Phaneuf Wants $30M+
January 7th, 2008 Posted in UncategorizedCALGARY HERALD: Guess the Flames’ hometown discount isn’t impressing Dion Phaneuf. While stalwarts Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr and Miikka Kiprusoff took haircuts to stay in Calgary, the third-year defenceman is apparently looking for market value when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Sources in the hockey biz have told IDLM that Phaneuf turned down a deal in the neighbourhood of $30 million over five years.
In the wake of the lengthy, no-trade deals to some of Phaneuf’s peers, a summertime offer sheet for Phaneuf might be worth 10 years at $7 million per from a desperate club with cap space. It’s imperative GM Darryl Sutter, who loves the young blueliner like life itself, avoid that financial meltdown by satisfying Phaneuf before July 1.
Getting Phaneuf signed is crucial to determining if Sutter has enough cash to also sign UFA Kristian Huselius next summer. The 28-year-old Juice could command Scott Gomez dollars ($51.5 M/seven years) from a team anxious for scoring. The 27-year-old Gomez averaged 16.8 goals a year in the five seasons before UFA land; given 35 goals this season, Huselius will have averaged almost 27 goals in each of his last five seasons. He may not get $50 million, but $35 million to $40 million is doable.
Ask yourselves the question of “Is Dion Phaneuf worth $70M over 10 years?”. Consider the offer sheet situation in the NHL and you can tell that unless Calgary forks over enough money to persuade the Alberta boy to stay in Cowtown, he’s going elsewhere next offseason.
Don’t you just hate offer sheets?
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