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Kasius, Specters Agree to Contract
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(This post was last modified: 03-19-2020, 03:23 PM by Paq.)

Kasius, Specters Agree to Contract
13th Overall Pick guaranteed millions

NEW ORLEANS -- The New Orleans Specters and first-round pick Erben Kasius agreed to terms today that will likely make Kasius the league's highest paid draftee. The exact terms of the contract are still coming in, but in structure, Kasius will be paid $13 million for his first season in the league, followed by consecutive seasons of $4 million each. The $7 million average value is a full $3.66 million per season more than the value of the 2nd Overall pick, Ambacas Cuddles. Top pick Magnus Liljeström has yet to sign at the time of this article, but it is unlikely that his total matches Kasius' due to SHL cap constraints.

What lead to the uniquely high rookie contract for a player picked outside of the draft’s top ten picks? The factors appear to be two-fold. One, the league is undergoing significant changes this off-season, and a side effect of that is fewer roster spots on professional level teams. New Orleans entered the off-season with a roster that was prepared to use free agency to fill out four lines, but these changes essentially capped them at three, meaning they then had about three players worth of cap space to throw at their draft. Two, the Specters are currently considered one of the top contenders for the title, and were able to build their roster in part by sacrificing draft picks. Kasisus wound up being New Orleans' only pick in this draft, giving them plenty of money to put toward that player.

Kasius, who will be sent back to the St. Louis Scarecrows of the SMJHL this season, fell in the draft due to concerns about the work-ethic he has displayed at times in the past. He brushes off the concerns as overblown, saying "A lot of what people are worried about came from a different point in my life where I had a lot going on outside of just hockey. It's unfortunate because all it took was one coach who didn't really understand the situation telling teams that I didn't work hard enough. Ultimately it worked out for the best, though. New Orleans has been very good to me so far and I couldn't be more excited to get working so I can help them win a title."

He also says that while he believes he will be the best defenseman to come out of the draft, he doesn't blame teams who passed on him. "There were a lot of guys taken before me and it definitely surprised me a little bit, but I can't say that anyone was wrong, and I'm not going to disparage any of these other guys. We are all very, very good players with different playing styles. My game is a bit more offensively oriented, but that might not be what some teams needed. To me going earlier would have been just a nice reward for the work I've put in thus far, but like I've said. Everything seems to have worked out for the best because New Orleans seems like a fantastic place to be so far."

Last season, Kasius scored 10 goals and assisted 15 more as a member of the St. Louis Scarecrows, who fell to the Anaheim Outlaws in the Four Star Cup finals. He earned all-rookie honors for his efforts, but he is the first to acknowledge that there’s still a lot he can do to improve in his sophomore campaign. Despite his offensive prowess, Kasius registered just 1 hit as a defenseman last season, and has openly stated his desire to become a more physical player. In an interview earlier this off-season he touched on this, saying that “For a long time I sort of got by without really needing to be as physical as other guys because before you turn pro there’s really a big skill gap, and even a physicality gap, between the guys who are going to make it to the next level and those who won’t. But last season was an eye opener for me because I definitely got knocked around a little bit, and I like to think I'm a pretty big guy. So I’ve been trying to work on the physical aspects of my game this off-season and hopefully that will translate for me going forward.”

Overall, New Orleans has received mostly positive reviews from pundits and fans for the pick. Acquiring someone of Kasius' caliber late in the first round tends to do that, and their front office aren't worried about what anyone else is saying about their guy. Ultimately time will tell if it's the critics or the proponents who will be right about Kasius, but one thing is for certain: he'll be well off even if he never steps foot on the ice again.

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#2

https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/124...mp4?tag=10

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#3

Specters

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#4

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#5

Specters Specters Specters

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Scarecrows   Specters   Canada 




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#6

03-19-2020, 11:52 AMTrautner Wrote: https://video.twimg.com/ext_tw_video/124...mp4?tag=10
Agree

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