The Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles Kings decided to invest in the future by signing two enormous deals on Wednesday. On the surface it looks like two teams securing star players, but the big picture shows that ownership has once again fallen prey to the sweet siren song of the above average free agent deal.
The Stanley Cup champs inked Marian Gaborik to a seven-year deal worth $4.875 million per season. Meanwhile on the (east) gulf coast, Tampa Bay was giving Ryan Callahan an equally large dump truck full of money over the next six seasons (six years at $5.8 million a year).
On the surface it appears that the two clubs have jumped out to an early lead in the offseason roster revitalization program. However, a closer look may reveal that Tampa Bay and Los Angeles may have jumped the gun on the overpaying free agent bonanza.
Take a look at the Gaborik deal. For the next seven years the Kings will be paying a brittle, finesse winger on the wrong side of 30-years old. Gaborik WAS a 40-goal sniper two times in his career, topping the 20-goal mark nine times in all. He has also played a full 82-game season once in his 13 NHL seasons.
Granted, Gaborik was an enormous factor in Los Angeles’ second Stanley Cup in three years, but the enormity of his deal is beyond ludicrous. The Kings don’t necessarily need Gaborik to compete, but if he can maintain his form from the playoffs it could be beneficial. My biggest problem with the deal is the length. At 32, Gaborik will be 40 by the time this contract expires.
The silver lining to the contract is that the Kings did not include a no-movement clause in his deal. If the winger fails to live up to expectations, he can be dumped.
Equally confusing to me is the length and certainly the cap hit on the Ryan Callahan contract. Though the gritty winger is two and a half years younger than Gaborik, this could be the final contract of Callahan’s career. Given his style of play, his history of injury and a skill set that appears to be declining, Callahan is a risk for a deal beyond four years.
We have all heard about the intangibles that Callahan brings to the table. The toughness cannot be questioned and the leadership is certainly an admirable quality. However, crippling your franchise with such a long-term albatross of a deal is a questionable move at the very least given the needs of the team short on the blue line.
The silver lining of the Callahan deal is that the Lightning severed their relationship with Ryan Malone. In addition to questionable off-ice behavior, Malone was the beneficiary of an equally absurd long-term deal that paid him $31 million over seven years.
Time will tell if the Lightning and Kings rue their decisions on these blockbuster deals. With an already watered down free agent market, the clubs took advantage of their exclusive negotiating rights to get these deals done. With negotiating advantages given back to ownership with compliance buyouts and salary caps, the teams continue to fall prey to the overinflated free agent contracts.