I really do think it’s fantastic for Ted Leonsis and Capital fans everywhere that Washington was able to get Alexander Ovechkin’s signature on a long-term contract. There were many experts who felt that inevitably the league’s most dynamic player would end up in a strong and so-called traditional hockey market, so convincing AO to commit is impressive to say the least.
Getting him to sign for thirteen years, however, was more than a little excessive and for my first column in the new home for ‘The Daily Show’ I’m going to tell you why…
Get a pen because this one begins with a bit of a quiz for Part One of this posting. You can fill in your answers below as we test out some ground-breaking poll technology. I'll be back with Part Two which will analyze the players in question and the pros/cons of a huge long, long, long-term deal.
Ten players.
All with extraordinary starts to their careers.
All elite-level players who presumably would only get better with experience.
Now you're the GM who has to sit across the table from their agent (or maybe they've all decided to represent themselves). You tell me which of these players you would sign to a thirteen-year deal, at one of the top salaries around:
Player A breaks on the scene at age 20. He scores 34 goals in his first year in just 65 games (winning the Calder), then records back-to-back 60-goal seasons (putting up 110 and 107 points respectively). He’s explosive, creative and the probably the most exciting player in the game.
Player A, Total at age 22: 224 GP, 154 G, 277 PTS
Player B makes it at 19 amidst major and unprecedented hype. He scores 41 goals and 75 points in just 61 games in his rookie year and follows that up with 44 goals and 97 points in 65 games. In year three he posts 29 goals and 70 points in a strike-shortened season (winning the Hart Trophy) and then at age 22 he scores 47 goals and 115 points. Touted as 'The Next One', but the league really hasn't seen a player like him before.
Player B, Total at age 22: 245 GP, 161 G, 357 PTS
Player C comes from overseas for the shortened season and gets over a point-a-game in his rookie season, also winning the Calder. He breaks the 100-point barrier in his second season and follows that up with 86 points in 65 games. He’s often called the best player in the game and he has scored one of the biggest goals on the International stage in recent memory.
Player C, Total at age 23: 194 GP, 73 G, 252 PTS
Player D makes it to the league at 18 and improves dramatically each year. By age 20 he’s over a PPG with 94-points and by 22 he’s dominant with 32 goals and 70 points in 48 games, winning the Art Ross. He's got moves that simply haven't been seen before and he's had the chance to learn from one of the best ever.
Player D, Total at age 22: 359 GP, 157 G, 389 PTS
Player E is a guy you just can’t take your eyes off on the ice. He scored 52 in his rookie season, winning the Calder with 106 points. His second year isn’t quite as good with 46-goals and 92-points but in his third year he breaks the 60-goal plateau and puts up 100 points.
Player E, Total at age 22: 245 GP, 159 G, 297 PTS
Player F was touted as the next Gretzky and early in his career he did not disappoint. In his second year at age 21 he scored 50-goals and added 58 assists, and in his third year he scored 44-goals and had 99-points in just 69 games.
Player F, Total at age 22: 198 GP, 112 G, 246 PTS
Player G is a great talent at both ends of the ice. He scored thirty goals in each of his first three seasons and improved his point totals from 79 to 86 to 87 before really breaking out in year four, winning the Hart and the Selke, posting 56 goals and 120 points.
Player G, Total at age 23: 312 GP, 153 G, 372 PTS
Player H came over a little later than the others and was absolutely unreal in his rookie year at age 22 with a staggering 76-goals and 132 points. A pure sniper with a great personality and a love for the game.
Player H, Total at age 22: 84 GP, 76 G, 132 PTS
Player I broke in at 19 and his goal and point totals took a huge jump in each of the next two seasons – from 23 to 33 to 47 goals and from 59 to 76 to 114 points. He’s on the verge of superstardom.
Player I, Total at age 22: 240 GP, 103 G, 249 PTS
And finally, Player J was a talented sniper, posting 84 goals and 191 points over his first three seasons before putting up one of the best scoring seasons in league history – 76 goals and 127 points in 77 games.
Player J, Total at age 23: 271 GP, 160 G, 318 PTS
That’s a lot of information, so let’s summarize:
MOST RECENT SEASON PRIOR TO NEGOTIATION
PLAYERS' CAREER TO DATE
Take your time and really think about it because 13-years is a LONG time and you'll be giving that player a ton of cash..
Here's the poll you can fill in and feel free to add your comments on the message board. Pick as many players as you'd like..
I’ll be back with part two – remember, no cheating.
And welcome again to the new and improved Daily Show. As I've promised for a while there are a lot of new and interesting things coming up that I've been working on. Now that we've finally re-launched (doesn't the new site look amazing?) I'll be writing much more frequently so check back often..
Danny -
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