Where will Tanguay land?

by James Mirtle on Jul 15, 2009 1:54 AM CDT in Free Agency Comment 46 comments

We're pretty much down to the slim pickins, two weeks in. Alex Tanguay's the best player left, and unsurprisingly, he's quite sought after at the moment.

Looking back at the needs that 30 SBN bloggers forecast heading into free agency, there are still five or six teams that Tanguay would fit well with and fill a need. We've heard already that the Panthers are interested, and that makes sense, but how about Columbus, Edmonton, Minnesota, Nashville or New Jersey?

Those six teams' ranks in goals scored last season? 17, 21, 18, 22, 24 and 14.

Their additions in terms of forwards?

Florida gains Steve Reinprecht, loses Richard Zednik, Ville Peltonen
Columbus gains Sami Pahlsson, loses Manny Malhotra, Jason Williams, Mike Peca
Edmonton gains no one, loses Ales Kotalik
Minnesota gains Marty Havlat, loses Marian Gaborik
Nashville gains no one, loses Vernon Fiddler, Radek Bonk
New Jersey gains no one, loses Brian Gionta, John Madden, Brendan Shanahan

Sure, that's a pretty simplistic way of looking at it, but how on earth will these relatively low-scoring teams beef up their offence without adding another body up front? And given the pickins (which are slim), who other than Tanguay will make any impact at all?

In terms of supply and demand, the odds are in his favour — and I'm betting his agent knows the market. (Unlike, say, Marty Biron's.)

After the jump, a look at where Tanguay ranks in points per game the past five seasons (hint: 21st).

Here's Tanguay in his peer group from 2003-04 to this past season:

You can make some pretty favourable comparisons there, as Tanguay's out scored a lot of players who make significantly more than he is likely to command. (Hello Scott Gomez!) His plus-minus is also better than everyone not named Zetterberg or Sedin.

Durability has to be a bit of a concern, but I'm guessing he finds a contract in the $4- to $4.5-million range over three or four seasons. Perhaps even within the next week or so.

And then some of the other leftovers see their value rise.

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I think it’s weird people insist on his supposed durability issues. He’s played only 4 less games than Zetterberg on this time frame, and he played 3 more than Elias. Yet no one mentions their durability. He’s missed significant time last season, but other than that, he’s never missed more than 13 games in a season. That’s ok I think.

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by Grrrreg on Jul 15, 2009 2:17 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think he has a place in Jersey.

Their two best forwards (Parise, Elias) both play the left wing, and I’m not sure he would be a huge upgrade over either.

by Mandmeisterx on Jul 15, 2009 6:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

They need forwards badly, and might have to shift guys around in their positions a little. That’s my thinking anyway.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Jul 15, 2009 1:00 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

in that they need forwards, but I think their top 6 is pretty solid, especially on the wings. I wouldn’t mind seeing them pick up another center as an upgrade over Zubrus, but this year just wasn’t a very good market for centers. I wouldn’t have minded picking up Koivu on the cheap, but what can you do. If you bring in a guy like Tanguay, you’re asking him, Elias, or Rolston to play 3rd line minutes with 3rd line team mates, which isn’t very befitting to any of the three. Rolston showed last year that he doesn’t fit in on a 3rd or 4th line. Plus I know they’re trying to find a way to get significant minutes this year for Bergfors. Not to mention the fact that Tedenby and Josefson could be ready for the big club as soon as next season. I think Lou is pretty content to replenish from within. I also think Shanny will be back. I’m pretty excited about the direction they’re headed.

by Mandmeisterx on Jul 15, 2009 1:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I always thought Elias played well at centre when called upon in the past.

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He really only ever played two full seasons at center.

His faceoff percentage was not good in either and his highest point total of the two was 57 (the other being 55). He has always been at his best on the wing, especially when Gomez centered he and Gio, or as we liked to call it, the EGG line. John did a pretty good feature on this very thing over at In Lou We Trust.

by Mandmeisterx on Jul 15, 2009 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The other big, big advantadge to Tanguay is that so many of his points are even-strength points. He can really boost a team’s five-on-five play and doesn’t need to be on the power play to produce. Underrated player.

I’m still puzzling over why the Habs, who have been weak at even strength, didn’t retain him. Hopefully they are a better 5-on-5 team under Martin.

by MathMan on Jul 15, 2009 7:44 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Unfortunately, I can only see rankings 15 -40, and I can’t download the google doc.

