Ok, this contract makes sense only if some combination of the following are true-
1. They are not planning to bring Gourde back after next season, allowing Stephenson to become the long-term 3C behind Beniers and Wright
2. They want to give themselves options to play Beniers or Wright on the wing this season and shelter them a bit from the pressures of playing top 6 C minutes
3. Long term they see Catton as a winger
Stephenson is a good player, but declined last year. I am really concerned this contract could age badly very quickly unless he bounces back. IMO this is a much bigger risk than the Montour signing.
edit: to be extra clear, I think this contract is a massive overpayment in both AAV and term. The only way it looks good is if Stephenson has a major rebound. I’m afraid there is a good chance this contract ends up being one of the worst signed today.
Distinct_Mud_2673
Welcome to Seattle Stephenson! Praying these deals don’t bite us in the ass
seattlethrowaway999
If I were a GM and on the hot seat, this is prolly what it would look like in free agency. Who knows if Ron will be here for the back half of this contract. Gotta take your shots
I think this spells the end of Gourde, unless he is willing to take a massive pay cut and plays 4c. I guess next year the 4th line will be something with him, Tanev and Kartye barring another move.
Winter-Outside-4365
Scared money doesn’t make money
handleignored
I guess he’ll be kicking pucks into the net for us now.
Olbaidon
People torn in these deals.
I’m gonna trust the organization. I am excited to see some action in FA and excited to see how things change or not this season.
jjbjeff22
Not a fan of this signing tbh. Who plays 4C? 4C isn’t good for Matty or Shane’s development. Yanni and Stevenson too expensive to be a 4C.
11REP1411
This would sit better if it was not a 7 year deal. He is not the offensive threat I was hoping for, but he is about equal to the other 5 million + dollar men that already exist on this roster.
Go_Hawks12
I don’t understand this move with our current roster? Does he play 1C and bump Wright/Beniers/Gourde down? Does Gourde get traded/play wing? Time will tell but I initially don’t like it. Especially at term and price.
MurrayInBocaRaton
This signing has me raging. Montour? Fine. But what does Stephenson bring that is worth locking down for seven years!?
drowsylacuna
Ron, blink twice if you’re under duress.
ThrownAwayintoLF
I’m kicking myself I didn’t realize Chandler was a FA til last night. Dude was born to be a Kraken.
AhsokaFan0
We’re paying what for who?
gnahckire
How did Vegas utilize Stephenson? I think he was 3C but moved to 2C?
Watched a few of their games but can’t recall who he played with or how he plays.
EverythingIsAwful69
Can’t Chandler play the wing?
canuckinseattle
ugh. Stone buoyed Chandler. This one isn’t going to age well. Prime buyout candidate in 3 years.
TheHaplessKnicksFan
The term is 100% going to bite them in the end. This is the type of contract that if you play EA NHL Be A GM mode, the contract will be auto-selected for the trade block.
surfingeagles
You know, we can get more goals for cheaper if we bring back Sprong. Can also get Duclair for cheaper too
SoloGhosts512
I don’t think this is the end of Gourde just yet because he’s versatile and can play wing
Radu47
Whoa it has already been bought out
thertp14
Personally really liked the Montour move. I really, really do not like this move at all
Emeraldcity7499
What does this mean for beniers and wright with another center coming in
seataccrunch
These terms signal a little desperation and or lack of pull for Seattle to FAs in general…
These contracts might look ok 1 to 3 years and then awful in years 4 to 7
Thirsty-Octopus
The dude wins faceoffs. I bet that is a huge reason he is here.
Over 50% in 7/10 seasons, straight for the last 4 seasons, including 58% in 22-23.
He will be the only center on the roster that is over 50% & it’s really not very close. Matty & Gourde have… not been good enough at FOs.
Faceoffs were a big problem last year, especially in key situations. Hopefully he is able to help Matty/Shane develop, it’s particularly difficult for younger guys as they learn all the tricks.
bluefrosst
This makes me wonder if CBJ were asking too much for Laine if we’re making signings like this. At least he would be on a wing and he’s still in his 20s.
