Roy S
Registered User
- May 16, 2009
- 2,124
- 70
I'm still struggling to comprehend why Babcock and Holland wanted Cleary back so desperately that they promised to employ him past last season regardless of how he played. To do this for anyone was completely asinine, not to mention unprecedented (and possibly against league regulations)... and it was done for Dan Cleary, of all people?
Cleary himself said that he'd left that money on the table because he loves the organization and the city. Apparently that wasn't the whole truth. Apparently Holland's statement on the matter last September wasn't entirely true either:
That sounds more like "If he plays well, he'll probably get another contract." Apparently it meant, instead, "We'll give him another contract even if he plays terribly." If they're going to give him one despite his absolutely atrocious season, then why the hell didn't they just sign him for more than one year?
This just doesn't add up.
It adds up if they said they'd employ him after the season. That could be in GR or he could have a job in the front office like Maltby, Chelios, Fischer and Draper do. The one year deal gave them an out so he didn't have to actually play with the Wings in 2014-15 if he was terrible. He was awful, so now it shifts to plan B for Cleary's future employment with the Wings.