Nabokov released by SKA contract, now a free agent

Huge news this morning:

People like Kulka are reporting that Nabokov has been outright released and is a UFA. Unbelievable stuff.

I believe that any club signing him would have to put him through waivers first.

Yes... I think that is correct too. Same issue was with Jagr. Coming off a KHL contract, you have to go through waivers. I think it's called the Ruotsalainen rule.

SpezDispenser wrote:I believe that any club signing him would have to put him through waivers first.

How does that work? Wasn't he a UFA before he went overseas?

Do you make him an offer and then someone can scoop him on waivers? Doesn't make sense.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I believe that any club signing him would have to put him through waivers first.

How does that work? Wasn't he a UFA before he went overseas?

Do you make him an offer and then someone can scoop him on waivers? Doesn't make sense.

It's because he's coming off a European contract.

well...I wonder why the split occurred....clearly Nabokov wants back into the NHL but for what reason???

Michallica wrote:well...I wonder why the split occurred....clearly Nabokov wants back into the NHL but for what reason???

Wife didn't like it there is the first thing that came to mind.

Probably misses the san jose weather.....Florida should trade Vokoun asap and sign Nabokov to a multi-year deal. Wife gets the sun, Panthers get a bonafide number one goalie through waivers (I'm assuming they'll have one of the first dibs on him). Everyone wins!

Seriously, I'd like someone to educate me a little more on how waiver-wire goes with KHL free agents

Michallica wrote:Seriously, I'd like someone to educate me a little more on how waiver-wire goes with KHL free agents

I don't think it's too complicated. Basically, if you are a free agent coming off a KHL (or any European) contract and sign with an NHL team, you have to go through waivers.

shabbs wrote:

Michallica wrote:Seriously, I'd like someone to educate me a little more on how waiver-wire goes with KHL free agents

I don't think it's too complicated. Basically, if you are a free agent coming off a KHL (or any European) contract and sign with an NHL team, you have to go through waivers.

How does the contract negotiation work? Oh I think I get it. You sign with a team, but then you have to go through waivers, got it!

Michallica wrote:

shabbs wrote:

Michallica wrote:Seriously, I'd like someone to educate me a little more on how waiver-wire goes with KHL free agents

I don't think it's too complicated. Basically, if you are a free agent coming off a KHL (or any European) contract and sign with an NHL team, you have to go through waivers.

How does the contract negotiation work? Oh I think I get it. You sign with a team, but then you have to go through waivers, got it!

Yeah, exactly. So, it's a risk the team takes when negotiating with a player that has those restrictions. You work to get a contract done and then bring him up through waivers and risk your player getting pinched by someone else.

wprager wrote:The risk can be managed by talking to the GMs ahead of you in the hopper.

But it's still a risk.

But its not re-entry waiver is it? i.e. half the salary if he's picked up by someone else?

Michallica wrote:But its not re-entry waiver is it? i.e. half the salary if he's picked up by someone else?

Hmmm... good question. I'm not sure.

I am under the understanding that any team is free to negotiate and sign him but he must pass through re-entry waivers of sorts, but the team that claims him is responsible for the full amount. I think it might be a preventive measure so that teams do not stack up on players coming from foreign teams.

Any chance Tampa signs him?

Dash wrote:I am under the understanding that any team is free to negotiate and sign him but he must pass through re-entry waivers of sorts, but the team that claims him is responsible for the full amount. I think it might be a preventive measure so that teams do not stack up on players coming from foreign teams.

Any chance Tampa signs him?

Yeah that makes sense, otherwise there's no way any team signs him since they'd have to massively overpay to avoid waiver pickup.

Tampa seems like a perfect fit....but isn't waiver order based on the crappier teams getting first dibs?

Michallica wrote:But its not re-entry waiver is it? i.e. half the salary if he's picked up by someone else?

No, as far as I understand it's not considered re-entry.

Michallica wrote:But its not re-entry waiver is it? i.e. half the salary if he's picked up by someone else?

No, not re-entry waivers, just regular waiver. And I really don't think that the team who signs him has a chance to claim him via waivers -- just the other 29 teams.

