from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
Brouwer understands that the flat cap will be a factor, and so he balances the interest and decisions he'll have to ultimately make once the free-agent market opens at noon ET on Friday.
"The big guys are always going to get their money, and then it’s kind of a trickle-down effect,” said Brouwer. "What’s left? And what teams are going to have money left to offer? You have to know before going [into] free agency that you might not get to go to your first choice because they don’t have cap room for you. Or you might be No. 2 or No. 3 on their list of guys they’re targeting.’’
The fact that Steven Stamkos has made his decision and stayed in Tampa Bay is great news for the next group of UFAs, led by Milan Lucic, Kyle Okposo, Loui Eriksson, Andrew Ladd, Frans Nielsen, Mikkel Boedker and David Backes and yes, Brouwer.
Much depends on what a team needs -- but if it’s physicality, scoring and character, they would get it in Brouwer.
"You want to get a guy who has a physical element. You want a guy who scores goals in the right areas -- especially come playoff time,’’ said the same Eastern Conference scout. "[Brouwer is] a deceptive skater. Some people question the top end of his skating, but to me he just seems like a guy who, when he gets inside the top of circles, that’s where he plays his most effective game. That’s kind of where the game is headed.
more plus other topics...
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.