Quoting: Subbanator7667
I cant wait for it to be over but we may watching the downfall of the league. The next lockout might just be because these kids are getting so much money before thier even 25. Eventually there is going to be pitfalls for teams signing such big contracts so young, next couple years will dictate how the business aspect works its self out. League is more talented than ever though and it's just plain fun to watch.
We are looking at a very small percentage of players who are getting these deals.
Guys like Mackinnon and Scheifele who signed these deals early look like absolute steals right now. The 2 new franchises (Vegas and soon to be Seattle) are giving the owners some cash infusions and will spread out the players a tiny bit (an extra 160 millionish in salary a year if they spend to or near the cap).
Yes, the league needs to grow, yes some things need to change, but the first step was stopping the kovalchuk/parise/weber 13-17 year contracts and gaming the cap, the recapture penalties and 35+ contracts help too. What the major change, I think is that more and more players are playing at 18, 19 and 20 years old which allow them to put up numbers worthy of contracts that buy out their UFA years.
If the McDavids, Eichels, Marners, Matthews etc perform well (as they are), these deals will seem like bargains in 4-5 years, just like malkin, crosby etc.