Honestly, sometimes the jokes write themselves.
I was going to talk about Danny Briere’s concussion and No Trade Clause, but I typed “No Trade Claude.” Why yes, that’s exactly what I meant.
It’s April, the Flyers are last in the Atlantic and I… won’t say anything mean. I still don’t like them and that’s all.
However, as you know, my traitorous heart does love Danny Briere. It’s beyond reason. Out since suffering a concussion in practice on March 23, Danny was back on the ice with the team yesterday. He could play as soon as Saturday vs. Buffalo. [link]
Danny talks about his injury and the process of returning here.
Stop it, stop being perfect.
Now, why do I even mention this?
1) Concussions can go to hell. For any player on any team… just the word turns my stomach.
2) I have a not-so-secret wish for the Flyers to make the playoffs and face Pittsburgh in the first round. I shouldn’t play with fire, but I’d love see the Pens redeem themselves for last year’s debacle.
3) Will Danny get traded to somewhere I can love him openly?
MOST IMPORTANT. There has been a lot of talk about Briere’s future with the Flyers. His contract is $6.5 million with two years left (Update: WRONG. Read comment below from KC!). Last season, Danny was way off his goal-scoring pace, despite personally terrorizing me during the playoffs. (Seriously – Briere got 16 G in 70 games all year, then 8 G in 11 games during the playoffs.) He’s also 35, which is NOT old because we are NOT old but we’re almost that old. In a few years.
Rumors flew that multiple teams were interested in acquiring Briere before the trade deadline, but Danny said publicly he would not waive his No Trade Claude Clause (UPDATE: It’s a No Movement Claude, which means no AHL either. Thanks Jess.). The man loves Jersey, okay? His adorakids go to school there, Gingeroux is there, it’s precious. There was speculation the Flyers might try to push him [link]. If there were ever a viable window to acquire value in exchange for Briere… it passed when he got hurt.
He traded one problem for another.
Now the best/worst solution is for Danny to come back and play well. He could still help the Flyers make the playoffs. At the same time, it may prove his viability to other teams. The better he looks, the more they’ll offer and the harder Philly might lean on him to accept. Late career trades and waived NTCs are the new dance crazes, don’t you know?
There is also the new CBA’s Amnesty Clause, which the Flyers could use to buy out Danny’s contract this summer. He’d still get $6.5 mil/year, but the Flyers would free up that amount under their salary cap. [link, link] They’ d rather have something to show that money, but at least the Amnesty Clause would let them spend it twice.
I don’t know what to feel.
Does anyone know: If the Flyers buy out Briere under the Amnesty Clause, does he become a UFA (like with a regular buyout)? Could he get $6.5 mill/year AND play somewhere else? If that’s true, I wouldn’t waive my NTC either. I’d make the Flyers play me or pay me, because I know I can get paid to play somewhere else when it’s over.
(Best we can figure, he’d get 2/3 of $5 million. See below.)
That’s crazy.
Now we’re past the trade deadline, and Danny is still a Flyer. If he storms the playoffs again, maybe he convinces the Flyers not to use the Amnesty Clause. He could scrape into next season and get another crack at… what? Being worth $6.5 million? It seems unlikely. The Flyers need that money and they need it this summer, when teams are more willing to negotiate.
Of course, this Flyers’ summer might be only 10 games away. Philly fans have had a rough year – we know a few, and like them anyway. Lord knows we’ve all been there. So here’s Captain Claude saying nice things about them in perhaps the most orange environment even caught on film.
If Danny gets a buyout or waives his NTC, I promise you a very Persuasive Power Point Presentation on why he should come to one of my teams, co-written by @linzerellak (as suggested by @alisonsykora).
Tags: claude giroux, Danny Briere, philadelphia flyers
PANTS. DID YOU REALLY JUST WRITE THAT? “I have a not-so-secret wish for the Flyers to make the playoffs and face Pittsburgh in the first round.”
UGH. My eyes are bleeding. Non, non, NON! Anything but that ANYTHING! All of the alcohol in the world and maybe the anti-anxiety meds too if this happens. Lord knows the Flyers will be aiming their pucks at Crosby’s newly-healed jaw if the Flyers meet up with the Pens in the first round. It gives me the heebie jeebies.
Hahaha thanks ladies. The orange and black shout out is much appreciated. We have def had a tumultuous year and as the entirety of the NHL knows, our front desk is a loose canon so no body knows where Danny B will be come training camp ’13-’14. I my heart of hearts I hope he will stay. He has 3 preteen, er, 2 teen and one preteen reason to not waive the NTC and frankly, he’s the only guy on the team who isn’t a blithering, idiotic machine of over used phrases in an interview (not pointing my finger at any particular dashing ginger captain or anything…) but, if management is trying to resurrect the Broad Street Bullies persona that brought this city its only two cups, there’s no room for a soft spoken, thoughtful Frenchie which is a shame because his style was just coming around. Plus, I don’t know where all the wayward rising superstars are going to live if he leaves cause nobody billets like a Briere.
I almost included, “Where will all the young gingers live?”
The mere thought of him going anywhere else hurts my heart; I love that little French man. I’ve met many very nice hockey players in the last few years, but Danny is truly all class.
As I understand it, the player gets 2/3 of the contract value and is eligible to immediately sign with another team.
The speculation I’ve seen about Flyers’ buyouts are Pronger and Bryz.
Thanks Anne! I saw a few different things, but nothing specific to the amnesty clause, in my 3 second Google search.
The “2/3 of salary” thing was in place for the first round of buyouts (Gomez, Redden), but I’m not sure if it applies for buyouts this summer. Maybe someone else knows.:-)
We will definately take him back in Buffalo!!!!!!!!!!
