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Post by Hockeyfan99 on Aug 3, 2007 8:32:39 GMT -3
Kevin Lowe------ They let Smyth go then they give up a 1st 2nd and 3rd round pick to way over pay Dustin Penner? On one hand I agree with you that Edm should have given Smyth the $5.5M to sign him long term just like how Buffalo should have signed Drury or Briere or both for $5-6M instead of Vanek for $7M. But in Lowe's defense the market has changed since last season where those guys are now $7M dollar players but weren't even 5 or 6 M the year before. Also I think Smyth's situation was a little different in that his agent didn't want to sign an extension during the season and use Symth's Unrestricted Free Agency as leverage to get the most out of Edm as possible and Lowe wasn't willing to risk losing Smyth for nothing so he had to move him. Now I agree completely that $4M is overpayment for Penner this season. But Penner is only 24 so in theory if he continues to develop and becomes a legitimate 1st line winger (not a star) who can regularly put up 30 - 40 goals and 70pts in comparison to the league is that not worth the money? And as much as I love Smyth look at it from Edmonton's point of view. Smyth is 31 yrs old and now makes $6.25 for the next five years for his 36 goals and 68 pts as a top line player. Penner is 24 yrs old entering only his second season and scored 29 goals as a second line player. And he is now making $4.25M which is $10M less over the same term as Smyth. And yes they did lose a 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick by signing Penner but by trading Smyth they got Nilsson, O'Marra and Plante who are 3 first round picks. Plus they also have some pretty good depth with Gagner, Cogliano, Schremp, Pouliout, Trukhno, Chorney and Grebeshkov. So overall, assuming Penner developing into a solid 1st line player and if some of those 1st round prospects work out I think this move will help Edmonton more over the long run than keeping Smyth would have done.
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Post by wingman on Aug 3, 2007 13:39:09 GMT -3
If I had a choice of having either Smythe or Penner on my team, I would go with Smythe because of the other intangibles that he brings to the team. He is a local guy, fans connected with him, a leader on the team, basically their franchise player and the face of that team.
Smythe is a proven player in the league and for the Oilers, Penner could still wind up being a one-year wonder and if that were to happen then the Oilers just paid a very heavy price. Penner had a good regular season but he didn't put up good numbers in the playoffs.
Lowe had the chance to sign Smythe for $5.5 million which at that time was the market price for someone of Smythe's stature. The 7 million dollar market was not set then and in Vanek's case, the only reason why he is part of that 7 million market is because of Lowe, Lowe created that market for Vanek. That's part of the reason why Regier and Burke are pissed at Lowe because of the potential market that he is setting.
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Post by Hockeyfan99 on Aug 3, 2007 14:13:12 GMT -3
If I had a choice of having either Smythe or Penner on my team, I would go with Smythe because of the other intangibles that he brings to the team. He is a local guy, fans connected with him, a leader on the team, basically their franchise player and the face of that team. I completely agree with you but that wasn't Lowe's option. In reality it came down to a choice between: Symth for $6.25M per season Edmonton's 1st, 2nd & 3rd round draft picks or Penner for $4.25M per season Robert Neilson (22 yr old selected 15th overall, projected top line forward) Ryan O'Marra (20 yr old selected 15th overall, projected 2nd centre) Alex Plante (18 yr old selecetd 15th overall, projected Top 4 defenseman) I personally would take Penner and company.
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Post by wingman on Aug 3, 2007 14:43:12 GMT -3
For Lowe's sake that first round pick better not be a top 10 pick because that '08 draft is supposed to be a deep one. If the Ducks were to get a player who is a better player than Penner then that makes the signing look awfully bad.
If comparing Penner's and Smythe's salaries in regard to the Oilers, IMO the salary to be used for Smythe would be $5.5 million and not $6.25 million. He may be making $6.25 million now but when he was with the Oilers he was asking for $5.5 million. Basically if he had signed with Edmonton during the season he would have been on the books for $5.5 million, not the $6.25 million that he got from another team.
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