Confirmed with Link: Olivier signs 6 year, 3M AAV extension

[Fred Glover]

If they aren't going to be a capped out team, why didn't they just pay him 4 x ~$4m?

Because then you would have no reason to complain LOL

 

[NotWendell]

A little long on term, but less than I expected for cap hit. Glad we could keep him. We need him with Tom Wilson in the division.

 

[Misfire Puck]

 

[DarkandStormy]

Because then you would have no reason to complain LOL

I get why they felt they needed to re-sign him. He's a useful player and in a world where the cap gets to $100m+, it's probably a non-issue. I just, in a vacuum, don't like giving this much term to a guy who should be on your 4th line if you're going to be a Cup contender. And to boot, he's in the midst of a career-year at 28 years old. The 10-team NTC should have knocked the AAV down a smidge as well.

Like many here have said, I would have much preferred a 4 x $3-4m type of contract, but he will easily be buried or bought out if it comes to that around 2029/2030.

I do think we tend to overvalue our own guys. It's sports/human nature. This is another "he's more valuable to us than any other team" type of thing, which...if you do that frequently is not a great way to allocate your cap hits.

 

[Misfire Puck]

From the comment section of The Hockey Guy's video about the signing (credit to the YT user Foueztky):

I wish more people knew Mathieu Olivier for who he really is, so much more than just an enforcer...

I had the privilege of working for the Sherbrooke Phoenix for a few years, notably during Matt's final QMJHL season in 2017-18. I was producing game-day content for the website such as game recaps and running the team's social medias during games, writing player profiles, conducting interviews, etc so I was fortunate to get to know a lot of the players on the team through the years. In my 7 years around the league, Mathieu stands out as one of the most genuine and endearing people I’ve met. He always spoke from the heart, took responsibility when things didn’t go well, and when they did, it was never about him: it was always about the team. That kind of speech and response in interviews is common in hockey, but with him, you could easily tell he was being honest and not just throwing out pre-made answers.

After post-game interviews, he’d sometimes stick around just to chat with the team and arena staff, and the writers/reporters covering the team, before heading out. But what stood out to me even more was how he treated the fans. No matter the game’s outcome, if there were fans waiting outside the locker room for photos or autographs, Matt always stopped for them. He didn’t just sign in a rush and move on, he took the time to talk to them for a quick moment, smiling the whole time. Over the years, I saw plenty of players walk past fans without a glance, some others offering a quick signature but little else, not even bothering to look at them in the eyes... But Matt was one of the rare few who made the complete effort every single time, and it never felt forced.

When he arrived in Sherbrooke after being traded by Shawinigan in the offseason, he quickly became a leader despite being new to the team. He was named an assistant captain, not only because he was a 20 year old veteran, but also because he naturally brought people together. He looked out for his teammates, mentored younger players without being asked, and kept things light in the locker room while stepping up when it mattered. He treated everyone with respect, including us non-hockey staff. If the team hadn’t already named a captain at that time, he certainly would have been given the ‘C’ a few months into the season.

Even more impressive is the road he took to get where he is. Not only was he undrafted in the NHL, but he was also a 7th-round pick in the QMJHL. Players picked past the 5th round rarely become everyday Q players, let alone make the team out of training camp at 16 years old, and even fewer go on to the NHL. Late round picks are usually reserved for gambles on American-born prospects like Jack Eichel or Noah Hanifin, or on Canadian players committed to U.S. programs. He never had a point-per-game season in juniors, not even in Midget AAA, yet he found his way to the NHL which is even more impressive. The odds were stacked against him his whole career.

So when I saw this morning that he signed a long-term contract with a solid AAV, it felt incredible. He’s a proud, humble guy who has fought (literally!) for everything he’s earned throughout his career, and he deserves every bit of it. I hope young hockey players hear his story and how he consistently beat the odds, reached the NHL, and became one of the league’s top fighters (arguably the best) while still being a solid, competent and reliable player who can occasionally contribute offensively, unlike guys like Reaves or Rempe. He’s proof that even if you don’t have elite skill, if you’re smart and can find your niche, and keep grinding to be the best at it, there’s still a place for you in hockey.

 

[Fred Glover]

I get why they felt they needed to re-sign him. He's a useful player and in a world where the cap gets to $100m+, it's probably a non-issue. I just, in a vacuum, don't like giving this much term to a guy who should be on your 4th line if you're going to be a Cup contender. And to boot, he's in the midst of a career-year at 28 years old. The 10-team NTC should have knocked the AAV down a smidge as well.

Like many here have said, I would have much preferred a 4 x $3-4m type of contract, but he will easily be buried or bought out if it comes to that around 2029/2030.

I do think we tend to overvalue our own guys. It's sports/human nature. This is another "he's more valuable to us than any other team" type of thing, which...if you do that frequently is not a great way to allocate your cap hits.

This wasn’t done in a vacuum
We don’t know if this will be done frequently or not
It’s a new GM ten months into the job
I’d rather let this play out and see if this becomes a trend or not
To equate what Jarmo and others did or did not do and to project the past onto what Waddell is doing is unfair
None of us would want someone to judge our decisions based on what someone previously had done
I’ll withhold judgement on whether or not Waddell overvalues his players when I see him doing it more than a few times so as to develop a trend
It’s a new GM so let’s evaluate him on his own merit and not on someone else’s merit

 

[cbjthrowaway]

I get why they felt they needed to re-sign him. He's a useful player and in a world where the cap gets to $100m+, it's probably a non-issue. I just, in a vacuum, don't like giving this much term to a guy who should be on your 4th line if you're going to be a Cup contender. And to boot, he's in the midst of a career-year at 28 years old. The 10-team NTC should have knocked the AAV down a smidge as well.

Like many here have said, I would have much preferred a 4 x $3-4m type of contract, but he will easily be buried or bought out if it comes to that around 2029/2030.

I do think we tend to overvalue our own guys. It's sports/human nature. This is another "he's more valuable to us than any other team" type of thing, which...if you do that frequently is not a great way to allocate your cap hits.

worth noting that the gudbranson contract carried similar criticisms – a player whose calling cards were physicality and intangibles – and similar predictions of a buyout after the second year.

we're now in year 3 of gudbranson, granted he's been on the shelf all season, but I'd argue that his asset value has gone up and that the contract itself has been far from a problem.

 

[DarkandStormy]

worth noting that the gudbranson contract carried similar criticisms – a player whose calling cards were physicality and intangibles – and similar predictions of a buyout after the second year.

we're now in year 3 of gudbranson, granted he's been on the shelf all season, but I'd argue that his asset value has gone up and that the contract itself has been far from a problem.

Yes, but Gudbranson was only for four years, not six.

And I will withhold judgment if his absence has been a net positive this season because almost everyone is playing better in the new system. But he was an abject disaster for the first half of his contract (imo).

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Yes, but Gudbranson was only for four years, not six.

olivier is two years younger and signed a deal two years longer so it balances out in my mind.

And I will withhold judgment if his absence has been a net positive this season because almost everyone is playing better in the new system. But he was an abject disaster for the first half of his contract (imo).

career high in points last year by a huge margin. leader in the room. also called upon to play significantly more minutes than expected (averaged over 20 minutes across his first two seasons here).