Offer Sheet Discussion

[habs rule]

Agreed, but I'm not taking about this or that specific offer sheet scenario. I'm trying to defend the principle that, as a rule, GMs don't extend offer sheets to other teams' RFAs. I favour the 'gentleman's agreement' and am in no hurry to see it getting undercut. Once the dam bursts, of course, we will indeed start to see 'stupid' offers being extended to RFAs, because that's what GMs do.

I don't think there is a gentleman's agreement. I think as Don said, that if the GM had the money under the cap and a rich owner AND the picks it is a done deal. It is not like it never happens. It has many times, maybe not as often as some would like, but name me one time that a GM went after another teams rfa's cause they got offer sheeted. I certainly can't think of one. You can talk about Burke and Lowe but what had Burke pissed off is not that he did it, but that he didn't tell Burke he was going to. Which only points out how ed Burke can be. You have to have the correct picks to make the offer, and that is what keeps the wolves at bay. These guys spend money like drunken sailors at ufa time, I don't think the idea of retaliation is really stopping them from RFA's.

[hab29RETIRED]

I think what keeps them at bay is itwo factors. First, if you screw up an RFA signing, you srevgiving up a lot of future assets, whereas with UFA's it's just cash and cap room.

Secondly, we have not seem two many superstar type RFA's become RFA's. I think the one who was an RFA the longest was Subban and given the reports by LeBrun that there was a time that made an offer, MB was damn lucky that Subban wanted to stay in Montreal. Most teams are smart enough to lockup their young superstars.

If Saad or tarasenko aren't signed and the right team has the picks needed, I can see those two players getting an offer sheet.

I don't think there is a gentleman's agreement. I think as Don said, that if the GM had the money under the cap and a rich owner AND the picks it is a done deal. It is not like it never happens. It has many times, maybe not as often as some would like, but name me one time that a GM went after another teams rfa's cause they got offer sheeted. I certainly can't think of one. You can talk about Burke and Lowe but what had Burke pissed off is not that he did it, but that he didn't tell Burke he was going to. Which only points out how ######ed Burke can be. You have to have the correct picks to make the offer, and that is what keeps the wolves at bay. These guys spend money like drunken sailors at ufa time, I don't think the idea of retaliation is really stopping them from RFA's.

[habs rule]

To esplain (yes lucy I said esplain) the ### stuff in my post it means that Brian Burke can be dummer than Monkey crap sometimes.

[BlueKross]

The gist of offer sheets is to hone in on the market value of a RFA and keep the original owner honest. Most owners have their own ship to sail and will not significantly overvalue any player relative to their own interests. There is some truth to the adage that "one man's junk is another man's gold" ; players may be more suited and valuable to other teams--- but this is all under the determination of market value. The real reason that there are few offer sheets is that the original owner can match, and usually does, and you have wasted that energy. I would suggest that the compensation package could be tweaked to encourage more or less activity on this front!