Sabres Must Get Zemgus Girgensons Extension Right

The Buffalo Sabres won’t make the playoffs this season, but there’s no denying that they are a team on the upswing. General manager Tim Murray was hired in January of 2014 and it didn’t take long for him to leave his mark on the team. He traded Ryan Miller a month later, and at that point it seemed like the overhaul had officially began.

That was three trade deadlines ago, and Murray has done a wonderful job building the Sabres up through the draft and smart trading. While his first big test was to figure out what to do with veterans like Miller, now the general manager must start to lock up his young core of players to deals that make sense.

This is essentially the beginning of the next phase in Buffalo.

While Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart both will have two years left on their entry-level deals after 2015-16, center Zemgus Girgensons and defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen will both be restricted free agents this summer. This will really be the first chance we’ve had to see how Murray deals with core young players who are coming off of their entry-level deals.

We know that he won’t hesitate to toss money around if it makes sense. He proved that this summer when he traded for and then signed Ryan O’Reilly to a seven-year, $52.5 million extension to stay in Buffalo. This is a different scenario for Murray and Co though. Girgensons didn’t come in following a blockbuster trade. He was drafted by the organization in 2012 and has spent four years developing his game in North America.

After playing in the AHL for one season (2012-13), the forward has spent the last three years at the NHL level while appearing in the Olympics for Latvia. He became the pride of the nation in that tournament, and his home country made him the top vote earner for the 2015 All-Star game in Columbus. That’s a solid resume for a player who is just 22, and it will be interesting to see how Murray approaches these negotiations for a handful of reasons.

Girgensons is a great player, but where does he fit into Buffalo’s long-term plans now that Eichel, O’Reilly and Reinhart are in place? He’s been playing wing on the third line recently, with Johan Larsson slotting in on the second unit since O’Reilly is injured.

This isn’t a writing on the wall situation as much as it is a realistic indication of how valuable Girgensons is to the Sabres.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Murray try to buy some unrestricted free agent years from Eichel–and maybe even Reinhart–once they are up for new contracts in the summer of 2018, and that’s something he’ll need to be mindful of as he begins to navigate these deals with young players. Overpaying in one or two spots can badly hamper a team’s ability to get things done with their own assets and with other teams. Properly projecting Girgensons’ upside and future role with the team will be a crucial part of Murray’s job over the next few months.

He’s a fan favorite and the kind of player that makes those around him better. Girgensons has developed into a bit of an all-situations option, skating on the first power-play unit and able to play both center and wing. The 6’1″, 203-pounder is clearly an important part of this organization. But just how important is he?

The Sabres have plenty of cap space to work with–they are projected to have north of $10 million at the end of the season–but that can evaporate quickly when signing key components. Look at what the Winnipeg Jets had to deal with this season as they were forced to make tough choices because of the salary cap. The goal for Murray should be to avoid a similar situation while inking his players to deals that make sense both in the short-term and long-term.

Sometimes signing players to bridge deals can expose a team to risk. What happens if Player A takes a two-year bridge and then suddenly erupts during that time frame? O’Reilly was in a situation like that in Colorado, and the string of prove-it deals paved the way for the trade to the Sabres. Ryan Johansen experienced a similar scenario in Columbus, when he bloomed a bit late and then asked for monster bucks.

Murray probably doesn’t have to worry about that kind of pop from Girgensons though. He’s valuable because of his hockey IQ and two-way play, and he’s improved his possession game by leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. His average points per game is down though, and that may be due in part to due a decreased offensive role as Eichel and O’Reilly have taken over some big minutes.

Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner has been a more productive goal scorer, and recently signed a tw0-year bridge deal that carries a $2.9 million cap hit. That likely sets Girgensons up for a deal hovering around the $2 million average annual value (AAV), and that would be a solid move on Murray’s part. There’s no overcommitment on term or dollars, and Girgensons would have a chance to play his way into a larger role and a bigger pay check.

It’s important for Murray to get this one right because it will set precedent for years to come. If you overpay this particular forward, you can bet Eichel and Reinhart will be looking to cash in once their time comes. Girgensons may not be the most noteworthy player on this team, but the deal he receives will have a ripple effect in Buffalo.

 

All cap information appears courtesy of GeneralFanager.com.

The post Sabres Must Get Zemgus Girgensons Extension Right appeared first on Todays SlapShot.