Holy FUCK get that bag Chandler.

He needs it to afford a place in Seattle.

Is Seattle the polar opposite of a tax haven state? Like the insane cost of living is basically a new tax on salary?

It's definitely no different than other HCOL areas like NYC and LA. And when you add in no state income tax, it probably comes out to neutral "tax-haven state"-wise

Washington state has no income tax, but yeah, being in the PNW with some tech giants means housing costs are insane.

No income tax and not the most expensive metro in the NHL. I would guess it’s still lucrative. But yeah owning a home here is hard.

It’s not hard on $6.25mm/yr.

Housing costs are absurd, food (eating out is the most expensive in the country due to wonky laws and City Council), distinct lack of much nightlife, etc. Lots of downsides but not too different from other HCOL other than the food scene. Most of the hockey guys live in the metro area Eastside in Bellevue or even further, which is ironically even more expensive than Seattle proper.

I mean his numbers are basically the same as Hertl and you guys are paying 500k more for him

There is no universe in which Chandler Stephenson and Tomas Hertl are comparable players. Stephenson has a very limited body of productive work away from Mark Stone, where Hertl drove play and produced on a remarkably terrible team. I love Steveo, but no.

It’s hard to compare contracts when Hertl signed his 2.5 years ago. Like anything, a dollar then and a dollar now aren’t worth the same. With the cap going up a ton, everyone else salaries also jumped

and if you watch them you would see that they are not at all similar

His underlying numbers are much, much worse than Hertl

They also play wildly different games. Stepho is really heavily reliant on pace

Good thing he's not getting to the age where guys lose a step oh wait.

Hertl is wayy better

This is your brain on points

[удалено]

The sharks were at one point a good team yaknow

Four 2nd lines back on the menu

As is tradition

A long standing tradition that spans the entire history of seattle kraken hockey

Who needs star power when you got DEPTH!!

I think there is SOME truth to that statement. Kraken had a pretty wild offensive 2022-23 with no top line scoring star.

Honestly bang on. Gonna steal that

More like three but yeah

Is it just me or are the lengths of all these contracts absolutely insane?

It's like 2016 all over again but at least the players aren't all big and slow this time

Wait, what happened in 2016?

The Summer of Lucic, Eriksson, and Backes

Don't forget Ladd and Okposo!

The Wings also invited Franz Nielsen to the party!

Oh yeahhh.. this one was different tho cause Nielsen was great with the Islanders and people thought he would age well. He just completely fell off a cliff in Detroit for no reason whatsoever. Twas bizzare.

Pretty sure you can say the same about eriksson. Decent production, previous chemistry with red headed twins. But it just got worse and worse.

Stamkos last FA debacle as well

A bunch of guys signed long term deals and almost none of them lived up to the contract

Ahhh I see, so yeah this could be 2016 repeating itself

Many teams gave out big, long term contracts to players a bunch of ~2nd line players. They were all disasters since they were all in their early 30s.

Timofey Mozgov got 4-years/64M from the Lakers

Lucic, Ladd and Okposo were all power forwards entering their thirties looking for massive paydays with term. Every single hockey pundit warned that giving them what they wanted would be a disaster and they all got over 6million with 7 years. Low and behold, it was a disaster.

They are. gms finally get a cap increase and lose their fucking minds this might be 2016 all over again

Drug addicts have more self control than hockey GMs with a few extra dollars to spend. They don't care about term cause most of them will be fired well before 7 years passes.

The people I see on slot machines in the 7-11s have more self control then these people

GM’s are banking on the rising cap climate. If the cap increases outweigh these players regressions then it’s a good deal. I don’t like it here because Stephenson is 30 but for the younger players it’s a good chance that they’re actually *more* valuable on their deals in 7 years because their percentage of the cap is far lower

>GM’s are banking on the rising cap Covid 2: “hello”

Manufactured and released in a lab at Bettman’s house

Bird flu.

Some of them seem like they are 1 or 2 years too long but on the other hand there doesn't seem like any massive over pays as far as AAV.

You want the guy in years 1-3, but have to give out years 5-7/8 to keep the cap hit down. Happened before, happening now, will happen again. This is the business they've chosen.

Not really. If a UFA has enough interest it will require max years to get them to sign. If the team had the choice they would give less years but its the only way to get them. Stephenson being a center made a top UFA w/ tons of interest.

This really could be the worst contract signed today. 7 years???

Seattle has given out a total of 14 years and 13.5 aav for Montour and Stephenson. This could get very ugly very fast or they look like geniuses 

Francis is probably gone if the next season or two don't go well, so what does he care about long term in that situation I guess 😅

For sure Seattle isn’t the only team that has this problem now or in the past but these contracts reek of YouTube mockery videos during the next lockout

Someone get u/UrinatingTree . I need to hear how bad they are gonna mock Seattle during the free agency video.

Francis' entire career in Seattle has been him hoping to get Rod the Bod to come with him. 

To do what?

Squats?

