John Scott has made a comment on multiple occasion about seeing players come into the Sharks and get big contracts "without earning them". That was specifically at Kane and then Karlsson. The reason it relates to Pavs was because it was seen as "you give big contracts to players who have only just got here, but not one to the guy who has been with the club".
Scott doesn't know Karlsson or Kane, so he only speculates on what they are like. That being said, I don't doubt some of the information he gets from those few people he still knows are the Sharks. The level of it can be debated though.
I do not know how exactly I want to word this, but if that is really how the Sharks dressing room feels, its time to gut this team, or the group that thinks this way at least.
The idea that Kane, or Karlsson, after years of playing in this league should somehow have to specifically prove themselves on the Sharks before getting a big contract is insane. There are several reasons I don't like the Karlsson contract, but the last thing I would use as a reason is that he shouldn't have gotten it because he was new to the team.
It isn't shocking though, with how much loyalty DW shows to his players that this sort of attitude would manifest himself among the roster. These sort of comments honestly make me wonder if part of the reason we have never signed a major FA has something to do with this sort of asinine point of view.
Once again, I have no idea how anyone can logically argue that keeping Pavs at 7mil for 3 years would have been a good idea outside of emotional attachment. Even so, Pavs leaving still has nothing to do with Kane's contract, as we had plenty of cap this year to sign Pavs if he wanted, just like Marleau could have a few years ago if he didnt want that third year. Blaming a guy like Kane or Karlsson for getting a contract they earned in this league, just because they didnt earn it specifically playing with the Sharks is just nutty.