TSN is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers this week offered a lucrative multi-year pact to restricted free agent winger Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres. Lucrative as in 7 years and $50 million. Edmonton would have had to pony up four first-round draft picks as compensation for Vanek (43 goals in his sophomore NHL campaign).
However, in just the past few moments Sabres’ management convened a presser to announce its decision to match the Oilers’ offer sheet.
Yesterday we suggested that there appeared to be fissures in the solvency of Gary Bettman’s revamped fiscal landscape for the league. Today’s news out of Edmonton and Buffalo suggests that the dam has broken.
Update: How dirty are Kevin Lowe’s hands in this? Kukla links to an answer:
“GM Darcy Regier said he contacted Kevin Lowe last night and tried to persuade him not to make the offer, that they were always going to match whatever offer the Oilers might make. Larry Quinn’s statement: “We were never not going to match an offer on Thomas.”
9 Comments
This is just sad really.
Two fanatic hockey towns, in perhaps the two least attractive locations for players, making things even worse for each other. One small market team that can’t put together a team with outside pieces without overpaying; now is deliberately f’in up the salary structre of it’s struggling eastern twin.
Kevin Lowe had to know the offer would be matched, he’s showing signs of of losing his mind in the wake of the catastrophe that has been the past 4 monthes in Edmonton.
Kevin Lowe needs to lose his job, right away. For the Oilers’ sake. I hate to see a franchise like that go through this stuff….
Hi, I don’t know what to say…
This is a “Lowe-blow” to say the least!
Maybe Lowe should just sign the Hanson Brothers now?:)
Like your July 4th blog entry, mine the same day had a pic of the SI cover with Hanson power…I hope Briere, Drury and Zubrus end up looking like the Hanson Bros. by the time their “new” deals are over!
Sincerely,
Ralph Hass http://www.HasTheVoice.com
-MSG-TV imaging voice for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres
Bettman has completely screwed up this league… he’s made it a joke.
http://www.FireBettman.com
I’m just worried about the Caps being able to fit both Semin and Ovechkin after next year. The dollar threshold for Vanek is ludicrous. Yes, he’s a good player, but not in that salary range. We’ve got what could be termed a “big market”, but we can’t draw the crowds in the VC for the Caps. I’m thinking things will improve this year; I’ll bet Ted is praying so!!!
I don’t get how Lowe’s hands are dirty with this particular transaction. He called Reghr’s bluff. Seems fair to me. Stupid, maybe. But fair.
It’s not necessarily that he called the bluuf as much as by offering Vanek such a massive contract he’s completely skewed the salary scale. If Vanek’s worth that much (and he isn’t IMO) how much do you think Ovechkin’s worth?
Maybe Lowe believed that Quinn and Regier were blowing smoke. Seems like they may have a propensity for doing so: http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/sabresnhl/story/115122.html
I don’t think Lowe is screwing anything up. Everyone’s got the same salary cap. The cap system is designed to render these type of deals as “one off’s”. Philly and Kesler situation last year was the same thing. You don’t hear anyone using Kesler situation as bench mark for 2nd line players one year later do you?
Lowe is right to do this, if he gets them, then the Oilers are better off, if he doesn’t, then it weaken’s the Canucks and Sabres. Its a beauty. Oilers can afford to overpaid a bit due to having so much cap room and a truck load of young players and draft picks.
So why not? What’s there to lose?
It seems the only people that are pissed off are the GM’s and fans in Anahiem and Buffalo … that should be a good thing for the Oilers. It effectively takes both Sabres and Ducks out of the free agent market and maxes them out on their respective cap limits.
In the business world, this would be called “disruptive strategy” designed to unsettle your competition.
Oilers are not better off by Lowe’s recent offers, but it significantly weakens a couple of Cup contenders. Lowe understands the cap structure well and he has the cap room to maximize the damage to Buffalo and Anahiem.
I would expect Lowe to continue this strategy until he gets a marque player at about $7million/year. Until then, there’s no harm in what he’s goind. It effectively locks up any team’s cap room that attempts to match a slightly overpaid Oiler offer. Good way to make the most of your own cap room when it comes time to collect unrestricted free agents at trade deadline, and it’ll give you lots of cap room for next year’s free agent signings.
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