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Does the Unrestricted Free Agent Help?
August 14, 2000- By Phil Austin
A lot of fuss has been made the past few years about escalating salaries in sports. Hockey is no exception to this rule, as a wedge seems to be sprouting between small Canadian Teams and their richer American counterparts. The NHL offseason of recent consists of fans arguing on where the biggest free agents will sign; more often than not it seems to be with big market squad like the New York Rangers or another rich Eastern Conference Team. While the quality and talent of veteran players who have been signed away from their former teams is not arguable, their desire and passion to succeed after jumping ship is. This leads to a greater question: “Does signing the lucrative free agent really help one’s club or is the effect actually detrimental?”
Facts aside for the time being, it is important to first understand the negative effects of free-agent signing from an abstract perspective. Imagine for a moment that Hypothetical Player A is a veteran who was just signed to a lucrative $5 million contract for 3 years by a new team. With retirement on the horizon, it could be argued that he will do anything to help his new team win a Stanley Cup. However, one could also argue that his newfound nest-egg is about as warm as the pine of the bench and he loses focus at the task at hand. In many instances, an underachieving veteran takes up the spot that a younger player who is willing to give it his all to earn his spot in the league. True, some veterans have earned the right to have a bad year or two, but does it justify their salaries? Looking at some of the notable free agent signings the past few years proves only one thing: the secret to success doesn’t come from spending.
Mark Messier - The Canucks had high hopes when they lured Mark Messier out of New York. Comparing his stats with the New York Rangers in 1996/97 (71 GP, 36-48-84) to his stats in his first season in Vancouver (82 GP, 22-38-60), his drop in performance really stands out. In fact, his 60 points that year were the most he put up in Vancouver due to injuries. But the part that stood out more than anything from his days in Vancouver was the fact that his team did not once make the playoffs during his stay. An unusual feat for one of hockey’s greatest all-time leaders.
Doug Gilmour - Gilmour’s best days were behind him before the Chicago Blackhawks signed him to an outlandish contract. But that’s just the problem: he received a ridiculous amount of money. Gilmour’s only full season in Chicago saw him make put up 56 points. As well, his team did not make the playoffs during his time in Chicago. Another trademark leader who failed to do anything significant for his team.
Theoren Fleury - This was the guy who was supposed to never give up; the guy who could carry his team to success almost single-handedly. Where did it all go wrong? After one season in Rangers’ silks, he went from being a feisty player who played twice his size to being a guy that seemed to play half his already diminutive size. Another drop-off in stats is apparent; his numbers in 1998/99 were (75 GP, 40-53-93), while in 1999/00 he posted numbers of (80 GP, 15-49-64). While not a rarity in his latter days in Calgary, his team failed to make the playoffs this year too. Only this time it was less excusable because he was making $7 million, and was expected to lead the Rangers back to glory. Whereas in Calgary he was the only heart and soul on a struggling team, and did everything he could to succeed.
John Vanbiesbrouck - The Flyers must be kicking themselves for signing the Beezer in 1998 instead of going after Curtis Joseph. Vanbiesbrouck put up good numbers during the regular season, but really choked in the 1999 playoffs versus Toronto, dropping a 6 game set in a year when many thought he would lead the Flyers to the Cup finals. The Philadelphia brass was so unconfident in his play that they sat him out during the entire 2000 playoffs in favour of rookie goaltender Brian Boucher. Vanbiesbrouck is another expensive free agent living in the long shadow of glory days come and gone. When the Flyers signed him, they thought that they were getting the player that almost single-handedly led the Panthers to the finals in 1996. Instead, they got a guy who is obviously nearing retirement and is full of holes. In the end, Vanbiesbrouck was traded for a 5th round draft choice to the Islanders to tutor Rick Dipietro. Another busted free agent signing.
Valeri Kamensky - While Kamensky has been criticized in the past for his lackluster play, his skill is without question. For many years, he played with Peter Forsberg and Claude Lemieux on a line that had opponents reeling on the ice. He had an atrocious season in New York seeing his points drop by 12 from the year before. His leaving Forsberg’s side in Colorado is like Robin leaving Batman to fend on his own. Truly laughable. (Holy chokers, Batman). Another player whose team failed to make the playoffs.
