You apparently don’t understand that bonuses matter in cap calculations in a variety of different circumstances which functionally decreases roster flexibility for an LTIR team coming out of camp, and for the team next year, and for the team this year. Even if a bonus later goes unearned, it can still impact roster flexibility at the beginning of the season. The Oilers are actually paying Corey Perry more than 1.4 million this season because they were apparently as dumb as you last season when mismanaging their bonuses, thinking it for some reason didn’t matter.
The Oilers actually have the most bonus overages against their cap this year of any team in the NHL, and those bonuses were easily enough to pay Holloway’s entire salary. So saying bonuses don’t matter, is essentially the dumbest f***ing thing anyone has ever said on this board. We’re all dumber for having listened to it.
As far as the business of hockey goes, there is certainly NOT a single player in the Oilers locker room who wouldn’t have wanted more than 1M dollars this year, especially if they were a 1st round pick who led the team in hits in the playoffs,but I digress.
No Oilers player would have done any differently than Holloway, and so No Oilers player would treat him any differently. They are not redneck hicks who think that a player agent attempting to negotiate a better contract is some sort of excommunicable offence. Literally you will never find a quote from any player suggesting otherwise.