A bridge deal will still be around 5-5.5 per year, he'll have something like 80 goals and 80 assists over 3 years to point to should he go to arbitration, a situation the flames would - I imagine - be keen to avoid.
What's the benefit to signing, say 3 years at 5 million, and then he turns out to be a solid 55 points a year? He'd still command a raise over that 5 million as now you're buying UFA years, likely somewhere around 6.5 per year, maybe more, which is an overpay for a 55 point guy.
Then if it goes the other way and he blossoms into Anze Kopitar 2.0 you're paying him 10 million after that bridge deal.
Either way, a bridge deal is a bad idea with Monahan.
|