[blender]

Lots of good discussion here. Good points on both sides with the usual amount of absolutism mixed in for laughs.

I do find it strange that there is a tendency towards handing out 7 and 8 year deals. I applaud BT's work at holding the line on salary and term. There is a risk that you lose a star earlier than you would want to, but there is a lot of flexibility built in for the team and that is the GMs job at base: build a good team and maintain it. We often refer to the player betting on themselves. Shorter term contracts is the team betting on itself. Win a cup or be a perennial contender and the players will always want to play for you.

There are always exceptions, but by and large I feel most NHL GMs are their own worst enemies. 8 year RFA contracts at 10%+ of the cap seem ill advised to me in general.

Just my. 02