Finding consistent secondary scoring is a challenge for most teams. UFA winger Brian Gionta has been quietly consistent in recent years but remains on the open market through the first month of free agency.
Gionta, who captained the Sabres the past three seasons, had his highest goal output (15) with Buffalo while matching his highest point total (35) in 2016-17. While he is no longer the consistent 25+ goal scorer he was with New Jersey in his prime, he has tallied at least 12 times in each of the last five years while notching at least 33 points in four of those. (The year he didn’t was the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season where he had 26 in 48 games, a 44 point pace.)
So why does he remain unsigned so far? He has a few things working against him. For starters, he’s 38 years old and there are quite a few other older players still unsigned so far (including Jaromir Jagr, Jarome Iginla, and Shane Doan, who all also play the right wing). It’s hardly a booming market for the long-term veterans.
Gionta’s smaller stature (5’7) will also scare some teams off. He’s not a bad skater by any stretch but he has lost some of his speed in recent years which doesn’t help either as the pace of play continues to quicken. Nonetheless, with scoring at a premium, his consistent level of production should still have at least a few teams interested at the right price.
Potential Suitors
At this stage of his career, it doesn’t seem likely that Gionta, a Rochester native, will want to move his family too far from the New York area. That will limit his options considerably. He’d best fit in on a team that rolls three offensive lines where he could start on the third unit and move up from time to time when needed.
His most recent team in Buffalo still makes some sense. They have the cap room this season to work with and Gionta won’t need a multi-year deal while there could be a spot in their top nine wings for him to start. New Jersey, where Gionta spent his prime, would also be a fit. Their winger depth isn’t the strongest as things stand and it would allow him to potentially wrap up his career where it all started. If Boston wants to have a capable veteran around in case their prospects aren’t ready, they would make sense as a landing spot as well.
Projected Contract
Six weeks ago, Gionta slotted in 39th on our Top 50 Free Agents list with a projected one-year, $2MM contract. For someone who can somewhat safely be penciled in for 30+ points, that’s still pretty good value but given the number of veteran secondary scorers that are still out there, it doesn’t seem likely he’ll be able to get that unless he’s willing to have some of that in potential performance bonuses. At this point, something closer to $1.25MM may be more of a realistic target if the veteran of over 1,000 games decides he’d like to play for another year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.