But – I know people are obsessed with PPG, but looking at Tanguay, he’s basically a point a game player and he is above the average for games played based on the list of guys ranked 15-40.

Therefore, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be able to command $4.5M.

by hockeysully on Jul 15, 2009 8:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

If it weren’t for Keenan using him as a checker than Carbonneau similarly underutilizing him before his injury, we’d be talking of him as being in the Havlat class really. Unfortunately for Tanguay, he got stuck in the numbers game in Calgary where they needed someone on their second line who could make it not get destroyed, then in Montreal he was saddled with a coach who didn’t understand how scorers like him work and idolized grinder-like “work ethic”.

by MathMan on Jul 15, 2009 10:00 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It was Gainey that put Tanguay on the 4th line in the playoffs, inexplicably playing Georges Laraque in his spot on the first line to try and draw Chara away from Kovalev. Tanguay was well utilized by Carbonneau… up to the time he got injured, the Habs were winning games. By the time Tanguay came back (and apparently too early, given that he re-injured his shoulder and missed the last two playoff games) the Habs had long since boarded the Fall Apart Express.

If a team is winning games, then no player is being underutilized.

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tanguay was not being used correctly by Carbonneau. The team was winning games but it doesn’t follow that the coaching was good — in fact, one can argue that the Habs won in spite of their coach early in the year. His usage of Tanguay is simply the most egregious example of a coach who simply wasn’t good at managing his bench.

Tanguay simply didn’t have enough ice time. He was the Habs’ best forward — or at least, the most productive — and Carbo underutilized him to the point that Tanguay even remarked on it. Had Carbonneau given Tanguay top 5-on-5 icetime, as he should have befitting his best even-strength player, maybe we wouldn’t have been complaining that “the Habs are winning but they’re lucky to do so”. A player like Tanguay simply shouldn’t end a season averaging only 16 minutes a game, and it’s inexplicable why Chris Higgins averaged almost minute more.

Gainey put Tanguay on the fourth line out of necessity — Alex had re-injured himself at that point playing against Boston, and couldn’t handle tough icetime. He even had to shut it down two games later.

by MathMan on Jul 15, 2009 11:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Higgins played both special teams units. Tanguay doesn’t kill penalties.

Carbonneau’s issue wasn’t bench management, it was communication and the inability to instill confidence when faced with team adversity that was his undoing. As long as players know why the coach is giving them the ice time (or lack there of) they generally won’t whine about it.

The rumours at the time of Tanguay sitting out Games 3 and 4 against Boston were that he himself did it, after being given the option by the doctor to play (as in he wouldn’t damage his shoulder further by playing). If that were the case, it’s certainly helps explain why he was never offered another contract by Gainey.

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 11:11 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lack of special teams time shouldn’t limit the icetime of such a superior 5 on 5 player as Tanguay. If he doesn’t kill penalties, it should be so that he spends more time at even strength where he dominates opponents. Instead of playing him 16 minutes and Tom Kostopoulos 14, it makes more sense to give Tanguay 18 minutes and Kostopoulos 12, trimming down on Kostopoulos’s 5-on-5 ice time to give those minutes to Tanguay. It’s not like Tanguay is a defensive liability (far from it).

Carbonneau wasn’t good at bench management at all. His communications issues are well-documented, but they were hardly his only flaw as a coach.

I’m not sure I put much truck in the rumors of Tanguay shutting it down himself. He certainly wasn’t doing a whole lot of good on the fourth line anyway…

by MathMan on Jul 15, 2009 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

$4.5m is a big paycut for Tanguay, so it’s easy to see why he’s still out there if that’s the best offer he can find.

I thought he’d be a good setup man for Tavares, actually.

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 9:11 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I thought he’d be a good setup man for Tavares, actually.

I wrote him off from the get-go because I thought there’s no way he’d pick Long Island and, even if he lasted this long on the market, no way the Islanders could land him without paying more than they’re willing to spend. But the thought is enticing, and the Isles are incredibly thin at left wing.

