No, because Pageau is worth more than $2.5M for next season. He got fair market for his contract. If the Sens wanted 6 years his average salary would be in the $4M range.
I love Pageau but I don't think he's worth an AAV of 4.0 if there is 3 RFA years and 3 UFA years. As an UFA, what does that make him? A 5 M$ player?
It's fine if you think his RFA years should have been cheaper, and initially I was also a bit surprised he was able to bargain for as high of an RFA salary as he got. So I wouldn't exactly disagree.
But as I've posted before in this thread, straight to UFA isn't a legit gripe. It doesn't matter at all when arbitration, qualifying offers setting a minimum salary, and the ability to extend players a year earlier are a thing. It especially doesn't matter when the Sens aren't a cap team either so they don't benefit from using his RFA years to lower his overall cap hit on a long term deal.
A cap team probably would have been more motivated to buy up those UFA years at a high price, because these 3 years at 3.1M would have dramatically lowered his AAV on a 5-7 year deal. Sens aren't a cap team for now.
But I plan them to be, starting next year. They are at 67.39 right now, under 8 millions of cap space. Next season, Mark Stone and Kyle Turris need new deals and won't be paid 3.5 anymore. We can at least expect a 2.5 raise for both. Cody Ceci will also be RFA, getting a raise from his 2.8 deal. There goes all your cap space (if it stays at 75.0)
Claesson will also need a new deal, which could be more pricey than we expect right now. "Luckily" Hammond and Anderson will be off the books. Is Condon going to be the N.1 guy? If yes, then he's cheap but if he is a N.2, ouch at 2.4... How much will we have for a N.1 goalie?
The year after, Karlsson needs a hefty raise and thankfully Burrows, Thompson and Pyatt deals expire so they can maybe save enough there but it's not looking pretty right now. Brassard expires too. How do you replace him? UFA route? White? Re-sign him?
I liked the Hoffman and Smith deals, but Condon, Pageau, Thompson and Burrows deals were not too great. I wouldn't have complained but I am worried since the Condon deal, and we all know I am not a whiner for the sake of whining. I have always been against that