If they did this they better get like 4-5 years for Cernak, not 2.

4-5 takes him straight to UFA. 2 years allows him to be under team control after to sign him longterm

Exactly. Plus giving him a short term contract with a big raise makes it less likely for Tampa to match.

Yeah I guess that'd be one way to go about it.

Didn

Didn't even consider that wow. 100% the way to go for an OS. Also, Bracco 1.3m? Be my guest.

How to burn GM bridges 101

Bracco isn't worth the paper that contract is printed on. He's never going to be a 4th line player, and Ottawa isn't going to pay him that money to play in Belleville.

I understand conceptually what you're demonstrating here, but Bracco is a terrible example. Paying players when they've done nothing is a bad precedent to set.

He has a lot of skill and giving him a chance on a **** team could be the way to go. He has tons of raw ability and I could see him as a solid middle-6 forward who just happened to be a late bloomer in a bad position. If OTT wants him TOR just needs like a 5th and they can sign him to QO.

"Cernak gets a 5.5M QO
Mittelstadt gets a 2.5M QO"

Where are you getting these #s from? Arent QOs based on the previous base salaries? OTT wouldnt even be the one submitting a qualifying offer for them in this case (that is until their contracts expire and they are RFAs again in 2022)

It’s pretty much the only way to go about it. Signing him for four years would be legitimate insanity.

I think if the Bracco offer sheet was 1 or 2 years, it would be a brilliant move. Toronto can’t match because they’re in such a tight position with the cap. No compensation needed, and the senators can certain afford to just throw him in the lineup and see what happens. I really like the Bracco offer sheet concept. I think it forces the leafs hand.

I don't think his style of play lends itself to ever sticking at the NHL level. He's a soft player who sticks to the perimeter rather than going to the high scoring areas, he's got no finishing ability, and he's a player who struggles defensively. His problem has never been a lack of skill.

Yeah, I don't understand why people scoff at short term offer sheets. To me it makes the most sense. Basically just a bridge deal, but for more money. It makes it difficult for the team to match. The player is more likely to sign because they are making more than they should on a bridge deal and get a chance to re-up shortly. The team that made the offer sheet (assuming it's signed and not matched) gets negotiation rights with the player after the contract is up because they are still an RFA. The merit is certainly there.

Exactly the point I was trying to show in this post. Less compensation for short term offer sheets.

We'll see how he does. I'm still standing by my words that if he got a change of scenery he could become a good playmaker in the bottom 6. I always thought of him as a Dollar Store Marner that doesn't come with a shot or 2-way game.

I can see him being an effective 3rd liner that plays the powerplay. Low risk, medium reward.

Dollar Store Marner without the two way play is a fairly accurate assessment, but it also highlights why I think he's a bad fit in a bottom six. He's not bringing goals, he's not bringing physical play and he's not bringing defensive responsibility. The things most NHL coaches want out of a 3rd/4th line guy.

He's always been a "top six or bust" player in my eyes.

Intresting analysis. I think he just needs larger team mates and he will be fine. I don't think that bottom-6/top-6 matters as much as long as he has good line mates. I think the ideal line mates for him are probably a Getzlaf type physical C with a good shot on his other wing. For OTT I'm thinking Formenton or Brown and Ryan or Duclair. Of course this would have to be in 2-3 years but if he is the clear PLM on the line he could be lethal.

Yeah this is certainly the smart way to use OS's to force the issue, particularly if you're a team with capspace and extra assets. That's a dangerous game to play though for a team that's going to have a lot of good young players coming off ELC's soon and who have an owner that is tight financially.

Btw I'd also add Labanc to the list of good OS candidates. SJ are up against the cap and he's coming off a down year, so an offer of $4.25m+ would probably have SJ taking the 1st+3rd.

There's never just one way to go about it.

Well, here theres a pretty narrow range of ways to go about it. 4 years just isn’t an option. It takes the player directly to UFA without buying out any UFA years. NHL teams don’t do that. Literally never. I think there was one instance of it like 12 years ago or something, and that’s pretty much it. 5 years is better, but you’re still only buying out one UFA year. Not great. Beyond 5 years, you’re driving up the offer sheet compensation. Don’t want to do that either. 3 years is awesome. 1 and 2 years isn’t great because you don’t want to have to re-negotiate so soon. Soooo 3 years is kind of all you’re left with.

You obviously have no clue on how offer sheets work? Jeremy Bracco has 0 NHL experience therefore he can't be a offer sheet candidate. That Cernak offer sheet is too much he's worth half that much.

You're really picking on the 4 years thing. I said 4 or 5 years so obviously if I had done the math, I would go with the 5 years.

3 years is probably ideal yes. If I had a choice between 2 and 5, I'd take 5. Thats just me

Yes 5 years is better. But if the Sens offer 5 years at that AAV the Lightning easily match.

If you look at the cap situation for TB right now, if they matched this offer they would likely lose 1 or quite possibly both of Sergachev and Cerelli