Joined: Jul. 2021
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 548
You could argue that his numbers aren’t as good as other forwards making over $9M, but in terms of what he means to his team’s success, there’s nobody more valuable.
The only reason I can think of to vote no is that he’ll be in his 30s for most of it, but the 8-year contract is the best leverage teams have to convince their players not to go to free agency. Since it doesn't go past his 35th birthday, I’m ok with it, and at just over $1M more than his current cap hit, it won’t cut into what they have available to spend on other players. Fair deal for the player and lets the team stay competitive.
You don’t mess around with your most important player. You get him signed. They did.