The Edmonton Journal reports that UFA-to-be goalie Dwayne Roloson still hasn’t received a contract offer from the Oilers.
“We haven’t started talking at all,” Roloson said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. “But they’ve had other issues to get resolved … lots to do with hiring coaches and firing coaches.”
Oilers GM Steve Tambellini, who attended meetings in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, said the two sides would begin serious negotiations on a new contract very soon. His last deal was a $3.67M cap hit annually.
On the one hand, pending contract negotiations are a good sign for Oilers fans. Despite the fact that Roloson will turn 40 near the start of next season, he can still likely be a really effective goalie for at least one more year – if not longer. Roloson is probably as good of an option for a single season as anyone that’ll be on the market and without him the Oilers would have had zero chance of being anywhere near a playoff race in ’08-9. Signing him means the team wants to be as competitive as possible under its new coaches from the get go.
But… the guy is going to be 40. 40! There’s certainly some validity to the “fewer miles on his body” argument that we hear all of the time, but Father Time is Father Time and 40 is 40. If the Oilers were primed to make a playoff run in the next few years then ok – and you certainly want to go into every season believing you have a chance to win it all – but realistically? True, the same could have been said before the season they went to the Cup Finals against the Canes – who just made another deep run themselves this spring – but at some point Edmonton has to get younger in net and this is as good a point as any.
It can’t be said enough times – this would be the perfect summer to acquire Kari Lehtonen from the Thrashers, who will be an RFA again this summer. Potential franchise goalies don’t grow on trees and they don’t become available every day either. At least find out what the asking price is for him. Josh Harding is locked out of the starting job in Minnesota with Niklas Backstrom’s new deal too, so the Oilers should go as aggressively after one of them as they did Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa as UFAs last summer. There are a number of pretty decent UFA and RFA choices on the goaltending market this summer, but Lehtonen and Harding are the two most likely available prized catches when you look at the long term picture.
Get someone who can be a part of Edmonton’s new coaching direction right off the hop and who can grow with the young players on this team, rather than having to start all over again when Roloson’s time finally runs out.
NIED-ING AN ANSWER
In today’s Los Angeles Times, Ducks General Manager Bob Murray said the GM meetings Tuesday were useful simply to get a sense of his colleagues’ thoughts, but he has other things on his mind that will have a big impact on the franchise: whether defenseman Scott Niedermayer will re-sign for one more year.
Murray said he planned to talk to Niedermayer before the June 26 draft and has not changed that strategy.
“We set a date and it’s not here yet,” Murray said. “The time frame is not yet.
“We’re not going to put any pressure on him. We’ll just leave him alone until then.”
The stud defenceman, who made $6.75M last season in the final year of his contract, was one point shy in ’08-9 of posting his third 60+ point season in his last four tries (25 points in 48 GP during his shortened season in ’07-8). He can obviously still bring the heat in fantasy despite the fact that he’ll be turning 36 at the end of August.
He, Francois Beauchemin and Bret Hedican are UFAs, while Chris Pronger has one year left on his current deal. James Wisniewski needs to be qualified as an RFA and will certainly be due a raise, while Ryan Whitney has four years remaining on that contract he signed while with the Penguins.
Niedermayer (assuming he plays, which I think he will) and Pronger will be a fantasy goldmine in ’09-10, as usual, regardless of how things shake out in Anaheim. What happens beyond that really just depends on Niedermayer’s initial retirement situation and where the chips fall from there. His choice may also impact the fate of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, his $6M cap hit and any inclination to waive that no-trade clause.
GUSTAVSSON’S TOUR NEARS
The Toronto Sun reports that 24-year-old Swedish phenom Jonas Gustavsson, who is regarded as the best goaltender not in the NHL, will visit Toronto in the next two weeks to decide where he wants to sign as a unrestricted free agent. Leafs general manager Brian Burke told reporters the club is one of three teams on Gustavsson’s list.
“He’s going to visit three cities, Toronto being one of them, and then make his choice,” Burke said following the GMs meetings yesterday.
The article notes that Dallas and Colorado have been mentioned in past reports as being the other two contending teams for his services, but don’t forget that recent Denver Post piece that said San Jose was on his short list as well. Burke doesn’t specifically mention the Stars or Avs in his quote, so we’ll see.
Since Dallas and San Jose each has a veteran goalie about to enter into the final year of his respective contract and the Sharks would present a much better chance to win than Colorado, wouldn’t that make sense for the goalie? The Avs offer the immediate chance to jump in as the number one netminder, but the Stars and Sharks situations would each allow for a season of acclimatization to the North American game and then, assuming he’s actually good in the NHL, he could take over as the starter on a solid squad. Both the Avs and Leafs, while having a wider door open for starting duties off the bat, are teams in transition.
What sort of fantasy impact Gustavsson can have immediately really depends on where he signs, but you should really temper your expectations for next season to give him a year to adjust to the NHL. He should still theoretically be light years ahead of any 18-year old first round draft pick in terms of the development of his game because he’s bringing much more experience to the table, but getting used to those angles on a smaller rink can be a big deal.
Gustavsson had originally planned to make this trip to North America earlier, but his mother fell ill and sadly has passed away. The funeral will be later this week.
NO GRABOVSKI PROGRESS
That same article in the Sun had a brief mention on 25-year forward Mikhail Grabovski, who had a strong 48-point showing with 92 PIM in his first full season in the NHL. He had 74 points in 78 GP spread over two seasons in the AHL when he was with the Canadiens organization.
He’s slated to become an RFA and while contract talks have continued, no progress has yet been made. If Grabovski files for arbitration, then Burke said contract negotiations are toast.
“I have really simple rules: Once a player files for arbitration, we go,” Burke said. “There are no settlements on the courtroom steps, and the player has to know that. We are going to arbitration at that point. I respect the process; it’s part of the CBA, and if the award is something we don’t like, we have the option to walk away. Or, we have the option to peddle the player. But, Mikhail’s a good kid and I’d like to keep him.”
Grabovski had 17 points in his final 15 GP and will look to carry that momentum over into next season.