GDT #30: 12/13/14 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/NHL Net

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Re: GDT #30: 12/13/14 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/NHL

Post by dmiles2186 »

Steve Ott scored 20 goals in the NHL once. Let that sink in. I'm not saying that to justify his salary. I'm strictly in the anti-Ott club. But somehow, someway, Steve Ott put 20 pucks in the net within the parameters of an 82 game season. Now, I'd have to do some research. Surely they weren't all empty netters, although it could definitely be possible. Without really digging into the circumstances, I'm just going to go ahead and guess he happened to be in the way when someone of a higher skill level took a shot that happened to graze him and go in. Repeat at least 15 times. The others we'll just chalk up to empty netters. Or divine intervention. Or maybe pure, unfiltered luck.
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Re: GDT #30: 12/13/14 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/NHL

Post by cprice12 »

WaukeeBlues wrote:
cprice12 wrote:
glen a richter wrote:And Ott continues to stand for 0 Total Tallies. What's his exact purpose on this team anyway?
As far as priority goes...scoring goals is like 20th on the list for Ott.

I think Ott has been fine on the 4th line. He stirs stuff up, gets under the skin of players...a lot, throws his body around, etc.
I'm not sure why people would expect him to be scoring goals and consider him worthless if he isn't. That doesn't make any sense to me because that isn't what he is being paid to do.
I just don't like that we're paying him $2.6 million cap hit a season to do it. That's astronomical, in my humble opinion, to be paying a 4th line player. Hated it the day we signed him, still hate it, can't wait until he's gone. He's not contributing to this team even a fifth of what he's being paid.

He's making almost four times as much money as Chris Porter is this season. Just dwell on that for a moment.

edit: AND there was no demand for the guy. We didn't sign him until after Sobotka left. It wasn't like we were in a bidding war with anyone else (that I'm aware of anyway, and if so WHY!?), it's not Jay McClement in the prime of his career who's a faceoff specialist and one of the best PK guys in the game. It's f**king Steve Ott. We overpay to make him feel good about himself or what? I don't blame Ott for that: good for him, he made out like a bandit on this team. I'm pissed at front office. Still makes absolutely no sense to me. No 4th liner in this league should be making more than $1, maybe $2 million a season TOPS. And lone and behold we're going to have a tight salary cap next year, but DON'T WORRY FOLKS! WE GOT STEVE OTT LOCKED UP!!!! And nobody is acquiring that albatross contract.
I agree he is overpaid. He should be making half of what he is making.
But that isn't Ott's fault, like you said. I'm not sure why they gave him that much. But paying him more doesn't instantly mean he should be scoring more goals (even though that would be nice). I'm sure that is the expectation of some fans, but he can only do what he can do. And I think he is doing what is being asked of him by Hitchcock. He's not a liability on the ice like he was last year. His +/- is much improved from last year and he honestly looks substantially better on the ice than last year. No, he isn't playing up to the level of what he is getting paid, but he IS doing what is being asked of him...at least as far as I can tell.

I'm more upset about the Berglund contract. Not because it is $4 million + (but to be honest, that does annoy the crap out of me), but because he just simply isn't scoring when that is a big part of what is expected of him. I'd be upset at him if he were making $1 million and not scoring because he simply isn't doing his job.
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Re: GDT #30: 12/13/14 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/NHL

Post by Oaklandblue »

We are paying both Steve Ott and Patrik Berglund as much as we are for one simple reason: They are both Centers and we had a major deficency of that position. That's it. There is no other reason than that.
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Re: GDT #30: 12/13/14 | 9:00PM CST | @ Avalanche | FSMW/NHL

Post by ecbm »

Oaklandblue wrote:We are paying both Steve Ott and Patrik Berglund as much as we are for one simple reason: They are both Centers and we had a major deficency of that position. That's it. There is no other reason than that.
Armstrong said in the offseason the team no longer sees Berglund having a future in StL at C. He hasn't played there this season-Backes, Stastny, Lehtera & Lapierre are the centers. Ott doesn't play there either. They're 4th & 5th on the team in FO. Berglund & Ott have taken 213 and 197 for win rates of 46.0% and 54.8%, respectively. Lapierre, in 6th, has taken 170 and won 57.6%. So again, not indispensable. Then there are their cap hits and we can argue all day which is worse but both are terrible. Terrible. Ott makes 2.5X what Reaves does and I can't figure out why. I also can't figure out why we couldn't just sign the younger, more energetic Adam Cracknell who doesn't take penalties like Ott for $1M.

Consider-at least Berglund has hustled this year and isn't the defensive liability he usually is. Considering that, if the Blues had retained Boat, Ott wouldn't even be a 4th liner. Of course, Ott likely isn't re-signed in that instance as he was a panic signing after Vlad left. As for Berglund, I still think Army is still trying to be real smart and move him to a team that will perceive him as more valuable than the Blues do for picks/prospects. Thing is, #21 needs to start banging some in or forcing his way into the center mix for that to happen.

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