zenway9

After the dust settled yesterday, I got to thinking. Here are two very good players (not superstars, mind you) with enormous contacts. It seems the salary cap increases every year, which gives teams more and more money to dump into inflated contracts. In the future, will so-so players be making undeserved millions? In the near future, I can see a strong push by owners to eliminate hitting in the game because of their major investments. In turn, every "back in my day" sportscaster will say the game has gotten soft and the penalties are unwarranted. This will make for an even larger demand for skilled finesse Europeans into the league. Just some thoughts. I would like to hear some of your opinions.

One more thing...I have no problems with Minny signing both players for the amount of money they did. However, hockey is a TEAM sport. You cannot win the Cup with two players and you cannot win the Cup when you are so severely cash strapped. What if a couple players go down with injuries mid-season and Minny is fighting for their playoff lives? There is no way they are going to be able to go out and pick up any talent at the deadline...but, "Hey, we got Parise and Suter!" The one thing I have to say about Kenny is that as much as we ALL love to bust his stones, he is a smart yet cautious (maybe sometimes too cautious) GM who thinks many moves ahead and isn't one to go after the big name for the sake of having the name on his team. Oh, and did NOONE get my joke on the original post?? Sheesh, tough crowd!

Exactly. If you have it to spend, you'll spend it. So what was to stop the other organizations from blowing a S-ton of money to get the top players in the pre-cap era??? I'm not sure I am understanding your statement.

I think that with Parise and Suter being the 2 biggest "names" out there, the teams with money to burn had a "use it or lose it" mentality. It sets a precedence of extremely long contact lengths with the astronomical salaries. There will be a point in 5-6 years that over half of the players in the NHL will have these over-inflated salaries and everyone will be "off limits" (i.e. Cindy) to hit. As far as performance based salaries go, I don't ever think that will happen. I mean, Justin Schultz hasn't logged a second in the NHL and his cap hit is $3.7 mil!!! By the way, I got a call from Kenny last night. He said they were disappointed that they couldn't get Nash either, but that he wished him luck as a Laker.

Parise and Suter shipped off to Minnesota...never to be heard of again. Welcome to oblivion, boys!

"His heart is in Pittsburgh" OK THEN TAKE YOUR SORRY OLD ASS TO PITTSBURGH!

We also have Dax Shepard (Lets Go To Prison was hilarious).

I knew shaving my beard off last night was the right move! Avoiding the sweep!

I Believe!

Sensitivity Rules!

Yes, the kid has skills, but it's a completely different game. I'd like to see him do those same moves on ice with regulation equipment on...wouldn't happen.

So he goes and plays in the KHL for 1 or 2 years where the level of competition is sub-NHL and comes back to the Wings a worse player. Great!

Stuart pinching up on that second Nashville goal gave me flashbacks.

Do WHAT now??

Yzerman, Hull, and Robitaille

How in the hell are they affording all this?

Thanks for great season Hossa! Best of luck in Chi-town. If you would have stayed, I would have bought a #81 jersey, but now it looks like Lucky #13!!

A - Freeking - Men!

When I read the offer he turned down, I completely understand his choice. However, one never knows....

Later dude, thanks for the great season. You're not a traitor.

Did I say that? I want him to s___ or get off the pot so we can at least get something for him.

Mr. Hossa is starting to wear on my nerves.

So he's gonna jerk Kenny around and we'll get nothing for him? That sucks.

Datsyuk was once considered a "playoff choker" also, you see how that turned out.

I'm feelin it!