The Biggest Loser in Free Agency
by Mark D on Jul 7, 2010 7:19 PM EDT
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PrintHow do you take what should be a storybook career and burn any possibility of being remembered as an elite goalie? Sign a 4 year contract with the KHL when your 36 years old just about assuring you will never play in the NHL again.
Dom should be an agent, as he saw this coming from a mile away. The two top goalies (depending on your view of Turco) held out for more money and now find themselves scrambling for a job. For Evgeni Nabokov though this upcoming NHL season should have been a chance to prove all the doubters wrong. How many other goalies have been able to pick and choose between three cup contenders (Sharks, Flyers, Capitals) while being considered a playoff choke artist. Instead of being remembered as a former 9th round pick (who was only selected due to the Sharks being familiar with his father) who fought his way into the starters job and was able to finish his career with a Stanley Cup, he'll be remembered as someone who jumped to the KHL for the Money.
Time and again as the Sharks choked in the playoffs, it was Nabokov who got the majority of the blame. Since he was the one player who was a part of all their playoff collapses. But it doesn't take a lot of work to realize that Nabokov put up similar numbers in the playoffs as the regular season. Instead it was the Sharks defense which faltered time and again. A year ago Michael Leighton was a virtual unknown. Now he's most likely going to be the starter for the defending Eastern Conference Champs. As much as Leighton got the Flyers into the playoffs, it was their defense which made that run possible. How many other teams making the cup Finals have played with a near 50% Split in their starters over the playoffs?
We can only imagine what if Nabokov had signed with the Flyers, Capitals or even the Sharks. Instead of caring about how he might be remembered, possibly getting his name on the cup and proving his critics wrong, he wanted his 6 million a year. In the end Nabokov proved that he was a choker. Going to the KHL is just another sign that he didn't want to be considered "The Man" in Philly, Washington or San Jose. Maybe he didn't want to fall short in another playoff series and have the stigma even more entrenched in people's minds.
Of course that's part of the risk, but very few people would argue that adding Nabokov could make these teams worse. He probably could have signed a one or two year deal at a pay cut, and then once that deal was done go to Russia for 6 Million a year. The KHL doesn't have the Stanley Cup. Not only that, but Nabokov could win a championship four straight times and people would still consider him a choker when it was all said and done. It could have been a great story. A complete unknown drafted in the 9th round, works his way up the teams depth chart and beats out higher prospects. The teams struggles in the playoffs are blamed on him, and he signs elsewhere winning the cup and cementing his legacy. Instead he'll be remembered as someone who ran to the KHL because he HAD to make 6 million a year.
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or you can look at it like this:
he’s tired of putting up with people calling him a choke artist despite similar numbers, so he says “f**k it” (obviously said in russian) and decides to go back home to make a killing and live larger than he would here in the states, with probably a ot less pressure.
i just don’;t get the whole “he only signed for the money” thing – why not? it’s obvious that most players want the money over the cup, or they would sign for $1 milion or so a season so the team coud afford to load up on better talent.
in the nba, lebron, wade and bosh could have all gone together to any team and said “we’ll all sing with you for $8 mill a season each, but for every championship, we each get a $10 mill bonus”.
we see players bought out of their contracts yearly – i’m sure that weighs on their decision too. might as well try to get 1-3 years at the top dollar, then if they get bought out at a lower price, at least they are getting paid.
and yes, i really cant beieve i am defending athletic greed either.
I think in Hockey because the money is smaller, there are more players willing to take less money and play on a team that is a cup contender then just going for the money. Nabokov’s made at least 24 Million from his last contract, if you figure after taxes it’s about 12 million. I just don’t see why he couldn’t have signed for a season or two at 2 or 4 million, and then still gone to Russia and made 24 million. It’s not like the KHL goalie pool would have been overflowing with talented goalies in that time. If you take a look at goal highlights from the KHL, Cloutier would be like Roy.
Not sure if you follow football, but a few years ago New England got lots of players to take smaller contracts in order to play for a contender. Time and time again they got free agents to take the veteran minimum so they could all fit under the cap. For every story of an athlete being greedy, there seems to be the story of the older vet willing to rework his contract or sign for less so the team has a better shot.
The Swiss are Coming, The Swiss are Coming!
Yeah, I really would have expected him to go for one more kick at the can, er Cup. Maybe he feels Father Time knocking, too. I guess if I was his agent I would have fired him.
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
In the KHL, the contracts are also considered to be tax-free, so that 6 million a year Nabokov will get is actually 6 million a year, as opposed. Even with the cultural differences, language barriers, playing at home, possible homesickness and that the Stanley Cup is still considered to be marquee championship in pro hockey, I sometimes wonder to myself why all pro hockey players don’t decide to play in the KHL, especially since their earning potential is greater in Russia.
