Gonchar gone - Signs with Ottawa
Sergei Gonchar has signed a three-year deal with the Ottawa Senators worth $5.5 mill per year.
almost 2 years ago
FrankD
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I think we all knew he would leave, but Ottawa. Yikes. He must not have traveled around the city much :) Not my favourite and definitely not the friendly city that Pittsburgh has been when I have visited. Best wishes to him, though. I hope he does well in all games except those involving the Pens. I agree with other commenters. That 3rd year at that salary may be a regret.
You’re right, Ottawa’s a terrible place to live. Don’t let the annual liveability studies change what you think about that.
Ahem… sorry. As for the signing, it’s definitely got the potential to go sour, but it’s also got the potential to be great. With the young players we’ve got coming through (Karlsson, Wiercioch, Rundblad), Gonchar could certainly teach them some things about moving the puck and putting up PP points.
by Peter Raaymakers on Jul 1, 2010 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
but it’s also got the potential to be great
A contract for a 36 year old injury-prone d-man earning $5.5M a year for three years (and they stay on the books) has the potential to be great? He’s not getting any younger or healthier.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
The last two seasons he’s played 25 and 62 games respectively. He took a big hit to the knee from Ovi last year and isn’t getting any younger or healthier.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
The 25 game season was due to surgery that was planned. The knee-on-knee was dirty Ovi. And this year wasn’t a big deal on its own.
Not getting young/healthier — I’m with you there. Insert picture of Gonch with ice packed around his knees …
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
Insert picture of Gonch with ice packed around his knees
Haha, bad memories.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
Well..
at least we have the Iceman to do THAT job ;)
Still, he deserves a fair amount of money, and the way our cap is bolstering big star talent, we really need to manage the way our money is spent toward the long term in players like we have coming up through our system, as well as free agents we can snag.
I’ll miss the Magic Gonch running our PP, but the age does make me wonder about him sustaining the level of play he is capable of over the course of a full year, and possibly a playoff run. I kind of saw his final few games in the playoffs this year as a possible example of that. Still, if there’s anyone one player you want on a team for a PP, it’s him. Let’s not give away penalties to those Sens next year…
Weirder yet, NHL 10 nailed this on the head for me. Every single time free agency rolled around Gonch signed in Ottawa. Coincidence? I say not!
PensBurgh penalty - Lavender - 2 Minutes for Deking a Duper Deke That Made a Duper Duck.
It’s definitely a lot of money. More than I thought he was asking for, but I guess the offer was too good to turn down if that’s the case.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
Way To Much Money
Agreed,
The Sens?
They will be another wipe-out
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions
agreed – 3rd year and too much $
PopRocks is going to vomit
by Mario Lemieux #66 on Jul 1, 2010 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
good
now lets use that money elsewhere to get some good players. 3yrs/$5.5 per is way to much. glad we ddint sign him for that much, 2yr/ $4 per would have been fine, looks like gonchar took the 3rd year sweetener
Played 25 games when we won the cup, 62 this past season. I’d be surprised if he makes 65 games for his first year in OTT.
"Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental." - Jim McKenny
He played 75, 82, 78 games the three years before that.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 1, 2010 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
This is true. But he’s also 36 and not getting any younger or healthier. It’s hard to see him playing 60+ games for the next 3 seasons, unless his playing time is drastically decreased – which simply won’t happen with that kind of contract and how now he’s stepping into a top role for Ottawa.
There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball - unfortunately, neither of them work.
I’m surprised the Sens wouldn’t pay Volchenkov but will pay Gonchar.
Especially when Erik Karlsson looks like a pretty good young offensive dman.
"Game's the same. Just got more fierce."
I think OTT thought Gonch would be able to turn their power play around. But there’s no way it’s worth $5.5M a year for three years, with every year staying on the books.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
Because They Are Stupid
Don’t think Gonchar will be happy but, so long dude.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Kind of surprising to me too. That Phillips/Volchenkov pairing they’ve had up there for the last handful of seasons was one of the best shutdown duos in the league, if not the best. I’m amazed they haven’t even really tried to keep it together, it seems like from the beginning that they were already reserved to losing him.
Ottawa’s mistake. I wish we could have kept Gonch but that’s way too much money at this point in his career.
