Lindgren
Registered User
- Jun 30, 2005
- 6,039
- 3,971
Baertschi had 12 points in his last 31 games that year before suffering a season-ending injury, and had been a healthy scratch only a few games before that injury.
The guy had zero leverage. He was an incredibly fringe top-6 player who needed us and our situation to stay in the NHL a lot more than we needed him. He was a guy who should have been looking at $2 million on a 1-year deal, take it or leave it. His agent probably couldn't believe his luck when we offered money + term.
Obviously management is stupid with player evaluations and contracts at the best of times, but this was at a point where literally NOTHING they'd done from a pro scouting perspective had turned out, and Baertschi was the closest thing to a small glimmer of hope, and he was signed to a contract befitting the 'hit' they so desperately wanted him to be.
It's always seemed to me that this management has been guilty of magical thinking: turn a player into what you want him to be by signing him to the corresponding contract.