News Article: Ference will likely retire if bought out

[McDNicks17]

So 3.25 mill for an ambassador, or are you saying whatever he would get from a buyout pro-rated over those two years? I think the latter is what you are saying. Not a bad idea.

Yeah.

If he's bought out this offseason, it's something around $1.1M for next season and the season after.

Just pay him that as a salary to some made up job instead of it being on the books with a cap hit.

 

[Seedling]

Yeah.

If he's bought out this offseason, it's something around $1.1M for next season and the season after.

Just pay him that as a salary to some made up job instead of it being on the books with a cap hit.

Thanks.

 

[Hynh]

Ference should just retire and take a "Community Ambassador" or something job with the Oilers and be paid what he would if bought out.

Pretty sure that falls under cap circumvention.

 

[Gret99zky]

 

[Mr Positive]

I don't care one way or the other on Ference. He's done here, and the only reason he didn't retire already is the contract stuff in the way, just like how Pronger's contract kept him from retiring.

So either way, he's never playing here again. Our low-end depth is just too good now, with young guys who could use the minutes.

He's a good guy and was generally a good captain while he was still effective. When he retires, I wouldn't mind him being a fitness coach for our team.

 

[Narnia]

Also, ference has yet to have his hip surgery. So even if he doesn't get bought out he could be on LTIR for the start of the season depending on when he actually has the surgery

They said it's still a couple of weeks away minimum. What people don't realize is injured players can't be bought out. Minnesota couldn't buy out Heatley so they bought out Gilbert instead.

 

[shoop]

They said it's still a couple of weeks away minimum. What people don't realize is injured players can't be bought out. Minnesota couldn't buy out Heatley so they bought out Gilbert instead.

Everybody gets that. Which is what makes that tweet so ridiculous. Is there anybody in hockey who thought he would play anywhere in the NHL next season?

He'll have to prove he is physically able to play before he can be bought out.

How does he know now that he will be physically able to play in the fall?

Couldn't his words be construed as an admission that he is able to play now despite being on LTIR?

 

[Narnia]

Everybody gets that. Which is what makes that tweet so ridiculous. Is there anybody in hockey who thought he would play anywhere in the NHL next season?

He'll have to prove he is physically able to play before he can be bought out.

How does he know now that he will be physically able to play in the fall?

Couldn't his words be construed as an admission that he is able to play now despite being on LTIR?

Buy out period is 2 days after last game in the Stanley Cup final until June 30. A 2nd buy out window opens if team has a player going to arbitration.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

There are times I swear he was already retired when he was on the ice.

Maybe Borats understanding of "retired".

 

[fuswald]

Honor vs $3,250,000 USD

Honor is taking as much as possible from the Oilers company.

Good for him.

 

[BlowbyBlow]

Honor is taking as much as possible from the Oilers company.

Good for him.

I never blame players owners make so much money, gouge the fans with a poor product, but he plays in the best league in the world, with one of the best unions.

 

[Pudding]

As much as I don't like the guy, he's had a pretty decent career.
907 GP, 225 points, a Stanley Cup and was somehow able to mooch off 9$ million from those poor, poor Oilers.

 

[fancy dan]

Does it make sense to even buy him out at this point?

I am a Ference fan but it clear his play has certainly evaporated. I think he should retire whether he is bought out or not. Its the respectable thing to do. He can't honor his contract, aka play at the NHL level, he needs to just retire.

is that what you'd do with a family at the end of your career?

 

[VainGretzky]

So are they going to clear him to play last game of season? I understood you coild not buy out injured players

 

[Bangers]

If he still hasn't had surgery yet, why is it in the Oilers' benefit to buy him out? Why not just keep him on LTIR all of next year?

 

[Supermassive]

Everybody gets that. Which is what makes that tweet so ridiculous. Is there anybody in hockey who thought he would play anywhere in the NHL next season?

He'll have to prove he is physically able to play before he can be bought out.

How does he know now that he will be physically able to play in the fall?

