Training Camp

Category: A View From Behind the Bar Created on Saturday, 14 July 2012 22:39 Written by Site Admin Hits: 854

As any off-season goes, there always tends to be those trades and/or signings that make you shake your head in awe or be taken aback by surprise. Both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter both left their respectful teams, Parise leaving a Captaincy behind, and signing (in my opinion) ludicrous contracts with the Minnesota Wild. As much as I would like to say they need it, they didn't show much suffereing in the first half of last season. With both players signing matching 13-year, US $98 million contracts, it brings the question as to why the owners are trying to lock down players for that long.

It started on September 12, 2006, when Rick DiPietro of the N.Y. Islanders signed a 15-year, $67.5 million contract that turned heads all over the continent & worldwide. It brought Garth Snow, GM of the Isles, into the media spotlight and questioned his decision making skills. Sure, he used to be a goaltender, sure he MIGHT know talent when he sees it, but DiPietro has seen more time in sports rehab than he has on the ice. With being riddled with hip injuries to knee surgeries, I say it was pure luck that the Islanders managed to scoop up Evgeni Nabokov when they did.

The enormous contracts being thrown at players these days seems unrealistic at certain times, but the breakdown of the contract towards the end of it shows a durastic change for their yearly salary, reminiscing them of their rookie years in comparison. With the big names like Crosby, Ovechkin and Kovalchuk being inked to these deals, I can understand why certain franchises are trying to secure years of playoff runs, strengthening the core of their team, and surrounding young draft picks with veterans to look up to in their coming years.

With a lot of big names in the Unrestricted Free Agent pile, one can't help but sheepishly assume where people are headed. Shane Doan, Alexander Semin, Rick Nash |& Dwayne Roloson still in the mix, where can any team go wrong by throwing up a half decent bid. If they can't afford big names, I'm sure Jason Arnott, Pavel Kubina, Erik Karlsson & Kris Versteeg might have a few years left to turn some heads.

To close, I'd like to say that regardless of Owner and GM intuition, players gelling rapidly and salary caps being scraped to the penny, we are definitely in for a year we won't be able to look over with the feeling it's going to be the same old NHL season that sees powerhouses take up 5-7 of the eight playoff spots available. Last season I said look out for Florida, I'll wait for a few more contracts to be signed this year before I decide to put my foot in my mouth.

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