Gary Suter - The Sharks signed the feisty defenceman in 1998 with hopes that he could lead a young team to greatness. What happened, was Suter injured himself in his first game in San Jose and didn’t play again that season. After a year of recovery, he played almost a full season for the Sharks last season, but had second lowest point total of his career (1994/95 Lockout-shortened season included). His Sharks have made the Playoffs during his stint, but have only won one playoff round.
Brett Hull - Hull’s game has evolved considerably since signing in Dallas. He will actually come into the defensive zone now and try to check forwards. But let’s get serious here. He wasn’t signed for his leadership or defensive skills. Hull was signed for big money to put the big points up on the board, something he has failed to do. From 1988-1998, the Golden Brett never had no fewer than 72 points in a season. His points total in Dallas during his two years are 58 and 59 points. His team may have won the Stanley Cup, but Hull was definitely not the missing piece of the puzzle.
Luke Richardson - When the Flyers signed the hard-nosed defenceman away from the Edmonton Oilers, they thought that they had found what they had been missing. In the Stanley Cup finals the year before, the Red Wings manhandled the Flyers physically and Richardson was supposed to provide leadership, character and a physical presence on the ice. What ended up happening was he spent a good portion of the season with minimal ice time. He had had a monster of a playoffs the year before in Edmonton, and but the next year in Philly, he seemed unsure of himself with the puck and wasn’t hitting with reckless abandon like he had in Edmonton. Luke is another player who became a shadow of his former self after emigration. His team was knocked out in the first round during his first 2 years there.
Mind you, there are two sides to every coin, and some players helped their teams after being signed to lucrative contracts:
Wayne Gretzky - The greatest player ever should not belong on this list of misfits, but he is one of the big unrestricted free agents that I am referring to. Gretz is one player who saw an increase in stats during his tenure in New York. When paired with Mark Messier in 1996/97, he helped the Rangers make it to the semi-finals. His signing helped the Rangers tremendously, and he almost carried his team alone into the playoffs from 1998-2000. Unfortunately, this was the one good signing the Rangers have made in the past few years.
Ed Belfour - Dallas’s weak goaltending was exposed in 1997’s first-round upset to Edmonton, and the Stars answered the bell by signing a gem in Belfour. His first two seasons in Dallas saw him post goals-against-averages of under 2.00, and last season it was 2.10. As well, he has registered at least 32 wins a season during his tenure in Dallas and led the Stars to their first Stanley Cup in 1999. Belfour was one guy who deserved the “billion dollars” that he got. (Pun definitely intended)
Curtis Joseph - When Cujo abandoned a young rising team in Edmonton for the murky waters of Toronto, people thought he was insane. What he did do, though, was prove how overrated a goalie Felix Potvin is by turning around Toronto from a being a sinking ship in 1998 to Conference semi-finalists in 1999; something Potvin had failed to do during his latter Toronto years. His two years in Toronto have given him lower GAA and more wins than his previous years in Edmonton and St. Louis. This was one of the few signings that worked out for both parties.
However, the list of unrestricted free agents who have made the immediate impact that is expected of star players with their new teams is painfully short when compared with just a snippet of free agent busts. Players who hit the homerun on the unrestricted free agent market end up driving up league wide salaries, and rarely improve their teams in the short term. Take a look at the teams that have won the Stanley Cup the last decade. Every last one of them was compromised of a significant amount of homegrown talent. Their stars had played with them for at least 5 years and grown a kinship and a sense of loyalty and pride to their uniforms. The next time a big market franchise goes out and signs a big name unrestricted free agent, they’ll be signing them for all the wrong reasons. When a player has to be offered a significant amount of money to play for a team, then they frankly will not come in with the same desire and passion they showed in the past that earned them their contracts. This year, only Mark Messier will be the only one on the list to have a breakout season, simply because he’ll be playing for a team that he has pride in for years. The secret to winning a Stanley Cup these days comes not from hitting the homerun in the free agent market, but from developing prospects who have pride in a uniform and are willing to give it their all in the long run. Big contracts these days do nothing but hurt the NHL and the teams and the players who agree to these contracts.
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