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by Dominik on Jul 15, 2009 9:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

One problem may be that you can’t build a season-ticket selling campaign around an Invisible Man. And as impressive as Tanguay’s stats look on paper, can anybody tell me one thing he does well on the ice that anyone would notice? I’m asking a serious question here.

by garth the hoser on Jul 15, 2009 9:38 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Score?

by J. Michael Neal on Jul 15, 2009 9:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

His ability to score is massively overshadowed by his ability to pass up glorious shooting opportunites by making amazing passes to nobody in particular.

by Resolute on Jul 15, 2009 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alex is a very smart, but subtle player. He definitely ain’t flashy and full of highlight reels, but he’ll put a pass tape to tape through traffic, find dead zones in coverage, and has a great wrist shot. He’s a guy that takes a long time to truly appreciate for what he does on the ice, mainly because so much of what he sees and does happens away from the puck. To me he was easily the Hab with the highest “hockey IQ” last year, or at least by far the craftiest Hab forward (Markov is right up there with him).

He’s also a guy who has had some run-ins with management/coaches in the past that may turn other teams off.

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 9:54 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

He can be pretty nifty in the shootout…

I've been looking at the sky

by Back In Black on Jul 15, 2009 10:25 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

can anybody tell me one thing he does well on the ice that anyone would notice?

Score goals in Game 7’s of SCF’s?

The 2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Slumpbusters

by Jibblescribbits on Jul 15, 2009 4:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Minnesota’s a tad deceptive on this list. They were arguably missing Gaborik last year, too.

http://www.battleofcali.com/

by Earl Sleek on Jul 15, 2009 10:04 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Their top six forwards really don’t scream offence, however.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Jul 15, 2009 1:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

MathMan beat me to it, but if not for Tanguay’s season under Keenan, he’d probably rank higher on the list. Not only was he playing on the 2nd line with Nolan and Conroy, he was taking on the big boys every single night. He still ended up with one of the best ESP/60 rates on the club.

As for what he does well: very high hockey IQ, fast skater, laser beam accurate shot and sublime passer. He isn’t overly physical and can over-think the game sometimes, but the fact that he always outscores the competition is a big plus.

Matchsticks and Gasoline

by Kent Wilson on Jul 15, 2009 10:32 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Truculent?

I’ve always liked Tanguay, and have been mystifed that’s he’s still on the UFA market this late. He must be holding out for some sort of onerous term length or dollar terms, because I don’t see how a guy that you can pencil in for 70 points and a consistent ability to outscore his opposition 5 on 5 isn’t a top-line NHL player. Or at least the basis of an excellent second line.

He’s not overly physical, but I don’t see any glaring weaknesses in his game that would offset what he brings to the table. He’d instantly be the best forward on the Leafs, for example.

by pevans on Jul 15, 2009 11:26 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I doubt the coaching in MTL had much to do with Tanguay actually. His point per game made him by default the best the Habs had last year. Lang was another great scoring threat before he got injured. And the two of them logged time on the PP.

I know money is an issue with teams pushing up to the cap, but when a perenial point scorer is waiting this long in free agency, one wonders why. He’s still relatively young, hasn’t lost his speed yet, and can still putpoints on the board. I was sad to hear he wasn’t staying in the east with Mtl, I enjoyed watching him. I do however, understand now that we have Cammallari, Tanguay is a duplicate and older.
I wish him all the best and hope for the best for my new looking Habs team.

by Cruisin4aBruisin on Jul 15, 2009 1:06 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Specifically, Gainey said that after acquiring Scott Gomez, he was looking for a legitimate trigger man to play on his wing, and he felt that Cammallari was more of a pure scorer than Tanguay (can’t dispute that), hence the choice was made to sign Cammallari instead of Tanguay, when he became available to the Habs.

Also, Cammallari has extensive experience playing at center (he did when he was in LA) while that position doesn’t come as naturally to Tanguay. That gives the Habs a bit more versatility over the first 2 lines, if Plekanec should falter again this year or if Gomez get injured.

by Habs on Jul 15, 2009 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

All that being said, I’m really sad to see Alex go. Koivu and him were the only 2 UFAs I hoped the Habs would keep.

by Habs on Jul 15, 2009 2:03 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, Cammalleri is definitely a triggerman. I think Tanguay is a more complete player, but Montreal’s needs definitely point to Cammalleri being their prefered option.

by Resolute on Jul 15, 2009 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The real reason he doesn’t fit with the Habs top-6 is that, at 6’1, he can get on all the rides at Canada’s Wonderland. No room for that in Smurf Village.

by Godd Till on Jul 15, 2009 2:43 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Says the fan of the team whose top 2 forwards are Jason Blake and Mikhail Grabovski?

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by saskhab on Jul 15, 2009 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs

Very well said, rec’ed

by Habs on Jul 15, 2009 3:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh no, two of six are short!