Sure, it’s not always about greed, even though it seems Nabokov has been greedy. Perhaps he wanted to finish out his career at home.
Great points. Not sure I’d take that much less to play in a strange land and pay more taxes on top of it. Although, we do offer them better TV shows.
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
I sometimes wonder to myself why all pro hockey players don’t decide to play in the KHL
The KHL only allows up to 5 non-Russian players on a team’s roster.
To "resign" is to voluntarily leave a position; retire. To "re-sign" is to sign again. When talking about free agents, please use the correct one.
Just curious, how do they define a Russian?
IE: What if you were born in the SU, but it’s now an independent Republic, like Kazakhstan.
The Swiss are Coming, The Swiss are Coming!
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Good question, but one I fear I’d need to know how to read Russian to discover the answer to.
All the references I can find don’t actually state “non-Russian”, but rather “foreign players,” which is even more vague.
To "resign" is to voluntarily leave a position; retire. To "re-sign" is to sign again. When talking about free agents, please use the correct one.
Man, I bet that was part of it. “My best chance to win a Cup was with the Sharks, and they said beat it, so why play for less here when I can cash in at home?” But he always had a weird streak of that “I’m not to blame” in him, which rightly or wrongly, is not how teams expect a goalie to be.
Apparently some are acting like this is a watershed moment in NHL-KHL matters, but to me it looks like the Mets signed WIllie Mays. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but it was clear the goalie market has corrected itself and it’s risky to bet big money on an older goalie {cough: Edmonton} who isn’t that much above average.
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
http://www.fearthefin.com/2010/6/15/1518520/could-nabokov-re-sign-with-the
It was looking like the Sharks would sign Nabokov for a bit, but I’m sure his demands for 6 million a year (which I’m sure also killed the discussions with the Flyers) did it in. We don’t know how much the Sharks might have been offering, but even they were somewhat willing to bring him back. I’m sure though it wouldn’t have been for 4 years and not for 6 million.
The Swiss are Coming, The Swiss are Coming!
You have to wonder how badly he wanted another NHL crack if he was willing to handicap his own team to get the salary he wanted. If I were Doug Wilson, I’d slip the roster in front of him and say, “Okay, look at your teammates. Which ones do you want to cut so we can pay you? Oh, and were you wanting a blueline upgrade, or should we get some AHLers?”
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
Not exciting but interesting to consider
When Biron chose to sign for the Rags for very cheap on July 1, he effectively set the scale for free agent goalies this summer…could Biron’s choice have affected Nabokov’s chances of getting a new NHL contract? Its a twist on the wind from a butterfly’s wings can create a tornado on the other side of the planet (paraphrase) thought exercise.
Heh, exciting to me!
I love that stuff. And I think it’s a workable theory (I know an agent told that to Puck Daddy, but even besides that). Biron gets humbled so hard last year — and in a situation he came to dislike even though he knew what he was getting into — that he overcorrects this year.
Ironically, his salary for this season isn’t that much less than what he got from the NYI, and he at least gets two years, which in this market is nice for a backup.
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
Indirectly, yes
While I’m sure that Biron’s motives included wanting more than a 1 year deal, some stability and location, the price at which he signed for signaled that it may not require a lot of money to sign most goalies this offseason.
Not sure why you mentioned the Caps. There was never any discussion of Nabokov and the Caps and the Caps haven’t shown any interest in a FA goalie. I guess for a huge pay cut the Caps would listen but it’s not really a good fit.
Sometimes you need a criminal lawyer, sometimes you need a criminal lawyer.
My mistake, I thought they were looking to upgrade in goalie and were talking to him or rumored to be interested at the right price.
The Swiss are Coming, The Swiss are Coming!
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
lol, no, so far it’s Kovy, standing to lose lots of money unless he comes back to Garth and says, “so… 2 years 10.5 per?, ok, i’m in”
Scaramouch, Scaramouch, will you do the Fandango ?
-sorry, that pic just screams Boh/Rhap to me
Even if we did nothing in FA, we still had a better FA period then the Rangers
Wheel of Location, Turn Turn Turn. Tell us the location that we will play.
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Zenon
I’m going to be rootin’ for Zenon K…I actually like the 4 players the Isles added this summer…they need to fill holes and they did and they haven’t (yet) given any disgusting contracts to undeserving players… exciting? no, but smart, focused and steady. Garth’s a winner in my book
Me too on Zenon. I’m happy with both forwards. My jury’s still out on the defensemen but at least they fill a role.
Lighthouse Hockey: "A f#$%ing haven of reason compared to practically every other Islanders site." --TMC
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