Ah, free agency, where you too can be a millionaire if you're coming off your first big season in the show.
Right Ryan Malone?
With that in mind here is a list of overpriced NHLers that makes it look like anyone can be the general manager of a pro hockey team.
RW Jonathan Cheechoo (San Jose Sharks) $3.5 million
Wow, talk about big blunders! The last time a mishap in judgement on talent was this bad Ruben Studdard won American Idol. Cheechoo went from 57 goals, to 37 goals, and this season 23 goals. At this pace he may hit 10 goals next year, and that's if he see's power play time.
C Brad Richards (Dallas Stars) $7.8 million
Okay, so Brad Richards plays great as the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup (even though Martin Gelinas scored the actual Cup winner in game 6 for Calgary), then signs an outrageous deal, and the Lightning don't learn from their mistakes as they turn around and give the same money to Ryan Malone. Don't get me wrong, Richards is a good player, but at $7.8 million? Come on now, he has never scored 30 goals, and broke the 80 point barrier once. It's contracts like this one that make me sick to my stomach when I think about players like Howe and Bobby Hull that never even made that in a career.
- B/R Ticket Guide
LW Dustin Penner (Edmonton Oilers) $4.25 million
Sorry Kevin Lowe, but I gotta take Brian Burke's side on this one, and in a small hockey market like Edmonton this move may eventually bite you in the butt like he said. Isn't that why the NHL locked out it's players, so that the Canadian franchises could compete with teams like the Wings and Rangers. Instead you ink Penner to a hefty $21.25 million dollar contract after his first season in the NHL. Whats he do for you, well scores 23 goals, 24 assists and is a minus 12. Yeah those numbers are well worth $4.5.
D Bryan McCabe (Toronto Maple Leafs) $6.5 million
No wonder the Leafs want him to waive his no-trade clause, the king of the can opener can play the point on the power play, but he is horrible in his own end. His offensive flair has declined as well, so now the Leafs are just stuck with basically playing short handed every time McCabe jumps over the boards. McCabe looks like he couldn't cut it in the ECHL let alone the NHL of late. Another brilliant move on the part of John Ferguson Jr.
D Derian Hatcher (Philadelphia Flyers) $3.5 million
This big oaf was washed-up before the lockout, yet the Flyers brass threw a wad of cash at him, this move may just be why Clarke ain't the GM any longer. Without the cross-checking, hooking and other stick work this guy was famous for he is about as useless as tits on a pig. Hatcher has scored 9 goals in three seasons with the Flyers and been on the ice for probably about 200 against in that time. Makes it tough to go to work for $20 bucks an hour doesn't fellas.
G Mikka Kiprusoff (Calgary Flames) $5.8 million
It happened with Roman Turek after he put up big numbers, and now it's happened with Mikka Kiprusoff. Sure he won 39 games this season, but he lost 26, his save percentage was just over .900 and his goals against average was 2.69 which was good enough for 28th overall in the NHL goaltender leaders. He faltered in the playoffs letting in a bad goal pretty much every game, and went form being the most calm and collective goaltender in the league to one that could be easily rattled off his game. This all while playing behind maybe the best defensive core in the NHL that was worth $23 million. Maybe he was shaken by Mike "Captain Hook" Keenan's presence this season, but he definitely wasn't the goalie he was over the past three seasons in Calgary.
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6 months ago
How bout adding to this list a bit:
Ryan Smyth (Colorado): $6.25 million a year for a guy whose cracked 70 points only once in his career.
Rostislav Olesz (Florida): $3.125 million a year for a guy who scored 26 points in 56 games last year. Granted he's young and talented but shouldn't you have to accomplish something for that money?
Michal Handzus (Los Angeles): $4 million a year for a guy who tallied an impressive 21 points in 82 games last year. Handzus has scored an amazing 73 points since the lockout.
Bill Guerin (New York Islanders): Granted the Islanders have to overpay to lure free agents but Guerin is getting $4.5 million dollars this season. Here's a player who hasn't scored 50 points since before the lockout. Last year he had 44 for a weak offensive Islanders team.
Scott Hartnell (Philadelphia): Hartnell signed a 6 year $22.5 million dollar contract with the Flyers after his trade from Nashville. Hartnell has scored 25 goals only once and has never tallied 50 points in a season.
Just my two cents.
6 months ago
Hatcher = biggest pylon
6 months ago
Great article, my biggest two i think are overpaid are Richards, and Penner. Mine was mostly a rant, this is much more to the point, well done.
6 months ago
You make it seem like being a GM is easy. Look at all of those players; and as you mentioned they came off of career years before landing it big time. However, if you're a GM do you let this 'blossoming player' get away to free agency, where they will get their money somewhere else? or do you risk on making the brass/fans/team unhappy? It makes sense to resign these guys because no GM wants to be the guy that let the big one go because you think that lightning only strikes once. It is a gamble, and these guys represent the ones that went wrong, but no one really mentions the ones that GMs got right.
6 months ago
I agree completely Michael, but when Ryan Malone comands $7 million after scoring a whopping 51 points playing with Malkin and Crosby...well, that kind of idiocy is inexcusable in my books, and i think the majority would feel the same way.
6 months ago
Thanks for the heads up Grady, Owen Nolan at $2.75 million to the Wild...wow good thing we had the lockout so GM's dont over pay guys anymore
5 months ago
Cheechoo is probably the biggest bargain on that list ... a Rocket Richard winner with an quick and accurate release do not come by everyday ... Remember that Cheechoo cam off of two sports hernia surgeries during the 2007 off-season. He did pick up his game in the latter half of the year. He will bounce back and will play well...
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