Sedin Twins' Contract Demands Don't Square with Reality

One of the most interesting developments post-lockout has been the ever lengthening contracts awarded to NHL players.

The first of these seemed to be an aberration as it was Rick DiPietro's ludicrous 15-year deal awarded to him by the altogether wacky Islanders owner Charles Wang (the sixth grader in me wants to call him "Dick" Wang, but I digress).

Awarding such a contract seemed like yet another bizarre move by an utterly floundering Islanders organization and was dismissed by most as just a fluke exception.

However, it may prove to be the rule when a team looks to sign "franchise" players considering some of the contracts that followed:

Alexander Ovechkin: 13 years

Vincent Lecavalier:   11 years

Henrik Zetterberg:    12 years

The relatively extreme lengths of these contracts are due to the fact that the Capitals, Lightning and Red Wings needed to pay these players as close to market value as possible without totally handcuffing themselves financially.

At least, that is the apparent reason.

Looking at these three players, one can see that the length of their contract may also be attributed to the overall value they have brought and will bring their respective franchises.

Alexander Ovechkin is, well, Alexander Ovechkin, and is emerging as a first-rate leader that should make Washington a contender for years to come.

Vinny Lecavalier had a rough start to his NHL career in Tampa Bay as too much was expected of him too soon.  But he never disappointed in the pure talent department and eventually played an integral part in his team's 2004 Cup win and has matured into an outstanding leader (note: The never ending trade rumors surrounding Vinny reflect more upon the terrible management decisions made by the Lightning's new ownership than on Vinny as a player).

Henrik Zetterberg has a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, a Selke nomination, and is generally considered one of, if not the best, two-way players in the game as well as the heir-apparent to the Red Wing's captaincy.

Which brings us to Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Their contract negotiation, or battle, depending upon your point of view, goes back to the middle of the regular season and has not yet even come close to one resembling imminent closure.

Now, the brothers and agent JP Barry have publicly announced their position.

Citing Zetterberg's 12-year contract, they have informed Vancouver GM Mike Gillis that retaining them will require the same term commitment.

The annual cap hit for each player would be about five million per season, one million less than Zetterberg's.  But, they clearly feel that they are comparable talents to Zetterberg, thus, worthy of the same length of contract.

They're not.

Both are exceptional talents and Vancouver would be in a world of hurt without them, but, they haven't proved to be of comparable worth to Zetterberg, Lecavalier, or Ovechkin.

In their eight seasons in the NHL, they have helped get the Canucks into the postseason six times but have yet to play beyond the second round.

Meanwhile, Zetterberg and Lecavalier have their names on the Cup and Alexander Ovechkin...is Alexander Ovechkin.

The point to consider here is that, though super-lengthy contracts are a very handy way of reducing a player's cap hit, with the exception of DiPietro (who has a career GAA of 2.79, a .902 save percentage, and two whole playoff wins), these contracts have been given out to players that have either won their team a Stanley Cup or...are Alexander O-freaking-vechkin.

Finally, neither Zetterberg, Lecavalier, or Mr. O-freaking-vechkin actually asked for these lengthy deals.

They wanted to be paid what they were worth and they wanted to stay with their teams; this, along with the value they add to their teams, resulted in their long-term (or should I say, loooong-term) contracts.

If the Sedin's wanted say, $7 million each, that's one thing.

If Gillis wanted to pay that, he might consider a very long contract term as a way to reduce the team's cap hit.

But asking for such a long-term contract up front suggests the Sedin's, or perhaps their agent, are just a wee-bit out of touch with reality.

Considering the company their seeking to enter, the Sedin's should have enough self awareness as to never have asked for such a contract in the first place.