UFA of the Day: Jeremy Roenick
by Matthew_Taylor on May 19, 2009 4:00 AM PDT
in Armchair GM
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PrintI love Jeremy Roenick. Pretty much everything about the dude is awesome. He's one of the fiercest competitors I've ever really seen play, and I've enjoyed watching him (and his horrible commercials) all season.
However, he's going to be entering his 21st NHL season, and he's tired. He'd never admit it, but the average Sharks fan can tell. Roenick hasn't been skating as effectively as he used to, and he doesn't bring as much to the table offensively as he did in seasons past. If you take a gander at his points scored over the last four seasons, you're looking at about 24 point per year average, or .40 points per game. That's not bad for what you'd expect for a guy his age, but his 2008-2009 production dropped considerably... 13 points in 42 games played (for an average of only .3 points per game).
Roenick isn't the scoring threat he once was, but that's ok. He still can fill a hole on this team even if he isn't putting points on the board. At State of the Sharks, he was applauded for his leadership and determination... two things that the other Sharks are accused of having in short supply.
Although I could wax statistical about Roenick all day, this decision (like most others) isn't really up to me. It's up to Roenick. Even Doug Wilson has stated that he's giving Roenick time to decide if he wants to play next season. He understands that Roenick's career has been a long difficult road; it's important to let the emotions of this latest postseason failure pass before he makes any kind of decision about his future.
Since the fourth line got so little ice time last season, I could see Roenick hanging around next year and chipping in anywhere from five to eight minutes a night. He's a driving force for this team, and I think he's still got the fire.
And oh yeah, this guy wants a cup. BAD.
TCY's Final Offer: One year at the NHL Minimum Salary ($500,000). We're backed against the cap, and I don't see J.R. holding out for a big paycheck.
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1st
Re-sign him… He is an invaluable tangent to this team…
"..." - unknown
by SetoThorMarChooSki on May 19, 2009 4:22 AM PDT reply actions
No Brainer....Sign him
Fear the Fin....where being an old guy isn't all bad, and the 2nd round can be bad on the heart
If he wants to,
and even if it’s just fumes left in the tank, this man needs to be in teal next season.
It takes a big man to cry and it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. -Jamie Baker
NIEDKLERYARYER
oer sometoethin lie kthat!!!! -Mr. K
like you said this one ain't dw calls
it’s jr’s call as we can tell by the unanimous vote
I don't like you Detroit.
agreed
He has a vicious side that the Sharks sorely needed to see more of during the Ducks series. JR and Murray got under the Ducks skin at the end of that horrible game 4.
by DetroiterInNorCal on May 19, 2009 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Keep him, BUT
Like TCY said, at the salary minimum. We paid over a million for him this past season and (arguably) received less in return – largely because of injuries, granted. Keep J.R. for one more year if he wants a go at it – the intangibles he brings to the game and the locker room are worth $500 K.
Fear The Fin = We're not as think as you drunk we are.
Pros
- Good veteran presence in the locker room that’s critical to postseason success (just look at the last two years! I kid, I kid).
- While his skating has dropped off (hell, even from last year to this year I’ve noticed a difference) good ol’ JR still has the hands in terms of passing. And while he may not be winning those 50-50 puck battles at a 50% clip, he still brings a decent physical game that can contribute at fourth line minutes.
- Possible power play performer in doses, due to the aforementioned hands and deemphasis on skating.
- It’s freaking JR man. He’s a blast.
Cons
- Taking away a roster spot from a younger, quicker, and improving player. For example (disregarding the “locker room presence”), Jamie McGinn would most likely be more effective than Roenick over an 82 game season, while also paving the road for his development within the organization down the road. I’d put my entire net worth on McGinn making the big club’s roster next year anyways, but you get the point in terms of restricting a younger players minutes/development. Also (and this is a very important point), McGinn’s cap hit is a few dollars shy of one million dollars. Not a defining factor by any means, but notable when San Jose is so close to the cap ceiling that Wilson is eating popcorn insulation for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This basically requires JR’s salary be on the lower end of the spectrum.
I’m all for keeping him at the league minimum, but where do you draw the line? What if he wants to be re-upped at last season’s salary? An injury to his shoulder for the first time in his career, age, family life, two disappointing playoff runs, and a myriad of other career opportunities will most likely play a factor….
