Quote:
Originally Posted by getbak
These sorts of things are "who's going to blink first" scenarios. The Avs hoped that if they waited long enough, he'd blink first and settle for what they were offering. O'Reilly was hoping the opposite would be true. He also had the possiblity of receiving an Offer Sheet to sit back on as well.
Now, the Avs have two choices, they either match or lose the player. What has happened between the teams over the last year of negotiation is out the window now.
This is the 8th Offer Sheet that's been signed since the last lockout. Of the previous 7, only Penner's offer from the Oilers was not matched.
That's why people assume the Avs will match. History has shown that teams match them.
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How many of the teams in question with the option to match had serious money issues at the time? Weber in Nashville is the only one that comes to mind, and he is obviously on a level of his own so the Preds had to bite the bullet there.
I'm not discounting the possibility that the Avs match, but given where the Flames are in the standings and Colorado's financial situation I think it would be a huge mistake for them to do so. That pick could easily turn into a very good player who will be playing out his ELC for peanuts. To me this seems like a more attractive option for a pennypinching team than paying $5 million (and $6.5 million next year) for O'Reilly when you already have Duchene and Stastny.