So the bar has been set…..fairly or unfairly this summer season. From now through the end of the summer, there will be deals and signings that leave some or most of the hockey masses scratching their heads. Is May 28th a little early to have us scrambling for an abacus? Maybe….but it isn’t too early to ask a certain GM….what were you thinking.
When Andrei Markov resigned with the Habs for 4 years, 23 million yesterday…it sent a clear message to the NHL and its fans. Overspending is in season once again…and if you want a UFA bad enough…you’ll pay and pay and pay until your cap is met or exceeded. If Markov is worth 5.75 million a season, can you imagine what a player like Souray or Timonen is worth? Now Markov deserved a substantial raise from what he was making (2 million is not a lot of fishnagels these days). However, his salary is nearly tripled now.
Now Kimmo expects to see that much in offers…although at 32, he may be willing to take less to play for a contender. Timonen had 55 pts this season and a +20…..a solid defenseman with great upside on the power play. Also, he has been playing at a solid level for a few seasons now so last year can’t just be dismissed as a fluke. Clearly, out of these three players, he is the best all around player but will he be overpaid the most? That is the golden question.
Sheldon Souray may be the most curious case of all. He just set the record for most power play goals in a season with 19. Had a 64 point season overall but was a whopping -28. Was that more because he was on the ice so much….or is it because of his lack of foot speed? It may be a little of both but when you can sign a guy with a 100+ mph slap shot and put him on your power play…it instantly elevates your special teams. Souray is a physical presence as well….with 135 Pims this season….so do you take a guy with 2 pluses and 1 big minus and how much do you pay him?
There is no simple answer here…but by the Habs overpaying for Markov, they have clearly set a dangerously high bar for other teams to either follow or hope to wade out in a gamble that could backfire either way. Talk about a no-win situation. Wait till the even bigger UFA’s hit the market July 1st…guys like Gomez, Drury,Briere, Giguere….then the crescendo will build to an even bigger fever pitch….one that may be too high of a temperature for most GM’s to handle or stomach.
