(Report) Canucks offered Shea Weber 1 year 14 million

[Edlerberry]

So if Weber wanted security before the CBA, couldn't Gillis have just offered the 1 year 14 mill offersheet with an agreement to Weber that once he signs the offersheet and becomes a Canuck he will then be offered a 13 year 100 million dollar contract extention as soon as he becomes a Canuck?

[GoodCanadianKideh]

Would the $14 million have counted against our salary cap?

[ConnorFutureGM]

That 14 million for one year puts the pressure on the Canucks and would have been very favourable to Weber.

Weber would have costed 4 first round picks and then he would have been UFA.

[ABurrows14]

MG didn't have the guts to offer him a long contract. It's not that he didn't want to sign here, it's that our management didn't want to give him a long-term contract that he deserved. MG can try and twist it and say how Weber didn't really want to play here, but he thinks these players should bend over backwards to play here. Sure, it would be nice to get Weber on a tiny discount, but he is the type of player that you throw all of the money at and get rid of underused by AV ballard/ falling raymond/injured manny. That's close to 9 mill right there and then we are still going to get rid of Lu.

[The Lock]

I think the idea with this proposal would have been similar to the idea of the Sundin proposal. It would have been to simply get their attention. Sundin would have unlikely signed at 10 million and Gillis knew that.

Same idea with Weber, except the 14 million would have been a test to see how Weber would react. In this case it didn't work.

Just because a player is offered a certain amount of money does not mean they have signed on the dotted line.

[EdmontonRob]

Fact 1) There was virtually no way that Weber was leaving Nashville this offseason (without his rights being traded in a big-time deal) - Gillis saw that - and it has been proven by the Preds matching the Philly offer sheet.

Fact 2) An offer sheet with long term would mean that Weber would likely never leave Nashville (i.e. it is a "lifetime" contract) because Nashville was almost certain to match any offer sheet - and they did.

Fact 3) Weber would have been a UFA next year.

Given these 3 very simple and basic facts, anyone pursuing Weber really only had 2 options:

A) Long term offer sheet (Philly). It was very likely that Weber would sign this type of deal, but as we have seen, by matching, Nashville has locked up the rights to Weber forever. Yes, Philly lost out on Weber this year, but their offer sheet has also meant that 28 other teams have lost out on Weber for the rest of his career (unless a trade is made). This is the reason that Gillis didn't want to make a long term offer - Nashville would match it, and Gillis would NEVER get another crack at Weber. It basically eliminates Fact 3) from any further consideration unless you want to wait another 14 years.

B ) Short term offer sheet (Gillis concept). Yes - the cost would be high if Nashville chose not to match - 4 1st rounders and a lot of cap space. The risk would also be high because Weber is a UFA next year and could sign anywhere at that time. BUT - it would have really put pressure on Nashville. Think about it - if Nashville had matched, the high cost and risk would have shifted to Nashville because Weber would be available as a UFA next summer, without any compensation if he signed with someone else.

Realistically, the Gillis idea was the only way that any team would have a shot at landing Weber - be it this summer in return for 4 1st rounders, or next summer as a UFA if Nashville had matched. The only downside to the Gillis idea is that Weber would have preferred long term, and any offer involving long term would likely be accepted over the Gillis idea. Does that make Gillis' idea a bad one? No - it just means that Philly was willing to gamble on a long term offer, hoping that Nashville wouldn't match (i.e calling their bluff - when it wasn't really a bluff). The trouble is that Nashville did match it and now Weber will remain a Predator for life.

One could easily argue that the Philly offer was a lot MORE stupid than the Gillis idea. Philly has removed Weber from the market forever. The Gillis idea would have at the very least put Weber back on the market next year.

[EdmontonRob]

Agreed. Not that I think he is worth that much money but did MG really think he could pull a fast on over Weber and his agent?1 yr? the year before his UFA status and in an environment where most likely he won't be able to sign for the same amount of money in a year as he can now given the CBA.Is this the way to attract a franchise player and one of the top 2 dmen in the league to your team?Reeks like here we'll give you one year of alot of money but then screw you in a year...Of course he wouldn't sign it...he's not stupid..MG really needs to wisen up. Either go all in or don't bet...because he's giving himself a bad rep.

[DooBie604]

Agreed. Not that I think he is worth that much money but did MG really think he could pull a fast on over Weber and his agent?1 yr? the year before his UFA status and in an environment where most likely he won't be able to sign for the same amount of money in a year as he can now given the CBA.Is this the way to attract a franchise player and one of the top 2 dmen in the league to your team?Reeks like here we'll give you one year of alot of money but then screw you in a year...Of course he wouldn't sign it...he's not stupid..MG really needs to wisen up. Either go all in or don't bet...because he's giving himself a bad rep.