(UPDATE 1:11 PM)- The Ottawa Sun has the terms of the deal. 2 years/$1.4 million.
Hard work and dedication has been rewarded.
Matt Carkner has been one of the better stories early this season and according to TSN's Ice Chips he was given a two year extension today. The big news for Carkner is that its a one way contract
Matt Carkner was scheduled to be a UFA at season's end.
60 comments:
Its funny that when Murray was on Hockey Central half an hour ago talking about Carkner he didn't mention the signing. I guess let the media do their job.
Any idea on cap hit? Although good news this better not be A-Trains replacement.
True. He was singing his praises though and still didnt mention it.
No terms yet - hopefully soon. Would expect it to be minimal anyway.
Good work.
I am elated that Murray resigned Carkner. He has quickly become one of my favorite sens. A great job to get him signed early in the season. His value is only going to rise as the season progresses.
That was very premature, in my view. Carkner's played well, but we've only played 7 games, and we haven't seen him in action against the better teams in the league.
I would have preferred if we waited a little longer. I don't know if there exists another player in NHL history who earned a contract extension after only a total of 9 games of NHL experience over a 10 year span.
Carkner 2 years @ 1.4mil
Sun says it is 2years for 1.4M - works for me.
And no, he is not A-train's replacment. Not by a long shot.
Is that 1.4/year or split between 2 years?
Question:::
What does our defence look like next year?
Phillips - Atrain
Kuba-Cowen
Carkner-Karlson
What about picard, lee????
any word if it is a two-way contract???
A bit early for me. I like the guy, but I am not sure how a 28 yo career minor leaguer earns a one way contract in less than 10 games. Good signing if he can maintain his level of play though. I suspect he will become the new Shubert since Carkner can also play forward.
2 years at 700k per year is cheap enough that (to me) it's okay it happened this early. It's practically minimum wage in the NHL.
1.4 over two years. One way deal
Only 7 games but was brought in as a replacement to McGratton and help Neil. The fact that he is playing well defensively is a bonus.
Great Signing
Amendment to my post at 1:19
...Carkner can actually play defense and can also play forward. (the implication being that Schubie could not play defense)
You can kiss Lee and Picard good bye in the next few months...with Karlsson, Cowen and perhaps even Wiercoch in the plans for the next few years, this doesnt go well for them. Campoli has got to be looking over his shoulder...I wonder what the plans are for him. I still think Wiercoch is a few more years away, but Cowen, if healthy can likely play next season if they wanted him too.
This is a good signing. I have no problem with it. Was it a bit early? Yes, but it's still good work by Murray to get this guy signed. He's locked into this roster now for the next 2 seasons. Albeit I think he'll play a reserve role behind the the younger guys, i.e Cowan, Wieroch, Lee and/or Picard.
I think Campoli is as good as done unless he really turns things around. He had a great year last year and with other offensively gifted defense man fetching 2nd round picks I can see him doing the same. Leaving Murray to choose between Lee or Picard. We can't have both on one way deals now that Carkner is the 6th/7th d man for the next couple of years.
My bet would be the Line up looks like this
Phillips,Volchenkov
Kuba,Karlsson
Lee,Cowan
Carkner as the 7th guy and Wieroch in the minors as 8th guy on our depth chart. Sounds like a real good defense if you ask me.
Great move! 700K/yr for a tough, disciplined, smart, D-man. Exactly what we need on this post D-MEatley team - CHARACTER. Great move by Brian M - good move to do it now so Matt and his family can have peace of mind and good for the team to lock him up now.
I like the move. Carkner's family was living out of a hotel is what I heard during the last game. Good to hear.
He is only 2 years younger than Phillips?
He deserves every single penny so far.
good signing
Carkner brings toughness to the defense that the team desperately needs. No one else provides it. That is what makes this a good deal. Congrats to him.
Zubov is headed back to Russia on a 1 year loan according to Mike Sharp.
ANON 2:24 - no one else? I would argue that Phillips and Volchenkov have both been very physical this year. Now Karlsson won't be (until he adds 20lbs or more in a year or two maybe) and Picard should be more physical. But Carks is not the only one bringing it.
I'm kind of surprised that Picard and Campoli haven't tried to be more physical given what happend to Lee could have happened to them if their contracts didn't make Lee the odd man out. And now with Carkner getting rewarded like this, hopefully at least one of those two decides to show that they can deliver the odd hit as well or clear the blue paint once in a while.
Iron Mike Sharpe? That guy was one of the best jobbers EVER. (next to Barry Horowitz, of course)
Excellent signing.
A great story considering that he came to camp as a forward.
