Gilmour's contract drives owners crazy
by Jim Iovino,
Ace Reporter
The Chicago Blackhawks are notorious for being stingy with the
checkbook. So are their Original Six counterparts, the Boston
Bruins. If there's a way to get out of paying a bill, they'll find
it. If there's a way to cut costs, they'll do it. And if there's
a way to put a cheap and meager team on the ice without fans
getting upset, by God they'll go for it.
So more than a few jaws dropped when news spread around the league
early this offseason that the Blackhawks signed unrestricted free
agent Doug Gilmour to a three-year, $18 million contract. The
astonishment was due not only to the rare attempt of Hawks
management to spend some major cash, but because of who they wrote
the check out to.
The 35-year-old Gilmour isn't exactly in the prime of his career.
He scored 53 points last year in a season filled with injuries that
limited him to just 63 games. And over the past couple years it
seems New Jersey, his former team, was worried more about what
injury was plaguing Gilmour instead of how many points he could
contribute.
Giving him a contract worth $6 million per season seemed a bit
steep, to say the least. Many team officials were stunned that
the Hawks, who seemed to be a staunch supporter of keeping salaries
around the league from growing too quickly, would create such a
salary explosion by giving Gilmour that much money.
The Gilmour contract will have serious repercussions as far as teams
are concerned. Players and their agents are now able to bring up the
following point in contract negotiations: "If Doug Gilmour and his 53
points are worth $6 million, what am I/my client worth?"
Gilmour's huge deal doesn't mean contracts are going to suddenly
explode around the league - they already have. The average NHL
salary has risen an average of 23.4 percent each year for the past
seven seasons. Sergei Fedorov signed a front-loaded contract late
last season that will pay him $14.5 million this year. Eric
Lindros and Paul Kariya will make $8.5 million. Dominik Hasek will
rake in $8 million. And next season the number of players making
at least $8 million should rise even more.
However, the Gilmour contract did raise the bar for free agents
throughout the offseason. Ron Francis got a sweeter deal (four
years, $20.8 million) from the Carolina Hurricanes thanks to
Gilmour and the Hawks. So did Brett Hull, who cashed in on a
three-year, $17 million offer from the Dallas Stars. So did a
number of other free agents, who, although not marquee names, were
still able to garner more cash because of Gilmour.
But the Hawks can't be blamed for all of the contract increases in
the league. Some of the blame has to be accepted by Hull and
Gilmour's former team, the St. Louis Blues. The Blues re-signed
defenseman Al MacInnis, another unrestricted free agent, to a
three-year, $15 million contract, making him the highest- paid
defenseman in the league. That deal left other free agent
blueliners like Rob Blake and Steve Duchesne licking their lips as
they tested the waters. And sure enough, the defensemen cashed
in. Big time.
Duchesne left St. Louis for Los Angeles' offer of $10.5 million over
three years. Jyrki Lumme signed for $17 million over five years with
Phoenix. Uwe Krupp (four years, $16.4 million), Gary Suter (three
years, $10 million) and Dmitri Mironov (four years, $11 million) took
advantage of the higher salary structure.
And just this week, it was Blake's turn to get the greenbacks. The
Norris Trophy winner re-signed with the Kings, and in doing so took
the highest-paid defenseman title from MacInnis with a three-year,
$15.8 million dollar deal.
But not to be outdone were the goalies. Three top-notched free
agents got some cash as well this summer. John Vanbiesbrouck signed
with the Flyers, Mike Richter re-signed with the Rangers, but
Curtis Joseph made the biggest splash with a four-year, $24 million
deal.
The Blackhawks can't be blamed for ruining the entire salary
structure in the NHL, but the Gilmour signing sure put a hit on the
wallets of a number of teams.
But what about the Bruins? What are the other El Cheapos of the
league doing this offseason?
The Bruins are doing what they do every summer - whining and
complaining about high-priced free agents.
Bruin GM Harry Sinden contemplated not agreeing to Dimitri
Khristich's contract set by an arbitrator, which would have made
the team's first-line right winger an unrestricted free agent. But
Sinden ultimately decided to keep him.
But Bruin fans might not see Khristich's linemate, Jason Allison, in
uniform by the start of the season. Allison, the team's top scorer
last season, is a restricted free agent along with teammates Anson
Carter and Kyle McLaren. From the sounds of things, Sinden wants
nothing to do with giving the three a bigger contract.
"For all intents and purposes, we've quit negotiating with any of
them," Sinden said. "We'll have three Nedveds on our hands and
we're ready for it."
Tough words from Harry, but do you really think the Bruins are going
to go anywhere without Allison on the top line? Please...
So who's left besides Allison to get a sweetheart of a deal, through
holdout or free agency? Let's take a quick look.
Sandis Ozolinsh: The wacky Avalanche blueliner is a
restricted free agent, but has significant bargaining power thanks
to the hefty contracts signed by Blake and MacInnis. He reportedly
turned down a three-year deal for $10 million. The already high
payroll in Colorado might be at its limits already, so Ozo could be
sitting for a while.
Scott Niedermayer: Niedermayer is in the same position as
Ozolinsh as a restricted free agent. Niedermayer wants at least
four million bucks per year. With the loss of Gilmour and a number
of aging forwards, Niedermayer's offense might be sorely missed.
Brian Leetch: Leetch is in the final year of his current
contract, which will pay him $3.37 million, but the Rangers are
determined to get a new deal in place before this season starts.
Leetch could be looking for a new deal starting between $6.5
million and $7 million.
Saku Koivu: The latest rumor has the Finnish center signing
a one-year deal for this season and negotiations going on for a
longer deal throughout the 1998-99 campaign.
Peter Nedved: Who knows what he wants. The guy is just
plain nuts. He's lost one of the peak years of his career and is
about to lose another. He could lose a couple more after that
because the Penguins own the 26-year-old Nedved's rights until he
turns 31. Oops. And by the way, notice what Harry Sinden said
above about having three Nedveds on his hands? You see, that's not
the kind of situation you want your name to be used in. Come on,
Petey, get your butt back in the NHL.
Ziggy Palffy: There are rumors that Palffy could sit out the
entire season. Don't count on it. The Isles need Ziggy. It will
just take them a while to realize they need him to the tune of the $6
million per year he's asking for.
Keith Tkachuk: Mo' money, mo' problems... Perhaps Tkachuk
should listen to that advice from Puff Daddy and play out the last
two years of his contract. Maybe then he could sign a brand-new
deal that will pay him enough money to help pay for the damage to
the Olympic village... Tkachuk has never shown that he can be a
true leader of a team, he hasn't been able to take a team past the
first round of the playoffs and now he turned down an extension to
his existing contract that would pay him $33 million over five
years. Fans in Phoenix are starting to get fed up with their
captain. A web site run by some serious Coyote fans have
christened Tkachuk with a new nickname: GSP. That's short for
Gravy Sucking Pig.
Ouch.
Pavel Bure: In another file from the "Wha? Huh?" Department,
Bure is refusing to play for the Vancouver Canucks. But this,
incredibly, has little or nothing to do with money. Bure is in the
final year of his contract which was expected to pay him in the
$8-million range. It is somewhere in that "range" because his
contract stipulates that he has to be paid the average of the three
highest-paid players in the league. That's a pretty sweet deal.
But Bure doesn't like the Canucks anymore and he wants out. And
he's willing to sit out the whole season if that's what it takes.
And yes, he's willing to give up those eight million smackers.
Life just doesn't seem fair sometimes, does it?
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