1. We like lil people in Buffalo ie. Ennis “The Ewok” and Gerbe “the midget”… We could a whole line of them if Briere comes back
2. My hubby would not have to hear me curse Derek Roy’s name every time it comes up if we got Briere back (Most Sabre fans hate two people: Brett Hull(He was in the crease!) and Derek Roy (Yeah, let’s trade Briere and Drury to keep Roy)
3. Ummmm, can’t think of anything other than WE NEED HIM!
Make it happen Pants!
My sources [read, the Flyers fan I work with and capgeek] say that he gets 2/3 value [because he’s over 26], becomes a UFA on July 1 post-buyout, with salary/cap hit value being as follows:
Danny Briere buyout from CapGeek.com
2013-14: $4,333,333
2014-15: $5,333,333
2015-16: $833,333
2016-17: $833,333
Thanks for the info! Everywhere I looked had something different.
Am I only worth 2/3 because I’m over 26?! Danny and I are offended by this. We’re going to the early bird dinner special at IHOP to vent.
I seriously wish I could take a master class in understanding the NHL salary cap, because good gravy it’s an easy way to make me feel like I don’t really understand anything.
Greetings! Not to get too contract-nerdy, but Danny’s deal was front loaded. So he’s only due $3 million next year and $2 million the year after. If he’s bought out, I assume it is 2/3 of the remaining $5 million. (I think the capgeek calc is for how the $6.5 million cap hit would apply in a non-amnesty buyout.)
So either he’s back for two years $5 million, traded and plays for another team for two years $5 million, or is bought out for 2/3 and then can sign a new deal with a new team.
I assume he’ll be bought out because that is a huge cap relief for not a big $ amount, although it makes me sad because I love him.
BTW, love the blog!
This makes MUCH more sense than the way I was reading it. Now I see why a buyout would benefit the Flyers. They’d get more back in cap space than the spend to buy him out.
The NHL salary cap rules are like shopping a Kohl’s. There’s always some discount – you never know what it is until you get to the register but it’s always less than the retail price.
No, Danny must stay!! We need a happy Claude or he might run away to join him! I want to continue to wear my Briere jersey with pride, not overwhelming sadness. Love them both!
Here’s something to further complicate your feelings about Giroux. seriously.
http://video.flyers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=771&id=237620&lang=en&navid=DL|PHI|home
Gaaaaah… I Tweeted this to share the anguish of the season not lasting long enough for his curls to grow out properly. Thanks!
According to Capgeek, Briere has a No Movement Clause, not a No Trade Clause, in his contract. An NMC means a team can’t pressure a player to waive the clause by threatening to send him down to the AHL. Such a player can still be a healthy scratch, of course, or amnestied/bought out. But it means a team has less bargaining power over a player it asks to waive the clause – especially when an amnesty would give the player 2/3 of his remaining salary and let him sign with whatever team he wants (assuming it wants him), instead of taking a chance that that team has offered his current team enough to make it his current team’s choice. Or he could just retire after that if he didn’t want to move away from an area, whereas a trade might send him across the continent.
But, everything I’ve seen is that injured players can’t be amnestied/bought out, which means at this moment Briere can’t be on the list (although he’s apparently trying to return this week), nor can Pronger. (Nor, for that matter, can a huge chunk of the Flyers.) Pronger’s contract is a 35+, so it wouldn’t make sense to use an amnesty on him even if he were healthy. (Also, it wouldn’t make sense to use an amnesty on him if he were healthy because if he were, he’d be playing. Philadelphia’s current D is basically 38-year-old Kimmo Timonen, who is a great guy but also reportedly in walking casts while not playing because of plantar fasciitis; Luke Schenn; and third-pairing guys and/or call-ups from one of the worst AHL teams this year.)
Note: I haven’t read up everything about the new CBA yet, but I don’t remember seeing anything about retroactive changes to 35+ contracts or NMCs. If someone else has, I’d be happy to be pointed to it.
Thanks Jess! We have quite the team of crack researchers here when I can’t find what I’m looking for.
Danny’s contract is a NMC, not a NTC. They’d never AHL him anyway, so it’s really the same thing. Most speculation I’ve seen talks about the Flyers cutting his playing time to push him out. That would just make me more mad, but perhaps Danny is more reasonable than I.
He doesn’t get a say in the Amnesty Buyout, but he can give the Flyers no other option by sitting on the NMC. And you’re right – that would allow him to pick his team (from whoever’s interested) rather than letting the Flyers pick it for him. As an UFA, Danny would need a brand new contract – he could take less money to attract even more teams into the bidding. Like the Capitals. We’re close enough, right?
The reason I mentioned the AHL threat was because I think that’s how the Flyers got Gagne version 1.0 to waive his NTC, although maybe that was another player. Cutting playing time would make more sense to pressure him, but he’s been injured a fair bit this season and could probably use the rest even once he comes back, since it sounds like he might be pushing it sooner than he should. He did say earlier that he hadn’t been asked to waive it, but then he got hurt and couldn’t be moved this season. I guess it really comes down to if/when they’re considering doing something about his cap hit and what sort of relationship the team has with him/how “nice” everyone wants to be to each other.
Briere probably doesn’t even need to take (much) less money, just have a smaller cap hit, for some teams, because his play doesn’t drop off during the play-offs and he has veteran leadership experience and all those other intangibles teams like to talk about. (And he puts up with the media so the Philly reporters haven’t skewered him yet.)
The Capitals are indeed an easy distance from the Flyers! And before games against the Flyers, he could still ride the train down with them…
I think Briere might be #2 in the Flyer Amnesty line, behind a certain Russian goalie. My tea leaves say they tag Bryz, who returns to the KHL.