Lexicon Devil said:
Yearly supply and demand sets the market for UFAs. Past signings are irrelevant.
None of them get it. Everybody wants as much money as they can get and have always wanted as much money as they can get. What Holik signed for is irrelevant. All that matters is how much the teams are currently willing to pay.
Now that's just plain wrong. Past signings are as important as any other points when new contracts negociation comes. If you really think a contract like Holiks one has not help at least a good bunch of players in their arguments, you're delusionnal.
Of course supply and demand set the market but big contracts like this set the Overall market just little higher every time. A guy sign for 8-9 millions and is a 3rd liner. The next one is not gonna get this automaticly but all of a sudden: he wants 3.5 and not 3 anymore. And because the teams want a guy and the other is just gone for 8-9 millions, all of a sudden they are ok with going with a 2.5 and not 2M anymore. If you check all the reports after those contracts are done, you'll find quotes as: "nice signing hey, 3M is ok looks at Holiks contract (or others)" Everybody forget the exact same player would have been worth 2.5M and not 3M 2 months ago.
Isnt a very very basic example and much more stuffs comes into the equation but in overall my point is: the overall market is set by BIG contracts...
Because of 10 of those big contracts (that are not market value for a 2nd-3rd liner, etc...), The average salary take something you might consider a small high (let's say from 1.25M to 1.35M which is not a lot) but it means every single players who consider themselves better than average WILL wants (and get) the average and more and so on. This is to happen but those big contracts are putting this average salary to the top faster than any market who wants to make money can take... I which i could speak english better so my point would be so much more well explain, anyways i hope the general idea is contain in this text.