Leafs, Kulemin remain $1M apart - Kaberle to be re-signed?

Check out the poll next to that story. Are you more or less confident in the Leafs after seeing how Chicago built their team? What?

3.5mil is just flat out too much. to put it in perspective, that contract is almost 100k per point scored last year

also, i think kaberle’s contract is decided by the team hes traded to. we have too much of a logjam on D to keep him, its that simple. this is extension talk is bluffing by the leafs to increase his potential return

  I started out thinking that $3 million was a reasonable figure for Kulemin but after thinking about it and reading the arguments posed in comments and articles I think $2.5 million would be the absolute highest I’d go. I think in terms of what Kulemin has done so far he’s earned less than $2 million but he holds the advantage in negotiations because after trading away most of the teams top 6 forwards the Leafs are very, very thin up front. Losing a guy who has already been extremely effective and has shown the potential to be even better would be a tough pill to swallow.
  It also doesn’t help the Leafs negotiating position that later in the season Burke and Wilson both repeatedly referred to Kulemin as the teams best overall forward.

The only quote missing here is the one where the dots are in the first boxquote:

Neither his agent, Gary Greenstin, nor Nonis would talk numbers, but it’s believed Kulemin is looking for $3.5 million a year while the Leafs are offering in the neighbourhood of $2.5 million. Mikhail Grabovski, by comparison, will earn $2.8 million next season.

Sounds like rumours and speculation. Which of course, I don’t mind. Just saying I doubt these numbers are set in stone.

1. Kulemin: Like many here have said this is all part of a long negotiation progress, although I’m a little worried if his agent has set 3.5 as his asking price, means the deal is most likely to end up around 2.75 or 3, which isn’t awful but not exactly a steal either. The higher the dollars, the shorter the term.
2. Kaberle: This seems to me like pure postering, they’re trying to keep his value high. He’s not saying anything we don’t already know, they Leafs were not going to give him up for a bag a pucks. Part of me doesn’t hate the idea of signing him again if the Leaf’s can’t get anything more than a pick and low-level prospect. So long as the price is right, at least we know he won’t have a NTC.

Kulemin and his agent are being very unreasonable here……..he’s not worth 3.5 yet…..hell he’s barely worth 2.75……Burke is offering an entirely fair deal based on his numbers..

Who knows if these are facts or rumors, but if taken as facts…

Sounds like the Kulemin negotiations haven’t advanced as much as we would have hoped given the already noted difficulties. Sounds like the agent is still in “Ask for more than what’s realistic” mode. I still think Burke ends up signing him for a reasonable price, based on his own cunning as a contract negotiator alone.

As for Kaberle, I imagine this is little more than a deliberate attempt to try and drive up his trade value before he’s eventually traded. I’m pretty sure the unanimous understanding is that he will be dealt, but by suggesting that he may in fact be re-signed, the Leafs could potentially impart a little panic on an interested team a get a little more than they might have before. Just a thought.

Burke: The Toronto Maple Leafs are willing to offer your client $2.5 million a year. How does that sound to you?
Kulemin’s Agent: We were thinking more along the lines of $3.5 million.
Burke: Surely you can’t be serious!
Kulemin’s Agent: We are. Very serious. And DON’T CALL ME SHIRLEY!

http://www.fanfeedr.com/nhl/2010/06/11/sources-devils-making-run-at-leafs-kaberle

Clarkson + 38th pick? … not the ideal outcome, but possible.

$3.5M is in the 1st pick and 3rd pick for RFA compensation range. If he wants that much, Burke should shop him to teams and await an offer sheet.

I’ve asked this in a bunch of places and nobody seems to know for sure, so I’ll try again here…

Can the Leafs discuss an extension with Kaberle before July 1? They can’t sign him before then (because extensions can only happen in the final year of a deal), but are they allowed to formally negotiate with him? And by extension, could another team negotiate with him if the Leafs granted permission?

This seems important, since his extension demands would play a major role in how much we could get for him.

What does Florida have that Burke would want (other than their 1st round pick)? Nathan Horton?

Here are what seem to be the relevant provisions:

11.10 No Renegotiation. In no event shall a Club and a Player negotiate a change in
any terms of a Player SPC for the then-current season or for any remaining season of an
SPC. This provision shall not prohibit a Player and Club from negotiating an extension
to an existing SPC in accordance with the terms of Section 50.5(f) hereof or from
negotiating a new or reformed SPC or Offer Sheet in the limited context and time-frame
expressly set forth in Section 11.6(a)(vi) above.

s. 11.6(a)(vi) is not relevant.

(f) Contract Extensions.
(i) An “extension” of an SPC, as such term is used in this Agreement,
shall mean a new SPC entered into between a Club and a Player,
which SPC is to be effective immediately upon the expiration of
the Club and Player’s existing SPC. To the extent a Club and
Player enter into a valid contract extension during the final year of
the Player’s SPC, the contract extension will be fully enforceable
pursuant to its terms even in the event the Player is injured prior to
the commencement date of the contract extension.
(ii) A Club that wishes to sign a Player to an “extension” of an existing
SPC, may do so only in the final year of such SPC.

To me, this looks like negotiations are expressly allowed provided, as you point out, the deal isn’t signed until the last year.

This Kaberle talk smells like someone trying to drive up the price. It’s absolutely entirely possible that the Leafs do resign Kabby, but who knows…

egads…4.5 for 5 for Ryan Malone? i think he would quickly become Jeff Finger 2.0

Weiss

Stajan

TSN has a report up that NJ are serious bidders for Kabs but i don’t know what they have that we would want?…….Don’t say Clarkson

But I’m still of the oppinion the market value for kabby is a middle of the round first and second. I threw out Pittsburghs 1/2 in a previous thread and that seems about right. It might help gauging his value if you figure out who needs him first.