Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [Signing] Oilers sign Klefbom to 7 year extension ($4.167 mil AAV)

driveway · 09-20-2015, 06:48 PM

I think this contract isn't as terrible as a lot of people are making it out to be. Yes, it's too long, and it might be a mistake, but the Oilers have managed to create some certainty around their cap situation. Hall, Eberly, Hopkins, Pouliot, Sekera, and now Klefbom are signed through 2018-19 (which will be the 1st year of McDavid's new contract) for a total of 31 million. Going forward, the Oilers must feel they have a 'core' around which they can build, and this contract-structure gives them some flexibility for signing/not signing players like Yakupov (RFA 2018), Draisaitl (RFA 2018), Reinhart (RFA 2018), and Nurse (RFA 2019). It also allows them an idea of what kind of Free Agents they're going to want to look for and add to the roster.

If they'd gone with a 2-year bridge deal for Klefbom, he'd have needed a new contract right in 2018, when all those RFA's are coming up for new contracts. Should he turn out to be the defender that the Oilers hope he will be, then 2018 would have been a murderous offseason for their cap-situation and they'd likely have had to say goodbye to at least a couple of those RFA's, possibly without any, or much, compensation. At least this way, if Klefbom isn't a top-4 guy, the Oilers can look to make a move for him in 2018 to a team who needs to make it up to the cap-floor. His contract is significant, but not onerous, and he'll be an established NHL guy by then.

It's a risk, but I don't think it's at all the idiocy that a great many people here are painting it as.

09-20-2015, 06:48 PM	#216
driveway A Fiddler Crab Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Chicago Exp:	I think this contract isn't as terrible as a lot of people are making it out to be. Yes, it's too long, and it might be a mistake, but the Oilers have managed to create some certainty around their cap situation. Hall, Eberly, Hopkins, Pouliot, Sekera, and now Klefbom are signed through 2018-19 (which will be the 1st year of McDavid's new contract) for a total of 31 million. Going forward, the Oilers must feel they have a 'core' around which they can build, and this contract-structure gives them some flexibility for signing/not signing players like Yakupov (RFA 2018), Draisaitl (RFA 2018), Reinhart (RFA 2018), and Nurse (RFA 2019). It also allows them an idea of what kind of Free Agents they're going to want to look for and add to the roster. If they'd gone with a 2-year bridge deal for Klefbom, he'd have needed a new contract right in 2018, when all those RFA's are coming up for new contracts. Should he turn out to be the defender that the Oilers hope he will be, then 2018 would have been a murderous offseason for their cap-situation and they'd likely have had to say goodbye to at least a couple of those RFA's, possibly without any, or much, compensation. At least this way, if Klefbom isn't a top-4 guy, the Oilers can look to make a move for him in 2018 to a team who needs to make it up to the cap-floor. His contract is significant, but not onerous, and he'll be an established NHL guy by then. It's a risk, but I don't think it's at all the idiocy that a great many people here are painting it as.