Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Until another contract ages like Bobrovsky’s and the market pulls back.
The fundamentals for why goalies aren’t paid a premium haven’t changed: the performance of even the best goalies typically varies substantially over any 4-year period, and the difference between a good and a great goalie isn’t big enough to warrant the difference in cap.
|
Typically, yeah, but GMs and agents tend to follow today's trend, which is to lock up and pay the star goalie. Hellybuck, Saros, Sorokin, Shesterkin--all consistently top end goalies--all got paid on long term deals.
Calgary's situation, however, is more like the second contract of those four goalies, as well as a guy like Oettinger, where the goalie hasn't had a long enough record to command a long term deal with a big salary.
It'll likely be a 3-5 year deal, starting with a $4 or $5, unless Wolf and the Flames both feel comfortable locking him up for 8, and then the deal probably starts with a high 6 or 7. I can't see the Flames going over $8m a year for 8 years this offseason for Wolf, without a longer track record, even with the cap going up.
If I was running the Flames, I'd probably be willing to take that risk and go as high as 8m, as I really believe in this guy, but it's not my cash on the line if Wolf doesn't pan out.