Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Zdeno Chara is an acclaimed leader. One of the best captains in the league. A absolute beast in the gym. Best player on a team that appeared in two finals and won a Cup. But his $7 mil cap hit is going to be cap killer for the Bruins for years to come. Having a great leader is nice and all, but if it means you can't ice a contender, or maybe even a playoff team, it's not worth that kind of money.
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I see what you're saying -- my point is that you're going to have to pay market (or even above market) for certain players and its not the end of the world if your captain and leader is one of them. The GM's job isn't to assemble the most over-performing contracts available -- it's to put together a team that can compete for Stanley Cups!
Chara is an interesting example -- are you suggesting the Bruins should have traded him instead of extending him long term prior to the 2010/11 season? If so, you probably don't win the Cup in 2011, you probably don't go back to the finals in 2013, and there's a good chance you don't win the President's Trophy in 2013/14. Was all that success worth it to now have to "overpay" in the final years of his contract? I think so -- success is a cyclical thing in the NHL; that's why you have to re-tool or in some cases re-build.
In our case, don't think for a second Treliving won't make it clear to Gio and his agent that in order to compete for a Cup he'll need the space to re-sign Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett etc and therefore can't break the bank on Gio's extension. Will he get a big raise? Absolutely, and it's well deserved. Will it be lower than "market" for a UFA Norris defenceman in his early 30's? I think it will be. Will he be overpaid on the last couple years of his deal? Probably, and that's okay -- the player is worth it IMO if we're serious about winning a Cup.