I would rather play for a team that I don't think will try and screw me over when I'm injured and at a low point in my career.
Those would have to be microscopic increments. All I can do is repeat my same point. He will have little value before or after the surgery until he actually steps on the ice again for the Canucks. No one is going to offer anything of real value for him now or months from now - not until he proves he's healthy and can play in NHL games again.
Screw you over? It takes two sides to negotiate. A team willing to offer you a contract when your future is uncertain is taking on all the risk. Of course it's going to be discounted - it should be.
Is there a single industry/profession on the planet where an employer would just willingly take on an employee that has professed issues, at a "low point" in their career, and take on all of the associated risk of them not performing their duties with no conditions? The NHL actually has guaranteed contracts IIRC - that's a huge step better than most. Let alone that they make millions.
And, okay, I can concede that maybe there is marginal value associated with getting a read on his partial recovery. but I agree 100% with the statement that he has no real value until he proves he's healthy and can play in NHL games again.
That is exactly why they should have waited. The downside risk of doing so is absolutely minimal, because you said it; who the hell is going to pay
anything for him until he's back on the ice. Like I said, "worst case scenario", if they had feared that waiting until August means they would have lost him similar to what happened to Mitchell, then just sign him in June.
There was no reason to get this done in February as opposed to June, and I still haven't seen you make an argument otherwise.
If there's any nonsense here it's coming from you because I said optics, not obligated.
If that's the only argument, sorry but I don't agree at all. Offering a contract in June is still positive from an optics perspective. Like you said, no one should be willing to pay any value for him until he can demonstrably perform on ice. For the Canucks to do so 3 months into his recovery, 3 months before he can skate again, would have been a significant leap of faith.