Just hours before they were set to have their arbitration hearing, the New York Rangers and restricted free-agent center, Derek Stepan agreed on terms of a 6 year deal...$39 million for six years...$6.5 million...Not a bad agreement since Stepan (25) was heading into the arbitration looking for $7.25 million yearly, and the Rangers were offering $5.2 million...
Besides being a key member to the Rangers lineup, it was the ridiculous contract that Buffalo gave Ryan O'Reilly, that was forcing this to arbitration if the Rangers didn't pay up...Stepan is a solid two-way center, who has better numbers the O'Reilly...
More info backing up this signing...Stepan is the first New York Rangers' to put up 50 or more points in 3 consecutive seasons, since Wayne Gretzky...
This past season Stepan finished 5th or higher in all of the following team stats...Assists, Points, Game-Winning Goals, Plus/Minus rating, Shots on Goal, Power Play Goals, Power Play Assists, Power Play Points, Short-handed Goals, Short-handed Assists, and Short-handed Points...
The only other player to do that was Chicago's Jonathan Toews...
Stepan is a key piece for this team to continue doing what they've been doing...But they have hardly any room under the cap now...I would like to see them move defenseman Dan Boyle, but I'm not sure anyone wants that old man and his contract...An easier contract to move would be defenseman, Kevin Klein who just had his best season of his career, and is cap hit just under $3 million...
Rangers fans are happy we got Stepan locked up, along with other key restricted free agents, JT Miller, Jesper Fast, and Emerson Etem...But a bit of cap wiggle room will help too.
Yep, more Hockey talk...Last week I posted THIS about NHL'ers and the Prime of their careers...That mixed with all THIS free agency and trade news, mixed with an idiot on Sirius XM's NHL Radio has inspired this Monday's post...
The Idiot is Michelle Sturino...And just when I didn't think her god-awful voice couldn't get more annoying, it did! I'm a big fan of NHL Radio, and most of teh hard "O" and "eh" shit doesn't bother me...And actually most of the guys there are professionals, and don't do too much of that shit...But Sturino in her TOrOntO studio is awful...The voice is nauseating...But it's stupidity and horrible topics are just as bad...
Sturino and some fill-in guy were talking Sunday afternoon, and the topic of all the free agents signings was up front, along with the Kessel and Oshie trades...Then they brought up the Brandon Saad trade...Little was said about the trade...Instead they were focused on the contract Saad signed with the Bluejackets after being traded there...
Rumblings came out that Saad, (at the time a restricted free agent) was offered 5 years at an average of $5 million a year, and it was turned down...Saad signed with Columbus for 6 years $36 million....
So Sturino started whining, "How much money is enough? What's more important, winning or money?" She was appalled that Saad would be willing to be moved out of the winning climate of Chicago for money...
Now I think all pro athletes are overpaid, (not talking about players in the minors [baseball and hockey]) but the market is what it is...So...
Hey dummy Sturino, Saad won two Stanley Cups making low money, why the fuck shouldn't he get paid? He's won, and he got moved to an emerging team...Besides that, he just a had a huge playoff performance that showed everyone in the hockey world, that he's just starting to hit his prime at 22 years old...
He's fast, strong, plays physical, plays excellent defense, and has plenty of offensive potential...He plays on the PK and PP...He's the type of player every team wants...Why the hell shouldn't he cash in....But besides that, this is Hockey...His career can end his next shift...Especially based on the way he plays...This isn't tiddlywinks...This is Hockey...If things go bad, this 6 year contract could be his last...These players need to think about the future too, not just winning...
Then this idiot Sturino was whining again..."What happened to the bridge contract? Why is no one doing bridge contracts anymore?"
A Bridge contract is a cheap 1-3 year deals to let players "prove" themselves...When an entry-level contract expires, players generally only have a few years of NHL experience and can be hard to evaluate....The bridge contract allows teams to evaluate their talent with a bigger sample size...
