Well, that concludes a week of Free Agent Frittatas, and let me say, it’s been almost as boring to write these things as it’s been for you to read them. Thank you, good night! Roger Federer is fucking amazing!

Nicky Foligno – Nicholai Foligniani’s new deal gives us a pretty good sense of what he would have signed for in Ottawa. Three years, $9.25MM, makes him about a $3MM/year player—or about what Marc Methot makes. Ottawa looked at their forward depth (and for our purposes here, I’m using “depth” to mean a very good number one center, a goal scorer with bionic knees, a 40 year old who might not come back, a reclamation project, and a bunch of rookies), and then at their back end, and decided to switch one out for the other. Not a terrible idea, though it seems to confirm that Ottawa plans on not just competing on a budget, but on being a cap floor team heading into next season. Unless Murray has something schneeky up his sleeve.

Here’s where it gets sort of interesting for me. There’s a lot of moaning when a franchise signs a player to a bloated contract. But unless you’re a team who spends to the cap, and intends to do the most with every inch of space, then who cares? It’s not my money. This is why I think it’s completely fair to expect the team to go after the occasional UFA, even if it requires inflating spending, if you’re not a cap team.

There’s a big difference between giving Kovalev $5MM a year when the Sens were spending like mad and the money could be used more effectively, and giving, say, Semin an inflated deal this year, when it probably still means being about $15MM-$20MM under the cap. (Just as an example. I’m not a particularly big fan of Semin.)

That’s why I’m happy to hear, even if it comes from notable Twitter-trash-talker Blech Garrioch, that the Senators are in on Bobby Ryan. Like any billionaire pharmaceutical magnate, Melnyk needs to spend some money. I don’t necessarily think they’ll get Ryan, and I’m anxious just what needs to go back the other way. But I do hope that Melnyk is willing to spend—not necessarily as much as he can, but just a little bit more than he is now.

Melnyk writes emails to the Sun guys – You have to wonder how much Melnyk is helping when he calls the other teams’ managers “idiots” for spending wildly. Once again, with feeling: Ottawa ain’t won shit yet, Mel.

Shea Weber – you’ve got to think that there’s no way Poile puts his other franchise defenseman on the block right after losing Ryan Suter. The team is obviously way better with him than without, and it would be a real step backward, almost to the point of necessitating a rebuild, to trade him for players and prospects.

…still, it’s fun to fantasize, amiright? Imagine a blueline with Erik Karlsson AND Shea Weber? My pants just popped open and I peed all over my desk.

The debates around trading for Rick Nash often revolved around the player’s ability or inability to reach lofty expectations. I agree with the notion that a $7.8MM-a-year, aging power forward is something to be wary of. But I sort of couldn’t believe people would be against trading Nick Foligno and a couple of prospects and picks for him.

So naturally, the question is, what would Ottawa (not just management, but the fans) be willing to part with for Weber?

My opinion? Whatever the hell Nashville wants. Really, short of Erik Karlsson, they can have whoever. They can have half the team. They can have Alfredsson. They can have the Scotiabank Place and we’ll go back to playing at the Civic Center. If Shea Weber is actually on the block, you do what you’ve got to do to put in a competitive bid, and then sign him for the rest of his life.

Okay, have a great weekend everyone!