[DISCUSSION] When did the skipping of bridge deals become the norm, who started it, and what are the long term implications for the NHL?

[xereau]

When did all of this become the new normal in the league? There used to be a time, way back in the good old (six or eight years ago) old days when you needed to show you were a star, and not get paid like one because of your draft position, or half a good season.

 

Was it the Oilers and their long string of failures and or below average first rounders that were all paid 6+ million a season immediately? RNH is still milking that sweetheart contract he got. Or does it go even further back with someone like Tyler Myers coming out of Buffalo and his one and only really good rookie season?

The long term implications for the game are grave. We have agents running around comparing their ridiculously overhyped player to another ridiculously overhyped player and their already completely ridiculous contract. There is going to have to be a time where teams put their foot down and say enough is enough. Jim Benning, for example, has the opportunity to set the new meta in the league, in insisting Brock Boeser, who love him or hate him, is at best a middling star. He is not worth 8 million a season now. He needs to show the team, and the fans, why he is worth that much.

 

What do you as a fan of the game think of, when was this trend established, by who, and what are the long term implications?

[Bissurnette]

The long term cap implications is a whole lot of teams getting saddled with horrendous contracts because they thought their guy was the next big thing and their career takes a nose dive. Seen it happen a million times. Could see it from a mile away.

[naslund.is.king]

Anytime i can blame Edmonton and the Leafs I'm going to do it

They have my vote.

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by naslund.is.king
:( i can't vote for both

[naslund.is.king]

Gms are going balls to the walls before its really their window. This leagues always changing but think back to 2011. We were dominating the league for year's previous.It was obvious it was our window and time to go all in..

Hopefully JB is watching this and taking notes

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by naslund.is.king

[King Heffy]

The idea is you're getting a bargain at the back end of the contract in exchange for overpaying for the first couple of years.  I wouldn't be opposed to a max length deal with Brock if he was open to it; it would actually make a lot of sense for our team.

[6string]

In 2006, the NYI signed goaltender Rick Dipietro to a groundbreaking 15-year, $67.5 million contract. I believe Alexei Yashin had a 10 year deal too.

 

I voted for early 2000's because I recall this deal done by Milbury the original Chiarelli before Chiarelli

[6string]

23 minutes ago, naslund.is.king said:

Gms are going balls to the walls before its really their window. This leagues always changing but think back to 2011. We were dominating the league for year's previous.It was obvious it was our window and time to go all in..

Hopefully JB is watching this and taking notes

 

The league GM's have to contend with expansion too in determining length and value.

29 minutes ago, naslund.is.king said:

Anytime i can blame Edmonton and the Leafs I'm going to do it

They have my vote.

 

I like the way you think!

[Snake Doctor]

I guess the thinking is, when you get term, the players salary in the back end of the deal is cap friendly.  It`s got to be a good player though. Brock is in this position right now.  Horvat before him. If it works out, like it did in Colorado with Nathan MacKinnon, the GM made a good deal for the player and team. You can`t win with just one player. It`s a team sport.

[King Heffy]

1 minute ago, Snake Doctor said:

I guess the thinking is, when you get term, the players salary in the back end of the deal is cap friendly.  It`s got to be a good player though. Brock is in this position right now.  Horvat before him. If it works out, like it did in Colorado with Nathan MacKinnon, the GM made a good deal for the player and team. You can`t win with just one player. It`s a team sport.

MacKinnon is the best contract in the NHL, bar none.  Perfect example.

[6string]

40 minutes ago, King Heffy said:

MacKinnon is the best contract in the NHL, bar none.  Perfect example.

Man was he fun to watch against Calgary - he destroyed them!

 

I loved it!

Edited July 6, 2019 by 6string
man

[combover]

So you have a player that’s a budding star and you bridge him with a 4-5 mill deal then when that deals done in 4 years he a ufa and now you get to pay him 8+ maybe more with the way the cap goes up and salaries and he owes the club nothing because he was under paid for the last 3 years. Or you lock him up and have the certainty that he’s under contract for the next 7-8 years @ 6.5-7 mill. 

And if he turns into the player you hope he’s played his prime years at what could be a discounted salary because the club show confidence  and loyalty. 

When the bridge deal is done the club better be prepared to trade lose or pay a step price for said player. That’s why teams stopped using the short term short sighted solution. 

 

The flip side is the player doesn’t pan out and he’s being over paid but then that could be said with every UFA signing every team in the league signs. And more often then not UFAs don’t work and yet they get over paid every year with term and protection. 

[mll]

29 minutes ago, combover said:

So you have a player that’s a budding star and you bridge him with a 4-5 mill deal then when that deals done in 4 years he a ufa and now you get to pay him 8+ maybe more with the way the cap goes up and salaries and he owes the club nothing because he was under paid for the last 3 years. Or you lock him up and have the certainty that he’s under contract for the next 7-8 years @ 6.5-7 mill. 

And if he turns into the player you hope he’s played his prime years at what could be a discounted salary because the club show confidence  and loyalty. 

When the bridge deal is done the club better be prepared to trade lose or pay a step price for said player. That’s why teams stopped using the short term short sighted solution. 

 

The flip side is the player doesn’t pan out and he’s being over paid but then that could be said with every UFA signing every team in the league signs. And more often then not UFAs don’t work and yet they get over paid every year with term and protection. 