Ottawa should make him a "reasonable" offer. What's the worst that could happen? If we get him then we have our replacement for Leclaire next season and if another team picks him up no harm done.

I think we should nab him if it's 1.5 or less. He's an elite regular season goalie. I'll take my chances should we make the playoffs.

SpezDispenser wrote:I think we should nab him if it's 1.5 or less. He's an elite regular season goalie. I'll take my chances should we make the playoffs.

Totally agree except on price tag. No risk really. No one is expecting us to make the playoffs and if we do there's no expectation of a deep playoff run so it makes sense to me.

I think I'd offer more than 1.5 though. Chances are another team will offer more. Give Nabokov a 2 year deal, re-sign Elliott and by the time Nabby's deal is over Lehner will be ready. Nabokov will put butts in the seats as he gives Sens fans a false sense of having a better team due to improved position in the standings this year and even better next season.

I think we've only got about 1.5M cap space, we'd have to waive one of our goalies to get him.

Goaltending isn't our biggest problem and I'm not sure how well he'd play, he wasn't very good in the KHL although it sounds like his family (all from SJ didn't like it there).

Hoags wrote:I think we've only got about 1.5M cap space, we'd have to waive one of our goalies to get him.

Goaltending isn't our biggest problem and I'm not sure how well he'd play, he wasn't very good in the KHL although it sounds like his family (all from SJ didn't like it there).

.922 save % last year in SJ. That's...pretty damn good.

Nabby will steal us some games for sure and will be exciting to watch. That alone will put more butts in the seats and will give Melnyk some playoff dates. It also provides a winning environment and a bit of a safety net so the young players can learn. A 2 year deal is about perfect because it gives Cowen next season to make some terrible rookie mistakes and not have them all cost us goals as he grows and improves overall.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Nabby will steal us some games for sure and will be exciting to watch. That alone will put more butts in the seats and will give Melnyk some playoff dates. It also provides a winning environment and a bit of a safety net so the young players can learn. A 2 year deal is about perfect because it gives Cowen next season to make some terrible rookie mistakes and not have them all cost us goals as he grows and improves overall.

I'd do 1.5 X 2 for sure. He'd never take a multi-year deal for that price, would he? I'd be all over that personally. This team is fragile in the biggest way, adding a star goalie isn't a bad idea.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I think we should nab him if it's 1.5 or less. He's an elite regular season goalie. I'll take my chances should we make the playoffs.

Totally agree except on price tag. No risk really. No one is expecting us to make the playoffs and if we do there's no expectation of a deep playoff run so it makes sense to me.

I think I'd offer more than 1.5 though. Chances are another team will offer more. Give Nabokov a 2 year deal, re-sign Elliott and by the time Nabby's deal is over Lehner will be ready. Nabokov will put butts in the seats as he gives Sens fans a false sense of having a better team due to improved position in the standings this year and even better next season.

although when Nabby sh!ts the bed, you're off to the Brick to get a new one.....

SpezDispenser wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Nabby will steal us some games for sure and will be exciting to watch. That alone will put more butts in the seats and will give Melnyk some playoff dates. It also provides a winning environment and a bit of a safety net so the young players can learn. A 2 year deal is about perfect because it gives Cowen next season to make some terrible rookie mistakes and not have them all cost us goals as he grows and improves overall.

I'd do 1.5 X 2 for sure. He'd never take a multi-year deal for that price, would he? I'd be all over that personally. This team is fragile in the biggest way, adding a star goalie isn't a bad idea.

I wouldn't do more than 2 years anyway. Would he take 1.5 though? Would that be high enough that other teams wouldn't put a waiver claim on him?

You have Nabby for the rest of this season, he gets you in to the 8th spot and maybe we make it a 7 game series or surprise and get out of round one. Next season we finish top 5 and our young players are allowed to make mistakes without it costing us games and then the year after that Lehner and Elliott are ready to take the team over. Of course it depends a lot on how Foligno, Regin and Karlsson are progressing and on what kind of trades and FA signings the Sens make but I think 2 years is perfect. A third would be nice if you think Elliott - Lehner isn't a good tandem.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:
although when Nabby sh!ts the bed, you're off to the Brick to get a new one.....