There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball - unfortunately, neither of them work.
You have to admit, though, that Ottawa's going to have one heck of a PP.
If they keep Spezza, they’ll have something like Spezza, Fisher, and Kovalev up front, with Alfredsson and Gonchar in the back, and Karlsson on the second unit.
Still, though, I agree. Going for Gonchar instead of Volchenkov makes no sense.
Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89
Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.
He will definitely help out their power play, but it’s not worth that contract.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
Bye-Bye!
If you can’t beat them – Steal them! I, for one, don’t mind losing Gonchar. He’s a great player so he’ll do great things with that PP. Good thing he’s not real interested in winning another Cup, eh! We all know he is fragile so he’s good for a few injuries a year. Good thing is, now we get a real good chance to see what Gogo and Tanger can do now that they are no longer in his shadow. It’s their PP now! Let’s see what you got boys!
by Wags24 on Jul 1, 2010 12:54 PM EDT reply actions
Whoa
$5.5 million represents half of what the available dollars the Pens have to spend in free agency this offseason. Now you can see why negotiations with him for the past year have gone pretty much nowhere.
Best of luck to him, except when he plays against us.
I think he probably figured
I already have my name on the Cup and I’m not getting any younger, so I might as well just go to whoever is willing to pay me the most money.
There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball - unfortunately, neither of them work.
Okay, can someone explain this to me? Gonchar signed with Ottawa at around 12:20 p.m. eastern, maybe sooner (that’s when I saw the news on twitter). How is that not tampering? Certainly Ottawa knew what he wanted (we all knew) before noon, but is 20 minutes enough time to agree on a contract? Is it enough time to make sure he won’t get a better offer for another team? Am I just not understanding how this works?
Maybe someone can also tell me how the 12:01 deal (Biron) happens…
GMs are allowed to talk to FAs as of around midnight. They just can’t file any actual deals until noon.
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
Except for the Ottawa Sens….now!!! LOL
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Love the pic of your cat!—I have 3 myself.
—Hope i am not offending any Sens fans. I have nothing against the fans but the team…
can’t wait for the Pens to play the Sens!!
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Cats Rock!
You are most welcome.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Well if you think about it there were reports that Sarge and Shero couldn’t agree on the length, which was three years, and that he wasn’t going to settle for less than what he made previously. So all you would have to do is be the first to offer him what he wants and it would be pretty easy.
But yes, I still think it was very premature on his part.
"Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental." - Jim McKenny
Yeah. I’m not sure how I feel about the price. We’ll see!
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
Everyone says he’s very underrated.
"Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental." - Jim McKenny
We didn’t. Michalek is younger, blocks a ton of shots, he’s bigger than Scuderi and more physical and at least has some offensive upside.
There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball - unfortunately, neither of them work.
His offense might pick up a bit if he starts playing with better teammates. He played with PHX’s worst, and also saw the stiffest competition on the ice. Considering also that the West was a bit stronger, I’d expect him to see closer to 25-30 points next year.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
Wow Is Right
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t really care about a winger right now, D wins games. Give Tangradi, Conner, Letestu the shot at wings.
"Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental." - Jim McKenny
D!!!!!!
Let’s focus on the D, agreed Shero is…..!
D first, Winger second.
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
There really aren’t any wings out there worth spending a lot of money on.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
Michalek had a 2.9 S% this year…that’s definitely coming up next year.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
he’s the guy we thought the Pens would get a long time ago, right? BUT not for that kind of $. Wow.
i wonder what Martin and Hamhuis will get?
gotta be more than $4M/year, right?
It sounds a bit high right now, but Michalek really has some solid advanced stats. He saw some incredibly tough competition with crappy teammates and still kept a respectable adjusted +/-.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
But the opponents they saw were, on average, much more difficult than what we saw.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
good to know you are on top of these #s, man.
the Pens must have a great deal of confidence in him too to give him 5 years
Yea, though it’s looking like a good signing the more and more I peruse the numbers.
Hockey Blogger at Pensburgh.com
3m is awfully high for him. But then again, this is the Leafs we’re talking about. They spent the No. 2 overall pick for Phil Kessel for god’s sake
There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball - unfortunately, neither of them work.
