After much speculation, TSN’s Darren Dreger tweets that the Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a deal that will send Marian Gaborik and Nick Shore from LA to Ottawa for Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson. The deal will also see Ottawa absorb 25% of Phaneuf’s cap hit. The trade call was confirmed by the league at 9:14 CST per a tweet from TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
McKenzie tweeted out earlier that “something appears to be done,” but players involved were still competing in their respective games. McKenzie tweeted even earlier that Phaneuf had been pulled from the lineup during the Ottawa-Pittsburgh contest so the trade could get done. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also confirmed the speculation, tweeting that the teams were working on a deal.
Phaneuf still has three years left on his 7-year, $49MM deal at the end of the season. With 25% of the deal eaten by the Senators, Ottawa will save $4MM tweets TSN’s Frank Seravalli. The Kings will see a cap hit of $5.25MM.
McKenzie was the first to report that a deal was being worked between LA and Ottawa. Dreger was the first to report the actual deal that involved Gaborik and Shore for Thompson and Phaneuf.
What a post game bombshell
phaneuf on that defense is scary
Garbage for garbage ……. or in nicer words. Has been for has been and a couple of never will be’s.
I’m not really seeing how this helps Ottawa in any way. They get virtually no cap savings in the Dion-Gaborik swap by eating that 25%, both have 3 years left on their deals and the $1.6 million they save from Thompson for next year virtually goes to Nick Shore if they keep him.
Perhaps Phaneuf wanted a change of scenery? Finally.
Wow. For some reason, I just assumed that Gaborik was on either an expiring contract or only one year left while Phaneuf had 4 or more left. Equal term and equal money means the Sens traded a relatively useful player for a brittle pile of junk.
Yeah but Gaborik being so brittle screams LTIR for the remainder of the contract, so that’s where the potential for saving money is if I had to guess
Even then, that only saves the cap hit. Melnyk is claiming he’s losing money so he’ll still be paying the salary no matter what and what impacts him impacts the team.
That’s probably not true. Injuries are typically insured so if he’s on litr the team still has to pay him but the team will get at least a decent portion of that money back through insurance.
Plus Ottawa has never really gone right up to the cap, though they might if they resign Karlsson, so this might be more about actual salary saved (haven’t researched that) as opposed to cap hits.
Actual salary seems to be the only motivation for Ottawa I can see. They get some savings there but they aren’t a cap ceiling team and Melnyck said during the Habs-Sens outdoor weekend that they won’t be for the foreseeable future. This seems like a complete nothing move on Ottawa’s end to me, especially to save roughly $4 million dollars over 3 years which is a pittance in pro sports.
shore younger than Thompson, and favor in is a for sure either LTIR option or retirement option.
autocorrect ruined that one.
shore being younger likely is one reason for Ottawa side as is the fact it’s more likely that gaborik is going to end up on LTIR or retire before contract is up.
Phil Kessel broke this story during the game. Evidently Dion told him on his way out and Phil told Bob Errey.
Just didn’t know where he went.
Got Thompson and Shore backwards in the story, Shore goes from LA to Ottawa, Thompson from Ottawa to LA
It’s been changed. Thanks!
Any chance Dion hangs out with Sean Avery in LA?
#roasted
I think I saw Sheamus in the comments earlier.
What a stupid trade for Ottawa. They’re supposed to be trying to get salary relief but they will be paying more for Gaborik and Phaneuf’s 25% in 2 years than LA will be paying just for Phaneuf.
LAK: 2017-18 Phaneuf $5,250,000 + Thompson $1,650,000 = $6,900,000
OTT: 2017-18 Gaborik $4,875,000 + Phaneuf $1,750,000 + Shore $925,000 = $7,550,000
LAK: 2018-19 Phaneuf $5,250,000 + Thompson $1,650,000 = $6,900,000
OTT: 2018-19 Gaborik $4,875,000 + Phaneuf $1,750,000 = $6,625,000
LAK: 2019-20 Phaneuf $5,250,000 = $5,250,000
OTT: 2019-20 Gaborik $4,875,000 + Phaneuf $1,750,000 = $6,625,000
LAK: 2020-21 Phaneuf $5,250,000 = $5,250,000
OTT: 2020-21 Gaborik $4,875,000 + Phaneuf $1,750,000 = $6,625,000
At the very least, it’ll give a lot more time to Claesson or else allow Jaros or Englund to play on the big team, which is way better than playing Phaneuf in a lost season
where to begin.
1. the sens aren’t paying the full Gaborik contract this year nor is L.A. paying the full Phaneuf contract as a base.
2. The likelihood is that Gaborik won’t play till the end of his contract. he’s constantly injured and will be nearly 40 when it ends. It’s possible they see him more likely to retire before the end of the contract.
3. This is likely a precursor to a forward or two being moved to clear salary (Smith, brassard, hoffman).
4. The aspect that likely gets missed in all this is Dions modified NTC & NMC.
5. you took avg numbers and not actual contract year values.
Phaneuf’s salary is scaled down from the actual cap hit in the final 3 years of his deal. It’s 6.5 mill in 2018/19, 6.5 mill in 2019/20, and 5.5 mill in 2020/21. Gaborik’s salary is also scaled down 4.575 mill in 2018/19, 3.175 mill in 2019/20, and 3.075 mill in 2020/21. In the end, the Senators save 5 mill in cap space, and also rid themselves of a NTC that looks to be taking place in the last year of Phaneuf’s contract.
*Expansion draft looks to be taking place in the last year of Phaneuf’s contract*
Thank you cheftay! You’re the first on here to get the financial implications of this deal for years 2 and 3. It’s a money dump.
Kings also maybe shoring up defensive depth in the event Doughty leaves, tho not comparable players.