Quote:
Originally Posted by kehatch
I don't understand what Colorado is doing. They nickle and dime the guy two seasons ago opening things up for an offer sheet. They pay Varlamov close to 6 million. Now they refuse to qualify O'Reilly and instead go to team elected arbitration and start trash talking in the media.
I get they want their core under 6 million. But they screwed that up when they left him open to an offer sheet. Maybe if they weren't paying Berra 1.5 million a season...
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Colorado firmly believes that the starting point for negotiations shouldn't be 6.5 million a year. By taking him to arbitration, that takes some of the power out of the hands of O'Reilly's agent. They also remove the threat of a holdout, as there will be a set point at which he'll have a contract.
For me, this is a smart move by a club that doesn't want to be held hostage by one of the more ruthless agencies out there (Newport). They have a history of getting their clients to hold out for as much money as possible.