Mr. Gillis, You Are Making a Mistake
Since hearing the news first break about the Sedins wanting a mammoth 12 year contract for $63 million each, there’s been little news of legitimate progress along those lines, or against them. I was recently discussing with Tyler of NHL Digest the value the Sedins have and how to measure their worth.
Lets break it down then. They’re 82 point player. They’re point per game players during the regular and post season. For arguments sake lets look at players that get points in a +/- 4 point range from their 82 points.
86 – Joe Thronton
84 – Jeff Carter
82 – Mike Cammalleri
80 – Martin St. Louis
80 – Mike Richards
79 – Rick Nash
79 – Alexander Semin
78 – Patrik Elias
78 – Mike Ribeiro
Of those players who you could be potential replacements, only Mike Cammalleri is a free agent, and one player can’t replace the two of them. So let’s look at their salaries.
7.2 million – Joe Thronton
5 million – Jeff Carter
5.25 million – Martin St. Louis
5.75 million – Mike Richards
5.4 million – Rick Nash
4.6 million – Alexander Semin
6 million – Patrik Elias
5 million – Mike Ribeiro
The Sedins are asking for 5.25. The average salary of all the players that scored around the same number of points as them comes to 5.52 million a year. When it comes to salary, the Sedins are giving the Canucks a deal.
The reality is, when it comes to the Sedins you’re paying for an intangible. The chemistry the Sedins have between themselves is something you can’t quantify. They are nothing without each other, or certainly much less. Even if you brought in two of the above mentioned point per game players, there’s no guarantee that there will be any chemistry between them, and at the end of the day, they performed the way they did because they had a chemistry with specific team mates. You can’t create chemistry on a whim, you can’t force it.
Only 12 players (including the Sedins) have scored 70 points a season since the lockout, including Ovechkin, Crosby, Kovalchuk, and Datsyuk. The Sedins aren’t asking for salaries like Ovechkin, or even near what Crosby makes. The Sedins are giving the Canucks what can only be called the home town discount.
The Sedins prove to be a consistent offensive presence, and are never a defensive liability. Perhaps the most telling stat is that in the 8 seasons the twins have played for the Canucks – they have missed a combined 24 games.
The Sedins have only known one NHL team in their career, and if they test the free agent waters, they are going to command at least 7 million dollars. If Gillis is playing chicken with JP Barry, or is thinking of passing on this dynamic duo, he better have a pair of aces up his sleeves or he’s going to be hard pressed to find someone to replace their scoring and point getting on a team that consistently hears fans complaining about a lack of scoring. I know the price is right, and the length is wrong, but Gillis needs to find some way to compromise on this issue because he’s going to be losing a lot if he wastes this opportunity.
First off, the median salary is only 5.35 of these players. Take out the elite Thorton, and this class of players is more equal, and the median drops to 5.25. One Sedin is nowhere near the player of one Thortan. So where is the deal. Maybe at 5 it makes sense, but not at 11 years. Plus, you are stuck with really an 11 million a year for 11 year contract, these two are inseperable and so are their salaries. Try and trade these players at this cost at age 35, no way. Bad deal. Let em walk.
First off, the median salary is only 5.35 of these players. Take out the elite Thorton, and this class of players is more equal, and the median drops to 5.25. One Sedin is nowhere near the player of one Thortan. So where is the deal. Maybe at 5 it makes sense, but not at 11 years. Plus, you are stuck with really an 11 million a year for 11 year contract, these two are inseperable and so are their salaries. Try and trade these players at this cost at age 35, no way. Bad deal. Let em walk.