Kenny up to his old tricks again.

Great now the Leafs can trade Johnsson to Edm for Kassian, that'll be an awesome trade for both teams, one team lack scoring on the wings while the other team lacks team grit and toughness. Make it happen.

And they both have roughly the same term and $$$

Oilers will regret this one, maybe not right away.

Oh dear... Sorry @Laudan, this deserves the oh dear treatment. I don't know how hard Holland tried but he needed to get Kassian the same deal Zach Hyman is under right now. Anything more is an overpay imo.

Free for use, no tantiems charged.....

Oof Just Oof.

Way too much term...

He was on a line with Datsyuk and big Z so it boosted him a lot

I'm not sooooooo opposed to this

They will be giving up assets to move this contract in 2 years

Kassian is a projected 50 point player this year, So the deal is good for the Oilers....unless he reverts to his usual 25 points a year. I don't think the contract is bad, because Kassian can be an effective player even as 35 point player.

Is this really where the market is moving for players like this? This isn't the worst contract in the league by far, but the AAV seems at least 1 mil. too high for a player of his caliber

The crowning touch is the Oiler homers out there who think this is a steal. I'm not even a fan of the team and it's frustrating to see Mcdavid having ~2.5 talented forwards to work with and then a bunch of scrubs like Shehan.

I had him pegged at 2 to 2.5 on a 2-3 year deal.

I'm not going to lie I like his willingness to do whats right for the team.
There is a price to pay for that. Even if you say ok to the $ figure, it's the length that really gets me.
But I don't think it's as bad as people think, but it's definitely not good.
In the new NHL, guys who can fill that role and still move have a decent value to their game. It is what it is.

Kenny back to his old tricks

Imagine Kassian's offensive numbers if he was dropped down to the bottom six? Imagine if he played anywhere else but Edmonton. Maybe 10G and 10A...emphasis on maybe. But, he does bring some Tom Wilson elements to the table, which definitely increases his market value. But, for $3.2M AAV he's gonna need to sustain his offensive numbers, which is gonna be tough when he's 32-33 years old.

That being said, I still like this extension from a team perspective. A solid signing for both sides.

Definitely a distinct possibility, but PIT gave Tanev (similar age and numbers) 6 years at a slightly higher AAV. Kassian is a good fit w/ McDavid. Also, the last 2 seasons don't include any bonus payments. So EDM can effectively buy him out after year 2 if absolutely necessary. PIT doesn't have that same luxury with Tanev.

just a poor man's Tom Wilson, only with less than half the brains and half the skill.

That's a lot of money to protect McDavid.

Great deal for a guy having a career year, but this contract will be a buyout candidate towards the end.

Kassian doesn't get PP time.

Absolutely. The term bothers me far more than the AAV. If it was 2 x $3.2 I would have voted yes.

I think his contract should include a bonus for each time he fights a Tkachuk.

I want to be clear on something, this is FAR from the worst deal in the NHL right now. But $3.2 mil per for 4 years for a guy who is essentially a 3rd line grinder with some offensive upside just seems high. If it was 4 years or the AAV, I'd be fine with it. But both is a bit of a head scratcher.

Decent contract.
Hes a great team mate who impacts the game on a nightly basis. If he is leading our bottom six in a couple of years, Oilers are doing really good. He is our best bottom six player(actually playing on the top line and points are really good) and sets the standard for them. He shows he can play with McDavid and is emotionally attached. He has improved consistently for years for the Oilers.
Do you believe that its McDavids skates on the ice that defenseman hear that pressure them? No, its Kassians, he pressures by force and that changes the flow of the ice and that opens ice up for McDavid to do his thing.
3.2M for 25+ points/season and a mentor. Good stuff. Anything above this is icing.

I could understand the trade you suggested, but it's nonsense that the Leafs lack grit. Teams "fighting" toughness yep this miss that , toughness, they are certainly OK is that department.. But again the uninformed always use the words "lacking team grit and toughness". Certainly different meanings, and that phrase doesn't apply to the Leafs.