NHL GM's gone wild

[thunderbirds]

I've been watching some of the free agency frenzy that's been going on this weekend and scratching my head with some of the crazy deals.

Have these NHL GM's gone crazy or what? Before the lockout, owners were complaining about the big market clubs driving up player salaries, and yet here we are now with the smaller market teams handing out ludicrous deals.

For example:
Brad Richards - 60 million dollar deal. 12 million in each of the next two seasons alone.

Tomas Fleischman - 4.5 million per season

Ed Jovanovski - 4.1 million per season

Ville Leino - 4.5 million per season

Erik Cole - 4.5 million per season

Scottie Upshall - 3.5 million per season

James Wisniewski - 5.5 million per season. Are they serious?

Ilya Bryzgalov - 5.6 million average salary. 10 million alone next season.

Andrei Markov - 5.75 million per season

What's going on in this league?

[Deleted]

I think the salary cap is now too high, raising the floor with it, and all the GMs are scrambling to rise and meet the floor, giving out ridiculous contracts to undeserving players.

[Vampyre]

You specifically mention the small market teams driving the boat but the examples you give are mostly of big market teams:

Richards - The Rangers are definitely NOT a small market team...they are the complete opposite and their GM hands out stupid contracts every year like they were candy on Halloween

Leino - Buffalo is no longer exactly a 'small market' team with Pegula saying he's going to spend to the Cap each year to ice a contender

Cole/Markov - The Canadiens are not small market and will pay to ice a winning product each year due to their history

Bryzgalov - Stupid contract for sure but Philly is a BIG market team


That leaves:

Fleischmann/Jovo - They had to meet the floor somehow....and I agree that the Cap floor is a major problem at this point

Upshall - The Coyotes have hemorrhaged players this off-season and had to do something

Wisniewski - Strange signing but they are being aggressive to get back to the playoffs this season


Personally, I think any contract longer than 5 years is too long but this is the CBA (at least for one more season).

[thunderbirds]

The examples that I gave were in no way related to the small market clubs. Those were just some examples of stupid contracts that I noticed.

That said teams such as Florida, Dallas, and Columbus which can all be considered small market teams with low budgets seemed to be driving the crazy train this weekend. Seems the 48 million dollar floor is forcing some GM's to hand out stupid deals.

[Vampyre]

I think the general consensus would be that the floor is way to high and is going to hurt a lot of teams. They may get a chance to fix it in the next CBA. Who knows.

[Commish]

I think there are two majors factors that have contributed to the crazy contracts that you saw this weekend.

1. The salary floor of 48 million

2. Supply and Demand. Not a great crop of free agents this year. Thus, teams are competing with one another for those decent players that are available.

I agree with you Nathan about one thing. Some of the deals being handed out are outrageous. Bryzgalov earning 10 million next season and Brad Richards earning 12 million next season are the two that blow me away.

[Deleted]

Go Sabres