Interesting article from the Score yesterday about Antoine Vermette.
http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/656581
The gist of the article is that the Coyotes ownership uncertainty is preventing the team from resigning Antoine Vermette to a deal they suggest would be in the $6 million per year range.
Now, I don't want to mince words here: That's crazy talk.
Let's just parse the first paragraph of the article:
The Arizona Coyotes would prefer to extend first-line center Antoine Vermette, a pending unrestricted free agent, but continued budgetary concerns have tied general manager Don Maloney's hands.
First of all, just because a guy plays first-line centre on your team, it does not make him a first line centre in the NHL. He isn't. He's a very good second line centre and probably an elite third line centre, which means giving him six million is about as smart as giving it to David Bolland, a contract, I remind you, that is widely considered one of the worst in NHL history.
Antoine Vermette is 32 years old for Christ's sake. He has a career high of 65 points which he got over five years ago. In his whole career, he has topped 50 points just twice. Even this year -where he has 8 goals and 21 points in 30 games - is not all that hot. I mean, sure it looks alright on paper, but this guy gets all the prime minutes and leads the team in PP time (on a PP with the best combo of point-men in the NHL).
He's a good player, but for a team with no budgetary concerns to even consider paying him $5 million, let alone $6, is INSANE. For the Coyotes to be considering this is criminal, although it does bode well for my dream of one day running the franchise.
Honestly, if the only thing standing in the way of Maloney giving Vermette an insane contract extension is the fact that the deal to buy the 51% of the team is being mysteriously held up, then thank god for the hold-up. Maloney should be fired before giving this kind of deal to Vermette.
In fact, you could argue that with the team doing so poorly, that Vermette's main contribution this year is to take ice-time away from younger players and hold up their development. I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to give the likes of Hanzal, Gagner, Reider, his ice-time so you could determine if those are players you want to build around going forward? I mean, this season is lost already, so what's the point of having the guy who you know exactly who and what he is taking up all the best minutes?
There isn't one.
The Coyotes should trade Vermette and get something for him before he walks away as a free-agent. The earlier they do this, the better because his value will be higher the longer the team that gets him can use him and the more top line minutes for the younger players, the better.
The article concludes by saying that if the team is not sold soon, we should expect to hear Vermette's name with "baffling frequency" as the trade deadline approaches. But, honestly, the only thing baffling to me is that they'd even consider keeping him, based on the condition of the rest of their team.
I am always wishing the Coyotes got more mainstream press, but I guess that's a double-edged sword.