Edited Jan. 15 at 1:53 p.m.
Quoting: MNCountryClub
Yeah just so completely unnecessary to do that before the season unfolds. Just such poor decision making to not even wait a bit.
Counterpoint:
If he *waits* on doing Zuccarello, he's paying him at minimum $6M again or longer-term on said contract, given Zuccarello's points production so far this year and being arguably our best player not named Faber or Rossi. Who're both rookies. On ELC's. $4Mx2 is a perfectly justifiable contract for someone who's there as a placeholder until one of Öhgren, Yurov, Khusnutdinov is ready for the NHL. Which is going to take awhile. It also keeps your franchise cornerstone happy. That's a double win.
That contract could be 10× worse. Easily. If he had chosen to wait.
Hartman was getting $5M+ on the open market. That's not up for debate. That's simple truth. Instead, he's coming in under that mark on a 3 year contract extension. Hate the NMC all you like, but that's S.O.P. for getting the cost down in today's NHL.
The ONLY contract fans have a right to **** about is that Foligno one. And even then he even admitted it was an overpay and that it's one that could of waited. He chose to do it now, because he had gotten the other two done and just wanted to get them all done and have it be done and over with. That's understandable. From a management standpoint and perspective.
It it rash? Maybe.
Or is it just him being proactive? What's the old maxim. Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
I get hating on Guerin is the
fashionable mindset these days. But there are legitimate reasons and counter arguments for doing what he did, too. It just feels like people are ****ing just to **** these days.
And for the record, the guy has only managed to maintain maximum cap flexibility for the last 4+ years. Don't see people bringing that up. Besides, Zuccarello is gone in two years. Hartman's NMC turns into a M-NTC by year two of his new contract. Foligno's NMC turns into a M-NTC by year 3 of his new contract. So that one doesn't fly.