but I’m terrified he feels like it’s time to move on. Please stay, Scuds!
trade his rights to the islanders for a pick
What rights? Scuderi is an unrestricted free agent. The only “rights” that the Kings have is the right of exclusive negotiation until the free agent window opens, which isn’t something worth giving up a pick for.
Scuderi’s rights can be traded anytime before July 5th, which is when he becomes unrestricted. This is fairly common practice at this time of year, as it gives the new team an exclusive negotiating window with the player.
trade cliffy
Clifford is a Restricted Free Agent, so trading him won’t save you any money at the moment.
Read this article and try putting a 23-man roster together:
http://mayorsmanor.com/2013/06/why-the-kings-cant-bring-everybody-back-simplistic-overview/
Not as easy as it looks.
Well, you don’t have to pay the cap penalty until when?
So after July 5, the team should be set except for players that are and should move at the draft… likely Bernier. I think Signing Clifford and Nolan only will work if we trade one of them. Obviously Clifford has more trade value as a player, especially in Vancouver, but as a free agent his rights are worth about the same as Nolan’s.
Sign both, Sign Scuderi, Send Two of them To BC for a few draft picks, a prospect, and anyone of value over the age of 34. Deal should happen.
Bernier goes to Islanders or Philly, with the possibility of NJ, so depending on the picks we get from that deal, and what kind of offense we can add with available talent, all of our acquisitions will have to come through trade rather than free agency.
Brad Richardson is over-paid for a great skater, but only a decent hockey player. I just hope they don’t screw Muzzin with a qualifying rookie offer to keep under the cap, and that they pay the kid a little extra for the hard work.
Also, I think Lewis should be an easy signing, as his numbers aren’t great, but he does so many little things that go unnoticed to other teams, he’ll remain in L.A.
Yeah, you want to get rid of Clifford and Nolan? So in other words, you would like to get rid of all the Kings tougness?
I am so glad you have no part in the Kings organization!
Sorry for not being as precise, but I would ship out Clifford, keep Nolan, and forget 2-time Cup Champ Rob “I am afraid to throw a body check” Scuderi. Matt Greene is a tough dude. Mike Richards is probably the toughest guy on the team as a whole. I sat through seasons of my favorite fighter, Matt Johnson fighting, eventual King, but then Duck, Stu Grimson. Fighting in the NHL hasn’t been the same since Patrick Roy’s kids started riots in Quebec. Now you have to file a petition when your guy gets a cheap shot just to give one or two after the whistle. I miss the forum during preseason, when a majority of the team by the end of regulation was either in the box, or in the dressing room already.
Doughty loves to chirp. Brownie is one hard hitting guy, if he could just get over the fact that he’s mentally blocked since his suspension for standing still as someone headbutted his elbow. Stoll has developed a nasty little streak (almost Pat Verbeek, Little ball of Hate style). If Penner is signed and plays as big as he is that is a force in itself.
Plus let us remember CLUNE. Yes, our lovable minor league enforcer. He’s young. He trains with UFC fighters. And he would really love to play in the NHL. And I hardly think anyone in the league thinks that losing one or two guys would seriously diminish the “toughness” of any of Sutter’s teams, let alone this one.
This season, I saw Mike Richards start more fights sticking up for his teammates than any other player on the team. Our detriment was not our toughness, but our inability to score when Jonathan Quick (Who gets treated like a pin cushion and boxing bag in the crease) puts up a human display in net. The rest of the time, we end up winning 2 to 1, and our strength is throughout the lineup.
And Again Trevor Lewis for the Hart Trophy, someday.
Ummm….Isaak….Rich Clune a member of the Nashville Predators, played 47 of 48 games with the Predators in 2013, and is under contract with the Predators through the end of the 2013-14 season.
Yeah, I spaced… my bad. Totally not the point though. 🙂
Trade King. Trade Scuds rights…I don’t think we can afford him. Is Fobert ready? Deselaruis? Someone in the farm ready to play defensive defenseman? We just need a guy to block shots and play defense. Cue Matt Greene to step up next season and here is praying for Mitchell to come back.
Forbort is not ready yet. He’ll be in Manchester next year for his first full season of pro hockey.
John, according to capgeek.com, Mitchell could be bought out such that his cap hit would be reduced to $1.17M for 2013-14 and another $1.17M for 2014-15. However, I’ve heard that it is Mitchell’s injury status (as opposed to his 35+ contract) that prevents the otherwise permissible buyout. Can you confirm those things?
All true, yes. Mitchell can’t be bought out as long as he’s injured – it’s either play him, trade him or LTIR.
Unfortunately, this normal attrition. We can’t afford to pay Scuds what he’s worth. We have a team that is competing at a high level, ’12 champs & ’13 Western Conference runner up, it doesn’t make sense to start trading away valuable players and risk throwing off team chemistry. We have to let him go and hope Willie gets back on the ice soon. Rob, thanks for 4 great years and helping us win the cup. Wish you the best of luck with the rest of your career. gKg.
I personally think Scuds is too valuable to let go. His job is very specific and not a lot of players in the NHL can do his job as well as him. There is a reason he has been on 2 championship teams and been such a crucial part of both championships. He brings the calmness, composure, positioning and veteran presence that is especially needed on the Kings blue line.
I think we can sever ties with Richardson, Nolan, King and even Martinez. I would hate to see Martinez go but with Doughty, Voynov and Muzzin in the lineup and Mitchell hopefully making his way back I don’t see him as needed as much. Sutter doesn’t prefer him it seems. Plus with Ellerby we have a few too many D men in the lineup and I would rather cut ties with Martinez rather than Scuderi. They will never dish King it seems and considering we are down on LW it wouldn’t be best to let him go but I feel like any LW in the league could have produced as much as he did this season, if not more.
I am not saying I have all the answers as far as money but I would say dishing out a couple bottom 6 forwards and a bottom D would be worth keeping Scuderi around. He helped both Drew and Slava become the offensive defensemen they are. He is a good ying to their yang.
Scuderi was an invaluable piece of Deano’s championship puzzle, and I wish him the best wherever he ends up. I just don’t see how the math works with all the other FA’s the Kings have.
My hope is Dean packages Bernier & Stoll to the highest bidder to free up cap space. Move Cartsy to C, re-sign Penner, Lewis, KFC, Muzzin, Martinez, Nolan.
That’ll Give the Kings 3 top lines. (25-77-73… 13-11-14… 23-10-22)
The math works. If interested, here’s the capgeek link (w/ a “Playoff Penner Smashy” hometown discount of $2.4m): http://capgeek.com/cap-calculator/roster/21565
What’s Bernier worth?