Even if he can't keep a top 6 D-Man spot he can always dress as a 4th line forward / extra d-Man if needed during the game .
dean mcammond is a devil
Hmmm, is it just me or does Phillips look like he may get let loose after his contract is up in 2 years? We're going to have a very crowded blue line by then.
Volchy, Carkner, Karlsson (3rd year), Cowan (2nd year), Kuba and a blank spot, Lee? Picard? Weiroch? There is plenty of options and definately would help with the cap. I love Phillips but he may be a casualty from the cap by the looks of it. He will also be getting old by then, 35 I believe so it may be a smart move to let him walk.
Regardless, I'm happy with this signing, at 700k/year for 2 years you can't really go wrong. I don't believe he is going to wimp out on us now that he's got a contract. If anything he looks like the kind of guy that would want to prove he's worth it.
Good job BM.
Phillips will be sent walking... you are on something thinking this... does make sense sure, but a guy thats played here forever, I dont care how smart a move it is, you don't ever do something like that... it's a business of course, but there are exceptions and etiquette has to be applied in these cases, Phillips will be a Sen for life my friends...
Good signing....Murray needs to have at least one guy on the roster who is slower than Cheechoo.
Congrats to carkner, 8 years in the minors has finally paid off for him. Great news for his wife and 2 boys who have been living in a hotel here in Ottawa waiting for word on Matt's future. Now they can buy a home!
To Gorley,
You know what, I just realized Phillips is only 31 this year, not as old as I had previously thought. He'll be solid for a few years after his contract is up. Keeping him in the group to pair up with Volchy for a few more years would be sweet.
That would mean next year and beyond we should have a disgusting blueline;
Phillips Volchenkov
Karlsson Cowen
Kuba Carkner
with Leclaire backstopping that...
Gross!
Go Sens go!!!!
Anon 3:42:
Seek help. Quick.
This is a good signing. Carkner's not the fastest skater, but he plays good positional hockey, clears the net well, backs up his team with hard physical play. And he's surprised me with how good his offensive instincts are -- he jumps in to the play, pinches at the right times. (Karlsson, take note... :-).
Plus, Murray didn't overpay. He does more than Schubert, much more, at a cheaper price.
Plus,signing a great guy like Carkner helps me forget the Sens' tainted Me-atley scandal this summer.
So it's all good, on many levels.
carks is a good signing.
phillips aint going anywhere, he is a sen for life
wull, I think picard (while could still be more physical) is playing much more physical than he did last year so both his play and his physicality are much improved from last year
This is a good signing. Carkner's not the fastest skater, but he plays good positional hockey, clears the net well, backs up his team with hard physical play. And he's surprised me with how good his offensive instincts are -- he jumps in to the play, pinches at the right times. (Karlsson, take note... :-).
Plus, Murray didn't overpay. He does more than Schubert, much more, at a cheaper price.
Plus,signing a great guy like Carkner helps me forget the Sens' tainted Me-atley scandal this summer.
So it's all good, on many levels.
I'll bet anyone on this blog forum that Chris Phillips remains a Senator for life. He's a chemistry, veteran leader on the team, ala Fisher and Alfie. Highly doubt he gets moved.
Sens Core Players that I think will finish their careers in Ottawa:
- Alfie
- Phillips
- Volchenkov
- Fisher
Cheech's speed or lack there of is deceiving, he is faster than it appears.
Anyway , that is not why he is here (his speed - we have milan for that) , he is a very smart 2 way player and is most often always in good position. He battles hard and drives to the net and is willing to get dirty in front of the net. You need those kind of players.
Cheech could easily have 5 or 6 points so far.
Philips' wife's family is local.
He is dedicated to playing his entire career here. NO way do I ever see him leaving. His next contract will see him playing his final years here in Ottawa for a nice local boy discount.
Anon 6 31
forgot spezza
he'll be the future franchise face after alfie retires....
Anon@7:01, Cheechoo is here because he was dumped on Murray. Period.
Mat,
all i was saying is the new jersey devils signed dean mcammond ya fuckin weiner
If I'm Murray I am trading Kuba after this season. He is expendable...his salary needs to be shed and his spot taken by one of our young guns...the blueline will still be bolstered by Volch and Philly. All of the young D are puck-movers who will get better - especially after this year playing big minutes (i.e. Karlsson).
I'm not sure why all of you are including Kuba in the long term plans...
Wow CT - really? Really? Did you not see a single game last year? Kuba is a bargain (not cheap, but worth every penny).
Doesn't Kuba have a NTC?
Hey 'chirp - any word on how Lee has fared in Bingo? Stats don't look great but that may not tell the whole story.
Niko - I think I read elsewhere on the boards here that Kuba's NTC runs out after this season.
