Quote:
Originally Posted by dino7c
I have my doubts you guys were pushing for 11x8 or something for Tkachuk back then
Even in the Canadian div season he didn't look like anything more than a 70 point player
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Where did that number come from? Is this something confirmed somewhere, or just blind speculation?
I would bet the number on a long term deal would have been closer to what his qualifying offer would have been, hence why the bridge deal was for what it was. The dollar amount in the bridge was significant as well, so I am guessing that Treliving believed in him to a very large degree. Making it sound like Tkachuk just came out of nowhere to meet those salary expectations sounds more like revisionist history to me.
Sure, it would have a risk to sign him long term at the time, but a pretty reasonable risk given his age and what he had accomplished up until that point. A lot of people were thinking Buffalo were crazy for signing Thompson to a long term deal when they did, but sometimes teams need to take those chances.