Couldn't his words be construed as an admission that he is able to play now despite being on LTIR?

Which is what I'm sure a lot of us suspected all along. Season-ending injury with no symptoms coincidentally when his quality of play falls off a bloody cliff? Hmm.

Want to spend every game as a healthy scratch in the pressbox, or go on IR and make breakfast for your family every morning? Not a tough choice.

 

[McSuper]

Yeah.

If he's bought out this offseason, it's something around $1.1M for next season and the season after.

Just pay him that as a salary to some made up job instead of it being on the books with a cap hit.

This makes sense . I was hoping for this all season . Could have had him retired this year gave him a job at something for his salary . Keeps him happy opens up cap space . Also can be used as a selling feature for UFA . Hey look how we take care of guys .

 

[Beerfish]

Good guy and he tried hard but just doesn't have it anymore. He like lots of other players learned quickly that the oilers are not the boston bruins and if you take someone on there is never any to have your back, that to go along with the coaching and management philosophy at the time rendered him ineffective and he became just another player who had to rely on skills.

 

[grego]

if players dont make enough, and owers make too much.

Why is it every former pro athlete that owns a partial share in a team, suddenly has an about face and starts to talk about the potential losses and risk from an owner viewpoint.

Sure players have a limited time window to make as much as possible. But that doesn't mean society owes them anything for their talent. A lot of more talented people didn't make it to a pro league for various other reasons that could have held them back and they made it in life.

The only accomplishment of many athletes were they won the genetic lottery that made them more physically capable to play a game, that in this day and age pays very well.

Players should be glad they do far better than old players did, and that they have some form of pension compared to old players.

 

[shoop]

This makes sense . I was hoping for this all season . Could have had him retired this year gave him a job at something for his salary . Keeps him happy opens up cap space . Also can be used as a selling feature for UFA . Hey look how we take care of guys .

Pretty sure that would be considered blatant salary cap circumvention. What is a fair market salary for attending parades and lecturing people on living a proper progressive lifestyle?

Which is what I'm sure a lot of us suspected all along. Season-ending injury with no symptoms coincidentally when his quality of play falls off a bloody cliff? Hmm.

Want to spend every game as a healthy scratch in the pressbox, or go on IR and make breakfast for your family every morning? Not a tough choice.

Ference was a terrible addition for this team. For me he is the most glaring example of the incompetency of the MacT era.

I am a Ference fan but it clear his play has certainly evaporated. I think he should retire whether he is bought out or not. Its the respectable thing to do. He can't honor his contract, aka play at the NHL level, he needs to just retire.

Last season when blowhard Lakers fans were asking Nash to retire instead of taking the money he came up with the most honest answer ever. Something to the effect. "Are you serious? Who would honestly do that in my situation?"

It's very easy to urge someone else to walk away from millions of dollars for reasons of honour or respectability. When a player is under no legel obligation to do so it is absolute insane to expect them to leave millions of dollars on the table.

 

[Raoul Duke]

This would only be news if he was going to retire instead of getting bought out.
When he gets bought out, it was going to be retirement anyway.
No team would sign him.
It's not really his decision.

 

[Husker Du]

Sat about 10 feet away from him at lunch today. While he looks fit, he has a very slight upper body for an NHL player. Shows how much heart he had playing a relatively physical game against players much bigger than him. He does have massive legs though.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Political discussion is OT for most of HFBoards - take it to the politics sub-forum if you want to discuss something other than Ference.

 

[shoop]

This would only be news if he was going to retire instead of getting bought out.
When he gets bought out, it was going to be retirement anyway.
No team would sign him.
It's not really his decision.

Exactly. It's kinda like that employee yelling "You can't fire me I quit." as he is being walked out the door by security.

 

[fancy dan]

Sat about 10 feet away from him at lunch today. While he looks fit, he has a very slight upper body for an NHL player. Shows how much heart he had playing a relatively physical game against players much bigger than him. He does have massive legs though.

ference is jacked