By Josh Martin, Sports Editor
By the time this paper is published, there will have been dozens of signings due to the July 1 free-agent market frenzy (you can keep up to date with these signings and how they are swaying the public’s response by checking the latest NHL odds over at Betfair). However, with that said, and with respect to the players, here’s a look at some major headline deals this past week that simply cannot be unnoticed.
Last Friday, goaltender Cory Schneider officially signed a three-year contract with the Vancouver Canucks worth $12 million. This signing finally ends speculation of the goaltender controversy that was taking over the city of Vancouver, and means that Roberto Luongo will be on his way out. The former captain and saviour of the Canucks, who arguably turned the team around post-Naslund and Crawford days, has been rumoured to be leaning towards a trade with former team—and home town—the Florida Panthers, according to TSN. GM Mike Gillis, however, has said that he is in no hurry to make a trade and will wait until the best possible offer comes up, which could possibly be as late as August.
The Pens locked up superstar—and the face of the NHL—Sidney Crosby with a 12-year $104.4-million contract which will pay him $8.7 annually, the same amount of money that he was making on his last five-year contract. Crosby is the only player in the NHL to wear the number 87, he was also born on 8/7 in 1987. He is the second-highest-paid player in the NHL along with teammate Evgeni Malkin, only behind Caps star Alex Ovechkin (who makes an average of $9.53 million a year). It is pretty safe to say that he will be a Penguin for the rest of his career. Crosby has 223 goals and 609 points in 434 career NHL games.
Another big signing was with goaltender of the year, Jonathan Quick, who signed a 10-year contract with the LA Kings worth a reported $58 million. The 26-year-old took home the Conn Smythe Trophy, the Stanley Cup, and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after putting up spectacular numbers in the regular season with a .929 save percentage, a 1.95 goals against average, and 10 shutouts in 72 games.
On a side note, the league and NHL Players’ Association announced the cap would increase from $64.3 million to $70.2 million and the lower limit which teams must spend will also rise from $48.3 million to $54.2 million. This will all take place after a new collective bargaining agreement is signed. The current CBA expires on September 15.
