The Price You Pay

I guess there is something to be said about the value of some players over others, and the money being thrown around is doing all the talking. Surprisingly, as CBA negotiations continue where contracts are being proposed to max out at five years per, how is it that 13 ad 14 year offers are being inked? Don’t turn a blind eye to the fact that the amount of money behind these things is HUGE!

Late last night an announcement came through that Nashville’s Shea Weber had inked an offer from Philadelphia for 100 million over a 14 year period. Seriously? Now, Nashville is on the clock to respond and if they match the cool contract they will have their superstar, but at what cost? Jokes are already flying surrounding the abandonment of Pekka Rinne by his teammates, but it wouldn’t be the first crazy contract we’ve seen this summer. I’m sure nobody has forgotten the blockbuster deals signed by Parise and Suter in Minnesota yet, and I expect that at this rate we’ll see more before the season is upon us again…that’s if we even start the regular season on time.

I have to wonder, are these contracts being used as pieces to display how “outrageous” contracts have become these days, or is this simply going to be the trend from here on out? Extended contracts, risky deals, and millions of dollars bet on one guy staying healthy long enough to play until retirement. Worst case scenario, a player hates where he ends up and waives no trade clauses, etc. But good luck finding teams who can absorb the cost to have one of these players.

On the other side of this is a whole different issue. What are we telling the players inking deals for short periods of time who are barely scratching a million a year? Are we essentially telling them, “hey thanks bud, you’re ok but replaceable?” or are they simply being kept in a realistic state of mind? Will these big differences in pay start creating rifts between players? I don’t know about you, but if I’m barely making 750k and the guy next to me is making 7.5 million a year, I’d personally be a little insulted. Just saying.