Quote:
Originally Posted by fotiou22
Good Lord. Backlund only finished fourth in Selke voting? Other posters have cited contracts of the only three players in the NHL who finished above him. What a player can get on the open market actually is relevant. And Backlund signing below market rate doesn't really mess up the team's budget. Quite the opposite. Like Giordano's contract, the team will get excellent value over most of the deal. It's true, these players will be less valuable to the team in the final year of their contracts. But why focus on the final year, rather than than the entire contract? (On top of that, we know the salary cap is going to increase over the length of these deals.) The team's window to contend is right now. It's impossible to contend by letting assets like Backlund disappear for nothing. If Jankowski eventually passes Backlund on the depth chart, that's a very good problem to have.
Every contract is a risk. If Gaudreau doesn't quite recover from the next big slash to his wrists, if he loses his touch and confidence, the team's on the hook for badly allocated money. You just have to make the best deals you can at the time.
Also: Tkachuk will be a RFA. Backlund would have been a UFA. The fact that Tkachuk's earned himself a huge contract has nothing to do with the deal Backlund just signed. Tkachuk is a budding superstar who will get a gigantic offer sheet if the team can't offer him a reasonable deal. (Again, the relevance of the market.) The message this contract sends to Tkachuk is that rather than go out on July 1 and really get paid, his center is committed to the Flames, and management is committed to winning.
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All he really did is post some facts. It's weird that this upsets people so much. The post barely talked about whether it was a good contract or not.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeecho
Pretty much everyone in the hockey works thinks this is a good deal and many think it's a great deal. Check in to CP to see the reaction... Luke warm ������
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In what universe is the reaction on CP lukewarm? I'd say it is overwhelmingly positive with the odd person who thinks it is a bit too much money or term. Barely anyone has actually said we shouldn't have signed him at all.