Christian Ehrhoff, Round 2 and Free Agency

Update:  Christian Ehrhoff signs with the Buffalo Sabres.  Wow.

@TSNBobMcKenzie Bob McKenzie

Now confirmed: Ehrhoff's deal with BUF is 10 years, $40 million, broken down as follows:

Year 1: $8M signing bonus, $2M salary; Year 2: $5M SB, $3M sal. That's $18M in 1st 2 yrs, or $15M before puck drops on 12-13 season.

Year 3: $4M; Year 4: $4M, Year 5: $4M; Year 6: $4M; Year 7: $3M; Year 8; $1M; Year 9: $1M, Year 10: $1M. Modified NTC. Cap hit=$4M/yr. #tsn

The New York Islanders had acquired the rights to defenseman Christian Ehrhoff for a 2012, 4^th round pick and re-traded them to the Buffalo Sabres today for a 4^th round pick.

Katie Strang of Newsday reports that “the Islanders offered CE significantly more (in $ and term) than Vancouver reportedly offered (5-yr, $23 M) and set a 5 pm deadline; he declined.”  After the Vancouver Canucks defensemen rejected the Canucks initial deal and the Islanders offer, reported to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 million per season, Garth Snow acted quickly.  Snow turned the remaining negotiating rights over to the Sabres, getting compensation of possibly equal value in return in the form of their 4^th round, 2012 selection.  The move was an attempt to get a top rated Defensemen signed before he became an unrestricted UFA on July 1^st.

The great Peter Botte, author of “Fishsticks, the fall and rise of the New York Islanders,” makes a good point.  “Isles currently are at $36.6m in cap payroll, nearly $12m under cap floor. That's today's definition of Imperative.”  Despite several of the top players already off the market, it still leaves the Islanders in a good spot.  They have options to make offers or trades for top players who they think fit the mold in this young, up and coming eastern team.  Or, if there arent any bites, reel it in and continue to develop their young talent.  During this time, they could continue to watch for waiver pick ups of propose a trade or two.

I look forward to the ride over the next few days and continue to gain respect for Snow.  He has demonstrated, especially lately that he is in touch with how to build a modern hockey team in today’s NHL.  Bring on July 1^st.

Also, be sure to read Chris Botta’s take on why Erhoff’s rejection might be a good thing.  http://tinyurl.com/435f8wu

Update:  Dwayne Roloson signed a one-year, $3 million contract Wednesday to stay in Tampa Bay, according to various reports. Roloson would have been an unrestricted free agent Friday.