Usually that's in the playoffs, isn't it? I'll take just getting to the playoffs right now.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I think we should nab him if it's 1.5 or less. He's an elite regular season goalie. I'll take my chances should we make the playoffs.

Totally agree except on price tag. No risk really. No one is expecting us to make the playoffs and if we do there's no expectation of a deep playoff run so it makes sense to me.

I think I'd offer more than 1.5 though. Chances are another team will offer more. Give Nabokov a 2 year deal, re-sign Elliott and by the time Nabby's deal is over Lehner will be ready. Nabokov will put butts in the seats as he gives Sens fans a false sense of having a better team due to improved position in the standings this year and even better next season.

although when Nabby sh!ts the bed, you're off to the Brick to get a new one.....

Are you under some sort of illusion that the Sens will have better playoff success or even make the playoffs without him?

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I wouldn't do more than 2 years anyway. Would he take 1.5 though? Would that be high enough that other teams wouldn't put a waiver claim on him?

You have Nabby for the rest of this season, he gets you in to the 8th spot and maybe we make it a 7 game series or surprise and get out of round one. Next season we finish top 5 and our young players are allowed to make mistakes without it costing us games and then the year after that Lehner and Elliott are ready to take the team over. Of course it depends a lot on how Foligno, Regin and Karlsson are progressing and on what kind of trades and FA signings the Sens make but I think 2 years is perfect. A third would be nice if you think Elliott - Lehner isn't a good tandem.

I'm thinking we're the waiver claim. Cuss it, this is a great regular season goalie and Leclaire is habitually injured - even if he wasn't, Nabokov is clearly an upgrade over what we have now.

I'm not sure about a top 5 finish next year Clutchie, although I appreciate your enthusiasm.

The team won't be playing scared in front of their goalies and will be able to win a few games only scoring 1 or 2 goals though. We'll also see a fair bit of change by next season that should help.

I'll preface my comments by saying that I don't think Ottawa should do it.

If I'm Ottawa I don't offer him a contract. If you do, then you have to have him clear through waivers and risk someone else plucking him at the contract value you negotiated.

I would wait for another team to make the offer and then if it falls in your price range I would put in a waiver request. There would only be one of seven teams (as of this morning) that would have a higher waiver priority than Ottawa. The Islanders, New Jersey, Toronto, Florida, Edmonton, Buffalo and Carolina are all teams that have a higher waiver priority. I don't see the Islanders, Toronto, Edmonton, New Jersey, Buffalo or Carolina making a waiver offer, so that leaves Florida.

That's the only team I see putting in a request to trump Ottawa

Why don't you think Ottawa should do it Dawg's wife?

SpezDispenser wrote:I think we should nab him if it's 1.5 or less. He's an elite regular season goalie. I'll take my chances should we make the playoffs.

You'd have to sign him to a pretty prohibitive deal to ensure he clears waivers then clear that cap space through a trade or waiving someone else. I'm guessing a 2.5m cap hit for 2 years at least.

Perhaps there's some takers in a deal involving Kuba? Seriously though I think it means Leclaire would need to be waived and I'm not sure Murray gets to waive another goalie.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Perhaps there's some takers in a deal involving Kuba? Seriously though I think it means Leclaire would need to be waived and I'm not sure Murray gets to waive another goalie.

I think the easy way is to trade Leclaire or Elliott and lube to Florida for Vokoun. Make no mistake, there will be no tanking in Ottawa.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Perhaps there's some takers in a deal involving Kuba? Seriously though I think it means Leclaire would need to be waived and I'm not sure Murray gets to waive another goalie.

I think the easy way is to trade Leclaire or Elliott and lube to Florida for Vokoun. Make no mistake, there will be no tanking in Ottawa.

That is why I think Melnyk pushes for a Nabokov signing personally. It costs him some money in the minors by waiving Leclaire but it doesn't cost roster assets. It also gives him a good chance of increasing attendance as we all know Nabokov is a great regular season goalie.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Number Twenty Nine wrote:
although when Nabby sh!ts the bed, you're off to the Brick to get a new one.....

Usually that's in the playoffs, isn't it? I'll take just getting to the playoffs right now.

and the epic fail at the Olympics.