Nobody is saying these sort of deals aren't a risk. They most definitely are a risk. But you have the first 3 years of the ELC to try and make the best decision you can through those 3 years of the player's development. At that point, every Canadian team should ask themselves if they think this player will continue their rise and if the answer is 'Yes', then they should just sign them to a 6-8 year deal and lock them in, because the alternative is they keep their pace, you sign them to one more RFA deal that gives you another few years and then they walk at the age of 26ish and another team gets a bunch of very good years that could've been yours.
These are the realities of teams in the Canadian market, so you deal with it the best way you can.
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