To Gorley & Bud:
Bud was and is right, Phillips is the one to go when his contract is up, Carkner is his replacement, he does a better job and is much tougher. Your argument for player/team etiquette is total BS, teams do what is best for the org not for the player, the only player I see being Sens for life is Alfie, why? well for one he still produces and he is the Captain
Carkner is great, but he's no Phillips - not by a long shot.
According to a very, very painful video segment on OttawaSun.com by Garrioch, Shannon will play the wing Thursday and Donovan will sit.
There's also a painful debate over which defenceman to sit and another really painful article about nick names with even more painful comments from readers.
Chirp - please post something worth reading so I don't have to keep checking the Sun for more garbage.
Not going to miss seeing Savard in the lineup on Saturday .
Shannon over dono? What is Clouston's boner with this guy? He's like 5 foot nothing and fast. woopdeedoo. Clouston keeps puttin him on the point during pp too...anyways, I think Phillips will stay til retirement because he will take a hometown discount. Kuba will stay til his current contract runs out, at which point the entry level deals for one or two of our young D will be up and we'll need that money.
Also, whoever posted nout Dean McAmmond - I knew what you meant lol, good for the ol speedster to get a contract.
And to whoever said Spezza is the next face of the franchise - I certainly hope so. Think his point per game is gonna go up this year? I took him 20th overall in my hockey pool and its killin me lol
To Anon. 5:54 PM:
"Anon 3:42:
Seek help. Quick."
3:42 said that because Dean McAmmond just signed with the Lowell Devils which is New Jersey's AHL team.
@Ross,
I know what you mean about Spezza for your pool. I had him too and traded him for Dubinski yesterday. It could come back to bite me but the points Dubie is putting up...
Tough to say who will finish their career in Ottawa. even Alfie is iffy and I would totally support him going to a contender for a Cup run, they guy desrves it!
But Phillips and Fisher are WAY overpaid for the production they put out which is close to nothing!
Volchy I could see alos but depends how much he asks for. What you dont understand is its a business and you dont keep plaers cuz they are good to the community, look at Redden, the guy did everything right for the kids and all and we still sent him packing, and rightfully so.
SM
I agree you don't sign/keep guys just because they're "nice guys" but it is a factor to consider. Loyalty and players being happy does show up in their play. So if you have two players with equal skill sets, I'd rather have the guy who we know and who's eager to stay in Ottawa with his family etc than another guy from outside.
Fisher and Phillips are in that category for me. I'd rather overpay a bit for them than try to get a bargain out of someone else.
And for Redden, buying coke for 17 year old girls doesn't really qualify as "did everything right for the kids". ;)
Hax...so if you are such a proponent of keeping Kuba next year I have two questions
1) How do you propose to pay for Volchie's pay bump (remember the cap will not be going up next year...not to mention Foligno will also get a decent raise along with the other support players to re-sign)
2) Assuming the following are locks - Phillips, Volch, Karlsson and Cowen. With 2 of Carkner, Campoli and Pickard fighting for 5th and 6th spots (not to mention Lee)...where exactly does Kuba fit it...perhaps you would have him over one of the significantly more affordable bottom 2?
My point is that I think Kuba is fine as a player...however what he brings to the table doesn't warrent his cap space. Add in depth at Defence with all of the young guns and the probability Kuba could fetch a decent return (perhaps a mid-1st round pick), I think moving Kuba after the year when his NTC expires is at least something that needs to be strongly considered by the Sens brain trust.
We didn't need Carkner.
This is a 'poor boy from the region come home' story that got someone unable to crack a quality NHL line-up a job.
Follows Murray's pattern of being unable to say "No" to anyone from the region with a sob story. Hopefully Carkner can, you know, stop Ovechkin, Malkin, Richards, Crosby, E. Staal with his work ethic...
CT - my feeling is that you can find room for Volchenkov by moving Kelly, Ruutu and some of the extra D. I'm no capologist so might not be that simple - but really I think it could work.
My D for next season would look like this:
Phillips (3.5) Volchenkov (3.5)
Kuba (3.7) Karlsson (1.3)
Cowen (1?) Lee (1?)
Carkner (700k)
Guessing at some of the numbers there of course, but looks okay to me. Volchenkov is a 2.5 cap hit this years so all the "room" we need to find is for another 1, 1.5 max.
(so Picard and Campoli would be gone)
If Wiercioch is ready then maybe someone has to move, but breaking in Cowen and Wiercioch in the same year, with Karlsson as a sophmore sounds scary.
Yeah Foligno is due a raise and hopefully Shannon is too. But I don't see that as being millions and millions there.
Not saying I'm right but seems possible to me.
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