Joined: Apr. 2017
Posts: 345
Likes: 234
I don’t see as many red flags for this contract as I do for other D-Men locked up long term (e.g. former Predator Shea Weber’s contract). Ellis was a bit of a late bloomer and I think it’s just as likely that he will still be capable of playing Top-4 minutes with special teams come his age 35 & 36 seasons as it is that he is relegated to bottom pair or press box roles. Will he be like Ryan Suter, Zdeno Chara, Brent Burns - who have all shown the ability to play solid Top 4 minutes plus special teams into their mid 30’s (and beyond in Chara’s case)? Or will be burn out quicker but still stay relevant on a bottom pair, like Kronwall, Campbell, or Beauchemin? My bet is on the former and, while the overall Cap Hit May be a Ritchie high for the final 2/3 years of the contract I don’t think it outweighs the benefit in the first 4/5 years.
A shorter contract would have certainly meant a higher Cap Hit. Would this have impaired the Preds ability to Jer their D core together and to compete? At some point, yes!
For example would you want this 8y deal or a 7y deal at 7M? Or a 6y deal at 7.4M or a 5y deal at 7.75M? Given those options I would take the 8y deal. Gambling for length isn’t always a great idea but elite Top 50 D-Men in the NHL tens to age better into their mid-30’s than their forward counterparts - so I think it’s a solid move.