Good afternoon internet, I’m the Bri-Man – the stylish one in the group.
While sitting at my desk, playing with my 2×2 Rubik Cube, I settled on a topic for my latest story! This segment will feature some of the worst NHL contract signings in recent years. I can understand a team’s need to stay competitive and I can understand that many teams just need to ‘do something’ to show their fans that they’re in the card game, but how far should teams go? Is the rationale that if the best player available is taken, you move on to the next best player, even if the price is astronomically high? Based on some of the crazy contracts that have been inked in recent years, it sure seems like it. I guess NHL General Managers have developed a “When in Rome…” attitude.
Here are some of the worst contracts to ever be signed in the NHL (part 1 of 2):
Bobby Holik – New York Rangers – 5 years, $45 Million
The New York Rangers completely overpaid for Holik in the summer of 2002. Yes, he was a very effective player with the New Jersey Devils and was a key part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 2000. However, he was effective as a checking line centre. If you’re paying a player $9 Million per season, he’d better do more than just play 12-14 minutes a game on the third line. Despite being signed for 5 years, Holik only completed 2 years of the contract before being bought out of his final three seasons. In his total career with the Rangers, Holik scored 91 points in 146 games. Given the talent the Rangers had on their team at the time, I think Nutty the Squirrel could have produced more points than that on water skis!
Alexei Yashin – New York Islanders – 9 years, $87.5 Million
In Russia, they nicknamed Yashin the “Russian Bear” but I think “Panda Jerk” is more like it. I guess the Islanders figured that when they signed Yashin to such a massive contract, there was no possible way that he could stage another holdout like the ones he did in Ottawa. And that’s basically where the logic ends with this contract. Yashin lasted 5 years in Long Island before having the remainder of his contract bought out for a pile of money so big, he could go suit shopping everyday for the rest of his life (the buyout total was roughly $17.63 Million USD). See my previous report on longterm contracts to laugh at Alexei Yashin some more (Hyperlink this). I guess his agent, Mark Gandler, told him the good news about the buyout. He probably said something like, “Congratulations Alexei! You’ve been promoted and you’ll have to move to Moscow”. However, unlike Veronica Corningstone, he actually did move to Moscow.
Sergei Samsonov – Montreal Canadians/Chicago Blackhawks – 2 years, $7.05 Million
Sergei Samsonov was drafted 8th overall by the Boston Bruins in the same year they took Joe Thornton 1st overall. As a rookie, Samsonov won the Calder trophy as the rookie of the year by scoring 22 goals and 47 points. He was traded to Edmonton at the trade deadline in March 2006 and looked great in an Oilers uniform. He scored 16 points in the last 19 games of the regular season and was a major component of their improbable run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to Carolina. In the off-season, he signed with the Montreal Canadians but never fit into their system. In fact, he looked so lost with the Habs that if Burgundy had phoned him, he would’ve said, “Bark twice if you’re in Milwaukee!” Best disappearing act ever. He scored 9 goals in 63 games, was a healthy scratch on numerous occasions. He was even put on waivers but went unclaimed. Montreal eventually found a taker for Samsonov and traded him to Chicago for some salary in return (Jassen Cullimore & Tony Salmelainen). Chicago was even worse for Samsonov and in the following year, he picked up 4 assists in 23 games, got sent down to the AHL and was eventually picked up by Carolina on re-entry waivers. Ouch. Now that’s $7 Million well spent.
Martin Havlat – Chicago Blackhawks – 3 Years, $18 Million
After the Ottawa Senators wouldn’t give him a big pay raise, Havlat said he would only sign a one-year deal so he could test the waters of unrestricted free agency. He was subsequently traded to a rebuilding Blackhawks team that had plenty of room for large contracts and quickly signed a 3 year, $18 Million contract. Was he worth $6 Million per season? Well, that depends. When he’s in the lineup, he can be very effective. In the past 3 seasons in Chicago (including this season), he’s played in 138 of a possible 211 games. During those games, he’s scored 122 points, which isn’t that bad. But considering that Havlat was in the same pay-grade as elite players like Jarome Iginla and Marian Hossa, I think Chicago were expecting a lot more out of him. Havlat has struggled with a number of injuries during his time in Chicago, including a sprained ankle, several separated shoulders and groin issues. If there was an award for the most fragile player in the league, it would be this guy, hands down. I’m still waiting, however, for someone to make Havlat eat his own lunch.
Don’t worry kids, General Managers in the NHL are constantly signing players to wild contracts so I’ll have plenty of ammunition for a sequel to this article.
Your reporter in the field,
Brian Fantana
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Wow, I forgot all about that Yashin deal. Awful.