Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
Even if Meier stays, though, he is almost certainly taking his QO and then waiting until he's a UFA to negotiate, because he'll be able to play the rest of the market off of whoever is SJ's GM at the time and get far more money. Same with Werenski, but especially so in Meier's case, given how high his QO will be (I think it's $10M).
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Yes, the city that a player currently lives/plays in is fairly irrelevant with respect to UFA leverage. If the team doesn't pony up, just wait until you are a UFA and let the bidding war determine your worth.
The SJs have an advantage for players like Thornton, who, at this point in their careers, are willing to take less money to stay where they are. But a 26 year old, with another 6-10 years left in their career, and who has already shown that they want to maximize their career earnings, isn't going to suddenly sacrifice that because they currently play in Boston (or wherever). There are plenty of great cities to choose from, and if NY or LA or <insert a city you like here> is willing to pay more, well I am sure they can get used to living there.