Quote:
Originally Posted by Brewmaster
I have a hard time understanding why a player in Stone's position would want to negotiate a contract extension with any team before getting traded at the deadline. Wouldn't he want to try out the new city/team/coach before signing long term and at a potential discount to what he could get on the open market? It's not like he cares if the Senators get an extra draft pick.
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Lots of reasons:
-He may be able to negotiate more now due to team paying for certainty
-There may be other UFA's in the summer that increase selection and decrease contracts
-The best suitors may have playoff success without him and decide they don't actually need him
-He may like the team he's going to and see value in playing there, competing for a cup
-He may like the city he's going to and see value in committing there for a while (family/personal reasons)
-He may get injured before the end of the year and miss out the opportunity for this big contract; nothing is guaranteed.
I could go on, but there are many reason a player may prefer to lock up their contract instead of letting it play out longer