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| Tuesday, November 19 Not everything about dollars makes sense By E.J. Hradek ESPN The Magazine |
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Dollars and sense. With rising salaries and ever-growing leagues, these two commodities -- one tangible, one intangible -- are critical in every professional sport. In the NHL, a savvy general manager must use both dollars and sense to build a Stanley Cup contender. And maybe, with a dash of luck and a bounce of the puck, they'll end up with a Stanley Cup winner. Of course, some GMs have a little more money than others do. Right, Slats? Of course, other GMs have a little more sense than some of their colleagues. (Well, you know who you are.) Still, they all seek the same ultimate prize. With dollars and sense in mind, here are a dozen of the NHL's best bargains and biggest busts. Actually, it's a half dozen of each. Some of the bargains carry hefty price tags, while some of the busts are relatively inexpensive players. The final decision is based on value. All dollar figures are U.S. currency and the stated salary figure doesn't include any bonus bucks.
Right wing Vancouver Canucks 2002-03 Salary: $2,750,000 BARGAIN Bertuzzi signed a three-year deal just before his monster breakout season in 2001-02, so the club will get a superstar power forward at a discount price until the end of the 2003-04 season. Bertuzzi, 27, could easily be making money similar to the Flames' Jarome Iginla, whose career season coincided with the end of his contract. Iginla ended up signing a new two-year deal worth $13 million. In his next deal, if his production remains steady, Bertuzzi will be looking at a similar contract. Maybe more.
Center/left wing Calgary Flames 2002-03 Salary: $2,100,000 BUST A really nice guy who looks like he has no interest in playing this game. On most nights, he drifts around the rink with little purpose or effort. Once upon a time (1995-96), he scored 26 goals. Right now, that seems a long time ago. He has been a healthy scratch for a couple of games this season. If the Flames had someone to replace him, he'd sit for a bunch more.
Right wing/Center Pittsburgh Penguins 2002-03 Salary: $4,600,000 BARGAIN Yeah, it seems funny to call a $4.6 million man a bargain, but Kovalev compares very favorably to some of the top players in the game. You'd rather have crafty Kovy than $6.5 million Teemu Selanne or injury-prone $7.25 million Zigmund Palffy or $6 million Pierre Turgeon, right? His deal expires at the end of the season. To keep him, the financially challenged Pens are going to have to up the ante.
Center Toronto Maple Leafs 2002-03 Salary: $2,750,000 BUST The Coyotes let Reichel play in his native Czech Republic for two seasons rather than give in to his contract demands. On June 12, 2001, the big-money Leafs acquired his rights and promptly overpaid him. This season, through 18 games, the 32-year-old Reichel is on pace for five goals and 23 assists. Ouch! To make matters worse, he's not exactly a strong two-way player. Double ouch!!
Defense Toronto Maple Leafs 2002-03 Salary: $2,750,000 BUST Like Reichel, Lumme used to be a good player. But that was several years ago. Still, that didn't stop the Leafs from overpaying him. Actually, they took this bad contract off the hands of the Stars, who quickly realized their mistake in trading for him before the 2001-02 season. This year, Lumme has been a healthy scratch for several games. If you've seen him play this season, you'd know the Leafs were better with Lumme in the press box.
Center/Right wing New Jersey Devils 2002-03 Salary: $900,000 BARGAIN With no leverage (other than to sit out) and no arbitration rights, Gomez had little choice but to re-sign at a discount price. Rather than sulk, the 2000 Calder Trophy winner came to camp in the best shape of his young career. Gomez possesses excellent hockey sense and vision. He'll be a very good playmaking center for many years to come. And, eventually, he'll make more money.
Forward Tampa Bay Lightning 2002-03 Salary: $1,000,000 BARGAIN A dynamic player during his four years at the University of Vermont, the 5-foot-7 (on his toes) St. Louis was thought to be too small to play in the NHL. Well, through 18 games, the speedy forward seems to be plenty big enough. As of Nov. 18, he trailed only Mario Lemieux in the league's point race. Also, St. Louis' 11 goals and 23 points were tops on the surprising Lightning. Believe it or not, he's on pace for a career-best 105 points.
Forward Tampa Bay Lightning 2002-03 Salary: $850,000 BARGAIN In his 21st season, Andreychuk provides veteran leadership -- and, the occasional goal -- for the inexperienced young Lightning. He wears the "C" and sets the standard in the room. For the first time in a long time, there is accountability among the players in Tampa. And you really can't pay enough for that. Oh, by the way, his next goal will be No. 600.
Forward New York Rangers 2002-03 Salary: $850,000 BUST Clearly, he's just around to fight. But there's one problem: He's not very good at it. He's linebacker big, but he has little balance on the ice, which leaves him at risk against most of the league's fighters. Still, the Rangers are paying him nearly $1 million bucks. Yeah, I know, they can afford it, but with Sandy McCarthy and Dale Purinton already on the roster, why would they want to?
Defense Atlanta Thrashers 2002-03 Salary: $500,000 BUST This guy must have a great agent. After playing just 10 games (including two playoff games) in the past three years, the Thrashers were willing to offer the 37-year-old Krupp a free-agent deal. Why? It was pretty obvious that the rangy defenseman was done, and it's not like he brings a lot of intensity or leadership to the room. Not surprisingly, Krupp played just one game before suffering another back injury. The Thrashers would have been better off spending that money on another player, preferably one with a pulse.
Goal Minnesota Wild 2002-03 Salary: $600,000 BARGAIN The 33-year-old goaltender seems to have found an NHL home with Minnesota after spending time in Calgary and Buffalo. Last season, he posted a respectable 14 wins, 2.68 goals-against average (both personal bests) and .901 save percentage in 45 appearances for the second-year Wild. This year, again splitting time with Manny Fernandez (who makes about $1 million more), the former UMass-Lowell stopper owns a 5-2-2 record with a 2.12 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Those are excellent numbers… at any price.
Goal Los Angeles Kings 2002-03 Salary: $1,595,000 BUST Hey, we're not that down on Storr (the club's top pick, seventh overall, in 1994), but $1.5 million for a guy who plays once every five games? You could say he's a $1.5 million insurance policy in case starter Felix Potvin were to suffer an injury, but why not go with a less expensive veteran and put the money towards other things? This season, Storr has struggled in his limited role. He's just 1-3 in four games with a subpar 3.32 GAA and .884 save percentage. Last year, Storr did a nice job in limited work, but maybe it's time for him to find out if he can be a starter. After all, he's getting paid like one. And, just for good measure, here's my list of bargain honorable mentions (why bother with any more busts?): Rhett Warrener ($1,650,000) and Jay McKee ($1,533,333), Sabres; Martin Havlat ($960,000), Senators; Sean Burke ($3,250,000), Coyotes; Josef Vasicek ($350,000), Hurricanes; Jean-Sebastien Giguere ($900,000), Ducks; Toni Lydman ($715,000), Flames; P.J. Axelsson ($907,500), Bruins; Steve Reinprecht ($500,000), Avs and Richard Matvichuk ($2,200,000), Stars. Keep up the good work, fellas. And, don't worry, better deals are down the road. E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com. |
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