I wouldn’t be surprised if he asks for more than the minimum, nor would be I surprised if he takes it due to his inability to fathom not getting one more crack at a playoff run. But if he wants more?
My ceiling’s $850 K. Anything above that ($850 even looks a little ambitious), and I’m hesitant to re-sign him.
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
If J.R. asks for anything over the minimum, I don’t think we can sign him. It’s a tough position to be in, but I don’t see him getting a shot with any other team for more than that, so at least the Sharks have that going for them… which is nice.
Fear the Fin: Where we just have to want it more!
by Matthew_Taylor on May 19, 2009 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions
On to the McGinn stuff...
McGinn will make the team no doubt (like you say). As for the others, J.R. might be taking the spot of someone who is trying to come up.
However, at State of the Sharks, McLellan spoke to Detroit’s practice of “over-ripening” their prospects. He said that the guys in Det’s farm system were kept there longer than need be so that they were over-ready to start in the NHL, if that makes any sense.
I don’t know if I agree with this, but the results are hard to argue with. If one more year of J.R. results in some over-ripe players, that not necessarily a bad thing.
Fear the Fin: Where we just have to want it more!
by Matthew_Taylor on May 19, 2009 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions
Not at all, and I’ve been a complete advocate for that over the course of this entire season- along with developing those prospects you get some salary cap relief in the form of smaller contracts down the road (Bobby Ryan for example).
My larger point is that signing JR for this season’s salary doesn’t make a whole lot of sense considering a) his production vs. a younger player’s production and b) his growth as a player in terms of the organization at large vs. a younger player’s growth as a player in terms of the organization at large. At some point you need to make that decision, and the bulk of that decision solely lies with JR’s salary number.
We definitely agree with the salary number (low ball his ass!). However, I’m wary to say that JR will be coming back for the league minimum at this stage in his career with everything that’s going on (mentioned above).
Hopefully I’m wrong. Hell, I just as well could be. It’s not like I know the guy.
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Question about your numbers
How do you get “.40 points per game” when he scores around 24 points a season? Aren’t there 82 games to average out those 24 points? My calculator tells me that it is about the same as the terrible .3 from a few sentences later. Do we just have to assume he’s only playing 60 games a year?
I agree with most, though, he brings a lot of intangibles to the team – energy, grit, vocal inspiration, and horrible acting. I had to think if about whether he was just a novelty signing, but he’s the real deal. As far as I’m concerned, someone can wait longer in Worcester for him to finish his career. Claude Lemieux is another story…
I did not include games missed due to injury or other reasons. I averaged the points scored over the games he played.
Fear the Fin: Where we just have to want it more!
by Matthew_Taylor on May 19, 2009 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions
If he wants to come back
Sign him.
resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com. Endorsed by Mr. K on "CINCODEMYOOR!!!!!"
He’s only coming back if you get a historically accurate jersey.
Fear the Fin: Where we just have to want it more!
by Matthew_Taylor on May 19, 2009 9:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Ouchhhh
It’s not an anatomically correct picture, but I guess it goes along with inaccuracies of your jersey.
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
Then we're screwed
resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com. Endorsed by Mr. K on "CINCODEMYOOR!!!!!"
San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick answers questions in the locker room in San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, April 29, 2009, the after day the Anaheim Ducks knocked them out of the first-round of the NHL hockey playoffs. You can tell that he’s super happy, and he’s not about to tear the skin off of whoever is holding the mic in his face.
Conversation I had with my friend when we saw this picture a couple days afterwards:
Me: Dude, JR looks like he didn’t sleep at all the night before.
Friend: Either that or he was up drinking all night.
Me: I don’t think those are mutually exclusive.
Friend: Whatever. He probably just fired up the 360 and took the Sharks to the Cup. Swept every series.
Me: He did it with the offsides on too.
Friend: Too bad it was still against the computer.
Me: True. At least he probably made somebody’s head bleed.
Friend: Jumped over the Coyotes bench and took out Gretzky for old times sake.
Fear The Fin: Where Selling Your Soul Is The Likely Solution
I need one of these shirts!!!
Anyone know where I can get one?
I'm warning you! I have ADHD and I know how to use it!!!
by Diamondback15 on May 21, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions
The JR Store, of course!
