Mike Chen's Hockey Blog
Entries with the tag: Marian+Gaborik
Bidding War? No Thanks
by Mike Chen on 06/29/09 at 02:09 PM ET
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Now that we’re a few years into the salary cap, the notion of long-term (5+ years) contracts is the big thing with free agents, yet so many of these teams are hit with buyer’s remorse even one year in the deal.
Scott Gomez. Brian Campbell. Wade Redden. Ryan Smyth. All name players of varying quality, but the anchor of a team? Nope, not by far, but they received contracts like such and have failed to live up to expectations.
(A short aside—if we look at the past decade, including pre-lockout moves, how many of these headache contracts from the desk of Glen Sather? Just sayin’.)
Will this year’s group be any different? A quick review of the available free agents shows a crop of good players but no true elite players. The best players available are great supporting pieces but they’re not the stars of the show, yet you know some impulsive GM will overspend to get their rights. If I could play NHL GM for a day, I’d have a hard time getting into a bidding war with any of the top-tier free agents. In fact, I’m betting that you’re going to get a lot of buyer’s remorse in the near future because each of the top guys comes with at least one significant question mark.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Daniel+Sedin, Free+Agency, Glen+Sather, Henrik+Sedin, Jay+Bouwmeester, Marian+Gaborik,
Audition Time For Gaborik
by Mike Chen on 04/01/09 at 04:24 PM ET
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While Marian Gaborik’s current “audition” (and by audition, I mean showing off his skills for the free agent market) may not be as entertaining as Christopher Walken’s audition for Star Wars, it’s still interesting in that it’s got several different layers to it. Minnesota hasn’t gained any ground in the playoff race with Gaborik back in the lineup but his own personal stats have been fantastic. He’s showing his speed and skill, and he’s looking like a top-flight player again. One has to wonder how many close games Gaborik’s point-per-game pace could have tipped in Minnesota’s favor. If he was healthy all season, it’s probably safe to say that the Wild would safely be in a playoff spot right now with at least a handful more wins.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Marian+Gaborik,
Gaborik, Legwand On Franchise Hot Seats
by Mike Chen on 11/24/08 at 05:02 PM ET
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From Mike Chen (hey, that’s me!) at Versus.com:
Marian Gaborik and David Legwand don’t have too much in common. Gaborik is a speedy scorer from the Czech Republic while Legwand is a U.S.-born center. Gaborik’s contractual future is uncertain while Legwand signed a long-term extension last season. Gaborik scores highlight-reel goals for the Minnesota Wild (when healthy) while Legwand is a fixture on both the penalty kill and the power play for the Nashville Predators.
What do they have in common? Both were the first draft picks in their respective franchises’ history and both are entering the prime of their careers. And both are currently the subject of much fan frustration and discussion.
Read more about Gaborik and Legwand as a preview of this week’s Minnesota/Washington (tonight) and St. Louis/Nashville (tomorrow night) games on Versus.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: David+Legwand, Marian+Gaborik,
Another Take on Marian Gaborik
by Mike Chen on 10/29/08 at 12:20 PM ET
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After discussing the Marian Gaborik situation with some friends last night, I think I’ve finally formed an opinion on “Would you trade for him?”
Not surprisingly, the answer is “Maybe.” It’s a dynamic situation, so it all depends on circumstance. There are two teams that I think should at least kick the tires in a deal, and there’s a way to get a reasonable salary structure in line, though it’ll definitely take heavy convincing for his agent to actually buy off on it.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Marian+Gaborik,
What is Marian Gaborik’s Market Value?
by Mike Chen on 10/27/08 at 11:35 AM ET
Comments (7)
If you told any GM that you’re willing to move a 40-goal/90-point guy just hitting his prime, you’d think that said GM would jump at the possibility—even in the salary cap era.
Tell that GM that it’s Marian Gaborik that you’re talking about and suddenly everything changes. It’s like trying to play matchmaker for your good-looking, smart friend...that is, the one everyone knows as having a really annoying laugh and a propensity for drinking way too much. That friend’s a good person and means well but given the wrong circumstances, things might turn into a total disaster.
Such is the life of one Marian Gaborik—so fast and talented, yet so damn injury prone. Is the worst over for Gaborik’s health? Or will it haunt him for the rest of his career, like Pavel Bure? In any case, the challenge is in gauging what Gaborik’s market value actually is.
Filed in: NHL | Mike Chen's Hockey Blog | Permalink
Tags: Marian+Gaborik,
