I tend to agree. Nobody has really figured out the impact of 7 and 8 year deals on guys who are not franchise players. Giving Kane and Toews $10.5 m changes the mindset of a lot of agents. Ryan is a very good player but 8 years is a very long time. I don't what is the right answer.
- spatso

Ottawa can't afford to lose him to UFA either sign him now or trade him IMO it would be the best asset management.

I tend to agree. Nobody has really figured out the impact of 7 and 8 year deals on guys who are not franchise players. Giving Kane and Toews $10.5 m changes the mindset of a lot of agents. Ryan is a very good player but 8 years is a very long time. I don't know what is the right answer.
- spatso

It's unlikely Ryan will be worth the money he signs for purely in terms of individual performance... but in terms of his value to a franchise that's lost two of its most prominent players in as many years and invested heavily in acquiring Ryan just one year ago, the value of him choosing Ottawa over all kinds of other potential options has significant value. One way or another, you have to build around a certain core... and you could certainly do a lot worse than having that core include the likes of Karlsson, Turris, and Ryan... especially since all 3 seem to genuinely enjoy playing for the team, and have openly expressed interest in being part of the team's return to being a perennial contender.

It's unlikely Ryan will be worth the money he signs for purely in terms of individual performance... but in terms of his value to a franchise that's lost two of its most prominent players in as many years and invested heavily in acquiring Ryan just one year ago, the value of him choosing Ottawa over all kinds of other potential options has significant value. One way or another, you have to build around a certain core... and you could certainly do a lot worse than having that core include the likes of Karlsson, Turris, and Ryan... especially since all 3 seem to genuinely enjoy playing for the team, and have openly expressed interest in being part of the team's return to being a perennial contender.
- khawk

Giving Ryan an eight-year deal would be a shot to the foot. He looks like a genuinely nice guy and is a very good hockey player, but eight years is way too much. I think at most a 6 year deal with NTC would be good for the organization going forward. 6y@42-45mil.

Giving Ryan an eight-year deal would be a shot to the foot. He looks like a genuinely nice guy and is a very good hockey player, but eight years is way too much. I think at most a 6 year deal with NTC would be good for the organization going forward. 6y@42-45mil.
- TheCalSen

And how good would it be for the organization when his agent says he'll get a 7-year deal for more annual money than that on the UFA market, and so refuses to sign? Losing Alfredsson, Spezza, and Ryan in successive years would make things like season ticket sales awfully hard to peddle next summer... and would raise some pretty legitimate questions about what kind of direction the team really has other than staying at the bottom of the salary list.

I'm not saying that you hand over a blank cheque, but I really fear for the consequences if this team tries to lowball Ryan, and drags out negotiations to the point where he refuses to make a decision until later in the year, which could really complicate any attempt to try to trade him as well. The biggest negotiating advantage the team has is that 8th year - use that to keep the annual cost down a bit if you want, but anything that gets a deal done early before any kind of media speculation gets started has value to the team as well.

I don't see why it has to be less that 6.5 ...... Karlsson signed his deal when 6.5 was a hell of a deal, now 6.5 is 4 less than Towes....

7@7 should do it .... give him an A this year and make he and Karlsson 'battle it out' for the C the following year.....

GOOD OLE CANADIAN BOYS DON"T CARE ABOUT THE MONEY JUST LIKE JONNHY TOWES AND MIMICO"S FINEST DAVEY BOLLAND (thumbs up)
- Talkshowhost

Would be nice of he called out some of those good ol Canadian boys for choosing American markets over Canadian ones. You know, Canada and stuff.

Would be nice of he called out some of those good ol Canadian boys for choosing American markets over Canadian ones. You know, Canada and stuff.
- systemtool

Day of reckoning is coming. Canadian teams generate 40% of all NHL revenues with 25% of the teams. Ticket prices, tv contracts, concession prices and most everything else in Canada is far more expensive for the fans. This is show business (or sports entertainment) and all prices are geared to what the market will pay.

Now players are saying they want to perform in markets where there is less scrutiny, less critical review. Teams receiving subsidies, financed substantially in part by Canadian revenues, are signing contracts with players who no longer want to play in Canada. Bottom line this is going to be about money.

It is insane that Canadian teams continue to float the game. Bell media just signed a huge deal for the local broadcast rights for the Senators. Rogers just paid an enormous sum for the national Canadian rights. How much longer do you think they are going to tolerate performers refusing to perform in primary venues?

Agents already get it. They are savvy business guys who know how the bread really gets buttered. Rogers and Bell Media are not going to let this go on much longer.

Last year Ottawa had a crummy schedule, too many afternoon weekend games! This year they have a great schedule. Cyril Leeder was asked on TSN 1200 (Bell Media) how things got so much better so quickly. He said "our local broadcaster" helped a lot in getting the final schedule settled. Push back has started, the agents will begin to feel the heat (alternative perspective) soon enough.

Note: the Melnyk problem is a separate issue, it relates to his personal finances. It will get settled in time. Curios we have not heard much from him for a couple of months now. Perhaps it is a good sign.

Note: the information being floated on Stamkos signing in Toronto is not trivial. Words like tampering, directed at Shanahan, have already been mentioned. But this is no longer about player preferences, this is about huge money being really unhappy.

Day of reckoning is coming. Canadian teams generate 40% of all NHL revenues with 25% of the teams. Ticket prices, tv contracts, concession prices and most everything else in Canada is far more expensive for the fans. This is show business (or sports entertainment) and all prices are geared to what the market will pay.

Now players are saying they want to perform in markets where there is less scrutiny, less critical review. Teams receiving subsidies, financed substantially in part by Canadian revenues, are signing contracts with players who no longer want to play in Canada. Bottom line this is going to be about money.

It is insane that Canadian teams continue to float the game. Bell media just signed a huge deal for the local broadcast rights for the Senators. Rogers just paid an enormous sum for the national Canadian rights. How much longer do you think they are going to tolerate performers refusing to perform in primary venues?

Agents already get it. They are savvy business guys who know how the bread really gets buttered. Rogers and Bell Media are not going to let this go on much longer.

Last year Ottawa had a crummy schedule, too many afternoon weekend games! This year they have a great schedule. Cyril Leeder was asked on TSN 1200 (Bell Media) how things got so much better so quickly. He said "our local broadcaster" helped a lot in getting the final schedule settled. Push back has started, the agents will begin to feel the heat (alternative perspective) soon enough.

Note: the Melnyk problem is a separate issue, it relates to his personal finances. It will get settled in time. Curios we have not heard much from him for a couple of months now. Perhaps it is a good sign.

Note: the information being floated on Stamkos signing in Toronto is not trivial. Words like tampering, directed at Shanahan, have already been mentioned. But this is no longer about player preferences, this is about huge money being really unhappy.
- spatso

I have shared this same frustration for some time, seems odd that basically only in hockey do the prime super stars of the sports native country not want to play in the major markets in said country. Interesting to see if as you suggest some of the Canadian money starts to make some noise.