Startooth
Somebody explain in Mariner terms
seattlesportsguy
Yeah I don’t know if this is the type of move we should be making. Hard to envision him living up to that deal
TripleBicepsBumber
That term and salary is kind of yucky considering his age and point production 🙁
What role is he even going to play? I’m not a huge fan but I guess we’ll see how next year goes..
First-Radish727
I think you can’t judge this contract in a vacuum. Kraken HAVE to be more competitive before the Sonics inevitably return. The alternative is that the Kraken become an irrelevance.
7 yrs for a 30 yr old is silly. But in this context it probably makes some sense
inalasahl
They really want more rings in the room, I guess.
anonzasa
This is brutal. Chandler was widely inconsistent. Even more so without Stone. Stone elevates everyones play around him. Before coming to Vegas and playing with stone Stephenson was a 4th liner that scored a couple of goals per year.
surfmonkey1989
I know there’s a lot of consternation about the term and cost of this contract, and I agree to an extent. That said, the organization is at a transition point, where they need to move on from some/most of their expansion players, but don’t have the prospects to fill in yet (totally understandable).
They are also need to show what they are about to the rest of the players in the league that would consider coming here. Are they a team that will cast you aside and churn the roster every year, like you could view the Giordano and Wennberg trades? Or are they more likely to commit like they did with Eberle. I love Eberle as a person, and I get that he’s considered a leader on the team, but I feel like in a more long-standing organization with a proven track record, they could have traded him without anyone really getting upset.
Finally, there are quite a few players who have no movement/trade clauses to west coast teams because of the distance from family and/or travel, which I get. If I were a player, wouldn’t want to be traded to the east coast for the same reason, especially to a team that I wasn’t sure was committed to winning because they’ve only been in the league for three years.
So you have a team in transition, that is still trying to establish itself and what its intentions are (do they want to compete or not?), are at a competitive disadvantage due to their location, and without an established winning tradition. All that points to having to overpay for the time being.
That’s my $.02.
Quantum_Aurora
Can’t wait to deal out a 1st to get rid of him in 4 years.
Reditall12
That’s a lot of money for 16 goals, 35 assists and a -9.
42 Comments
Ron Francis is not fucking around this year.
Whoa
We ain’t fucking around this year
Horrific deal
I mean…. He’s older too. Damn lol he’s good tho
Term sucks, but love this otherwise.
Ok, this contract makes sense only if some combination of the following are true-
1. They are not planning to bring Gourde back after next season, allowing Stephenson to become the long-term 3C behind Beniers and Wright
2. They want to give themselves options to play Beniers or Wright on the wing this season and shelter them a bit from the pressures of playing top 6 C minutes
3. Long term they see Catton as a winger
Stephenson is a good player, but declined last year. I am really concerned this contract could age badly very quickly unless he bounces back. IMO this is a much bigger risk than the Montour signing.
edit: to be extra clear, I think this contract is a massive overpayment in both AAV and term. The only way it looks good is if Stephenson has a major rebound. I’m afraid there is a good chance this contract ends up being one of the worst signed today.
Welcome to Seattle Stephenson! Praying these deals don’t bite us in the ass
If I were a GM and on the hot seat, this is prolly what it would look like in free agency. Who knows if Ron will be here for the back half of this contract. Gotta take your shots
bringing out this baby for one last ride
https://preview.redd.it/6si4j82o0y9d1.jpeg?width=1211&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6aeb892c6286fcc883cf91b9ef57a16ecede9f63
I think this spells the end of Gourde, unless he is willing to take a massive pay cut and plays 4c. I guess next year the 4th line will be something with him, Tanev and Kartye barring another move.
Scared money doesn’t make money
I guess he’ll be kicking pucks into the net for us now.
People torn in these deals.
I’m gonna trust the organization. I am excited to see some action in FA and excited to see how things change or not this season.
Not a fan of this signing tbh. Who plays 4C? 4C isn’t good for Matty or Shane’s development. Yanni and Stevenson too expensive to be a 4C.
