We start off the new month with a winning record, an empty Injury List, and an owner that will allow us to pay some people if they want to stay with the team. Let's play a few games then start sending out some offers. We have 9 guys on the last year of their contracts. Top two concerns will be defenseman Tony DeAngelo and winger Alex Galchenyuk.
NJ Devils made me a trade offer which I politely declined. They offered 28 year old, 1/1 defenseman Julian Melchiori for 27 year old, 1.5/1.5 wing Kyle Rau. Rau is older and better than Melchiori. Plus, I don't need a defenseman.
Unfortunately, I keep seeing players on waivers that could definitely help my team, but none are American
So, after the January 7 game with Minnesota, I make offers to DeAngelo and Galchenyuk. Both guys asked for 3 year deals and wouldn't come off that 3 year mark. Really wanted longer terms, and couldn't get it.
In 46 games, DeAngelo (24 yo) is a top line defenseman, getting over 22 minutes per game, and has scored 12 goals and added 19 assists... a premiere defenseman for us. We are THRILLED to pay him $2.75 million a season for 3 seasons. I'd have paid $4 million plus for a longer term deal but he wouldn't get off that 3 years.
Galchenyuk, who is 25, has been played almost 16 minutes a game, or just under 2nd line minutes. He was making $4.9 million and we signed him for $5.18 million a season for 3 seasons. I think we are overpaying for a 3rd liner but we have cap room right now and we are hoping he makes the jump to top 6 forward (he has the offensive skills). He has 7 goals and 9 assists in 43 games this season.
Next we focus on 25 year old G Jon Gillies (2/3) and 27 year old winger Austin Czarnik (2/2). Neither player wants to resign with us. Gilles because he wants to play in the NHL, and is currently in the ECHL. Czarnik is a 3rd liner who wants more icetime, and doesn't feel he gets enough here in Montana.
We sign winger John Hayden to a 2 year $850k per year contract. Hayden, 24, played 18 games with Montana picking up 2 assists in limited ice time (under 7 minutes a game).He's played 5 games in the ECHL and he has 4 points in 5 games there.
That leaves four 1.5/1.5 players I won't, at this time, try to resign. They are 34 year old winger Drew Stafford who is currently in the ECHL, 33 year old center Bryan Lerg, who is a regular scratch on the Americans. 27 year old winger Kyle Rau and C TJ Tynan. Stafford and Lerg are on the decline, and I can get younger players of the same quality out of free agency. Same goes for Rau and Tynan, I can get same quality, younger players from free agency or the draft to replace them.
So resigning is done. After the season, I will put offers in to both players that didn't want to negotiate a deal... whether they sign again or not is another story
On with the season! Vincent Trocheck had an infected insect bite, which made him day to day but he didn't miss any games from it.
Czarnik gets a day to day back injury after the resigning... In all he missed 4 games, before being completely healthy February 2.
This month saw our record climb to 28-21-7, good for 8th in the conference (tied with Chicago). JVR continues to light the lamp with 33 goals putting him in 7th in the league. Comrie is 7th in the league in wins with 21. Comrie is also tied for 9th in the league in save percentage at .920, plus 3 shutouts puts him tied for 8th.
For team stats, our power play (16.3%) and penalty kill (77.3%) are both 27th in the league. Our 10.5 PIM per game leads the league. We are 12th in goals per game (3.09) and 20th in goals against per game (3.16).
