What is Ottawa thinking?

[Hank 0]

It's been reported that Heatley's asking for $8.5M a year while Ottawa is countering with $7-7.5M a year.

What's the problem here? I think we all know that Heatley could get close to $10M on the open market this summer.

If you look at what guys like Gomez and Briere got, $8.5M for Heatley (a back-to-back 50 goal, 100 point scorer) is a steal!

Don't be dumb Sens, lock him up!

[JayUp88 1]

They will be dumb and lose him.

[Winged Scooter 0]

Yeah that would be very stupid on Ottawa's part not to lock him up, because if Heatly walks not only do you lose him, but you also have nothing to show for trading Hossa.( actually sounds like something the Bruins would do...)

[Hank 0]

Yeah that would be very stupid on Ottawa's part not to lock him up, because if Heatly walks not only do you lose him, but you also have nothing to show for trading Hossa.( actually sounds like something the Bruins would do...)

Good points. And with this new era, chemistry is such a huge factor. They could replace him with a couple of players but will the gel? Will Spezza find chemistry with a new winger like he has with Heatley?

Not only that, but I'm sure there's a lot of Eastern Conference teams that will love to have him. Imagine if he goes to a rival like Buffalo or Toronto? I'm sure the Sens fans would love watching a guy walk away that burns them 6 times a year.

This whole situations smells like the Symth-Oilers deal. Everyone knows he'll get a lot more than $8.5 on the open market.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

This new NHL is looking just stupid now. Before the lock-out there were players not getting paid that much.

In this new league, I dont think guys like Briere and Gomez are worth 10 million. I suppose 8.5 for Heater aint bad, but It blows my mind how much friggin money hockey players get paid in todays game.

[Hank 0]

This new NHL is looking just stupid now. Before the lock-out there were players not getting paid that much.

In this new league, I dont think guys like Briere and Gomez are worth 10 million. I suppose 8.5 for Heater aint bad, but It blows my mind how much friggin money hockey players get paid in todays game.

There's basically no middle-men anymore. You either get $1M or you get $9M.

That's why there's rummblings that the PA won't extend the current contract after next season. A lot of the middle guys are ticked that rookies and young players are taking so much money away from them. Some in the PA have even suggested that they have a tier-system like the NBA has where you can't make so much if you're under a certain age or only have a handful of years in the league.

I still don't think any pro athlete is worth over $4M when you consider what they do. But I don't blame the players for wanting a big piece of the pie. Owners have to deal with a lot of headaches, but without the players, there wouldn't be any fans to watch them.

[Winged Scooter 0]

There's basically no middle-men anymore. You either get $1M or you get $9M.

That's why there's rummblings that the PA won't extend the current contract after next season. A lot of the middle guys are ticked that rookies and young players are taking so much money away from them. Some in the PA have even suggested that they have a tier-system like the NBA has where you can't make so much if you're under a certain age or only have a handful of years in the league.

I still don't think any pro athlete is worth over $4M when you consider what they do. But I don't blame the players for wanting a big piece of the pie. Owners have to deal with a lot of headaches, but without the players, there wouldn't be any fans to watch them.

That's a great point, the NHL definetly needs a Mid Level Exception rule like the NBA has...

[Rob the Badger 0]

Maybe Ottawa is banking on him to stay with a cup contender. Would you rather get an extra 10% working for a club that has no shot at winning, but has some cap room. Or would you rather get paid a little less and have another shot at becoming a champion?

[Hank 0]

Maybe Ottawa is banking on him to stay with a cup contender. Would you rather get an extra 10% working for a club that has no shot at winning, but has some cap room. Or would you rather get paid a little less and have another shot at becoming a champion?

The thing is, I think he's already giving them a 15% discount at $8.5M. I don't think it's a stretch at all for some team to throw $10M at him. So if he took a deal at $7.5M that's a 25% cut. And whether anyone likes it or not, the PA still has some influence over what players should be making. If Heatley took $7.5M I'm positive he would get a LOT of static from his union brothers.

In today's NHL $8.5M is a sweet deal for a player like Heatley. And the Sens need him way more than he needs the Sens. Afterall, if he becomes a UFA he can choose which team to go to. If Neidermayer and Selanne retire, I wouldn't put the Ducks past picking him up. Or a team like the Canes or the Sabres. There's a lot of legit contenders out there that could afford $9-10M a year.

Edited September 28, 2007 by Hank

[toby91_ca 620]

I wonder if Crosby's $8.7 million per deal puts a bit of an artificial ceiling on salaries for the short term.

[Rob the Badger 0]

I'm sure that almost every team would want him, the question is, who could afford him.

I'd be willing to bet that the Sens and Dany will come to an agreement. They've done well together for the last two years and he will most likely have another sniff at the cup this coming season, and maybe a few more in the seasons to come. The Sens are young and could be a good team for quite a few years.

[Hank 0]

I wonder if Crosby's $8.7 million per deal puts a bit of an artificial ceiling on salaries for the short term.

That's a good question. Who knows? I think a lot of people around the league realize that Crosby gave them a discount. But I'm sure that won't stop some GM's from trying to wittle down some of their RFA's to take a lower amount.