I don't think I debated the point that an arbitration hearing isn't desirable to anyone - I pointed out that there was nowhere to go after Lou submitted his 'slap in the face' (your words) and Niedermayer submitted his $9m middle finger (my words) - especially since the player held out previously. The only 9m contracts for Dmen on the books for 2004 were landmark albatrosses that might have just kicked off the lockout.
Offering 7m+ was a problem with Marty and Stevens making less (albeit Stevens was on his way out and Marty would get re-upped later) but I guess he could've gone 7mx5 or something.
Matvichuk was a great player who was toast by the time we got to him... but on a $1.36m deal of short term.. it wasn't a complete disaster. We had plenty of those DOA retread defensemen.
Great color on all of those arbitration hearings, btw. Some good reads there.
Brodeur got a extension for five years worth 40 million in 2002-03. I linked to a AP article with the amount, which I quoted earlier, and here’s a web site that gets the same amount from his own book.
Martin Brodeur
Signed a 5-year contract, starting in 2002-03, with the New Jersey Devils, for $40M.
It may have been back loaded, perhaps to match Stevens’ salary at first, but it works out to 8 million a year that would end in 2007-08. I don’t see a Norris trophy winner getting 9m starting on 2004-05 being a problem. And Steven’s salary doesn’t matter, he was 40 and played 38 games in what was his last season in the NHL.
I don’t know where you’re getting you salary info but here are the biggest defensemen deals in 2003-04. I’m sure there are crappier defensemen getting paid what Lou offered him but I’m not going to continue to research pre-2004 lock out defensemen salaries considering I haven’t found a great resource.
Pronger got a 3 year/9.5m (plus 1m signing bonus) in 2001-02 from St Louis
Lindstrom is listed at several sources as making 10.5m in 2002-03 and 10m in 2003-04
Blake made ~9.3m since 2001-02.
Niedermayer was a top player in the league and just because you can’t get him on massive discount doesn’t mean you don’t not lock him up, particularly when he’s not remotely asking to be the highest defenseman after winning the Norris at age 30.
HockeyZonePlus - Salary History - 2003-2004 - Top 25 Salaries
I don’t think you understand my bigger point. It’s not just about the dollar amount, the shitty part about Lou nickeling and diming Nieds here is that he always did that to him (and Elias and Arnott and etc) at contract time and when Scott reached the pinnacle of NHL defenseman... he still f***ing did it. I would told Lou to eat a bag of dicks too when I became a UFA after this nonsense, I’m with Holik* and Nieds on this.
And Lou stopped getting players at “bargain prices” after Brodeur, history shows him paying guys normal market value like most GMs later on, so if that was his master plan here it didn’t work.
Lou threw money at Nieds and he took a smaller salary from the Ducks that exactly matched what he would have been making if Lou gave him what he felt he was worth in 2004 (w/ salary rollback included). I get why he did that and I can see myself doing something like that as a point of pride. The good thing about his jersey retirement (I’m speaking for me, I know many people never got over Scott leaving) was that it proved all this was water under the bridge. If he was still pissed in 2011 then it would get weird for me. I’m glad it was Lou who did the ceremony. (What can I say, in the end I’m a softy.)
Lou was a great GM in so many many ways, and he has the wins, Championships, relationships and reputation to prove it, but his handling of players like Niedermayer in these situations was his low point. To me at least and I swear I will let you have the last word. (Unless I there is factual information I think is wrong which is originally why I stormed the breaches again.)
*Though letting the Rangers have Holik on that bonker’s Satherrific contract (5 years/45m lol) was definitely for the best move but elite top pairing defensemen are a very special case. You don’t let them go.