So, what in the knick-knack-paddywack-give-a-dog-a-bone is going on around here? — Dan Rusanowsky
If my birthday hadn’t already past, I’d so be asking for one of these.
resident cartoonist @couchtarts.blogspot.com. Endorsed by Mr. K on "CINCODEMYOOR!!!!!"
Mine should be arriving in the mail sometime… now.
Fear the Fin: Where we just have to want it more!
by Matthew_Taylor on May 21, 2009 4:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Roenick is probably my favorite player of all time...
so, yeah, I’m a little biased here. But as everyone else has already said, his intangibles to a team like the Sharks are beyond valuable. He just seems to inject an energy into the Sharks lineup that is lacking when he isn’t there. His presence as a 4th line player and team leader is worth keeping someone in Worcester for another year. If he wants to come back, and decides he is physically able to perform for a full season and second season, I don’t really think there’s a debate here.
Sometimes the impossible can become possible if you're AWESOME!
by ZeroIndulgence on May 19, 2009 10:03 AM PDT reply actions
Keep him
For a team looking for leadership and ‘heart’, JR brings both in abundance. He’ll sign for cheap and I think after this year we’ll see him used sparingly and healthy-scratched a bit to keep him fresh for the playoffs.
Oh, so that's where you edit your signature
DO IT!
IF that leadership stuff, locker room presence, and stuff fans don’t see is really that valuable.
Also JR is just awesomeness
YES to JR
This season can essentially be divided into two parts: pre-JR injury and JR injury. The JR injury era began December 11 when Festerling of the Ducks boarded JR and caused him to dislocate his shoulder. Roenick being Roenick, he got his shoulder popped back in place, and went back on the ice the next period, creating a great scoring chance on his first shift. But after that, the team changed in their style of play, becoming less dominant and less of the, “even when we suck we win,” manner that was common in October and November.
And in his first game back from his first shoulder injury against Atlanta, he got his 700th assist off of this beautiful pass to Cheechoo (after which he said that there was no other guy he’d rather have it come off of). On a slight tangent, the loudest parts of that game were his first shift on the ice when they showed him on the jumbotron, and when they showed him there again while stating that it was #700. Got a huge standing ovation as well.
His heart, as Doug Wilson said at the State of the Sharks, is bigger than the Tank. His skill has definitely decreased, even from last year (but, like others said, his injuries played a large part in that), but he still can come up with the clutch goal from time to time. As we saw in the playoffs, you can put middling guys like Cheechoo and Mitchell with him, and have the hardest working line, period. And while they didn’t produce anything, I bet a few more games together (or, in Mitchell’s case, a few more games period) and we could see goals regularly coming from that fourth line. JR knows how to score and how to finish, a skill that never really goes away and makes him much more of a scoring threat than, say, Grier.
IMO, the only reason he was paid a little over $1M this year was because of that complete statistical anomaly where somehow, despite only scoring 14 goals (which was still more than anybody thought he would), he was second only to the Richard-winning Ovechkin in GWG, and led the league in game deciding goals (with shootout goals included). That statistic still blows my mind, and is probably the reason for the $500K raise. That, and Game 7 of the Calgary series.
That said, he’ll most likely get a pay cut this year because of his injuries, age, and decreasing skill. Plus, his leverage ain’t much – he already stated that he was going to finish his career in San Jose, and third/fourth line guys don’t garner much, even if they do make Gretzky’s head bleed.
Either way, he’s coming back. He loves the game far too much, he still wants the Cup BAD, and – as Joe Thornton said – this season didn’t count. DW would be stupid not to sign him, if only because he’s not afraid to kick the asses of his teammates if they’re not performing up to his expectations. Or give them a shaving cream pie in the face, either one.
"I think I realized after the second or third punch, I should have taken his helmet off sooner." - Ryane Clowe
Fools and Sages
by mymclife on May 19, 2009 2:17 PM PDT reply actions 9 recs
To date, more than 90% are in favor of more Styles
impressive
I'm a happy seal
by SwisherThresher on May 20, 2009 5:55 PM PDT reply actions
he's old but if we could get him for minimum than that would be great
because he can play on any line and still put the puck in the net
plus who doesn’t want to see the look on his face when he lifts the cup
by Brian5517209 on May 20, 2009 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions
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