Hey, idiot Derek Stepan's last contract was a bridge contract, because the Rangers overpaid to get Brad Richards, and overpaid Marc Staal and Dan Girardi...So they pushed Stepan towards a bridge deal...Now he has them over a barrel because he's earned what the market says will be a $6-7 million per year deal...T.J. Oshie did a bridge deal before he signed his 5 year deal that averages over $4 million a season...
Teams and players do bridge deals...They aren't there for a guy to take a home town discount, they are there for teams to evaluate talent, and players to out-play their existing contract, and earn more money...
I'm not sure who hire Michelle Sturino, but they should be fired...Please, don't let just any TOrOntO dolt talk hockey because they say OH-ffense...Thay shold have afucking clue too...Stupid stammering, stuttering, bitch!
-Now for something on the lighter side...In the past I posted a video of T.J. Oshie doing some fine charity working and making kids happy...Well, when he was traded this week to Washington, it broke a 5 year old girls heart...And Oshie, with some help from ESPN did his best to try to make her smile...
Welcome to another Monday...This Monday being Memorial Day...Yes, Memorial Day...And just for the record everyone on Twitter, and Facebook, there's no need to post your "Memorial Day isn't just about cookouts, ballgames, and parties" comment...I KNOW....I took history classes in college just for fucking fun! Here's a Memorial Day fun fact for ya....
Memorial Day was started by former slaves on May, 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC to honor 257 dead Union Soldiers who had been buried in a mass grave in a Confederate prison camp. They dug up the bodies and worked for 2 weeks ... to give them a proper burial as gratitude for fighting for their freedom. They then held a parade of 10,000 people led by 2,800 Black children where they marched, sang and celebrated.
As for sports...The NHL schedule makers have decided to make my life miserable, as everyone of the Rangers playoff games seem to be on nights I work...While their off days fall on my days off...For example the Rangers and Habs played Thursday...Then the NHL gave them Friday and Saturday off...Which shockingly were my days off this week...What the hell is that...They don't need two days off...I do, but I'm not millions like they are! Then they played again Sunday...While I was working...They get back at Tuesday...While I'm working...
We spent a portion of Saturday cleaning out our basement, as the foundation work, and basement reno starts Tuesday morning...The rest of the house is quite crowded now, and will be for two weeks...I hope the weather is nice...I plan on Molls, Finnegan and I spending a lot of time at the park...Speaking of my little girl, I've realized I haven't popped her face in a blog in awhile...Here she is this past Saturday...
-I did find some excitement on Twitter when I wished harm on Canadiens forward, Daniel Briere...This past week, Briere's teammate Brandon Prust, took a late, cheap-shot at the head of Rangers center, Derek Stepan...It broke Stepan's jaw, and he had surgery Friday, (a plate had to place in there)...Briere comment that it seemed fishy, that the Rangers were playing games...Dude had a broken jaw...How the fuck is that fishy...Why would you have your top center miss at least one game and get surgery as a gamesmanship tactic...I have grown to hate every Montreal Canadiens player and coach...Their idiot coach just won't shut up...Oh, hey boys...Your now down 3-1 after the Rangers OT win Sunday night...You know what...Keep talking shit, and keep losing!
So yeah, I called for harm to Briere, and my twitter blew up...Many people retweeted it, and favorite it...Many got mad at me...Including some so-called Rangers fans...I don't care...Fuck them...Briere is a twat, just like all those diving, crying twats on that team...But the one guy coming at me the most was a dick-bag from Boston who on his profile quotes Milan Lucic's "I'm going to fucking kill you next year!" When I called him out on this including the #TwitterCunts which I hope takes off, he went silent with me...Typical!
I also found this while I was playing with the puppets on Twitter...Gave this old goalie a chuckle...
(Click on the audio in the top left for a little more effect)
That's it for me folks...Taking the kids to the local Memorial Day parade...Gonna see some friends....Gonna grill some burgers...Drink some beers...Hopefully the History Channel will have some cool shit on, instead of a "Pawn Stars" marathon!
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