Top RFA players are no longer looking for 6.5 - 7M  - that's the cost of the bridge now.   

 

Top young players now want to be paid on potential and want to keep their contract also mostly short to get to UFA earlier and negotiate another lucrative contract that adjusts for the cap increase.

  

Point and Aho's agent talked about how the Matthew's contract opened up a new option.  They probably want to avoid doing what McDavid did - commit far long term to a team that is struggling.  If Toronto starts to struggle Matthews can move on.

 

[xereau]

1 hour ago, 6string said:

Man was he fun to watch against Calgary - he destroyed them!

 

I loved it!

Imagine if its Colorado thats gonna offer sheet Marner? Absolutely terrifying for the whole western conference.

[6string]

13 minutes ago, xereau said:

Imagine if its Colorado thats gonna offer sheet Marner? Absolutely terrifying for the whole western conference.

Hmmm they're in better shape cap wise ( over $23 million ) than Montreal or NYI. The Devils have space though!

 

Sakic has got to be looking into this too...

 

https://puckpedia.com/teams

Edited July 6, 2019 by 6string

[Drakrami]

It was the McDavid contract. Suddenly all these young stars wanted to get rich fast and young as well, GMs were willing and it set the trend. 

[Dats hockey]

14 hours ago, King Heffy said:

MacKinnon is the best contract in the NHL, bar none.  Perfect example.

MacKinnon has an incredible contract but I’d take Bergeron at the start of his to with pasta and The rat, Boston has 3 incredible contracts 

 

they pay the best line in hockey under no ELCs just under 20 million

Edited July 6, 2019 by Dats hockey

[HC20.0]

PK Subban’s bridge deal I think played a part. Habs signed PK to a 2 year bridge, PK wins the Norris, cashes in huge on his next contract when Montreal could’ve saved money without the bridge deal.

[HC20.0]

21 minutes ago, Dats hockey said:

MacKinnon has an incredible contract but I’d take Bergeron at the start of his to with pasta and The rat, Boston has 3 incredible contracts 

 

they pay the best line in hockey under no ELCs just under 20 million

When you realize that Krejci makes more than any of those three.

[Dats hockey]

20 minutes ago, HC20.0 said:

When you realize that Krejci makes more than any of those three.

Don’t forget they are paying backes 6 a year and aren’t even in cap trouble

[Canuck Surfer]

18 hours ago, xereau said:

When did all of this become the new normal in the league? There used to be a time, way back in the good old (six or eight years ago) old days when you needed to show you were a star, and not get paid like one because of your draft position, or half a good season.

 

Was it the Oilers and their long string of failures and or below average first rounders that were all paid 6+ million a season immediately? RNH is still milking that sweetheart contract he got. Or does it go even further back with someone like Tyler Myers coming out of Buffalo and his one and only really good rookie season?

The long term implications for the game are grave. We have agents running around comparing their ridiculously overhyped player to another ridiculously overhyped player and their already completely ridiculous contract. There is going to have to be a time where teams put their foot down and say enough is enough. Jim Benning, for example, has the opportunity to set the new meta in the league, in insisting Brock Boeser, who love him or hate him, is at best a middling star. He is not worth 8 million a season now. He needs to show the team, and the fans, why he is worth that much.

 

What do you as a fan of the game think of, when was this trend established, by who, and what are the long term implications?

This is a good thread!

 

I look back at Stamkos & Tavares around $6 / $7 mill coming off ELC's. Even Barkov & certainly Larkin is reasonable in a more modern look?

 

I have two contributing theories;

 

> The training, coaching & development of young players is much higher than ten years ago.  The US now has the USNTDP, which is a pro style coaching & training environment for its top players. And the colleges they, and even intermediate players go to D + 1 is also very advanced. As is the semi-pro (Allsvenskan) & pro leagues (Liiga, even SHL & KHL, Extraliga) even D-1 many Euro prospects have access to.  So players are just more reasy, even to break into the NHL at an early age. And the competition compounds itself, even 3rd and 4th round picks are shining at athletic testing at the combines. It is putting other countries ahead of Canada in their development. ** But more and more 19 and 20 year old players are having early results in the NHL to earn big contracts coming off ELC's.

 

>> The market. And its fan pressures might be bigger? Teams like the Oilers, did sign Eberle, RNH to big contracts coming off ELC's. That might have been where it started? Maybe Hall was worth the big pact?  Part of this is the markets Canadian teams play in.  The world was going to die if Nylander was not signed? Draisaitl...Teams like Anaheim, San Jose & Florida have been significantly more responsible. Even if they did sign 5 or 6 year deals, they asked the players recognize being RFA. I don't think anyone could argue there would be undue pressure to have signed Barkov? For more money than $5.9 mill if he was in Vancouver or Toronto. Lord knows what Huberdeau would have been commanded if he was drafted by Montreal? Boston, an original 6 team, has a bit of this pressure.  But even the once free spending NYR's have tied a lot of their home grown talent at reasonable pricing. Canadian markets are a problem!

 

 

 

 

** A secondary thread discussion is where this impact has landed against the effectiveness to the CHL as the once dominant source of the worlds best prospects.  The junior age lock for CHLO draftee's, and that they don't, for the most part, have these programs and facilities, time to train because they are riding the bus.