If you're signing Stamkos, why spend money on Monahan. Might as well trade Monahan at the deadline and have your centreman be Stamkos, Suzuki, Dach with Newhook on the wing and invest that 4M on the D

I wonder why more bad teams haven't gone with the "convince top UFAs to sign below market value deals on your team" approach

Below market value? What on earth do you think 35 year old steven stamkos is going to get?

34*. And still at a 40+ goal, 90 point pace? to go to the high tax quebec, leave his decade's long home, in an awful media market and play his last years on a non contender? More than that.

wheeler got 8.25x5 out of a smaller cap, staying on his team, with worse production and no stanley cup pedigree.

Wheeler, Backstrom, Ovi deals are where you start and move from there

I'm not saying he's going to Montreal, i don't dispute that. i just don't think there is a team in the league that would be wise tp pay him 8 million.

no offence, but your examples are proof of that. wheeler was bought out and Backstrom is on LTIR likely until his deal ends. Ovi is just an animal.

i just think he takes a pay cut and signs in tampa long term or goes to a contender on a deal with term at a limited salary.

Possibly but I would rather have Monahan due to possible injuries. We got a lot ofn good Ds no need to spend on a D

Yeah, veteran UFA contracts tend to suck. It's not cheap to bring in superstars from other teams while bidding against 30 other people.

Here's the list of recent big open market contracts to get guys to sign places they've never played

Pietrangelo- 7x8.8
Dougie- 7x9
JG-9.75x7
Panarin-11.6x7
Tavares-11x7 (and that's rumoured he was being offered MORE elsewhere)
Bobrovsky-10x7
Duchene-8x7
Orlov- 7.75x2
Kadri-7x7
JVR-7x5
Pacioretty-7x4
Seth Jones-9.5x8
Huberdeau-10.5x8
horvat-8.5x8
Pietrangelo and Dougie are really the only ones I can say worked out. It's expensive to get a UFA that's never played for you before