Alberts Re-signed
Andrew Alberts was re-signed yesterday to a 2 year, $2.5 million contract. Set to become a restricted free agent, the Bruins decided to give him a significant raise from last year when he made just over $650,000. Against the cap, the deal will cost the team $1.25 million for the next two years. Alberts was one of the more agressive Bruins on the roster, and was 3rd ont he team in hits and blocked shots. Andrew, along with the rest of the team, tailed off during the second half of the season and at times was moved down to the 3rd defencive pairing.
With the signing of Alberts the Bruins now have aproximately $38-39 million commited to the cap. Based on last years cap level this is not the best of news for the Bruins. There are rumors though that the new maximum could be increased to around $48 -52 million for the coming season. This is significant as it represents a potential increase of $4-8 million or one or two significant free agents.
I guess the next question to pose is; Is the Bruins ownership willing to spend at the top of the cap level each year? There can be no doubt that the Bruins are losing money, and we are quickly becoming a "small market" team. That said, I expect they will come close to the maximum cap this season and then see how things go. Another losing season with poor attendance may spark a cost cutting move though. For me, the most important RFA on the team is Brandon Bochenski and I will be thrilled if he weas re-signed.
With the signing of Alberts the Bruins now have aproximately $38-39 million commited to the cap. Based on last years cap level this is not the best of news for the Bruins. There are rumors though that the new maximum could be increased to around $48 -52 million for the coming season. This is significant as it represents a potential increase of $4-8 million or one or two significant free agents.
I guess the next question to pose is; Is the Bruins ownership willing to spend at the top of the cap level each year? There can be no doubt that the Bruins are losing money, and we are quickly becoming a "small market" team. That said, I expect they will come close to the maximum cap this season and then see how things go. Another losing season with poor attendance may spark a cost cutting move though. For me, the most important RFA on the team is Brandon Bochenski and I will be thrilled if he weas re-signed.
Labels: Andrew Alberts, free agents, General, Rumor
posted by TreeBob at Wednesday, June 13, 2007
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7 Comments:
I was glad to hear this. Alberts is exactly the kind of kid who formerly would go on to be an important player for another team, leaving us wishing he were still with the B's. I for one am really sick of that, particularly after watching Pahlsson in the final.
I still believe the B's have far more talent than they are currently capable of using. What the team needs most now is not more talent, but consistency so they can begin to turn these guys into a team. Holding on to Alberts fits that bill nicely. I want these guys to look around the locker room and think, "This is it. I'm going to make my mark here, and we're going to win here, and I have to help make that happen" rather than, "maybe someday I can be traded to a team that doesn't suck."
What makes you think the Bruins are losing money?
I guess I have no proff of this. I can't see how they could be though. They would have to make a shit load off of beer sales. The Boston Bruins were 25th in League Attendance this year, averaging 14,764 people a game.
That blows, and who knows how inflated those numbers really are. I here they were practically giving tickets away for awhile there.
i would have to agree....just assuming they are losing money is a mistake. people think that jacobs was a penny pincher for not "spending", but it was sinden, who had a tight purse, doing what was best for the game as the nhl drove itself towards a lockout.
under mike oc(and the impending labor dissaggreement)the team actaully went close to 50-60 million in payroll (i think). personally i do not believe jacobs cares if the bruins make money...as long as he owns the 7 dollar hotdogs in the concourse all will be fine. and lastly if they are losing money, will fielding an even worse team increase profits?
Concessions in that building are sky high as far as profit is concerned, so the Bruins are still making plenty of money.
It wasn't the Bruins that were giving tickets away (although their student night deals are pretty good from what I hear), but rather the ticket brokers who bought huge chunks of tix at the beginning of the year. It's not uncommon around here to get free B's or Celtics tix if you buy Sox or Pats tix as a "package", and I remember in the lean years of '96-'97 some places were giving away pairs of tix if all you did was buy an "autographed souvenir".
It's my understanding that what matters to owners most isn't if they make money every year, but what the present value of the team is.
This is a little out of date, but I think it's interesting:
http://tinyurl.com/sk54b
At the time the B's were the 6th most valuable team in the NHL. If that starts to slip, I think it would get Jacob's attention more than anything else would.
What I found interesting in the article is the bar graph showing team salary over the last 10 or so years. If the NHLPA gets the cap raise they want this season we will be above pre-lockout salary for the team (the highest ever).
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