This would sit better if it was not a 7 year deal. He is not the offensive threat I was hoping for, but he is about equal to the other 5 million + dollar men that already exist on this roster.
I don’t understand this move with our current roster? Does he play 1C and bump Wright/Beniers/Gourde down? Does Gourde get traded/play wing? Time will tell but I initially don’t like it. Especially at term and price.
This signing has me raging. Montour? Fine. But what does Stephenson bring that is worth locking down for seven years!?
Ron, blink twice if you’re under duress.
I’m kicking myself I didn’t realize Chandler was a FA til last night. Dude was born to be a Kraken.
We’re paying what for who?
How did Vegas utilize Stephenson? I think he was 3C but moved to 2C?
Watched a few of their games but can’t recall who he played with or how he plays.
Can’t Chandler play the wing?
ugh. Stone buoyed Chandler. This one isn’t going to age well. Prime buyout candidate in 3 years.
The term is 100% going to bite them in the end. This is the type of contract that if you play EA NHL Be A GM mode, the contract will be auto-selected for the trade block.
You know, we can get more goals for cheaper if we bring back Sprong. Can also get Duclair for cheaper too
I don’t think this is the end of Gourde just yet because he’s versatile and can play wing
Whoa it has already been bought out
Personally really liked the Montour move. I really, really do not like this move at all
What does this mean for beniers and wright with another center coming in
These terms signal a little desperation and or lack of pull for Seattle to FAs in general…
These contracts might look ok 1 to 3 years and then awful in years 4 to 7
The dude wins faceoffs. I bet that is a huge reason he is here.
Over 50% in 7/10 seasons, straight for the last 4 seasons, including 58% in 22-23.
He will be the only center on the roster that is over 50% & it’s really not very close. Matty & Gourde have… not been good enough at FOs.
Faceoffs were a big problem last year, especially in key situations. Hopefully he is able to help Matty/Shane develop, it’s particularly difficult for younger guys as they learn all the tricks.
This makes me wonder if CBJ were asking too much for Laine if we’re making signings like this. At least he would be on a wing and he’s still in his 20s.
Somebody explain in Mariner terms
Yeah I don’t know if this is the type of move we should be making. Hard to envision him living up to that deal
That term and salary is kind of yucky considering his age and point production 🙁
What role is he even going to play? I’m not a huge fan but I guess we’ll see how next year goes..
I think you can’t judge this contract in a vacuum. Kraken HAVE to be more competitive before the Sonics inevitably return. The alternative is that the Kraken become an irrelevance.
7 yrs for a 30 yr old is silly. But in this context it probably makes some sense
They really want more rings in the room, I guess.
This is brutal. Chandler was widely inconsistent. Even more so without Stone. Stone elevates everyones play around him. Before coming to Vegas and playing with stone Stephenson was a 4th liner that scored a couple of goals per year.
I know there’s a lot of consternation about the term and cost of this contract, and I agree to an extent. That said, the organization is at a transition point, where they need to move on from some/most of their expansion players, but don’t have the prospects to fill in yet (totally understandable).
They are also need to show what they are about to the rest of the players in the league that would consider coming here. Are they a team that will cast you aside and churn the roster every year, like you could view the Giordano and Wennberg trades? Or are they more likely to commit like they did with Eberle. I love Eberle as a person, and I get that he’s considered a leader on the team, but I feel like in a more long-standing organization with a proven track record, they could have traded him without anyone really getting upset.
Finally, there are quite a few players who have no movement/trade clauses to west coast teams because of the distance from family and/or travel, which I get. If I were a player, wouldn’t want to be traded to the east coast for the same reason, especially to a team that I wasn’t sure was committed to winning because they’ve only been in the league for three years.
So you have a team in transition, that is still trying to establish itself and what its intentions are (do they want to compete or not?), are at a competitive disadvantage due to their location, and without an established winning tradition. All that points to having to overpay for the time being.
That’s my $.02.
Can’t wait to deal out a 1st to get rid of him in 4 years.
That’s a lot of money for 16 goals, 35 assists and a -9.