Yeah For The Leafs
They will be a force to be reckoned with……….what talent they are aquiring…now they have
Armstrong….plus Versteeg……….very impressive!
One Who Lives And Breathes All Things Penguins
by PensFanInDenver on Jul 1, 2010 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I thought of your prediction when I heard this news.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day, right?
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 1, 2010 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions
lol… that was sharp PAYD
I'm 21 now... I still feel 20 and I still feel way too old.
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
I said it with love, of course.
Good call, Diomedes.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 1, 2010 6:44 PM EDT up reply actions
I may be
summarizing what every one else is saying, but because I haven;t read all the comment, this signing doesn’t surprise me. At all. there was some buzz that other teams had told Gonch that they were interested, give him 3 or more years, and for more money per year.
Would’ve liked to see him go to the West, but best of luck to the guy.
I've told [a 9 months pregnant] Nathalie that she can't have the baby on a game night. I'm not missing a playoff game. -Mario Lemieux in 1993
you think the Gonchar signing may have been a knee jerk reaction to losing Volchenkov? It could be possible that Ottawa’s the only team that would ignore Sarge’s injury history and throw a big contract at him
I'm 21 now... I still feel 20 and I still feel way too old.
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
I doubt it. Most teams have a pretty good idea who they want and how much they’ll pay to make it happen. They might not have Shero’s “twenty different scenarios” in hand, but they had surely thought it through.
Of course, they were using their Ottawa brains, so that probably didn’t help. But I’m doubtful on the knee jerk side of things.
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
i guess… but straight up between Volchenkov and Gonchar, I’d rather have Volks… I just feel kinda sorry for the SilverSeven crowd when Gonchar eventually bellies up on them…
How do fans of other teams survive with such dubious backroom management.
I'm 21 now... I still feel 20 and I still feel way too old.
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
All due respect, I mean you know I love you, right, in that totally hetero fellow pens fan love kind of way, but I sincerely hope that, with the exception of the 4 games (plus playoffs) we face Ottawa, Gonchar proves you (and 75% of the rest of the folks here) completely, absolutely and totally wrong.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 2, 2010 12:43 AM EDT up reply actions
This
I know, everybody is happy to see Gonch hit the road, but this image courtesy of the Pensblog, makes me sick to my stomach.
.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 2, 2010 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Okay … That was just mean!
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
Too soon? Yeah, I agree.
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 2, 2010 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you, PAYD. I’m okay with Shero letting Gonch walk, but I think Ottawa made a good pick-up. One of the things Ottawa was looking for was a little more offense in their defense, and they got that in Gonchar. This season wasn’t his best defensively, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with!
Canada Rocks. Except for the Ottawa Senators.
plus as an offensive defenseman who doesn’t use a lot of physicality to protect his net, his skill set kinda allows him to produce till the end of his contract.
I don’t wanna face him when he’s at full health, but I’m hoping he justifies that Ottawa contract.
I'm 21 now... I still feel 20 and I still feel way too old.
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
i have no idea how i managed to sound this down on Sarge but that’s totally not what I meant at all. I love Sarge and I thank him for everything he’s done for us these last years. But I doubt his durability.
I was on SilverSeven this morning and well, you can see for yourself.
Pensburgh reader here…
Here’s hoping that Sarge stays healthy for you guys… If it counts, I’m fairly sure that GM Ray Shero would’ve dumped the same 5.5 million that you guys did if Sarge was willing to take less years.
Consider this, on a team with Sid, Geno & Billy Guerin, our PP quarterback was still Sarge.
If Sarge can stay relatively healthy, he’ll be worth every penny.
&
Sarge is gonna produce whenever he’s on the ice… He’s consistent that way.
I'm 21 now... I still feel 20 and I still feel way too old.
Just so I never have to answer this again. I'm from Singapore so whenever you see me online, I'm either sleep deprived or just waking up.
That’s better :-)
The Pens will be back.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Jul 2, 2010 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions
haha gotcha, gotcha.
no probs. great series last year! as for the ottawa bashing, i encourage you to come visit sometime if you haven’t already! it’s a great little city. you just missed canada day bro.
hope the signing works out! 5.5 is a ton but i can obviously see the upside to it.
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