Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordies Elbow
Oilers may be pathetic, but they have Hall, Eberle, Hopkins, Yakupov, and others. Can you say that the Flames talent would make a UFA think they would get better stats?
If you were a UFA, wouldn't playing with Eberle, Hall, Hopkins, Yakupov, and Schultz be better than playing with whomever Feaster thinks is a good team? Would you bet you career on Jay Feaster?
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It depends on where the UFA would fit on the depth chart.
If you were a RW and saw Eberle and Yakupov (and possibly Hemsky) ahead of you on the Oilers depth chart, and only Stempniak ahead of you on the Flames depth chart, you'd probably think you'll have a better chance at better stats with the Flames just because you're going to play more minutes in situations where you have a chance to score. Playing with all those kids doesn't improve a player's chance to score if he's not actually playing with the kids.
The reality is that there are very few players who reach UFA status who can truly write their own ticket and walk onto any team's top line. For most UFAs, they have to strongly consider where they will fit on their new team.
Take Matt Stajan for example, he'll likely reach free agency for the first time in his career next year. He'll be 30 years-old and has a mixed resume. He has put up good numbers playing in top-line situations with bad teams, but has struggled when played in lower situations. Next year, he'll probably be able to get a contract to be a first or second line centre on another weak team, or a lower level centre on a stronger team. If he wants the money and ice time, he'll likely have to go to a weaker team. If he wants the chance to win, he'll likely have to take a lesser role and lower money.