Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
If they miss the playoffs I wouldn't be surprised if at the very least he and his agent start looking at options. Then again it kind of makes him look a little foolish for signing that deal in the first place if he's wanting out in the first year of an 8 year deal.
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I don't think it makes him look foolish at all. He got the money and term he wanted, and the only team that could give that to him at this point in time was the Oilers. Whether he loves Edmonton, believed in the Oilers or even didn't, him signing that deal was 100% a business decision (just as Johnny's decision here was 100% business).
Players weight a lot of factors out when signing contracts, but especially for RFAs, it becomes mostly about getting the right value etc... you want. Even if in the back of your mind you might not be sold on the team, city, etc..., you are still better off getting the contract you want, and then doing other things if you decide you want to play in a different location, because your contract will follow you and come with you.
Fans falsely think the term a player agrees to reflects their commitment or excitement to play with that team or city (long term means commitment, taking less than the max means less commitment), but more often than not it's all about the value for money. Same thing with NTCs or NMCs, fans often say when a player takes one that means they want to be on that team........when actually all it means is a player wanted more control over where they play. Players know they can get shipped around, or even ask to get shipped around, signing the contract to them is likely more of an NHL thing, than a team I play for thing.