Quote:
Originally Posted by howard_the_duck
Not a good comparable, IMO. Sid had already won a cup and therefore the loyalty to that organization was warranted to help improve their chances through taking a reduced AAV. He also does well through endorsements to more than offset.
Johnny is heading into his last lucrative contract, hasn't won anything, and is coming off a deal where he was underpaid vs. market.
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Well, Sid was already a cup-winning team captain and the top elite center in the game, which is much more impressive than what Johnny can claim. Would someone in the league have paid him $14M per season if he wanted the money? Probably, or at least pretty close to it, and the endorsement money would have been lined up for him whether he stayed with the Pens or not. In the end, he chose to leave a huge amount of money on the table because he actually prioritized winning over the financial benefits. Sid quite possibly left $50M on the table over the length of the contract, unlike Johnny who may be leaving less than $8M.
And, Sid did end up getting two more cups out of what the Pens could do with roster building cap space, which I'm sure helped with keeping that endorsement money rolling in.
Either way, I just shared it as a counterpoint to the idea that money is everything. It obviously doesn't have to be.