Quote:
Originally Posted by T@T
7 million per isn't near as bad today as the 6.5 million he got 6 years ago.
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Some people have really short memories. The year that Phaneuf signed his extension, he was finishing his third NHL season, was scoring at a .75 point/game pace and was among the scoring leaders for NHL defensemen. He was averaging over 25 mins of ice time per game, and was among the Flames' elders in plus/minus, all at the age of 21-years-old. By the time his contract kicked in, he had scored 54 goals and 159 points in his first three NHL seasons, and was widely considered the best emerging defenseman in the world. He was so highly regarded then that he placed second in voting for the Norris trophy that year, and was named to the NHL first all star team.
He had a regression the following season, and then hip and rib injuries I believe affected him in the longer term. He has never looked the same as he did pre-2009. He never lived up to his last contract, but at the time it was inked, it looked like a near certainty that he would. So no. While it ended up being a bad contract, it wasn't one at the time when he signed it.