Lets just get into some points here…
+ indicated a positive point behind signing him, – indicates a negative, simple, I know.
+ He would create a very dynamic goaltending tandem that doesn’t give some people heart palpitations when the “backup” is starting.
+ He is a solid regular season goaltender, having led San Jose to 3 division championships and a presidents trophy.
+ He has stellar records in San Jose, season by season is…:
+ 2003-2004: 57 GS, 2.2 GAA, 31 W, 19 L, 5 OTL, 9 SO, .921 SV%.
-2005-2006: 44 GS, 3.1 GAA, 16 W, 19 L, 7 OTL, 1 SO, .885 SV%
+ 2006-2007: 49 GS, 2.29 GAA, 25 W, 16 L, 4 OTL, 7 SO, .914 Sv %
+ 2007-2008: 77 GS, 2.14 GAA, 46 W, 21 L, 8 OTL, 6 SO, .910 SV%
+ 2008-2009: 62 GS, 2.44 GAA, 41 W, 12 L, 8 OTL, 7 SO, .910 SV%
+ 2009-2010: 71 GS, 2.43 GAA, 44 W, 16 L, 10 OTL, 3 SO, .922 SV%
– 2010-2011 (with SKA Saint Petersburg of the KHL): 22 GS, 8 W, 8 L, 5 T, 2 SO, 3.02 GAA, 0.888 SV%.
? – Playoffs is a very questionable point for Nabokov, was he part of the San Jose choke artistry? Or was he just a by-product of the failure of a team effort? Several instances are very telling in that, such as his last four season in the playoffs…
+ 06-07: .920%
+ 07-08: .907%
– 08-09: 890%
+ 09-10: .907%
So, not bad really. Not bad at all, but then think about how Johan Franzen absolutely demolished him in game 4 of the WCSF, inspiring the second best “History Will Be Made” video.
+ It’s entirely possible the Wings could get him dirt cheap. They have a history of winning and that attracts any and all players to this franchise, not to mention the excellent front office and management.
– The Wings, with their tradition of excellence and winning, reward their players with the money they deserve, which puts you scary close to the salary cap at all times. Without factoring in the call ups or injuries, the Wings sit precariously close to the 2010-2011 Salary Cap of 59,625,378$ with only -255,378$ of space available. (This again, accounts for the entire roster uninjured.
+ They could sign Nabokov for around 1 Million and reports from Mike Valenti of 97.1 the Ticket, “they have the space available to sign him.”
– What does this leave for veteran and mentor Chris Osgood? When he makes his return in March, it puts him in the position of one goaltender being traded (It’s highly doubtful the Wings would use a spot on the roster to carry three netminders).
– This signing puts them in a position going into the trade deadline of: We need to get rid of someone.
Which brings up a question, who would you want to see traded away? Eaves? Miller? Abdelkader? Helm?
– The “35-and-Older” Clause:
When a player aged 35 or older signs a multi-year deal (An option that might prevent another team from plucking him from the waiver wire), his salary is counted against a teams cap every year of his contract despite the player retiring. If a player is sent to the minor leagues, his cap hit is reduced to 100k.
What does that mean? It means Osgood could fairly well be pushed into the minors. Which if you ask me, is very unlike Ken Holland, Jim Devellano, and Mike Ilitch. They take care of their own, hence Chris Chelios, Jiri Fischer, Kirk Maltby all being given roles in the organization.
Bottom line with my point is, I don’t know if this deal will go through without some sort of acceptance from Chris Osgood. They recognize what he has done for this organization and this city, and I just don’t think they would throw him in the (very very Detroit) cold.
+ Chris Osgood is scheduled to return on schedule to return in six to eight weeks.
– That is March.
– The waiver thing can be confusing, so let me try and help debunk this..
The way it works is any team with a worse record than Detroit (So, 26 teams) can pluck Nabokov for the very same amount the Wings offer him. That’s where this deal gets grim:
– To prevent any teams from doing so, the Wings would probably have to offer the 35 year old netminder a multi year deal with a no trade clause.
So, those are the pluses and minuses, and you can now hopefully understand the situation a tad more. What do I think you ask?
My opinion on the matter is, I trust Ken Holland. I trust this organization, whatever moves they make are the best for this team. Yet, I see a lot of bad things that can sprout from this. Nabokov left to the KHL because no one tried to pluck him from Free Agency last year, which means he wanted money. That’s something that doesn’t bode well in the Red Wings dressing room, considering almost every player on that team is underpaid for the actual value they can contribute.
My point there is, that can cause quite a bit of distress in the dressing room if someone feels they aren’t getting their dues. Another argument here is… Jimmy Howard is obviously our future goaltender (for the moment), and bringing in any new goaltender unless he explicitly expects to be a backup that wants to try and prove himself, that can also create strife.
Does that mean I’m opposed to bringing him in? No. He is a stellar goaltender who was clutch in San Jose, minus some playoff exceptions.
We are incredibly lacking right now, Joey MacDonald is not an NHL caliber goalie. Does that mean I want Nabokov over Osgood? I just don’t have an answer for you.
Bottom line, if I had to sit in for Ken Holland, I would make a one million offer to Nabokov, one year, one shot at a cup as a backup goaltender role. If he can steal it from Howard, great, but the first instance he waivers, you’re back on the pine.
Will I be upset it Holland and Ilitch offer him two years at 3 million, back loaded? No. I won’t, because I implicitly trust this organization.
