Friday, July 18, 2008

Would you sign Vermette for 6 years?

It's an interesting question that GM Bryan Murray is asking himself right now. With NHL teams generally moving towards longer-term contracts for players, Antoine Vermette and his agent may be asking for a deal in the arena of 4-6 years.

When signing a young player for 5, 7, or 11 years, many teams feel that they are paying for the potential that a player will likely realize. To the player in question, I'm sure, that's A-OK with him. In the case of Vermette, the Ottawa Senators are posing the question: What is Antoine's potential? Where will be in 3 or 6 years?

The Edmonton Oilers recently re-signed a player with similar stats to Vermette, Shawn Horcoff, to a 6-year contract worth $33-million. Is Vermette worth this kind of money? Well, that depends on his potential, and as Ray Emery learned just last year, potential is about more than talent.
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