Especially if you remove the first 15 games when our team hung him out to dry. He has been phenomenal since then.

I dint see it coming after last year

You realize that a team could offer sheet him for 8.5MMx7 for less than that ask right?

There wasn't salary retention back then. I think Markstrom is having a very good season, and that he's a top 5 and maybe a top 3 goalie in the NHL based on his play.

I also think that there are a lot of team in need of a goalie, and that Markstrom at $3M would give a team 3 quality cup runs.

Finally, the first round picks sent for Markstrom won't be the 9th overall, but in the 25-32 range. IMO 9th overall(Schneider) is worth more than #26 + #30 the year after.

That I could believe but 2 1sts + 2nd goalies just aren't valued that highly

I wasn't saying he wasn't a top goalie, just that even top goalies aren't returning that much. 2 1st + a 2nd is just a ridiculous ask even with retention. A 1st + 2nd + 3rd I could believe anything over that is a nonstarter

I'd rather the Flames keep their MVP this season in Markstrom, rather than trade him for 1st + 2nd + 3rd, and retaining $9M in the process.

I agree Markstrom shouldn't be traded, he should be part of the core like Vasilevsky was for the Bolts through their contending years

An 8.5x7 offer sheet on Mercer would cost 4 1sts

59.5 million = 11.9 million dollars in offer sheet dollars=4 1sts

Offer sheets aren’t a real worry and the devils match any up to 8 mill x 7

He's been the best goalie in the NHL IMO. Leading the league in saves above expected. Very consistent.

Yeah, I forgot about the "whichever less rule". I suppose 8.5MM x 5 makes more sense anyways for Mercer. That leaves McLeod, Holtz, Hughes, and Nemec in the next 3 years. Plus a goalie.

If a team is willing to offer Mercer 8.5x5 and pay a 1st+2nd+3rd they can go ahead. It would piss the league off, open them up for retaliation, lose them 3 years of term in mercers prime, and save them the difference between a 3rd and a 1st.

Would you rather pay a 1st+2nd+3rd and 42.5 million for 5 years of Dawson Mercer

Or pay 1st+1st+2nd and 48 million for 8 years of Dawson Mercer

There’s no offer sheet scenario that provides a better outcome for the offer sheeting team than just making a trade offer would

Players don't want their prime contacts ending at 30. Matthews is the only player I can think of that took shorter term to have his contact end after 30, instead of 28.

Personally, I wouldn't offer sheet Mercer at 8.5MM, because he only has 3 years under his built and is on pace for 40ish points. The league doesn't care if someone offersheets NJ either. NJ would match and it would be a cap issue when the resign their Rfa's the following year.

Except this is a made up scenario that would never happen.

Please explain to me the benefit for any team offer sheeting.

Any deal the devils would match means that they’ve just opened themselves up to retaliation and held that cap space up through a key part of UFA.

Any deal the devils wouldn’t match means they’re overpaying Mercer in terms of AAV and/or not getting full term, and giving up massive draft capital. And again opening themselves up for retaliation.

There is no scenario where an offer sheet is a better option than just offering 2 1sts+2nd for Mercer in a trade

Any deal the devils wouldn’t match means they’re overpaying Mercer in terms of AAV and/or not getting full term, and giving up massive draft capital. And again opening themselves up for retaliation.

There is no scenario where an offer sheet is a better option than just offering 2 1sts+2nd for Mercer in a trade[/quote]

Again, you're assuming a young player wants max term. If they are a highly skilled player, they're going to bet on themselves and take a bridge deal or an offer sheet. When you are drafted by a team they will hold your rights for the first seven years of your NHL career or until age 27, whichever comes first. If they want to drive up the price as a UFA, it's better to do that at 27 as opposed to 30. Look at all the deals for RFAs at 1-5 years to who used it to leverage their next deal before hitting UFA status.

They only sign an offer sheet if they feel like they are worth it and want to play for that team. There has been 10 offersheets in the cap era. Obviously teams will make an offer sheet if they value the player and have the draft capital.

According to you Markstrom 50% retained is a 1st, 2nd , and a 3rd. Mercer is worth two 1sts and a 2nd. So the difference is Mercer and a 3rd is worth Markstrom at 50% and a 1st. If Calgary were to offer sheet Mercer at 8.5x5, they would owe a 1st, 2nd, 3rd to NJ, and still have markstrom to sell elsewhere. NJ may match, but it makes it more difficult if anyone offersheets Hughes or Nemec down the road.

Would Calgary do this? No, they need picks and prospects. If Arizona had money, they would offersheet an RFA. Luckily they are poor.

Mercer at a reasonable price is worth 2 1sts+2nd. Because of the RFA control that guarantees a steal of a contract. 8.5 million on Mercer is no longer a steal of a contract. It’s market value, especially when you don’t even get his prime in the deal.

5 years of Mercer is NOT worth 1st+2nd+3rd+43 million dollars.

9 years of Mercer (this year+6 mill x 8 year deal) IS worth 49 million dollars+1st+1st+2nd

But hey I’d also be willing to offer Mercer any of the following

1x3
2x3.5
3x4
4x4.5
5x5
6x5.5
7x5.75
8x6

Hughes and Nemec aren’t getting offersheets.

Nobody is ever going to offersheet 4 unprotected 1sts.

These things just don’t happen. Living in a fantasy world