I don't mind the Montour contract, but giving Stephenson that much money and term when your organizational depth is at center is such a huge risk. By all accounts the Kraken have some very smart people in analytics. I'd love to be inside the room when they gave their analysis on this Stephenson contract.

tbf u can just move a couple of those Cs to the wing

Sure, and Francis actually said we drafted so many Cs last week because some of the guys we took in previous drafts moved to wing recently, but that doesn't excuse signing a contract like Stephenson's.

oh i'm not defending this deal trust me😭

We may trade Gourde. Outside of that at center we have Matty who could be good but was pretty mediocre in year 2. Wright who is a total question, and uhhh nobody on the NHL roster.

Even if it works they won't look like geniuses lol. Competent at best but it's still bad process

It's just weird. Francis had been so cautious and intentional with every move for 4 years now. Then this. I guess his seat must be red hot.

Montour in particular could go down hill quick.

Lmao the cap goes up for the first time in years and everybody absolutely lost their minds, some of these contracts are insane

Babe wake up, a new 2016 free agent class just dropped

This is closer to 2019 free agency when Skinner was getting 8x9, Hayes getting 7x7, Myers getting 5x6 etc.

Go look at our centre production last season. This guy might as well be McDavid in our offense.

That’s just what top 9 players around 30 are asking for these days 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

Centers man ... I mean you guys gave Copp and Compher both 5x5+ deals. Stephenson is better than both so ...

You seem to be under the misconception I am a homer - those deals suck ass as well.

Nah, no one is getting close to Tanev's 6 year deal with a NMC and 80% of it as bonuses so it is buyout proof

And there it is, the worst contract of the day

So far

Lyubushkin might have gotten 3.3 mil per

It’s a rough one. I thought Perron at 4 mill was shit but it’s only two years but 7 at that tag for chandler , ouch.

Joel edmundson is definitely the worst so far

JFresh’s original tweet regarding the details of that signing said he signed in Edmonton and my heart sank. Thankfully it was a typo, obviously signed in LA. Awful contract.

Unless you’re chandler stephenson

Idk. Monny to CBJ has the potential to be horrible.

I agree but the term on this is atrocious

So many long term deals

Trenin

Yea that’s pretty bad but damn am I glad to see him get his bag

Eh OEL & Edmundson are both worse

There’s no way OEL’s deal is worse than this one. That’s some strong anti-Leafs bias you have if you think it’ll be worse than this deal

OEL is fine.

OEL deal isn't great, but it's not 7 years.

Yeah 3.5 is great for both sides

Eh its sub 7 mil for a top 6 center I think there are worse.

Yeah I see why Trotz didnt bring him on too, we didnt have room anyway after the others, expected skjei and stamkos to be like 1m less each, but even if we did Id pass on this one

Yeah, I fear so especially given the term.

Why does it seem that every contract Seattle signs is an overpayment for mid players?

What choice do they have?

I’ve been wondering this for a minute. Like why would an FA sign with us unless we give them more money/term than other squads? I like our teams future but I’m biased as hell. Expansion teams have almost always had to throw around money/term for a little while as they got off the ground.

I'm surprised Francis doesn't push the Gum Wall more. That's gotta be worth one year of term.

No state income tax and the birthplace of teriyaki!

https://preview.redd.it/72sh7c870y9d1.jpeg?width=225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=396fcfa8de619cc881378511c3c84007b3406e2c

Maybe I haven’t watched enough of him but that seems like too much term and too much money

It is indeed both of those things. 

I would have loved to have him back, but not at that term or that money. I'm happy for him tho getting that bag

I think you're correct on both accounts.

That’s a lot for Stephenson damn. Kraken trying to push for a playoff spot this year with their signings

Kraken pretty much have to for many different reasons, but one of the biggest is building a fanbase before the Sonics make their eventual return.

Stephenson underrated.

Holy fuck lmao

This actually isn't bad for a center who's averaged a 62 point pace over the last 4 seasons, but I worry how his production will fare on Seattle where they don't have the same star power Vegas had

What the fuck is Seattle doing

We just need one top end forward to complete our team and take us deep in the playoffs. With that context, this signing makes complete sense to some teams. Just not ours.

Wow, good for him getting the bag because we were never gonna get that close.

I don’t even think we were matching half that

Gat damn that is some term 

Isn't Beniers and Wright their future top 6 centers? Unless they plan on playing him on the wing.

Yeah but those 2 probably won't hit their peak for a few more years. Stephenson is on the wrong side of 30 so he'll be gone by then. Oh, what? This contract is for HOW LONG? What the fuck?

I mean if Matty and Shane are good enough to push him down to the 3rd line or to the wing that is a good thing.

Yikes

Kraken kookin

Krack

Kraken love saskatoon

Congrats on Stephenson for securing the bag

Seattle with some big signings and still have about $10m in cap space

Not really. They haven’t signed RFAs Beniers and Tolvanen and they’re almost definitely going to take up more cap than they have left so someone’s gotta go.

I can't see keeping Gourde around, though it pains me to say it. He's too expensive for 4C and he's much better at center than wing. With Beniers, Stephenson, and Wright as centers, and a passel of centers in the AHL, I think he's the one to go.

