via markjrebilas.com

After reading the CBA proposal from the owners I was initially pretty enraged. I live with an attorney, one of the good guys, but I hate some input that corporate law and practice has done to contracts and negotiating. What may have ground me the most in particular was the blatant attempt at preventing players from capitalizing after their ELC expires with the 10 year free agent clause and 5 year ELC.

But there was the devil on my shoulder. PMB.

Probably a few seasons ago I read an article that broke down our salaries and cap position. I remember how we couldn't retain Rolston with his cannon and saw that he got something like $2.5 mil from the devils. Then I saw that we are paying PMB $4 million for what has become an eternity. ZOMG. Our previous managment still haunts us to this day.

I was reading the most recent line pairings here on HW. I saw PMB being listed as high as first line and I couldn't believe it. I love PMB. He is a wicked good hockey player. I don't think he was ever a $4 mil player. The worst part is that his nimble body has placed his ping pong ball shaped head at the elbows and shoulders of all the monsters that lurk trying to pile him into the wall. PMB in a check free game would be amazing for many years.

Does anyone really believe he will play a significant number of games this year? With that extra $4 million we could pick up a few extra talent. PMB is clearly untradeable with that kind of salary.

What if we would offered PMB 13 years at $4 mil? Dead weight for life.

I think a 7 year limit with no individual year deviation greater than 10-15% from the average of the contract solves almost all the owner created problems of the old CBA. Leave the player revenue somewhere above 50%. Keep the ELC at 3 years so they don't devour their young. 27 or 28 should still be UFA eligible.