In the 2013-14 offseason, there have been a ton of contracts being negotiated and signed. As always, there have been some long, drawn-out contract negotiations and just some flat out messy situations. We already looked at some of the notable ones in part one, but here’s a look at even more prolonged NHL contract negotiations.
Martin Brodeur, drafted 20th overall in the 1990 NHL Draft
Brodeur is famous within the NHL for some big accomplishments as well as amazing play and consistency over his career. He is a career leader, active and retired, in almost every goalie statistic. He could have also been the first goalie to be a member of the Triple Gold Club, but it doesn’t always work that way.
He also had a new feather added to his cap a couple of seasons ago. At forty-two years old, he is one of the last surviving links to the early 1990s, with Jaromir Jagr being the other. Daniel Alfredsson and Jarome Iginla are the next two remaining players from the mid 1990’s.
Brodeur finished out his last season in the New Jersey Devils this past year, with Lou Lamoriello stating that they would be moving forward with Cory Schneider and Scott Clemmensen as their rotation.
Brodeur has said that he doesn’t want to play as a backup and feels that he can still play as a starter. He is now testing the free-agent market, but after more than two months waiting, unless a team has a serious injury to their starter, it doesn’t look as if he will be signed. He wasn’t even invited to any training camp.
One thing is for sure though, after a career like Brodeur’s, it must be hard for him to play the waiting game. If any team does pick him up, backup or starter, that team would benefit from his veteran status, teaching the youngsters what it is like to be a three-time Cup champ and two-time Olympic Gold medalist, among many other accolades. Just having the name Brodeur on your line-up sheet is sure to boost attendance.
Daniel Alfredsson, drafted 133rd overall in the 1994 NHL Draft
Alfredsson is one of the more well-known Swedes to play in the NHL. At forty-one, he has had a long career, spanning over 1200 games, with an additional 124 playoffs games. He played for the Ottawa Senators for seventeen seasons, being their captain for an incredible thirteen of them.
At the conclusion of the 2012-13 lockout-shortened year, Alfredsson stated he was testing the free-agent market, thus ending his tenure with the Sens. He was signed to an one-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings, giving him a chance to get what everybody wants, the Stanley Cup. It didn’t turn out that way, especially with Alfie having chronic back problems.
Now Alfredsson is trying to decide whether or not his back can hold up for another season. He has already stated it will either be playing for Detroit or hanging up the skates. The decision has still not been made yet, with preseason already started, and NHL teams starting to shape up their rosters.
Is this going to be another Teemu-esque situation? Is that an echo, one more year, one more year, one more year…..
Brenden Dillon, undrafted, Dallas Stars
Dillon broke into the Dallas Stars organization in 2012-13 as an effective defensive defenseman. He is now an RFA, and still waiting for a contract. The Stars have roughly $5.4 million free to spend.
Another RFA they needed to sign this summer was Cody Eakin, who inked a two-year deal worth a reported $3.8 million, or $1.9 million per year, on September 29th, 2014.
These two players are no doubt a big part of the Stars’ future, with Dillon being a sturdy defenseman, and Eakin being a rising player. Eakin scored a career-high 16 goals this past season. However, Dillon is probably the biggest priority because the Stars only have five other defenseman signed on to their roster.
The Stars don’t want to spend so freely, however, as Jason Spezza, Shawn Horcoff, Erik Cole, and Sergei Gonchar are all up for contract renewals. While Horcoff and Cole will probably be let go and Gonchar might retire, Spezza is their biggest priority. They also have nine RFAs in their system that will need new contracts in the 2014-15 offseason. So the Stars have a big year ahead of them, and big decisions to make as to what direction they will be going in.
Todd Bertuzzi, drafted 23rd overall in the 1993 NHL Draft
The long-time power forward has found himself on the free agency market. He spent the last five seasons with the Detroit Red Wings, but they moved on, letting their youngsters fight for that open spot. Bertuzzi has had a long career in the NHL, appearing in over 1200 games, playoffs included.
The 39-year-old still hasn’t won the Cup, despite playing for some stacked teams, and it is true that he is not as effective as he was even two seasons ago, but he could be an useful 4th liner or a cheap injury spare pickup.
While Bertuzzi’s off-ice legal troubles finally ended this year, it seems as if his career has come to an end. It’s too bad for this Sudbury, Ontario native. He did have some good years, hitting over 70 points three times. But like everything, all good things must come to an end.
But if a team suffers a couple injuries, with no players in their system able to take a spot, then Bertuzzi will probably be on their list, not at the top, but he’ll be there.
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