But Mirtle believes Dipietro—or any other play that may fall into the same category—shouldn't bear the butt of all dissent.
"When he got signed to a contract like that, everyone is up in arms. When you sign a good player on a contract like (Zetterberg), it doesn't get as much criticism. But I think it should; it has the same problems with the deal. So let's say Zetterberg gets injured, he can still play but not nearly at the level where he can perform well... If he hurts his knee like Dipietro did, you still have the cap hit," he explained.
"I don't think anyone should get a huge contract that extends into their late 30s because they just break down and can't perform the way they did previously. It's unfortunate; I think seven or eight years from now they're still going to be around—and yes, the cap could be much higher—but they might look terrible."
These binding agreements could have the effect of a legendary player who continues to play in spite of his or her inability to maintain the pace or execution the sport demands. It's the easiest way, however, to stray from the insecurities of relying on free agency as a port to garner talent.
That was the inevitability confronting the Montreal Canadiens this summer, a team that lost—or added—10 players to the crop of UFAs. It put them in a position to spend a lot of their cap space in order to compensate for the number of bodies cast away.
The innate danger in that, as Mirtle interpreted, is the possibility of compiling a roster of underachievers, which may turn out to be a pressing issue for the Canadiens.
"They went out and made the biggest splash. I'm not sure it necessarily makes them a better team, but they're going to be much different than they were last year," he said.
"I'm not sure what (Canadiens GM) Bob Gainey's options were. You can't build a championship team through free agency alone, and when you have 10 players leaving, it's hard to keep some sort of a core together ... especially because UFAs are so expensive. You look at the contracts he gave Brian Gionta (a five-year, $25-million deal) and Mike Cammalleri (at a five-year, $30 million hit) and even a guy like Jaroslav Spacek, they're big contracts—and long ones, too."
Then again, these players could prove to be fundamental assets in the Canadiens' quest to become a legitimate contender. As the Boston Bruins did two years ago, general manager Peter Chiarelli was able to identify some key players around whom a competitive team could be built.
The Bruins had dismal prospects immediately after the lockout. They failed to qualify for the playoffs from 2005 to 2007, finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference two consecutive years.
Despite an eventual loss in the conference semifinals this year, the Bruins are certainly no longer considered a goat. Their unexpected rise to powerhouse status is indicative of what could be hatched from toiling in free agency, coupled with some scrupulous work at successive drafts.
But a bit of fortune doesn't hurt the process.
"When Boston signed Zdeno Chara and
As for the general proceedings that have occurred so far, a net total of $500 million was spent after a single day of free agency alone. Even the ominous clouds of these recessionary times failed to cut hefty expenditures, not causing so much as a stir among the league's 30 teams when it came time to actually make an effort to economize salary.
But this is proving grounds for so many general managers, a time where the clock becomes as significant a factor as it is in sudden-death overtime.
In Burke's case, the interim price was jet lag—an afterthought by the end of it all.
Current Comments
1 comments so far (post your own)I love how in the midst of getting this story through the editing process, the Leafs finally sealed the deal on Gustavsson. Now we wait and see if it actually makes a difference to the organization.
Posted by Austin Kent on Monday, July 13, 2009 @ 2:25pm