In July of 2002, Bobby Holik signed a contract extension with the New York Rangers. The forward's compensation of nine million dollars a year came right before the NHL introduced its first salary cap after the 2005 lockout. Holik's deal soon proved unsustainable within the new pay structure and New York bought him out when the league reopened for business. Critics pointed to him as the poster child for crazy signings and why there needed to be a cap in the first place.
"I thought I was worth the money, but maybe on a different team or a team that played a different style," he recalls years later. "As soon as the lockout ended, I knew it was coming because the Rangers weren't heading in the direction that would make me a valuable player to them."
"Ever since the salary has been published, that's all the people and the reporters think about. They don't think of you as an athlete who's dedicated his life to a career in which he's being the best he can be. It's, 'he's making this much money...is he worth it or is he not?' That's the biggest negative of published salary. Unfortunately, people always forget the money was voluntarily given them by the general managers or the owners of the team."
For a while after the introduction of the cap most GMs tried to be careful and not throw the budget away on one or two guys. Now, however, the salary cap is slated to rise significantly in the next three years and managers are back to spending like they've got the back-door keys to Fort Knox. Holik says that's going to resurrect some of the problems players of his generation faced.
"The system is set up so if the GM or owner makes a mistake, the players will pay for it," Holik explains. "That's the way it is. The GM signs a player that doesn't fit the system, he doesn't do his homework, but he's just available, it's easy for them. It's not their money. It's somebody else's money. We'll just throw 40 million dollars at him and see what happens when the season starts. If it doesn't work out, two years into the seven year deal, it's ah...just send him to the minors."
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Wade Redden knows that first hand.
After the 2005 lockout, the Ottawa Senators had to make a tough decision. In order to stay within the newly-established cap, they could only sign one of its star defencemen: Redden or Zdeno Chara. They chose Redden and Chara decamped to Boston.
Redden signed a new deal, making him the highest-paid Senator as well as providing him with a no-movement clause. When Redden vetoed a trade to Edmonton, then a second move to San Jose, Ottawa decided to cut him loose and the Rangers swooped in, shedding money. New York gave him $39-million over six years but Redden's play couldn't keep up with expectations. He got sent to the AHL, becoming the highest-paid player in the league's history.
"It wasn't easy. It's happened to a number of guys now in the last number of years. It's unfortunate," Redden recalls. "For me, I tried to approach the game the same way. I wasn't happy about it, but I went down and tried to work my way back to the NHL. You have to keep playing hockey and you're still making a lot of money, so you have to approach it the same way."
He says he just tried to make the best of it, but it was disappointing.
"I just tried to find the joy in it again and that's how I approached it. The AHL has a lot of young guys, and there was a great bunch of kids in Hartford when I went there. I kind of fed off their enthusiasm and that made the transition easier. I didn't want to sit and pout and sulk the whole time. That wasn't going to get me anywhere either."
And if he had a chance to do it over again?
"If they're going to give you the money, you have to take it, then go out and play as hard as you can. Obviously, you look at where you'll fit in, where the team is, where you want to be and how much money is on the table. You have to follow your heart. You can't overthink it too much, but if it feels right, take the money."
In the end, Redden did get to play 29 more games in the NHL before his career ended, but it wasn't the way he wanted to go out.
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This year, for the first time in a while, NHL general managers have significant new money to spend. Bowen Byram isn't a bad defenceman, but signing for $12.5-million per season for six years in Chicago could easily land him in the Holik/Redden Hall of Cap Fame. What will Hawks management do if his play falls off three years into this deal and they're stuck with an immovable contract no other team will touch? When you consider Lane Hutson is making less than nine million and Byram is nowhere near Hutson's caliber, it's not hard to tell the crazy days of free agency are back.
In Montreal, Kent Hughes has decided not to throw his money away just to fill a hole that could be filled in other ways as long as he's got a stable full of young colts to pay. It's probably better for him and for the players that he's playing the long game in cap management.
Looking back, Wade Redden says his playing days were tough after signing his big Rangers' deal, but now he's got a different perspective.
"There's a lot of factors, depending on where you are, what your personality is, what kind of team it is, what the money is," he says. "It is a big part of it. We have agents to help guide us and give us advice, and they kind of have a different perspective. When you're playing, you don't look that far down the road, but money's a big part of it. I look back now and I'm glad I have the independence I do and made the money I did."
As for Bobby Holik:
"Every time you step on the ice, it could be the last time you play forever," he states. "There's so many possibilities that's your last shift, your last practice. Every single time. So players, when they're presented a contract, they don't think "Oh, if I sign this, I'll be in the minors in two years." They think they have an opportunity to sign the contract and never worry about money again. Nobody really asks the players what they go through day to day. I don't regret any of my decisions. I loved New York, but unfortunately, it was the wrong time for me to be there. I gave them my best. I didn't work out, so I moved on."
"We're human beings, and we don't ask if we're the best fit. We have families and lives. We are just part of the business. We're part of the big machine. We're not more than that. GMs use you and when they don't need you, they get rid of you. To be successful, you have to have the love and passion. But if you're doing it for a long time, you have to be mentally tough and separate you the person from you the business."
As long as Hughes in in charge in Montreal, Canadiens players can hope for better than that.
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