Ponikarovsky could send yours to the Oompa Loompa Hospital with a dirty look.

Scratch that, Gary Leeman could though.

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by PPP on Jul 15, 2009 5:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love how people jump on the smurf bandwagon

Last time I checked the Habs have Lapierre, Latendresse, Laraque and Moen over 6’2".
Paccioretty is on the verge @ 6’2".

The Leafs have a monster lineup with 4 players over 6’2" Colton Orr, Christian Hanson, Colin Stuart and
that physical monster Alexei Ponikoravsky.

Gomez is considered small at 5’11" and 200 lbs. The same size or larger than the smallish center Sidney Crosby,
Pavel Datsyuk, Zach Parise, Marc Savard, Mike Richards etc.

I am tired of Leaf fans piling on making fun of the size of the lineup. Blake, Hagman and Grabovski
are GIANTS. As are Kulemin, Mitchell, Ondrus, Stajan and Stempniak. What a team full of monsters.

Take a look at the tiny Detroit Red Wings heights and weights. The perennial 100 pt smurfs.

When your team has sucked for 40+ years, making fun of others should not be a priority, worrying
about the joke of their own franchise should be the priority.

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by Wamsley on Jul 18, 2009 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A SCF Game 7 goal?

That’s it? Mike Rupp’s resume has the same line.

Tanqueray’s never scored more than 29 in a season and that was while playing with centres who could set up a leper at Studio 54.

If anyone has a clip of Tangerine actually hitting an opponent, I’d love to see the link.

Not saying he’s a bad hockey player, but some guys get an over-inflated sense of their worth and he’s one of them. He’s facing a big haircut this summer.

by garth the hoser on Jul 15, 2009 9:26 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

So Henrik Sedin also has an over-inflated sense of his own worth then? Because, you know, he’s never score more than 22 while playing with at least 1 other half-decent player… and if you can find me a clip where he’s actually hitting an opponent, I’ll find you one of Tanguay hitting.
I guess that’s a foreign concept to you, but some players are setup guys and not goal scorers.

And btw, it was 2 goals in the SCF Game 7 (plus an assist), something that’s not on Mike Rupp’s resume, nor on that many other player’s.

by Habs on Jul 15, 2009 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wondered how long it would take someone to play the Mike Rupp card.

by Mandmeisterx on Jul 16, 2009 5:46 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’ve been wondering when the Penguins would sign Tanguay, personally. They have all the SCF Game 7 2 goal heroes in the league besides him: Fedotenko, Rupp, and Talbot.

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by saskhab on Jul 16, 2009 11:39 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Shanahan

We didn’t lose Shanny yet. We still want to sign him though. This is all news to me that Shanahan signed with another team.

by LetsGoDevils on Jul 16, 2009 2:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It doesn’t say that. He’s currently a free agent.

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by James Mirtle on Jul 16, 2009 3:15 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Florida

Lopez wants it away, and it's hit deep to left center, Andruw Jones on the run, this one has a chance... home run!!, Mike Piazza!, and the Mets lead 3 to 2!!
-Howie Rose
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!

by The American Mr.Hockey on Jul 16, 2009 3:12 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Tanguay will end up in Florida on the Panthers

Lopez wants it away, and it's hit deep to left center, Andruw Jones on the run, this one has a chance... home run!!, Mike Piazza!, and the Mets lead 3 to 2!!
-Howie Rose
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!

by The American Mr.Hockey on Jul 16, 2009 3:13 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Where no one will ever hear of him again.

I've seen enough to know that I've seen too much.

by Smoboy41 on Jul 16, 2009 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Underrated

When you look at the company that he keeps on that spreadsheet, it looks like I’ve been totally undervaluing Tanguay. I always thought he was just a product of good linemates in Colorado, but he’s on his 3rd team and he’s still above guys like Getzlaf, Elias and Richards… I never would have believed that…

He has to be asking for a ton of money, right? I agree with @pevans though…. if he signs with Toronto, he’s instantly their best forward. I’m not sure if thats a compliment for Tanguay or a knock on the Leafs top line. But they like signing Habs, dont they? :)

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by Cheap Seats on Jul 17, 2009 3:18 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

What’s not commonly known about Tanguay in Colorado is that he had some of his best seasons with Ian Laperriere and Brent MacLean.

I think Montreal will find they could really have used someone like him, too. Why a traditionally weak 5-on-5 team would let their best 5-on-5 forward go, I have no idea.

by MathMan on Jul 17, 2009 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs