Yeah, we'll have some cap issues but unlike most teams we have a core of young guys at REALLY good salary numbers (especially if salaries keep going up the way they are) and we'll be able to keep more of our core together for longer.
Amen, DG. Consider this ...
1) Crosby - making $8.7M per. Shudder to think, but he could have been a free agent two days ago and would have received an offer sheet for $11M that the Pens would have had to match. He's save the Pens over $2M a season RIGHT NOW ... imagine in a few years.
2) Malkin - making $8.7M per. Shudder to think, be he could have just held off until next offseason and received an offer sheet for what $12M/year??? (Depends on the cap, I know ... but let's go with that.) He's saving the Pens around $3M a season RIGHT NOW ... imagine in a few years.
3) Orpik - making $3.75M per. Turned down $4.25 per, so he is saving the Pens $500K.
4) MAF - making $5M per. Tough to say what he would command on the open market, but consider that he actually took less than guys like Vokoun and Huet are making today. This is a steal ... saving the Pens anywhere from $500K to $1M a year RIGHT NOW.
That's about $6.5M/year in savings these four guys are giving the Pens. And that's by today's standards. With the way these idiot GM's are throwing out cash like they print it themselves, the average salary is only going to increase as the years go by. In three or four years, all four of these guys are going to look even more and more like bargains.
Granted, all these guys got very nice contracts ... I know I could certainly live ... er ... comfortably just on Orpik's salary. But kudos to all four of them for sticking with the team when they could have easily gone for the bigger pay day.
