Ohlund may be on his way out

by Sean Zandberg on Sep 25, 2008 10:00 AM PDT Comment 12 comments

What Ohlund said recently:

"I will be here (in Vancouver) if it is right for me and for the club, I would not be here just because I have been here for ten years."

Link to that article here at Hockeyexpressen.se.
Look for Ohlund to have a big season in the final year of his contract. Also look for his agent asking for $6-8 million per season and Mike Gillis saying: "Don't let the door hit your ass on your way out."
I think Ohlund is due for a raise from his current $3.5 million contract, but he is not worth a $7 million cap hit. That's what other teams will pay him next summer if the Canucks don't work out an extension or trade him.

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I've wanted him traded before but that was before this team became, well, what it is now.

I say keep him, he's incredibly tough to replace. I think he'd take a bit of a hometown discount like he already did.

by Mike on Sep 25, 2008 10:44 AM PDT reply actions

But in the interview he said that his length of service here is not playing into it.
I think he's going to go for the money.
I hope he stays no doubt because I am a big fan of his, but I wouldn't pay him over $6 million either. If he was the same calibre as Lidstrom then it would be a different story.
I don't mind our defensive depth though. We can afford to lose Ohlund in my opinion. Just put Edler in his spot.

by Sean Zandberg on Sep 25, 2008 12:41 PM PDT reply actions

i dont hink hes about the money,cause if you see him play he is playing with heart and is a leader on and off the ice,another reason that certainly will play into this is that his wife and kids are here and have been happy for a while noe(as ohlund has stated in the past),so in my mind he will re-sign with the canucks without a doubt

by Gill on Sep 25, 2008 4:09 PM PDT reply actions

"I would not be here just because I have been here for ten years"

That's what he said. Which part of that sounds committal to you?
Naslund said he was happy here and wanted to finish his career in Vancouver at one point as well.
In the end, money talks.
I hope you guys are right, but I am betting on the exit being the case.

by Sean Zandberg on Sep 25, 2008 5:26 PM PDT reply actions

Nah, his quotes were the usual platitudes. It seems this was a Swedish transcription of a Canadian radio interview... I'm curious if anyone caught the interview?

Anyways, the final quote: "I want to be here because it's the right thing for the club, not because I've been here for ten years" is just the usual platitude for team first stuff that you hear all the time. Don't think there is a lot to read into this at all.

by RSM on Sep 25, 2008 5:27 PM PDT reply actions

Heh, didn't see your comment before publishing Sean. So don't read the above as a response to your second comment.

I do think he'd want a nice final contract, and I think this might just be that, but I wonder how much he can realistically ask for at 33...

by RSM on Sep 25, 2008 5:29 PM PDT reply actions

THe translations can be rough from Swedish to English, huh?
What translator do you run yours through?

At 33, I think he can ask for $6-8 million. Jeff Finger got $3.5 million! GM's are facking nuts in the summer. And desperate.

by Sean Zandberg on Sep 25, 2008 5:34 PM PDT reply actions

Hey look at that, even the mighty Spector more or less agrees with me:
"The club's performance this season could have an impact on Ohlund's future with the team. The Canucks have a dire lack of offensive talent at forward and Gillis could consider passing on Ohlund to acquire or sign a scoring forward with the savings."

by Sean Zandberg on Sep 25, 2008 5:54 PM PDT reply actions

I'm Norwegian I I've always read/understood Swedish. I also work as a freelance translator for Norwegian/Swedish/Danish <-> English occasionally.

I do note that in loud bars the Swedes have hard time with Norwegian so we all switch to English to cut down on the confusion.

6-8 seems a reasonable assumption, although I hope the Canucks have enough sense to go for the lower end of that and get it done during the the season if they want to keep him. As per Spector and your comment, I see that there may be a reason for the team to take a pass, although I'm not entirely sure what the price point is for that 6M cap hit? 5M cap hit (frontload the contract)? 6.5?

by RSM on Sep 25, 2008 6:06 PM PDT reply actions

Arg, screwed up the translation ever so slightly. Still the usual platitude though:

The quote should read: "...for me and the club, and not just because..."

So not completely unselfish, but exactly the kind of soundbite we expect to hear early on in contract negotiations. I think the entire piece was based on a 1040 interview.

by RSM on Sep 25, 2008 6:19 PM PDT reply actions

Then there's the possible no-trade clause stuff and length of terms....
I'd go with $5 million for Ohlund on a long-term deal. Seeing that he generally stays healthy, I'd even grant the NTC.