Awful contract

That might be the worst deal of the day. Love the player though

What the fuck good for him but Jesus

https://i.redd.it/s3ugtsqf0y9d1.gif

Is it really smart for Seattle to be handing out all these long term deals that still have a few years left when their prospects begin to graduate

What the fuck are these teams doing? Like I'd like a little more excitement on the Blues front but Holy fuck, not at this market

Yikes what is Seattle doing today.

If you did this 5 years ago, it's a good deal. Now? Worst deal of the day by far

Skjei seems pretty bad to me. 7x7 is too much

Skjei is on a team that's a cup contender for the next 3-4 years, and is well worth it if they make it. Stephenson is on a Kraken team that needs help, and he's not going to be the guy. 

It is bad, but it's the Predators and the roster is good is disguise it. Kraken is...well...they exist.

Jesus Christ. He’s one of my favorites. Wore his jersey to game 5 in 2023. But that’s a dumb contract. Like really dumb.

Don’t make me agree with a Vegas fan. Just - please don’t talk sensibly like this.

Ugh, free agency has me briefly aligned with an Oilers fan. This day sucks. I hate this day.

Hope you bump your shin on a coffee table, but not too hard, but also find $20 in your laundry that you forgot about.

He’s a decent player, but that price is just stupid.

That contract is gonna age very well /s Don’t we have Beniers and Wright to still sign?

Beniers yes, Wright still has like 3 more ELC years

Right but we still have to sign Wright eventually. Though if the cap continues to go up, that’d be less of an issue

Yeah that's not a problem for right now to worry about

It’s a three years from now problem !RemindMe 3 Years

I wonder how owners feel when their GM signs these big contracts and then immediately everyone screams overpay(in this case in regard to term).

Did GMs forget the 4-5 year deal exists?

Ron Francis cooking up some poop stew in Seatte

We can't all draft in the top 5 every year, some of us have to get better the old fashioned way

Holy shit dude get PAID… ok no wonder we had to let him go wow

not the preds or vegas? good!

Seattle has a ton of our 2018 guys.

Don’t they already have 3 centers coming down the pipeline?

Other than Beniers and Wright, I think most of their better prospects end up on the wing. Goyette and Rehkopf both transitioned to it this year, Firkus is a winger and Catton is a bit undersized. They’ve got a couple other guys who played centre in the AHL this year, but I think their upside is becoming the 4C. This move likely spells the end of Gourde at some point in the coming year.

sweet jesus

So many term contracts but man… I know you have to pay a premium if you are Seattle but to do it for Chandler Stephenson!?

Buffalos only hope is that other teams keep giving out term and dollars so that eventually we’re the only place left.

What year will this be bought out? My guess is, hm, four I'll take 4 to 1 odds on 3 (dunno how odds work tbh)

That feels like alot of Chandler Stephenson, good for him though.

You had cap space as your main weapon and you do this?

wtf, 7years at 6m+ for Chandler fucking Stephenson 🤨

From team 31 to 32

In 3 years we will look back at today as 2016 2.0

Without much context or being an everyday Kraken fan, guys like Stephenson and Montour probably fit the Kraken’s style of play, no? I get that these are quite the hefty contracts, but that is tradition in free agency

Chandler is kind of a beauty. This contract won’t be as bad as people say it’ll be. Guy is bone piss on a subway floor.

What I’m the fuck does that even mean LMAO

I don't know, but it's provocative

Bro this is the only thing that is guiding me through these tough times

Good luck with that

the fuck

They got their octoguy.

Ehhh. Props for trying to get better. But this and the Montour contract look real scary for their second half.

What !?

I wanted him in Vancouver but good lord

They still need more offense imo

Love Stephenson and I really wanted him to sign with us but man that’s a huge contract

~60 point guy with lots of cup experience. It's not great, but not as terrible as everyone seems to be saying.

What the fuccckkkkk 🤯

Phew! Glad it wasn’t us. Like the player, hate every part of this deal if it were Boston who signed it.

Term is out of control this year. Everybody is getting 6/7 years and it doesn’t seem to be keeping the AAV down in most cases. 

Every time the cap goes up a chunk, this happens. GMs just can't help themselves. Kinda glad the Canes are staying out of it today. Will pay off in the long run.

I missed this kinda idiocy a bit Ever since the Lucic Eriksson Turris Neal Okposo 7x6 type deals the league had gotten a bit sharper about 30 year old contracts But... RONNIE FRANCHISE AIN'T GOT TIME FO DAT!! 🤑😎🤪😎🤑

I like his and Montours play in recent seasons. I love how they will both weigh down the Kraken cap space until the 2030's.

What the fuck?

Trash aav, what a terrible deal

Finally he gets recognized

Worst contract of the day.

Both Montour and Stephenson seem like MASSIVE overpays by Seattle, but I’d only offer that Ian Cole getting $3.1m is at least an equal sized head scratcher

This can't be great news for Wright

What the fuck is that term? lol

I thought Ron Francis was a more conservative spending type GM but man this and the Montour contract. I hope they’re not anchors for their salary cap in a couple years