Quote:
Originally Posted by Oil Stain
Lucic will probably start to slide in the last 2-3 years.
He'll be 34 at the end of the contract. While that's no spring chicken, its not completely unreasonable to expect a guy to be still playing decent at that age.
50/50 maybe.
Unfortunately you have to give out that type of term if you want to sign a guy in his late 20's that is in demand.
There are a lot of contracts around the NHL that go until players are 35+. Lucic's isn't the worst by far.
Comparing to a Flames contract, I think its more likely that Lucic will still be a good NHLer at 34 than Giordano at 38.
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He's a complementary player on a slow decline. It matters not how many players play well into their 30's as the bottom line with this guy is that he's already not a great skater and if he loses one more step he's done. It's a terrible contract no matter how you slice it. You can't give below average skaters like Lucic and Ladd seven year deals on the back side of their primes and not have it blow up in your face.